Page 187 of Scattered Glitter

“Shit,” Rosalee curses, mimicking my thoughts as her face pales. “Ace, pull over. Don’t make this worse.”

“What do you think, Trouble?” Ace glances at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Should we give them a little chase?”

My heart leaps in my chest, and without thinking, I nod. “I dare you to outdrive them.”

Rosalee’s voice rises in protest, but Ace hits the gas even harder, the Mustang surging forward as the sirens grow louder behind us. We race through the streets, faster and faster, and I’m laughing again, the adrenaline coursing through me like a drug. The world outside is a blur of lights and shadows, and it feels as though we’re untouchable like nothing can catch us.

“Stop!” Rosalee shouts from the back, frantic. “Please, just stop! Let me out!”

But we don’t stop. Ace keeps driving, faster and faster, a smirk on his lips.

And then…

It happens in an instant. A sharp turn, screeching tires, the world tilting violently. My laughter turns into a scream as the car flips, the sky and ground swapping places over and over again. I’m thrown against my seat, the seat belt biting into my skin, the sound of metal crunching and glass shattering filling my ears.

The airbag explodes in front of me with a deafening pop, slamming into my chest and face, cutting off my breath. Pain explodes in my ribs, and everything goes dark.

When I come to, there’s a sharp, throbbing pain in my head and my side, and the world is a blur. My vision swims, and I groggily push against the deflated airbag. The acrid stench of burned rubber and chemicals lingers in the air,choking me, and when I reach up to my temple, my hand comes back bloody. I blink, trying to clear my sight, and I turn my head, my heart plummeting as I see Ace slumped over the steering wheel, motionless, with blood running down the cheek I’d kissed minutes before.

His airbag didn’t deploy.

“Ace?” I croak. The tremors in my hands are so bad that I can hardly move. Shakily, I reach over and fumble for his pulse, but there’s nothing.

“No,” I try to shout, but it comes out as a faint whisper. “No, no, no!” The word rips from my throat, finally turning into a guttural scream that echoes in the silence of the car. Tears blur my vision as I grab his jacket, shaking him. “Please, Ace. Please, wake up. Don’t do this to me. Don’t leave me!”

He can’t leave me.

“Rosie, you have to help me. He’s not waking up,” I plead. “And there’s so much blood.” I keep shaking Ace for several long moments before I realize that Rosie hasn’t answered me. “Rosie?” I turn in my seat, and my mind fills with static when I find her slumped against the back seat, her eyes closed, and blood running out of her nose.

“Rosie!” I scream, my already cracked heart now full-on shattering in my chest. Pain radiates through every part of me as I unbuckle my seat belt, but I don’t care. I have to get to her. I have to make sure that at least she’s still alive.

“Please, Rosie,” I sob, crawling into the back seat next to her, my entire body aching, every inch screaming in agony. “Please wake up. Please, don’t leave me. You can’t both leave me.”

I touch her face and leave bloody fingerprints on her cheeks, but she doesn’t move.

Rosalee.

Half of my soul is dead.

A wail tearsfrom my soul, a sound so full of pain and anguish that it barely sounds human. I press my forehead to hers, my tears falling onto her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Rosie. I’m so, so sorry.” Each word is a struggle as I choke on my sobs.

The smell of smoke fills my nose and makes me choke even worse. With a sickening jolt, I realize the car is on fire. Panic claws at me as I lean into the front seat and see the flames licking toward Ace.

No.

Crawling back into the front seat over shards of glass, my survival instincts kick in.I reach for Ace’s seat belt, but it takes several tries to unbuckle it. Once I ease it off him, I press my hand to the passenger door to open it, only to snatch it back with a hiss. It’s scalding hot, searing my palm. Gritting my teeth, I shove against the metal again, and the door opens. Ignoring the burns, I grab Ace under the arms and pull his heavy, lifeless body out of his seat with strength I didn’t know I possessed. Once we’re out, I drag him farther away from the car, hopefully far enough to be safe from the flames.

I turn around to see the fire creeping along the hood, and panic tries to drown me, but I shove it back as I rush to the car. Heat radiates from the Mustang as I get back inside. The air is thick with smoke, making my eyes water and my lungs ache.

“Rosie,” I rasp as I reach for her. The sight of her sends a fresh wave of panic coursing through me.

The heat becomes unbearable as the flames intensify when I reach over and unbuckle her seat belt with trembling hands and beg, “Please, Rosie.”

She’s as limp as Ace was as I drag her through the narrow space. My shoulder presses against the burning doorframe, and my skin screams as it brushes against theblistering hot metal, but adrenaline surges through me, keeping me moving.

Mere seconds after we make it to where I left Ace, the flames roar louder, consuming the car.

I can barely breathe.

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