Koa:You’ll find out tomorrow morning.
I throw my phone onto the bed and fall back against the pillow.
Suddenly, tomorrow morning can’t come fast enough.
But then my mind shifts. Back to the hospital. Back to Axel on that gurney, pale and passed out. The terror that gripped my chest when I thought I might lose him.
I can’t control what my brother does.
The thought sits heavy in my chest, suffocating and freeing at the same time.
He’s cut off. Koa promised. But Axel still found pills. Still took six of them. Still ended up in the hospital with a tube down his throat.
Wait.
Is Thea supplying him?
The thought makes my stomach turn. She wouldn’t do that. Would she?
Yes. She would. She’s been sleeping with him all summer. Doing coke with him. Pills.
I shouldn’t underestimate her. Or anyone, apparently.
I close my eyes and try to sleep. But all I see is Axel. Mom. The pills rolling under the stove.
The next morning, I’m half-awake when Scarlett’s alarm goes off.
She moves around the room quietly, getting ready for her early class. I keep my eyes closed, pretending to sleep.
“Your friend was here last night,” she says like she knows I’m awake.
I open my eyes, exhausted. “My friend?”
She nods, pulling her hair into a ponytail. “When you were sleeping.”
I sit up, laughing like it’s a joke. My throat is dry. “What fucking friend?”
“Your tall guy friend.”
My heart stops. “No. No way.”
“I saw what I saw.” She shrugs, slipping on her shoes.
I look around the room, scanning for anything out of place. My laptop is still closed on my desk. My phone is on the nightstand. Nothing looks touched.
“What was he doing?” I ask, voice tight.
She shrugs again. “Just standing there. By your bed. Staring. It freaked me out.”
“What the fuck?” I gasp, still trying to wake up.
“Yeah.” She grabs her backpack. “I didn’t know if I should say something or not. But I figured you’d want to know.”
She leaves, and I’m left sitting in my bed, staring at the spot where she said he stood.
Standing there.
Watching me sleep.
