Effortless With You Lizzy Charles 7 page

Justin reaches out and touches my shaking hand. I take a deep breath. He casually steps between Troy and me. “What’s this about you training Lucy? I thought she was Alex’s protégé’?”

Troy shuffles his feet. “Well, she was. But I thought she needed more specialized attention than he can give.” Troy shrugs, “I’ve got the best technique so I thought I’d show her the ropes. She’s learned a lot. You should check—”

Justin holds out a hand to interrupt him. “I thought I made it clear that Lucy was to train with Alex.”

“Oh, come on. You know she’s learned all she can from the kid. Let me take her to the next level.” Troy’s undertone is clear.

“No. You stick to managing.” Justin clenches his jaw.

“Fine. I’ll go get Alex.”

Justin shakes his head. “No. That won’t be necessary. Lucy will hang with me the rest of the day.” He nods toward Alex, “Alex is killing the top trim. No reason to interrupt him.”

Troy glares back at Justin. “Fine, man. You’re the boss.” Justin swears under his breath and gathers our supplies.

“Wait. What just happened?”

Justin shakes his head as he hands me a bucket full of rags and brushes.

“You told me Troy was project manager.”

“He is.” He grabs a ladder off the driveway and effortlessly throws it over his shoulder.

“But he called you boss.”

“Hmm, caught that part, huh?” Justin scrunches up his face.

“Yeah. That’s pretty hard to miss.”

Justin turns toward me, a look of defeat on his face. “Well, that’s because I am. Troy’s my project manager.” He shrugs. “I’m the owner.”

“Wait? What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want you to know.” Justin sets up the ladder against the house and motions for me to climb it.

I start climbing the ladder, meeting him at eye level. “Why not?”

Justin meets my gaze. “Honestly, I thought you’d tell Marissa and then the whole school would know.” Marissa’s name is salt in my open wound. I grimace.

But he has a point. Marissa can’t keep a secret.

Justin continues, “The company is my own thing, no expectations from anyone but myself. Everything else I do,” he shakes his head, “people just know too much, you know?” I do. Justin was always the hot topic at school. I never imagined it bothered him though.

“I guess I can see that.” I climb higher and look down. “Then who’s the guy that knows my dad that got me the job?”

“Uncle Alex. He had a conference call with your dad the morning after the party and he mentioned it to me. He’s kind of the adult face of the company to give it some credentials.” He nods toward the center of the association. “I’d never have landed this gig if it wasn’t for him.”

“Uncle Alex? As in …?”

“Alex’s dad.”

“Cousins?”

“Yup.” I look at Alex, effortlessly perched on top of an eighteen-foot ladder. He has lighter hair than Justin but his frame is similar, just in a fourteen-year-old form. I think of his laugh; they have the same tone. I shake my head. “I don’t know how I missed that.”

“Eh. You see what you want to see.” He's right. If I’d have known Alex was Justin’s cousin, I never would have been his friend. I look at Alex. He really is my only friend. He’s always been so welcoming where Justin seems determined to drive me nuts.

That’s what is odd. Justin is being so nice to me. Maybe he really does care?

Justin hands me a paintbrush before setting himself up near the base of the ladder. I climb the rest of the way up before turning around and looking down at Justin. “You know I wouldn’t have told, right?”

“Told?”

“About you owning the company.”

Justin shrugs. “Well, now I do. But, I’m still glad I didn’t tell you.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t need to give you further reason to find think I’m full of myself.”

I groan and he smiles in his taunting way.

“Justin. Please, lay off. Not today, okay? I don’t know how much more I can handle.”

“I know. That’s why I’m staying right here.” He nods toward the bottom of the ladder. “There’s no way I’m letting you go all vomiting, jelly fish again. Your relational woes will not ruin me. I’m not going to be sued by your parents for unsafe working conditions.”

“So, that’s it then?”

“That’s what?”

“Nothing,” I mutter before returning to trimming.

My heart sinks. I thought he was being attentive because he cared. Knowing his attention stemmed from legal purposes makes me feel even emptier than before.

I look over at Alex, who is dancing with his brush on top of his ladder. They may be cousins, but Alex would never have said that.

I am a potential liability to Justin. Not a friend.

I bite my lip as I paint, focusing on every detail of my brush stroke. I start feeling numb. At the pool complex I didn’t feel alone with Justin at my side. Now, with Justin below me, I feel completely isolated. I was a task to manage.

And then there's Marissa and Zach. That’s how they always look at me too, an annoying task to attend to, at best, a means of entertainment. I’m Marissa’s pet project. She felt threatened the moment I started drawing attention from Zach. No wonder she always insisted on calling him for me—she was setting a nice trap for him. She couldn’t handle me being the center of attention, for once.

And Zach makes my skin crawl. I think I always knew that he was just one of those guys, after any girl who would put out. The moment he realized I wasn’t going to give him what he wanted, he welcomed Marissa onto his lap. The thought of them together literally makes me gag. I look down at Justin who is listening to his iPod, thankful he didn’t hear it.

Marissa and Zach are repulsive.

I cling to this feeling of disgust as the day wears on. It’s the key to holding on to reason. Occasionally, worthlessness and humiliation attempt to redirect my thoughts. But I won’t let them. I can’t let them. Not now. I will deal with them later. Not here.

I'm not going to cry here.

Justin doesn’t let me out of his sight the entire afternoon. Occasionally, I catch Troy glaring at him from across the courtyard. At least I don’t have to deal with him anymore. I concentrate on the angle of my brush. Each new stroke covers the dulled paint with a bolder red. I completely lose myself in painting because Troy yells, “CALL IT” much sooner than I anticipate.

I climb down the ladder. Justin stands waiting at the bottom, his hands on his hips. “So, now can I take you home?”

“No. This is all business, right? I didn’t fall. I’m not a liability. I’ll catch a ride from Alex and the other guys.” I can’t help but return the sting of his legal approach.

“Fine. I’ve got to go deal with Troy anyway.”

“Wait,” I call out to him. “Why were you so insistent that Alex train me instead of Troy?”

Justin lifts his eyebrow. “Isn’t that kind of obvious? You’re the only girl on the crew. Alex’s in a relationship, which made him the safest choice. I didn’t want to deal with everyone hitting on you. I don’t need a sexual-harassment lawsuit too.”

His words cut deep. That’s seriously all he cares about, huh? This stupid painting business. Why can’t I be somebody to him? To anybody?

I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry.

My eyes counter my thoughts, welling with tears, tears that Justin definitely notices. He pauses briefly before I blink them away. He opens his mouth to say something but Alex bounds between us.

“Way to save Lucy, man. I don’t know how much more we can take of Troy’s macking style.” Alex playfully nudges me in the side. I turn to him and force a smile.

“So, are you going to ditch me now that your old ride is back?”

Justin opens his mouth to speak but I beat him to the punch.

“Nope. I’m heading home with you. Justin’s got stuff to do.”

“Your dad is helping me with another business proposal,” Justin explains.

“Oh, so she knows now?”

“Yup.”

“Finally. We were all getting sick of your secret. It seriously sucks to pretend to listen to Troy, man.”

Justin shoves Alex’s shoulder. “He’s still your project manager.”

Alex picks up my supplies. “Sure. Whatever you say, boss.”

“Well, maybe if you’d have listened to him you’d have finished more than one house. Come on. You’re killing my productivity!”

“Oh, trust me man. Past nine o’clock, Troy’s attention was focused elsewhere.” Alex nudges me again. Under other conditions, I may have felt flattered. But instead the insinuation crawls down my throat and into my lungs.

My body is freaking out.

Suddenly, I am watching Marissa and Zach making out in the pool again. A ringing tone deafens my ears as I remembered seeing Zach pull Marissa into a hug. I gnaw on the inside of my cheek. The iron taste in my mouth is revolting. My fingertips vibrate.

A hand on my back. Alex. “Whoa Lucy, are you sick?”

My heart bangs inside my head as my legs buckle. Footsteps vibrate the ground near me. Another hand is placed on my shoulder.

“Why didn’t you force her to drink more water?” Alex accuses. “You made her work too hard.”

Justin doesn’t reply. He just leans down toward me. “Are you okay?” he whispers in my ear.

My spine becomes jelly. His whisper throws my heartbeat out of my head and into my chest. I briefly open my eyes and the ground starts to spin. Ever so slightly, I shake my head no. I glue my eyes shut as I feel my stomach begin to turn. Not again.

“I’ll go grab some water and food.” Alex’s hand leaves my back but the pressure is instantly replaced with Justin’s other hand.

“Take a deep breath,” Justin guides.

I listen, concentrating on making each breath wash the nausea away.

A cool rag falls in my hand. I press my face into it.

You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re okay.

My stomach relaxes. I sit up straight, taking a sip from a water bottle held under my lips.

“Justin. I don’t know about this,” Alex begins. “Look. She won’t stop shaking.”

“Just give her time.” Justin squeezes my shoulders.

I open my eyes, looking down at my hands and arms which are shaking in involuntary spasms. “Are you having a seizure?” Alex asks with wide eyes. He reminds me of Eric and it provides just enough of a distraction for me to refocus.

“No,” I force myself to smile at him. “I don’t know what happened. Probably not enough water.” I take the water bottle that he holds out in front of me and draw in a long sip.

“See,” he accuses again, looking over my shoulder back at Justin. Alex surveys me with his fingers lightly covering his mouth like how Eric would analyze his chances before asking me to play. A horn beeps. “Are you going to help me get her to the van?” he asks Justin.

“No, I can walk. It’s fine.” I start to stand up but Justin’s hands push me back down.

“Don’t worry about it, Alex. I’ll bring her home.”

“No way. You said she was going with me.” They acted more like brothers than cousins.

“Do you seriously think you can handle her if she ends up like this again in that van? Emmanuel will freak out if she starts puking.”

“No. I won’t puke, I’m fine.”

“See?”

“Alex. No.”

“But …”

The van honks again.

“Go.”

“Fine.” Alex kicks the dirt. “I’m sorry, Lucy. I hope you stop shaking soon.” He leans down close to me to whisper, “And, no offense, I kind of hope you throw up again in Justin’s truck.”

I nod, closing my eyes at the mere mention of throw up. “If I do, I’ll make sure it’s a good one.”

“Thanks,” he pats me on the back as he goes.

With Alex gone, I become acutely more aware that Justin’s hands are still on my shoulders. A different type of adrenaline takes over. My shaking intensifies.

“Lucy,” Justin voice is husky. “What am I going to do with you?” His hands rub my arms. “Relax,” he urges.

“Right,” I turn toward him. He grabs my hands in his, deciding to make the shaking stop on his own. Justin’s hands are so warm. My heart pounds against my chest. I close my eyes, urging my shoulders, arms and hands to relax.

“There you go,” Justin says. I open my eyes to find his green ones wide with worry. “I shouldn’t have let you work. Bad call. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It just hit me, that’s all.” I pull my hands back out of his. He nods and stands up with me, putting his fingers over his lips as Alex had.

“So, am I going to have to carry you?” he teases.

***

I curl up in bed and, for the second night in a row, silently let my tears overwhelm me. I pull my blanket over my head, welcoming its darkness. My thoughts become a fuzzy void that seems to dull my pain. Time slips by, only marked with the occasional creak of my door and light pressure of a hand on my thigh. I shift away from Mom’s touch, desperately hating being brought back to reality.

I must have fallen asleep because at ten o’clock the ringing of my cell phone wakes me. It's Justin. I answer without thinking.

“Hello?” I say, not able to mask my groggy tone.

“Sorry, were you asleep?”

“In a way, yes, but not really.”

“Right, of course.” Justin pauses awkwardly on the phone. “So, tomorrow’s a work day.”

“I want to go to work.”

“I’m not going to hold it against you.”

“No, really.” I look around my blank-walled room. Did anyone with a personality live here? “I can’t stay here.”

“Well,” Justin wavers.

“I promise I’ll be just fine.”

Justin sighs. “How about I’ll pick you up but we’ll play it by ear, okay?”

“Sure, whatever gets my mind out of this place, you know?”

Justin’s musical laugh turns my heart. “Right. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Thank you.” I'm unable to mask my sincerity.

Justin’s voice echoes my tone. “Lucy, you know you are going to be okay, right?”

“Yeah,” I squeeze my eyes shut. “I just need to work through it.”

Justin doesn’t respond right away, providing an awkward moment of silence that I don’t have the energy to fill. “Sleep, Lucy. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Sounds good.” I push END CALL before Justin can change his mind.

I drag myself out of bed to brush the rotting taste from my mouth. I catch my reflection in the mirror. My face is uncharacteristically pale and greasy while wisps of hair fly away from my ponytail. Dark circles have found a home under my eyes.

I look like a troll.

I groan, realizing that most of the day Justin has looked at some version of this girl in the mirror. It’s not like it really matters though. I turn the shower on extra hot. I need to start over again. My mind keeps replaying Zach’s arms around Marissa’s waist and her cackling giggle. I can’t take it anymore. I seek relief, allowing my thoughts to drift to Justin.

I picture Justin’s smile, accentuated with his stubble and jaw line, and my heart flutters. My hands tingle as I remember Justin’s palms in mine. I sigh, knowing that part of me is falling fast for him. I can’t deny that his tenderness today has sent my heart haywire. I blast the top of my head with cold water. I have to be sane about these feelings. Justin is taken, in love with Jennifer. I have no chance.

But somehow, knowing that a future with Justin is impossible makes it easier to like him. It's risk-free.

I climb out of the shower with my mind feeling warped. How Justin drives me crazy yet simultaneously melts my heart confuses me. I sigh as I pull a brush through my hair. Maybe it’s because I have to be real around Justin? I can’t hide my sarcasm, sass, and annoyance from him when I try. Something about him unarms me. I'm not used to thinking and acting so freely. No wonder I'm confused. I don’t know how to be me.

I crawl back into bed, holding my own hands as I let that small part of me remember again the warm pressure of his palms. The memory eases me into an odd but peaceful sleep. Only once do I wake, to the sound of my door closing. Dad’s snoring crackles from down the hall. The spot next to me on the mattress is warm. Someone has been sitting there.

Mom.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I wait on my front step the next morning, holding my knees up against my chest. Random butterflies try to take flight inside me but I catch each one, blushing as I shoo them away. These will be the only blushes of the day. I can’t allow more.

The clank and sputtering of Justin’s truck announces his arrival before he pulls around the corner. I hop off the front step, not wanting him to feel the need to greet me. He rolls down his window and smiles. A butterfly takes flight. Damn.

“Good morning Lady Barfs-a-Lot,” he taunts from his window.

A quick frenzy of rage squashes the butterfly with its thumb.

“Wow, have I ever told you how hilarious you are?” Sarcasm seeps out of my mouth like lava.

Justin leans over and opens my door from the inside. “Nope but I’d love to hear it. You know me. Just can’t get enough.”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure I caught that about you.”

Justin stretches, his hand reaching over and blocking my face. I push it out of my way. “Well, I’ve got to nurture my ego if I’m going to maintain it.” He chuckles as he throws the truck into reverse.

“So,” he continues, “Yesterday kind of sucked, huh?

I attempt a laugh. “Pretty much the lowest I can go.”

“Naw, I wouldn’t say that. I think yesterday was a step up for you.”

“In comparison to?”

Justin shrugs, “The day before.”

“So you liked me barfing and totally freaking out over—?”

“Being Marissa’s oblivious drone,” Justin states harshly. He looks at me, gauging my reaction. I work hard not to flinch so he will continue. “Trust me. That look was not becoming on you.”

“Well, I’m happy to have climbed your ladder of approval, barf and all.”

“I’m glad you finally did too. I was worried I’d have to bring you to your senses.”

“Oh? With what plan?”

Justin grins. “I had a few ideas. But, their way was much clearer than anything I could have come up with.”

I don't grin back. “And when did you decide I needed your help?” This isn’t funny.

“At the pool that first day.”

“When I was waiting for Zach?”

“No, earlier when you were reading a magazine next to Marissa. I’ve known her since elementary school. Everyone knows her general philosophy on relationships. You seemed like a victim of one of her master plans.”

“That’s one way to put it.” I bite the inside of my lip. How can he talk about this so casually? Her betrayal is still an oozing wound.

“And then I saw you pathetically waiting for Zach. You needed help. I had to save you.”

Pathetically. Great.

My heart tugs. What he says doesn’t feel right. I turn away from him and look out the window. My mind starts piecing things together. “Wait, so I was a project for you to save?” The situation mirrors Marissa’s original attempt at saving me.

He looks confused at my question. “No. That’s not what I’m saying.”

“I needed you to save me? You planned to bring me to my senses?” I shake my head. “Sounds like a project to me.”

“No. I mean, well kind of. But it wasn’t like that.”

“How wasn’t it?”

“I was going to help you.”

“That’s exactly what Marissa said.”

Justin throws his hands up in the air. “Oh, come on. You know I’m not like her.”

“No, you aren’t. But doesn’t that make it worse?”

“How?”

“She’s vain. But I thought you had a sense of humanity.”

Justin looks back at me blankly. “Well yeah. That’s why I wanted to save you.” He says a little too slowly.

“Okay then, let me ask you this. What were you planning to do with me after you saved me?” As the question comes out, I realize how desperately I need to know the answer. Where does he see this unique relationship going? Are we going to be friends? Or, now that the project is done, would I just go back to blending into the background?

Justin doesn’t answer. I watch his jaw clench. I desperately want it to open with a response. Instead, Justin focuses intently on the traffic.

“Whatever,” I say under my breath.

The truth of the moment hangs between us. I reach over and turn on the radio, hoping the noise will chase the awkward truth away.

As we continue to drive, my conscience picks away at me. Did I really believe that Justin thought of me in the same manner as Marissa? I glance back at him, catching him as he glances away from me. He takes a deep breath and relaxes his jaw, pulling his hand through his black hair.

The answer rises from my gut. No. Justin doesn’t think of me that way. I am someone to him. I just don’t know what someone means. That butterfly I’d squashed earlier resurrects. I push it aside. No. That isn’t possible. Justin is dating Jennifer. But, friendship? Yes. That I want. In fact, I absolutely need it.

Justin is right—I was Marissa’s drone. I shamefully followed her everywhere. Even when I had an idea, I never initiated it. I didn’t need to when Marissa controlled everything. I press my hand to my forehead. How did I become so passive? That needs to change. I look at Justin and swallow a lump in my throat. The change needs to start now.

“Justin,” I begin. He glances at me. “Listen, I’m sorry.” Please let him understand. “I know you aren’t like her. I just,” I take a deep breath. “I guess I’m on edge, not having a lot of recent experience with trust.”

“Yeah, I get that. You’re kind of …”

“Broken,” I volunteer, and he nods. “I shouldn’t have asked you what you planned to do with me.” Justin lightly furrows his brow in confusion. “It doesn’t matter to me because,” my heart pounds in my chest, “I already know what role I want to take.”

Justin becomes rigid. “Listen, Lucy …” He takes a deep breath and I realize he thinks I’m about to throw myself at him. He’s going to give me his let down speech.

I laugh, interrupting him. “Oh, no. No.” I laugh again, trying to cover up that little butterfly shouting yes! from inside. “Not that.” I shrug, “Just friends, that’s all.”

His face relaxes. “Good.” He sounds a bit too relieved. “I mean, not that … well … you know. I just want to be friends with you too. Anything more would kind of ruin it, right?”

Splat. That butterfly commits suicide.

“Yup, totally.” I say with convincing confidence.

“So, friends, Lady?” he offers.

“Absolutely.”

“Well, just so you know,” he leans in toward me, “I take friendships very seriously.” Now I look at him confused. “So, if something of my friend’s is broken, I’m the type of friend who helps them fix it. Understand?”

I smile, “Do I have any choice in the matter?”

Justin shakes his head.

“I didn’t think so.”

***

The weather couldn’t have been crueler. Ninety-seven degrees with seventy-eight percent humidity. The air is so thick I swear I can chew it. Alex, to a point of annoyance, makes me take too many water breaks. My progress slows. I start waving Alex off every time he motions for me to climb down and grab a drink of water. I am determined to pull my weight with this job. The white trim needs my help. Every brush stroke covers up the cracked paint beneath. I willingly let it symbolize myself, tenderly brushing away the cracks. Proving that somehow I will find a way to heal.

“Lucy, water break,” Alex calls again. I shake my head, leaning in closer, making another clean stroke over dull blue paint. “Fine, suit yourself.”

“Lucy.” Justin’s voice. I instinctively turn around, following it to its source. The moment I see him I wish I hadn't. He holds a huge bucket of water. “You wouldn’t,” I gasp.

He smiles wickedly. “Of course I would.” He tilts the bucket back and throws the water in the air toward me. The cold water hits me like a ton of bricks.

I take a deep breath before jumping off the ladder, completely soaked from the neck down. “What the—?”

Justin shrugs and walks over, patting me on the back. “Alex here told me you were refusing water break and so I thought I would take matters into my own hands.”

Alex shrugs next to him, he moves just like Justin. “Sorry, Lucy. You needed it.”

“Betrayal,” I mutter.

Justin slaps me on the back, “Oh come on, friend. You’ll get over it. I’m sure.” He smiles in a way that makes his dimples pop. A goofy grin creeps across my face. My hand flies over my mouth to hide it.

Troy yells, “BREAK.”

“Finally,” Justin says. “It’s time to buy him a new watch. I’m starved.”

Alex brings me my lunch box, he owed me. I ring the water out of my tank top. Now that the shock has worn away, I actually don’t mind it. It's refreshing. I lie back on the grass in the sunlight, a feeble attempt at drying myself in the high humidity. I close my eyes, listening to the rhythmic bounce of the basketball on the street. The sound is as comforting as rain. My mind drifts back to yesterday. It seems so long ago.

I brace myself, waiting for the memory to overwhelm me. I take a deep breath as the harsh words and images filter through my mind. I wait for the nausea but it never surfaces. I check my hands. Steady as a rock.

I look at Justin helping Luke with dribbling. I smile.

He’s right. I’m going to be alright.

***

I abandon all of my worries in my work. I don’t notice the air turning an orange color until Alex throws a rag at me and points to the sky. Wind whooshes past us, making my bangs whip and sting my cheek. I pull out a bobby pin from my waist band and sweep them out of the way.

The sky is beautiful. Orange, pink, and yellow hues dance in the clouds. Everything is quiet. Our usual chatter echoes the sky’s mood, dying away into silence. I look at Alex, who keeps looking up at the sky and back at Justin. The rest of the crew does the same. Justin and Troy stand near the truck, listening to the radio.

The wind picks up, large tree branches creaking in protest. Alex looks at me and shouts over the wind, “I’m going to go talk some sense into them. This meeting deadline stuff is bull if we’re gonna get blown away.” Luke and Jake follow him to the truck. Emmanuel shrugs at me from the scaffolding across the courtyard before turning back to his portion of the siding.

I dip my brush back into the white paint. My ladder sways a bit to the right and I grab the eve of the roofing, holding on to steady myself, the ladder, and my paint can. I glance at Justin and Troy, hoping they’ll make the decision to call it a day. Justin leans in through his car window, trying to hear the radio over everyone’s opinions. Troy looks at the sky, his arms crossed and shaking his head.

The large oak tree behind me startles me with a creak. As I glance back, one of the thick branches bends from stress. I instinctively tighten my grip, this time with both hands, onto the roof’s edge. Immediately, a gust of wind hits my ladder. My fingers dig into the roofing as my feet meet the air. The ladder clangs on the sidewalk below. Crack, the tree branch crashes to the ground.

I scream, struggling to find a ledge of the siding to dig my feet into.

Alex drops his water bottle and runs toward me. I dig my fingernails into the shingles and tighten my muscles. I look down, a two-story fall to the ground.

“Hold on.”

“Catch her.”

“Shit.”

I struggle to maintain my grip; my wrists feel like they are going to snap. A new ladder bumps up beside me. An arm wraps around my waist, pulling me over to the ladder. “It’s okay. You can let go.” Emmanuel’s voice reassures me. “Seriously, I’ve got you.”

“Let go.” Justin’s voice shakes from below.

Another gust of wind hits the side of the house, jostling Emmanuel’s ladder. I cling to the roof even tighter than before.

“Emmanuel. Get her down before you both fall. Now.”

“Come on, Lucy, let go.” The ladder starts to sway below us. “We’ve got to do this, now.”

I let go. Wind whooshes around the corner toward us. Branches crack from the trees. I cling to Emmanuel as our ladder falls to the right.

“Don’t let go.” Emmanuel instructs. He wraps both arms around my waist.

The fall takes forever. I close my eyes, allowing Emmanuel to lead. He hesitates a moment before he jumps, pushing me out in front of him. I brace myself for impact. But it never comes as another set of arms wrap around my waist, pulling me away from Emmanuel. Thud. Emmanuel slams against the ground.

Luke pulls me into his body and eases me to the ground. Justin rushes to Emmanuel’s side. My heart pounds—move, Emmanuel. Justin turns him over but he doesn’t respond. Justin shakes him and leans in close to check for a heartbeat. My throat tightens.

Justin presses his head against his chest. Alex steadies Emmanuel’s neck.

I stop breathing.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 410