Rivals For Breakfast

53| Thick

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My hands aren't steady.

Cole winces as I dig in his wound with the dull tweezers we found in his first aid kit.

I bite my lip, taking in deep breaths. If only my hands would stop trembling. I glance up at him as he lets out another hiss. His face is pale, beads of sweat dampen the ash-blonde hairs around his forehead. That's not a good sign, it's freezing cold out here.

Finally, I feel the pang of metal against metal. I bare down with my index and thumb, at last pulling out the bloody bullet.

We both let out deep sighs.

"Now pressure," He says.

This is the easy part. I roll up a large chunk of gauze, pressing it over the wound. We both stare out of the windshield. There's isn't much to say. The naked trees outside shake in the cold wind. At least there are no more gunshots.

I remember all those months ago when Cole shot me. It's ironic where we are now. The memory almost makes me laugh.

Our eyes meet for a second. He doesn't smile, neither do I, the air is too thick. Smiling isn't an option. Ever since Kai died there hasn't been much to talk about. I've got nothing smart to say about a war anyway.

"Draco's dead" His voice pierces through the silence "he died yesterday".

I stare at him wide-eyed. "I didn't know".

"I couldn't tell you" he sighs "saying it out loud makes it all too... real."

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. My fingers scratch at my palms, suddenly the car seems too small.

"I'm..." I try to say but my voice gives out.

"I know" he saves me the trouble of finishing the phrase "When this is all over, I promise, I'm leaving everything behind, me and you, we can start fresh somewhere else, you're all that matters to me now."

I give him a weak smile and squeeze his hand. He's got no idea how nice that sounds. I've been praying a lot lately. I've never been religious but with the things happening around me I often find myself on my knees, saying "Jesus puh-leaz". All I want is for us to make it out of this, run away like we joked about back in Zanzibar.

"Let me see you move your fingers," I say.

He grins and wiggles all five. "I'm fine, really" he chuckles.

I chuckle back, and for a second, seeing his smile makes everything feel alright. But then his phone rings and I'm yanked back to reality.

"Bryson," he says.

"Where are you!" He starts the car, and speeds down the road.

"Okay, I'm not too far" urgency drips out of his tone.

I feel dizzy. Adrenaline pumps through my veins and my stomach sinks to the floor. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

He doesn't answer, his foot presses on the gas as we turn a sharp corner.

"Where are we going!" I shout this time.

"The school, Bryson needs back up!" He shouts back.

"The school? Wha-" I breathe out.

He dials a number on his phone. The car teeters, the bumper just barely miss the rear end of a sedan.