“I’m down with that plan.” I remove my knife, running my finger along the tip.
“We stick to the original plan,” Saint says. He looks down at me. “Put that away.”
“You’re no fun.” I pout, tucking my knife away.
“And there’s no fucking way you’re coming to the meeting tonight.”
“I can’t just not show up.” I crick my head from side to side, loosening my tense shoulder muscles.
“You fucking can, and you will. I’ll think of some excuse,” Saint promises.
“Can you think of it later,” Theo says, standing and knocking back the last of his orange juice. “We need to get to school.”
_______________
It’s the second-to-last class of the day, and I’m staring out the window, yawning and trying to keep my eyes open. I’m not listening to a word Batshit Branning is saying because I’m too fucking tired to concentrate.
“Ms. Westbrook!” she screeches in my ear. I turn my head, surprised to find the teacher standing at my desk. “The vice principal has requested your attendance in her office immediately.”
“What’s this about?” I ask, gathering my books.
“You’ll find out when you get there,” she retorts before returning to the front of the class. None of the guys are in this class, so I pop off a quick group text as I follow the secretary to Vice Principal Pierson’s office.
“Harlow.” The small, curvy woman pins me with a soft smile. “Have a seat, dear.”
“What’s going on? Am I in trouble?” I thought the guys fixed it so the week I was absent was not an issue, but maybe, they didn’t. I plop into the seat across from her, dropping my bag on the ground by my feet.
“No.” She shakes her head, reaching across the desk to pat my hand. “There’s no easy way to say this. I just received a call from the hospital.”
My heart stops beating, and panic sluices into my veins. I gulp. “Tell me,” I croak.
“The doctor has confirmed there is no brain activity. They’re waiting for you to say goodbye to Sariah before switching off the life support machine.”
Tears prick my eyes, and I drag my lower lip between my teeth. I can hardly breathe over the messy ball of emotion clogging my throat. No! This can’t be happening. Not to my bestie. She’s a fighter. The best of them.
Her eyes fill up, and she squeezes my hand. “I’m so sorry, Harlow.”
“Does Sean know?”
“My understanding is he’s already at the hospital. What can I do?”
I stare straight through her. I can’t force myself to say anything, and I can’t make myself move either. I’m adrift at sea without a life vest.
“Can I call someone for you?” she asks. “Saint Lennox?”
“No need,” Saint says, as the door swings open, slamming against the wall. He stalks toward me. “We’ve got it from here, Mrs. P.”
“Princess.” Saint crouches down in front of me while Theo speaks in hushed tones with the vice principal. Saint’s warm hand palms my face. “You’re scaring me, babe.” His concerned blue eyes meet my green ones.
“Saint,” I rasp, placing my hand over his as tears spill down my face. “Say it’s not real. It can’t be real. Make it not be real.” Theo whispers in his ear, and Saint’s Adam’s apple jumps in his throat.
“C’mere, babe.” With more tenderness than he’s ever exhibited, Saint helps me from my chair. He pulls me into his chest while Theo takes my hand, Galen presses a kiss to the top of my head, and Caz rubs my back.
I rest my head on Saint’s chest while silent tears cascade down my cheeks, and the pain in my heart is so intense it feels like it might explode behind my rib cage. My eyes meet the vice principal’s and she’s looking at all of us with a curious smile. I’m imagining what it must look like to her—these four inked, pierced, towering bad boys, showering affection on the same girl, and I bet she never thought behind those rough, tough exteriors lie the biggest hearts with the greatest capacity for love.
“I’m okay,” I say, straightening up and wiping my tears with the arm of my sweater. “I need to get to the hospital before it’s too late.”
I rest my head on Theo’s shoulder, and he presses a kiss to my cheek, keeping a firm hold of my hand as we make our way out of the office. I assume someone has taken my bag. Galen comes up on my other side, threading his fingers through mine while Saint and Caz take up the rear. The hallways are empty as we make our way past classrooms and head outside.
“Theo.” Saint calls out.
Theo tosses the car keys into Galen’s hand before kissing me softly on the lips. “Go with Galen, babe.”
Galen squeezes my hand as we walk off, leaving the other three quietly talking on top of the steps. “I’m so sorry, Lo,” Galen says as we walk toward the Lexus. Theo parked it in the first row, directly in front of the school building, a few spots down on the right.
“Everyone I love dies,” I say, feeling a strange combination of numb and emotionally crippled.
“Not us, angel.” He kisses the top of my head, unlocking the car with the key fob. It makes a distinct pinging sound as we approach. “We’re going nowhere.”
My hand curls around the door handle as movement off to the left captures my attention.
“Lo! No!” Galen roars, yanking my arm back just as the door opens.
A flash of blonde hair meets the corner of my eye as Galen swings me around.
“Run!” he yells, pushing me forward, his body pressed up against my back.
My legs swing into action, but everything else slows down, and my brain registers several things at once as if I’m drifting high above the sky, watching it all go down.
Saint, Caz, and Theo are racing toward us, their mouths open, lips moving, but I can’t hear the words.
A high-pitched laugh tickles my eardrums just as a loud explosion pierces the air, cracking through the haze I’m in, ripping through the silence, and unmuting the shouts of the guys as they run toward us.
Heat blasts me from behind, and I’m thrown forward with force as another booming pop detonates around us.
“Lo!” Galen screams from somewhere close by, as I soar through the air, legs and arms flailing uncontrollably.
My body slams into the asphalt, face-first, and splintering pain whips through me as a crushing weight lands on my back.
Then, the world turns black.
_______________
TO BE CONTINUED
CHAPTER 1
Harlow
THE FOG CLOUDING my brain refuses to clear as the sounds of whispered arguing rouse me from slumber. I attempt to move, but my heavy body won’t cooperate. It’s as if I’m superglued to the warm, soft surface I’m lying on.
“She needs to wake up in her own time.”
The deep voice is familiar. Caz. My lovable, giant teddy bear of a man.
“She’d want to be there,” Saint retorts in his usual belligerent manner, but I hear the strain in his voice.
“Saint is right. She’ll never forgive us if we take this choice away from her,” Theo agrees, always the voice of calm logic.