Page 8 of Hat Trick

My friends know I hate talking on the phone. If you need to get a hold of me, texting is always best, but the fact that my inbox is empty while my call log is full makes alarm bells ring in my head.

I hit Piper’s name first.

“Hello?” she answers on the fourth ring. I hear a door open on her end. A handful of voices and deep breathing. “Lex?”

“Piper? What the hell is going on?”

“Oh, thank god.” A sob escapes her, and I sit up straight. I climb off the barstool and grab my purse, running for the door. Something is very, very wrong. “There was an accident.”

“An accident? What kind of accident?”

“A car accident.”

“A car—you didn’t drive to the club. Are you safe?”

“It’s not me. It’s”—she gulps down another breath while I’m not sure I’m even breathing—“Riley. I’m at the hospital. They aren’t sure if he’s going to make it, Lex.”

The world stops spinning when I burst outside.

I tilt sideways, close to falling over, and I brace myself on a light post.

Riley.

Not going to make it.

This can’t be happening. He’s too young.

Too talented.

Too much of anice fucking guy.

I just saw him. I laughed with him. I made him smile.

What thefuck?

“Which hospital?” I ask. My tongue is heavy in my mouth. My hands shake. I’m close to throwing up. “Where are you?”

“MedStar.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“I’m not sure there’s?—”

“I said I’ll be there,” I almost yell, as if the louder I talk, the more of a chance he has. “Call me the second anything changes.”

I hang up with Piper, not listening to what else she says. My fingers tremble. I try to pull up my Uber app but accidentally click on a food delivery service instead. Tears blur my vision. I look up at the sky and the millions of stars above me.

“Don’t do it,” I whisper to whoever—whatever—might be listening. I’ve never been religious. I’ve never prayed to anyone or anything before tonight, but right now seems like a damn good time to start believing. “He’s not… let him be okay.Pleaselet him be okay. I’ll help him get better. Just…let him be okay.”

No cars pop up on the app, and I want to scream. I want to break a window, but I can’t stand here and wait for something to magically appear.

Fuck that.

I slip off my heels and head west, sprinting down the sidewalk as fast as I can.

* * *

The whole teamis in the emergency room.

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