Everyone in the small town of Hull knows two things. One: Jill Williams doesn't date, and two: Carson Blue is addicted to drugs.
When Carson decides to clean up his act and apply at Jill's family restaurant, she's less than enthused. Between school...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
HOSPITAL LIGHTS SHINE like white fumes before my eyes. The smell of medicine, chemicals, and death. I can't see straight; not when I get to the reception desk, not when I dash down the hallway to the emergency ward. I almost crashed the car on the way here, speeding so fast Carson made me pull over, grabbed both my hands, and forced me to breathe.
He's right behind me as I veer into the hallway a nurse pointed me to. At the end of it, Matias stands with his arm in a sling, a bloodied bandage around his head. Even though there's an icy chill in the air, my hair sticks in sweaty pieces to my face.
"Jill, thank God you're here," Matias says. "There was—"
"Is my mom okay?"
"She's in—"
He doesn't have time to finish his gesture toward the door—I'm already inside. I push past a nurse to a small room that reeks of gauze and blood. As soon as I see Mom, standing in front of a bed and alive, my heart sings again.
"Mom!" I skid to a halt, and everything slows. Because the bed in the room is occupied by my cousin, and he's covered in ribbons of red and white.
"Oh my god, Nolan!" I rush to his bed and observe him, as if to make sure he's not actually dead. He's definitely breathing, but he won't look at me. When I try to touch him, he jerks away. Now isn't the time for me to be hurt though.
With shaky arms, I face Mom. "What the hell happened?"
Someone clears their throat, and that's when I notice the two men who stand in the corner of the room: a doctor with overly-tanned skin and white hair, and Officer Stephen Bradshaw, Eric Bradshaw's dad.
"Mom, what's going on?" I ask.
She touches my cheek with a cold hand and smiles, but it's full of sadness. "There was a crash, Jill."
"Where's Colleen?"
"She's fine, sweetheart." Her voice is tired. Unconvincing.
"Sorry to interrupt," Officer Bradshaw says. "But I still need that statement from you, Sharon."
"It was my mom," Nolan says, and everyone looks at him. Tears swell in his eyes, but he rolls over and hides his face in the pillow. "She made Aunt Sharon crash the car."
"I was the driver, sweetie," Mom says. "I was the one who crashed. I'm so sorry."
"I don't care. It was her fault."
Silence. A nurse hugs her clipboard, and the doctor shifts uncomfortably.
"Mom, is that true?" I ask, but she says nothing.
"I know you, Sharon." Officer Bradshaw puts his hands on his hips. "And I know Colleen Mills. Just tell me what really caused the accident."
Mom looks at me, as if for guidance. If Colleen caused this, Mom can't protect her. Not anymore.
