Page 36 of Brightness

I glance down at my legs, where there are no obvious open fractures. “No, I’m good. You should be able to patch me up. My ride, not so much.”

“Okay, hold on… I’m coming. I’ll have Atomic track your cell.”

“Thanks, brother.” I end the call, dropping my cell to the ground because I’m too fucked-up to keep talking.

Trying to hide those fucking skull clouds from my sight, I slump my arm over my eyes.

Goddammit! I should have listened to Trixie. I should have brought the macarons home with me, but no, I was in a downward spiral because of Ivy and thought I could handle it. But this—this is just plain stupid.

Nycto’s gonna fucking kill me, and I deserve it!

Groaning, I somehow find the strength to lift up, then pull myself out of the ditch. I move to the edge of the road and sit, waiting for Nerve. I peer over my shoulder at my mangled ride. Wincing, I turn back to the other side of the road. I must still be tripping. The shadows…

Like swirling capes, shadows dart to and fro in the forest in front of me, moving far too fast to be anything real. My anxiety creeps in further as the white statues appear, slowly edging their way out from the trees.

“Fuck off, all of you!” I yell.

Now I’m really losing my mind.

Yelling at my own imagination.

As the white statues show their faces, I tense. They’re all people from my past. I clench my eyes shut, trying like hell to wipe them from my memory, attempting to fight the images from my mind. When I open my eyes again, they’re still there, and this time, my father is back, but he’s standing there, not saying anything, quietly watching me fall apart in my mind.

It’s fitting.

They would do that.

“I said… Fuck. Off!”

The squealing of tires echoes in the distance. I turn my head to see a tow truck heading toward me, like one of those mirages people see in the desert. I feel like it’s only been a few minutes, but it must have been a while for Nerve to grab the tow truck and get everything in order to find me.

Man, tripping makes you lose all sense of time.

I turn back, the statues now retreating into the forest. “Ha! Yeah, you better run, you motherfuckers!” I call out to them as the tow truck pulls over, and Nerve rides up on his bike, pulling up in front of me. He hops off as a door to the truck pushes open, and Ivy comes surging toward me.

Am I still tripping?

She drops to her knees beside me and places her hand on my cheek. The second she touches me, a spark shoots straight to my dick.

Is she really here?

“Jesus, Void, what have you done to yourself?”

I take her in. She’s glowing, my high making her seem like a real-life, fucking heaven-sent angel. I swear she even has a halo as I stare blankly up at her. Maybe this is it. Maybe I am dying. It’ll be worth it if only to have the angel’s touch, for hers to be the last face I see.

Nerve steps over with a thermos, demanding my attention. “Drink this, dickhead.” He shoves it at me, and I reach out to take it. I’m hit by the smell of coffee, and as I take a sip, the bitter hit instantly soothes the wrecking ball of my mind. My eyes dance over Ivy as she systematically checks my body, relaying the information to Nerve, while Brass loads my ride onto the flatbed.

Nerve drops to Ivy’s side as she presses my ribs. I jerk and groan, and her eyes shoot to Nerve. “Could be broken,” he grunts. “We need to get him back to the clubhouse quick, and sober his ass up before the heat catches wind of this.”

Ivy runs her hand over my arm in a soothing gesture. “Why the hell did you ride so out of it, Void? You could’ve killed yourself.”

I shake my head, unable to answer her. She’s simply too fucking gorgeous. She’s rendered me utterly speechless. Or maybe I’m still too fucking smashed.

Nerve moves in to help hoist me up. As he does, pain sears through my body. A loud groan escapes me, and Nerve moves under one arm, Ivy under the other, so they can walk me to the cab of the truck. Once there, Nerve and Brass hoist me up inside.

Ivy sits beside me as Nerve and Brass talk outside, leaving Ivy and me alone.

I try to gather my rampant running thoughts, but I can’t keep my stupid mouth from moving on its own. “You came for me…”

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