Page 101 of Rumi: The Hawthornes

“I just came out,” he said, glancing over my shoulder at the hospital. “Mom and Titus were in there when I left.”

“Rumi,” Dragon said, nodding at me.

“What the fuck happened?” I blurted, looking around at the men I’d trusted my entire life.

None of them looked like they were shocked to be standing in front of the emergency room. I thought about their expressions when I’d gotten to Nova’s. None of them had looked surprised then, either.

“You knew?”

“Rumi,” Gramps growled in warning.

“We knew Samson had been actin’ off,” Uncle Casper said, his arms crossed over his chest. “Losin’ his temper over stupid shit. Forgettin’ things.”

“Asked Ash about it,” Dragon continued. “She said he was fine at home. Asked Nova—she said the same.”

“So you just ignored it,” I said in disbelief.

“We didn’t,” Casper replied. “We kept a finger on the pulse and we watched.”

“Well, you weren’t watchin’ close enough.”

“Where the fuck were you?” Brody asked snidely. “Nova’s best friend doesn’t know shit? Come on.”

I didn’t even respond. My hands were in fists, and I was going for his face without a single thought.

“Stop it,” my uncle Will ordered, wrapping me up in a bear hug before I could reach Brody.

“Fuck you,” I yelled at Brody.

“No, fuckyou,” he replied, his voice level.

“You wanna get escorted off the fuckin’ property?” my gramps barked. “Knock it off, Rumi.”

“We haven’t been talkin’,” I confessed as Uncle Will let me go. “I didn’t know anything.”

“Nice timing,” Brody muttered.

“Shut it, Brody,” his dad snapped.

“No fingers to point here,” Dragon said, shutting both of us up. “Except one.”

“Where the fuck is he?” I asked, looking around at their faces. “He in this hospital?”

It was silent for a moment.

“Samson’s dead,” Uncle Grease finally said. “Didn’t even make it out of the trailer park.”

“Good.” The word was out of my mouth before I’d thought it through, but I wasn’t going to take it back. I had a million memories with Samson.

Riding in the back of Ash’s car with Nova and Bird while Samson played with Ash’s hair in the front seat.

Samson’s laughter after I’d tried to do some trick off the rope swing at the river and landed with a painful slap in the water.

Samson, flicking Nova’s ponytail and her smiling up at him.

Bird riding on his shoulders.

Samson pulling me into a headlock and scrubbing his knuckles over my scalp the summer I’d shaved my head.

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