“What are you fucking doing?” Jake barks, taking two giant steps and closing the space between us.
“Come any closer and we both go over. And I’ll make sure your beloved sister is my cushion when we hit the concrete below.”
Oh my God. Oh my God.
I’m going to die today and it’s going to happen while I’m in this monster’s arms. My body trembles with fear despite the fact I’m fighting like hell not to show him that I’m scared of him or his threats.
My heart races to the point I have no chance of breathing fast enough to drag in the air I need, and fear like I’ve never experienced before washes through me like a wave.
“Preston, please,” Jake’s voice is almost begging. I stare into his wide eyes as he tries to reason with Preston, but I don’t think anyone but me realizes just how unreasonable he is. “We can come to some agreement, don’t do this.”
“I want the team. I want everything.”
“Fine.”
“What?” I bark. “Jake, no.”
“I don’t give a shit, Poppy. You are what matters here. I need you safe more than I need anything else.”
Jake whispers something to Zayn but as much as I strain to hear, I can’t make out any of the words.
“It’s rude to whisper,” Preston shouts. “Please, share your findings with the group.”
Jake and Zayn share a look. Preston’s grip on me tightens before everything happens at once and I start to fall.
33
Zayn
“We’re faster than him,” Jake whispers to me.
On the field, this is true but I’m not sure I want to test the theory right now while Poppy’s life hangs in the balance. If she goes over then... My stomach turns over at the thought. There’s no way anyone would survive a fall from this building. We have to get her.
“We can’t risk it.”
“You got a better idea? This isn’t going to end unless we end it. He’s fucking deranged.”
He doesn’t need to say the words, I can fucking see the reality right in front of me. I had a good idea of what was going on with Preston and Poppy, but I never could have imagined it would have led to this.
I drop my eyes to his feet. His heels are hanging right over the edge. The smallest of movements is going to send them both crashing to their deaths.
My heart races, my skin is covered in a sheen of sweat as the tension of this situation gets too much to cope with.
“Preston, please.” It’s the first time Poppy has spoken since we arrived and the fear within her voice damn near kills me. I need to get her out of this. She’s already been through hell. She doesn’t deserve this.
“I was jealous of you all, you know that. The perfect lives, the perfect friends, the perfect prospects.” Jake scoffs beside me.
“You clearly didn’t look hard enough because our lives are shit, Hellburn. You’re the one with the money, the influential daddy, while we were scrambling to stay afloat.”
I look to Jake, his eyes hold Preston’s but the second he realizes he has my attention, his hand moves, urging me forward.
“You’re the one with the power.”
“I have nothing. This is high school. The team and the position you so desperately want mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. It’s not worth risking your life for.”
When I don’t move as instructed, Jake glances at me. His eyes widening.
“Bullshit,” Preston snaps before launching into a speech about Jake’s position, just showing how delusional he really is.
But I don’t hear any of the words because without putting another thought into it, I race forward.
But he sees it coming and he leans back.
The scream that rips from Poppy’s throat as she realizes what’s happening is one that I’m sure will haunt me for the rest of my life.
I’m in front of them before they’ve really started to fall and when I reach out, I manage to grip onto Poppy’s arm.
Her eyes are wide in fear, her skin as white as a sheet.
“Fuck.” Jake is at my side in a heartbeat and manages to get her other arm. “We’ve got you. It’s okay. We’ve got you.”
Preston’s arms are locked around Poppy’s waist but as we start to pull her up, his hands slip and he lets go.
Without his weight, Poppy flies toward us. I gather her up in my arms as her body trembles with the ferocity of her sobs.
Jake and I stand there still looking over the edge of the building and down to where Preston is now in a heap on the concrete.
“Fuck,” he breathes, lifting his hands to his hair. “Fuck. Fuck.” He takes a step back, spinning away from the horrifying scene as the events of the past few seconds hit me.
He just let go. He’s...
I don’t get to dwell on it because Poppy begins to wail against my chest.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” I whisper into her hair, moving us both back from the edge.
“You’re safe, Poppy. He’s gone. It’s okay,” Jake says, marching over and pulling her from my arms.
I feel cold, lost, the second she’s gone but I know it would be wrong of me to fight him on this right now.
“Call 9-1-1,” he instructs.
I stare at the two of them for a beat, relieved that Poppy has someone to support her right now, that she has some family but equally hating that it’s not me with my arms wrapped around her. Before I drag my cell from my pocket, I reach behind me and pull my hoodie from my body.
“What are you... oh.” Stepping up to the two of them, I gently pull Poppy’s ruined clothes from her arms before tugging my own over her head. Jake releases her long enough to cover her up before he walks back to the wall and slides down to the floor, keeping Poppy cradled to him the whole time.
I make the call and in what feels like only minutes the sound of sirens and the flashing lights surround us.
Officer’s footsteps race up the stairs before two surround us, staring down at where we’re sitting back against the wall, Jake still with Poppy in his arms. She’s not so much as looked up let alone said anything.
“Is she okay? Is she hurt?”
“Uh... I don’t think so. Just traumatized.”
“Okay, well the paramedics are on their way. I think it’s probably best we get her checked over while we get to the bottom of what’s happened here.”
As if on cue, two paramedics appear behind them and encourage Jake to release Poppy. He’s clearly not happy about it but after a little coaxing, he allows them to get on with their job.
They take her weight and direct her to the stairs.
“Where are you going?” he asks in a panic.
“Just to the ambulance so we can lie her down.”
“Can we follow? Please? She’s my sister,” Jake begs the officers. “I need to be with her.”
I’ve never heard him so vulnerable and lost and I hate it. “You go and I’ll tell them everything I can.”
The officers agree and Jake takes off after Poppy.
The next hour passes in a blur as I’m forced to recount the events of the afternoon, from how we found her here to what happened when we arrived and how it resulted with Preston dead on school grounds.