That relaxes her features into something melancholic and tragic. Her arms wrap around herself.
“I don’t wanna die…” Fabiola's voice cracks on the last word, and for the first time, she looks small. Not the sorority queen, not the girl who weaponizes charm, or the future Mrs. Safra—right now, she’s just a girl, terrified of becoming another headline.
I bite down my lip, exhaling a mouthful of air, trying to find the right words to say. I find none. I only stare at her, watching the small tremors in her arms as she folds into herself like she’s trying to disappear.
“I don’t wanna die…” she whispers again, softer this time.
I blink, and all I see is June. Big brown eyes with a contagious smile. There’s a strange twinge in my chest, pulling and turning into something like a truce. Acceptance. Who knows.
“He’s putting out fires; give him space.” I give her a small truth, one that cracks a small smile on her stoic face. “It’s what he does; he disappears. Get used to it, princess.”
Fabiola straightens, the tension melting away with a quick nod. She wipes the single tear that races down her cheek before clearing her throat, and, like most people in this place, she places on the mask that holds the facade in place.
“Stay safe, Zayden,” she mutters softly, moving past me when the loud pang of a metal door slamming pulls our attention, followed by heavy footsteps that echo down the hall. Nico’s voice follows next. “Zayden!”
Nico is running, eyes wide and breathless by the time we spot him. “We need a car. T–Thiago. He got in an accident.”
He plants his hands against his knees, trying to steady his breathing, sweat dripping off the ends of his hair. Nico swallows, gasping for air, all while Fabiola panics beside me. My mind still tries to make sense of what he just said, my world narrowing tothat single sentence.He got in an accident.And even though I hear the words, my mind just can’t grasp it.
“What?” I manage to say, over my racing heart.
“I was running and found him,” Nico says, already turning to the exit. “I need a car. E said no cops. To bring him to his dorm.’”
“Rowan,” I added quickly, knowing she could help him. Fabiola's voice cuts through the fog of my panic.
“He needs a hospital, not the school nurse.”
Nico gives her a half-hearted smile. “Tell that to those calling the shots. You got a car?”
“Of course I do,” She mutters softly, before her apprehensive gaze flicks up to mine, and her hand slides into my grasp.
“We gotta go,” Nico rushes us.
Fabiola moves first. “Lead the way.”
And just like that, the fight, the sarcasm, and the walls burn away. We’re sprinting down the hall, my feet pumping harder with each step, dragging Fabiola behind me like a rag doll. All racing to go to Safra’s rescue. Just as we step outside, Ezra’s car screeches to a stop beside us.
“Get in,” he orders, and I do so without a moment of hesitation.
Nico begins to speak, but I can’t make out a word he’s saying over the sound of rushing blood. Ezra speeds out of campus towards the windy roads. The car jerks forward, tires screaming against the asphalt. And even though we’re moving, time is moving awfully slow.Too fuckingslow for the panic lurching at my throat. The tightness in my chest continues to grow until it becomes impossible to breathe. We might be taking a trip to space, given the lack of gravity around me.
Nico’s voice blurs beside me, while Ezra continues to swerve, driving like a man on a mission. My stomach twists, and my knees bounce from the stress. Fabiola's hand lies on it, applyingjust enough pressure to make it stop. We finally come across the guardrail, which sports evidence of a gnarly crash—black streaks before it opens towards the woods.
“There.” Nico’s finger marks the spot.
I don’t bother to wait for the car to come to a full stop before I swing the door open and throw myself into the path the Benz forged. It’s bumpy, and I practically slide down it, palms biting into the dirt, preventing me from falling. Ezra slams the brakes, smoke rising from the tires, as the car fishtails, skidding sideways before coming to a stop inches from the wrecked guardrail. Doors slam closed behind me, soon followed by the crunch of dead tree branches.
It’s okay. It’s okay…
He's okay…
The words replay inside my head in a loop.
“Safra!” I yell, my voice cracking alongside my heart. It’s okay…thump. It’s okay…thump. The urge to purge has me doubling over, hand resting on a tree branch.Rough.
Cold.
The storm clears the moment Fabiola cuts through the thick fog. “Zayden, there.”