Page 18 of Wreckage

I leaned my head back, exhaling slowly.

The plane was steady now. The storm was behind us.

I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep through the rest of this flight. I knew I couldn’t, but the desire was certainly there.

I hoped that by the time I woke up, we’d be in California, far away from the suffocating sky and from whatever the hell just happened.

Chapter 8

Troy

Ishouldn’t have gone to her. I shouldn’t have given a damn about her shaking hands, her panicked breathing, the silent tears sliding down her face.

But I had.

And now Adrian was giving me an earful about it.

“You should’ve let her deal with it herself,” Adrian muttered, slouching in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. “You wasted your time and looked like a jackass.”

I clenched my jaw. “She was panicking.”

“So?” Adrian shot me a sour look. “Since when do we care?”

I didn’t answer because we didn’t. Not supposed to, anyway. Not since we were kids, since the day we made the pact. We had vowed never to give a shit about her or her mother. They were the reason our mom had never come back. The reason she stopped calling.The reason Dad had moved on.

Elena and Lacey had ruined our family. It was something we’d agreed on long ago, but deep down I knew it wasn’t Lacey and Elena’s fault for any of the shit that happened.

And yet, here I was—sitting back in my seat, irritated at myself for having gone to her.

I cast a glance toward her.

Her eyes were closed now, her body looser, but her fingers were lightly twisted together in her lap.

At least she looked calmer.

I thought about the sleeping pills I had in my bag.

Some nights, I struggled to fall asleep. Sometimes, my mind wouldn’t shut off. I had them for those moments. I considered offering her one. She’d never take it, though.

She was too stubborn.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes. I just needed to sleep.

I’d deal with everything else when we landed.

I woketo the plane shaking violently. My heart shot into my throat as I sat up. Adrian was already awake, too, looking around, his brows furrowed.

Dean’s voice crackled through the intercom. “Another storm rolling in. Everyone, stay buckled. We’re going to try to fly above it if we can.”

I immediately looked toward Elena. She was fumbling with her seatbelt, making sure it was tight. Her face was pale again, and her breaths were too fast and sharp.

Shit.

I silently cursed myself for not staying with her. But staying would’ve been too awkward.

The plane jolted again. The shaking worsened. And then?—

Alarms. Sirens.

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