Someone gets it.
Someone finally understands how I feel andactson it.
“Thank you,” I whisper as my voice cracks.
Thea starts to snap, but I end the call and sink into my seat.
My hands are shaking. Tears stream down my face. I press my palms to my eyes, trying to stop them.
Koa can’t be fucking serious.
He’s taking my brother to rehab.
He has those connections?
I look around the room, at the other students taking notes, at the professor speaking about I don’t know what anymore.
Nobody will share my joy.
Nobody will ever understand how much it means to me that the terrifying, violent, drug-dealing man I kissed this morning just did the one thing I’ve been trying to do for months.
And I didn’t even have to ask.
He’s saving my brother from the one thing that’s going to steal his life away, if not kill him.
And there’s not one person in this world that will ever understand how much that fucking means to me.
And I don’t know if I should laugh or cry or both.
19
Koa
Axel sits in the passenger seat like a corpse.
Silent. Staring straight ahead. Arms crossed tight over his chest.
I drive toward the rehab facility on the north side of town—the one that doesn’t ask too many questions if you pay cash up front. The one where half the staff are former addicts themselves, so they know every excuse, every manipulation, every lie before you even open your mouth.
“You know this is pointless, right?” Axel finally speaks. His voice is rough, scratchy from the tube they shoved down his throat last night.
I don’t respond. Just keep driving.
“She put you up to this, man,” he continues. “She always does this. Tries to control everything. Tries to fix everyone.”
“She almost watched you die last night.”
“So?”
I slam on the brakes. We’re at a red light, but the force throws him forward. His seatbelt catches him hard.
“So?” I turn to look at him. “Do you know how lucky you are to be fucking loved by her?”
He glares at me. “You don’t know shit about—”
“Do you even realize how much she cares about you?” I lean closer, voice dropping. “She gave herself to me. Traded herself. To save your pathetic ass.”
His face goes pale.
