Chapter 25

 

 

Reed watched Kate disappear into the smoke. He wanted to call her name, to call her back, to tell her he was wrong. But the words did not come. His heart felt stretched to the breaking point, like he was about to snap.

He wanted to be angry at Melissa for the reminder of his duty, but she did not deserve his ire. She was exactly what he wanted to see, a girl who knew what she deserved. But is that what he still wanted? Bowing his head, he rubbed his neck and trudged to Jim, still waiting at the truck.

Reed made his way to the passenger seat and climbed into the cab. Jim opened his door and joined him, inserting the key. He turned around on the grass and made his way back up the road, the truck bouncing over the ruts in the road.

“You shouldn’t have let her go.”

“You know my rules,” Reed said. His voice sounded distant, unable to push through the numbness in his chest.

“Rules apply to a game,” Jim said. “But your game is over.”

Reed sighed. “I’m grateful for your help, Jim, but you don’t understand.”

The man grunted. “I’ve been watching the site—I’ve even voted on your dates. Don’t kid yourself. You’ve fallen—hard. I may just be an old man, but I’m not blind yet. You shouldn’t have let her go.”

“It’s too late now,” Reed muttered. “She’s gone.”

“Everyone does stupid things,” Jim said.

“So what am I supposed to do?” Reed demanded.

Jim didn’t respond to his anger. “The only sane thing. I heard your story, so go back to the beginning. Resolve that burden you carry and then come back and get the girl you want.”

Reed shook his head. “It’s not that simple.”

“It never is,” Jim said, parking next to Reed’s car.

“Thanks for the fireworks,” Reed said.

“I expect an invite to the wedding,” he said.

Reed shook his head and walked to his car. When he got in he drove up the road, but parked in a spot behind a pavilion. Kate had said she would call Ember but he wasn’t about to let her sit in the park alone.

As he passed under a pavilion he spotted her in the empty field. His jaw tightened and he began to walk to her, intent on asking if he could drive her home. But he stopped on the threshold of the pavilion, struck by the despair about her huddled frame.

He could not offer solace or apology, and stood under the pavilion, unable to move. The minutes bled away as he watched her cry, yearning to offer comfort that he could not provide. If he went to her, he would beg forgiveness and give up his promise, but every time he tried to step forward he heard Aura’s scream.

Kate’s roommates arrived and spirited her away, their car disappearing into the night. Reed finally turned and trudged to his car. Then he drove home, the streets and lights blurring by until he found himself in his driveway. The light was on in the living room and he cringed at the prospect of talking to Jackson.

Steeling himself to face Jackson, he walked to the front door. He expected Jackson to already know what had happened and was not disappointed. When he entered the expression on Jackson’s face said it all.

“Reed,” he began.

“Not now,” Reed said. “I’m tired, and I don’t really want to talk.”

Reed wanted to scream and shout, to cry, but the ache in his chest wouldn’t allow it. Jackson was on his feet but Reed walked past him to his bedroom. He caught the handle and swung the door open, but before he could shut it, Jackson spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

Reed finally looked at him. “Me too,” he said.

He shut the door and fell onto his bed, but the war in his mind did not abate. Abruptly his anger boiled over and he punched his pillow, growling into it as if it would dispel the rending conflict in his soul.

Sleep finally claimed him, but when he rose in the morning he did not awake. Numb, he went to class and work, and returned home with notes he didn’t remember taking. Time passed in a blur of faces. He ate when he was hungry and slept when he was tired, but more often than not he stared at his phone, at the last text he’d gotten from Kate.

His friends tried to talk to him but he extricated himself from conversations and escaped, leaving them wanting. After a week they stopped trying. After two they stopped talking. Only Jackson continued to make an effort.

The night of his date with Kate came and went and she did not text or call. The next morning he stared at the date on the calendar, a disturbing realization settling in like a fall frost. It was well and truly over.

The calendar marked dates with Kate for a couple months ahead and he ripped it from the wall. Tossing it into the trash, he dropped back in bed and pulled the covers over his head, trying to hide from the calendar.

The door swung open and Jackson appeared. “Get dressed,” he said.

“Why?” His question was toneless.

“You promised to go to a game with me and Shelby,” he said.

“I’m not feeling well,” Reed said. “I’m going to stay in bed.”

“It’s the finals of the summer tournament,” he said. “You promised you’d go with me, and I’m not disappointing Shelby.”

Reed closed his eyes and groaned. He wanted to refuse his roommate but he had promised. “Give me a few minutes,” he muttered.

He pulled on whatever clothes were handy and then walked to Jackson’s car. From the passenger seat, he watched the streets slide by, the lights blending together in an endless array of bland structures until they were replaced with mountains. Then he realized they were no longer in the city.

“Where are we?” he asked, turning to look behind them, but there was only the road stretching to the horizon.

“On the 36,” Jackson said, “about an hour from Denver.”

“What?” he asked, straightening in his seat. “Aren’t we going to the game?”

“The game was last week,” he said. “You missed it. I’m sorry I lied, but it was the only way I could get you into the car.”

Confusion cut through Reed’s regret. “Where are we going?”

“Florida. Tallahassee to be exact.”

“What?” he demanded. “That’s two thousand miles away.”

“I know,” he said. “So I get credit for this forever.”

“What are you talking about,” Reed demanded. “Why do you want to drive across the country?”

“Because you need it,” Jackson said. “And I’m a really good friend.”

“Why do I need to go to Florida?” Reed asked.

“To see Aura,” he replied.

Reed stared at him, his confusion spinning to a halt. “Turn around,” he finally said.

“No.”

“Now.”

“No.”

“If you don’t turn around I’ll . . .”

“What?” Jackson asked, incredulous. “Hit me? Unless you have a secret karate skill I don’t know about, you’d better make yourself comfortable.”

“When you stop for gas I’ll just get out,” he replied. “I’ll take a bus back.”

“Why?” Jackson asked. “What do you have to return to? Classes? A life? You sacrificed all your other dates because of Kate, your calendar is empty, and you just finished your summer semester. You got a B, by the way, because Ember talked to your professor.”

“What?” he asked. “Why?”

“Because she’s intimidating,” Jackson said like it was obvious. “And we needed you not to flunk out.”

Reed folded his arms. “I need to finish my degree.”

Jackson glanced his way. “If you do your fall semester like you did the last two weeks, you’ll be kicked out of school faster than I drive for a layup. Until you fix this, you’ve got nothing to go back to.”

Reed wanted to argue but found he couldn’t. Glaring at his roommate, he gestured to his clothes. “What are we supposed to do? Wear these clothes for two weeks?”

“Of course not,” Jackson said with a snort. “Shelby and I packed your stuff when you were in class. Our bags are in the back.”

Reed stared at his roommate, seeing him for the first time. “Who’s the evil mastermind of this scheme?”

“I am,” Jackson replied with a smirk. “Kate told them why you broke things off—.”

“We weren’t together—”

“—and everything about Aura. Since I was the first to know the truth I figured it was time to step up.”

“And visiting her is going to fix things?”

“Yes,” Jackson said.

Reed sighed. “Then there’s a problem. She’s not in Tallahassee.”

Jackson raised an eyebrow. “That’s where you grew up. I assumed she was buried there.”

Reed sighed. “She’s in southern Florida.”

“They moved her body?”

“She’s in a hospital outside of Miami,” Reed said. “She’s in a coma.”