Page 42 of Wreckage

Because Elena was off the table.

And not just because of Adrian.

I thought about Amanda.

The fiancée I hadn’t thought much about since the crash. The one I had been more than content with, the one who fit so seamlessly into my life at school. She was pretty, easy, a status symbol that made sense.

So why the hell did I feel like I was betraying her now?

It wasn’t like I had done anything.

But I wanted to.

And that made me the worst kind of asshole.

I shook my head, gritting my teeth against the frustration curling in my gut. It was just the situation. That’s all it was. I hadn’t been laid in nearly two weeks, and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, my body pressed against someone warm, beautiful, and alluring every night.

It was physical. Biological. Human. That’s all.

And yet, the thought made my stomach churn with self-loathing.

Elena wasn’t just some girl.

And the feelings clawing at me weren’t just about wanting her body.

I needed to get my shit together.

I continued to gather what wood I could find, even snapping low-hanging limbs off. I looked to the sky once more as the wind whipped around me when I went to pick up a fallen branch.

As I stood, a cold dread settled in my bones, my mind racing through the implications. We were already struggling to stay warm. Ourheating packs were nearly gone. If we didn’t figure something out, we wouldn’t survive this.

I turned and hurried back toward the plane, my boots crunching against the ice and snow.

Inside, the atmosphere was quiet, thick with the weight of hopelessness.

Adrian and Elena were under the blankets, sitting apart but silent. They both had books in their hands, their way of escaping this nightmare for a little while.

Adrian barely glanced up as I entered, but Elena’s gaze flicked to mine, worried.

“What is it?” she asked.

I pulled my jacket off and threw it aside. “A storm’s coming.”

Adrian’s expression darkened, and he set his book down, rubbing a hand over his face. “Perfect.”

“We need a plan,” I said, my voice sharp, my frustration bleeding through. “After tonight, we’re out of heating packs. We need another way to stay warm.”

Elena stayed quiet, her fingers tightening around the blanket.

Adrian exhaled roughly. “We don’t exactly have options, Troy.”

I shot him a look. “You’re the engineering major. Figure it out.”

Adrian scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m a second year. I haven’t exactly learned how to MacGyver a heating system out of plane wreckage.”

I wasn’t letting this go. Adrian was too damn brilliant to roll over like this.

He glared at me, but I held his gaze, daring him to fight me on this.

---