Page 17 of Losing the Rhythm

“Too late.”

I inwardly swore as I went after Justin, wondering what I’d just given them all permission to do. I thought it was one Halloween thing a day. And it wasn’t like I listed anything big. Hot apple cider wasn’t a big deal. Right?

The mood was better. I felt a little lighter thanks to Justin. Yet, as soon as we got to the cafeteria, all those good feelings were destroyed the moment I saw the tension in the rest of the guys. Paxon still looked furious, while Toby was next to him, fidgeting. Bryan’s expression was dark as he scowled at Paxon.

Micah was there too, and he probably seemed the most normal, albeit a little upset.

I drew in a breath and prepared myself for a tense lunch.

And it was.

No one was particularly chatty. Even Toby.

Micah tried. I gave him a lot of credit, but no one made it easy for him. Lunch was the period I always looked forward to, not because it meant I wasn’t in class, but because I was with everyone. They always made it easier for me to forget whatever was on my mind.

Instead, the longer everyone sat in silence and glared at the people around us, the more and more I got lost in my abduction. The thoughts wouldn’t leave me alone. I saw it over and over again, felt it all. The taste of the cloth that seemed to choke me. The ropes bound so tightly around my wrists that they bruised. How it felt like my heart was going to dig itself out of my chest to get away from the danger.

The darkness.

Him.

His voice, his tone, as if it was any other day and he was just having a friendly chat, not about to kill me.

The gun.

How it thundered when he sent that warning shot.

I was so lost in those memories that when there was a loud bang on the table, it was enough. I swore I was about to feel the bullet smash through my chest. Or my head.

I screamed, pulling back. Then I was falling before I landed hard on the ground. I covered my head and curled into myself as sound erupted around me. But I didn’t care. I just didn’t want to get shot.

“Cadence!”

A hand touched me, and I whimpered, jerking away from it. Then it was gone.

“Cadence,” a softer voice said, closer to me. “Open your eyes, sweetie. Look at me. Please.” The soft coaxing was enough and I drew in a sharp breath, finally blinking through the tears and into Paxon’s soft, gray eyes. “Hi.” His smile was wavering, but his gaze was steady on me.

Slowly, I uncurled myself and sat up. The guys were all around me, looking scared and worried. The students around us were gawking, some of them inching toward us.

A teacher was weaving through the tables, pushing through students to get to us.

I inwardly groaned as I tried to catch my breath. This was going to cause even more drama. Not what I needed.

Paxon and Justin helped me back to my feet, no one saying anything, but a million questions were projected at me. I swore I could feel them banging against my brain. They wanted to ask what happened, to make me talk, but they also didn’t know how to do that.

I bit my lip, a wave of exhaustion running through me. I wanted to curl into a ball in my bed and just cry.

“What happened? Is everyone okay?” the teacher asked. He was middle-aged, and if I remembered correctly, taught one of the math classes in the lower grades.

“Sorry, Mr. Addams,” Micah said, giving him a tight smile. “Cadence just slipped off her chair.”

“Maybe you should go to the nurse’s office.”

“No!” I paused, realizing I practically yelled at the teacher. I drew in a breath and spoke softly. “No. I’m okay. I promise. I was just surprised when I fell off.”

Mr. Addams didn’t seem like he believed me.

“We’ll keep an eye on her,” Bryan said. “And if she needs to, we’ll take her. But she really did just slip off. Didn’t even bump her head.”

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