Page 123 of Catching My Dreams

“Do you need help cleaning up?”

Chris shook his head. “I’ve got it.”

Brady shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

They said their goodbyes, and Chris let out a loud sigh when he closed the door behind Brady and shut out the chilly late March air. He had a lot of work to do before Lucas and Paige got back.

Chris turned down the volume on the speaker before playing NF’s Hope on his phone. He started in the kitchen, tossing red solo cups and empty beer bottles into a trash bag before wiping down all the counters. He made his way through the rest of the house, ensuring all the rooms were clean before taking the trash bags he’d collected outside.

Once he was finished, he checked the time on his phone. He frowned. It was late—late enough that his brother should have been back.

He called Lucas, but it went straight to voicemail. Paige’s phone did the same, and Chris was starting to panic when his mom phoned him. He expected her to be calling to find out when he’d be back, but what she said when he answered the call changed his life forever.

???

Chris was sitting on a hospital chair, staring blankly ahead. He’d rushed there as soon as he’d gotten the call, but now he sat unmoving. His parents and Paige’s mom and dad sat across from him, their expressions as vacant as his own.

“Chris?”

He looked up and blinked at Noah, not understanding why his friend was in the emergency room waiting area. He took in his friend’s bloodshot eyes before finding Noah’s dad, his stepmom, and Riley standing behind him, their faces tear-stained.

“What are you doing here?” Chris asked them, his tone blunter than he’d intended.

Noah swallowed. “Olivia and Drew were in a car accident.”

Chris frowned. “What?”

“Drew’s dead,” Noah said, his head shaking like he couldn’t believe it. “And Olivia’s been rushed into surgery. It’s bad, Chris. I don’t know if she’ll make it.”

Chris stared at his friend. He didn’t know what to say except, “Where was the accident?”

“Somewhere on the G.W. Parkway,” Noah said, his expression revealing how unimportant he found the detail even as it stoked the anger in Chris’s veins.

That road must have been cursed, first the site of Asher’s disappearance and now this.

Chris could still see his brother’s car. The front had caved in under the force of the crash, and the windshield had splintered into spiderweb cracks.

He’d also seen the other car when he’d driven past the accident scene on his way to the hospital. It had rolled over, and he hadn’t thought anyone could have survived in the hunk of broken metal that was left of it.

He’d been wrong, apparently.

“Who was driving?”

Noah’s eyebrows drew together. “What?”

“Who was driving?” Chris asked again, his voice firm.

“Drew,” Noah replied, confirming Chris’s suspicions. He looked over at Chris’s parents before focusing back on him. “What’s going on, Chris? Why are you here?”

“I’m here because someone ran my brother and his pregnant wife off the road,” Chris explained, his voice flat even as grief and rage swirled inside of him.

His mother let out a choked sob, but Chris couldn’t seem to move, to get up and go to her. She was far from the world’s greatest mother, but she didn’t deserve this. None of them did.

“Oh my god,” Riley murmured.

“Shit,” Noah said, his expression transforming from confused to shocked. “Are they okay?”

“Are they okay after your sister let her boyfriend drive drunk?” Chris asked, not caring that Noah reared back like he’d been punched. “We’re waiting to hear about Paige and the baby, but my brother didn’t make it. He died on impact.”

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