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“Screw you, Cole.”
Grabbing my duffle bag from the floor, I go to the other side of the gym. Tucking my earbuds in, I turn on my playlist before hopping on the treadmill. I know I should start slow, but I’m too damn angry for it.
I go through my exercises, pushing until the sweat is dripping off of me, and my muscles are trembling.
Zane appears in my line of vision, his arms crossed over his chest as he glares me down. Sighing, I put the dumbbell in place and pull my earbuds out.
“You have to cut him some slack. He’s hurting,” Zane says, his face grim.
He’s hurting?
“Well, he’s not the only one,” I bite out.
With a shake of my head, I grab my things and go to the locker room to change. I check my phone, although I’d have gotten a notification on my watch if Jade tried to text or call me.
Nothing.
The locker room is blessedly quiet. I make my way to my locker, pulling out my duffle. I’ve wholly overworked myself, and my knee is feeling it. I grab my pain meds, tossing two back just as the door opens. Swallowing, I look over my shoulder to find Nixon watching me from the doorway.
He closes the door and makes his way to his locker.
“I’m just so worried about her,” he says, breaking the silence. “You don’t know what it’s like. We lost our mother to breast cancer not even two years ago, and now all of this.”
“You think you’re the only one who lost somebody to cancer?” I ask, still pissed at him. “Grow the fuck up, Nixon. People lose their loved ones to cancer all the freaking time.”
“As if you know anything about losing people you love.”
My brother’s lifeless body flashes in my mind.
You kill everybody you love,Dad’s hateful words ring in my head.
I shut the locker, the loudbangechoing in the otherwise quiet room. “The person who doesn’t know shit is you.” With a shake of my head, I grab my things. “I’m going to check in on Jade.”
My mind is reeling all the way to Jade’s apartment. As I pull my car into the parking lot, I’m playing with the idea of going to my place and taking a shower, but I’m too anxious to see Jade, too worried about making sure she’s okay to delay this even for a shower, so instead, I go straight to her place.
Jade’s given me a key, so I don’t bother knocking. The TV is on in the living room, and I can hear voices. Peeking inside, I find Grace and her boyfriend lying on the couch. She looks up. “Hey,” Grace sits upright, a small smile on her lips.
“Hey,” I glance down the dark hallway. “How is she doing?”
“Still in her room. The last time I checked, she was sleeping.”
“Thanks,” I glance back at her, nodding my head. “I’m going to check in on her.”
“Sure thing.” I start to turn around when Grace calls out: “Prescott?”
Reluctantly, I look over my shoulder. “Yeah?”
“We’re here for you. If you need anything. You know that, right?”
“Yeah, thanks.”
The door to Jade’s room is cracked open. I slide inside, my eyes needing a moment to adjust to the dim lighting. Closing the door, I make my way to her bed.
She looks so small curled in the middle of the queen-size bed. The covers are pulled up to her chin. Her face is pale, and dark circles are visible under her eyes.
Gently, so as not to wake her, I touch her face, noting that her skin is dry, but she doesn’t have a fever. Gabriel used to get so sick and would stay that way for days after the chemo was over. Each round was harder, each round he needed more time to recover. Until he didn’t.
Jade’s not Gabriel,I chastise.
