Page 125 of Wreckage

“Why the hell didn’t you do that sooner?”

I shrugged.

“She wants to be alone,” I muttered. “I didn’t want to intrude.”

Adrian scoffed.

“Screw that,” he muttered. “She’s ours. She needs to be with us.”

Ours.

God, I wanted that to be true.

I pulled up Chase’s number, one of my old frat brothers, and texted him.

Troy: Hey man, I need a favor. Have you seen Elena around campus?

A few minutes later, my phone buzzed.

Chase: I haven’t seen her, man, but people are talking about the crash. A lot. By the way, it’s fucking good to hear from you.

My stomach twisted.

Troy: I don’t care about the rumors. Just give me an update on her. It’s good to hear from you, too.

Chase: I’ll see what I can do, man. Stay safe. We want you to get back here, and we need to celebrate.

I sent him a party face emoji before placing my phone on the side table and sighing.

Adrian watched me, waiting.

“He’ll check,” I said.

He nodded, looking away. His shoulders were tense as he clutched the blanket.

“She’s not OK,” he murmured.

I swallowed, my throat tight.

“No,” I whispered. “She’s not.”

Adrian laid back down, shifting so he was beside me again, our shoulders touching as he breathed softly. I closed my eyes, envisioning Elena with us. Neither of us said anything.

Finally, I opened my eyes, my throat tight.

“This sucks,” Adrian said softly. “How did we go almost ten years of not saying anything to her tothis? It feels like fucking hell.”

“I don’t know,” I murmured. “I hate it. It’s worse than hell."

After that, we just stared at the ceiling, listening to the deafening silence.

Words weren’t needed anymore. We both knew the truth. Elena was slipping away, and she may already be gone.

It wasn’t a permanent situation, though. I wouldn’t let it be.

Chapter 45

Adrian

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