Page 64 of Collision

Shelly grabbed my shoulders and stopped me from pacing to look me in the eye. “You kissed Chase?”

I nodded. “We were supposed to get sushi. But I got kissed instead.”

She fought back a smile as she released me. “What happened?”

“We were in the middle of kissing, and I heard his phone. It kept vibrating. I just knew something was wrong. Tanner called to let him know they were on the way to the hospital. I offered to go with him, but he said no. He said he would call. Why didn’t he want me with him? He always wants me with him. Was it because we kissed? Was it because things are awkward now? Was the kiss not good to him? Should I call him? Should I go there?”

“Merr, stop. Stop pacing. Look at me.”

I stopped and looked up at her. Tears began welling up in my eyes. “I don’t know what to do. What if I made a mistake? What if the kiss ruined everything? I need to be there for him right now and he doesn’t even want me there.”

Shelly wiped the tears that began falling down my cheeks. “You didn’t make a mistake. He kissed you because he has been wanting to kiss you for the past three months. Life just got in the way at the worst moment. Timing always sucks with these things. Why don’t I drive you over there? We can sit together and wait.”

“Can we? You wouldn’t mind?”

“Of course not. Brody can meet us there after he gets off work. Chase needs friends right now. Do you know what’s wrong with his dad?”

I nodded and looked down at the floor. “He has cancer. He’s dying. That’s why Chase had to come back from California.”

Shelly covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, no. Merritt…”

“Yeah. Let me go freshen up and we’ll leave.”

I blew my nose and wiped my eyes. I pulled a hoodie on over my head and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Hospitals brought back a lot of bad memories. I had to push past them, and do this for Chase. I took a deep breath and walked back into the living room.

“Let’s go.”

13

The Job

“Stay with me. Keep your eyes open. I need you to keep your eyes open!”

The voice sounded far away. I could feel that I was moving forward, but I did not know how. It felt like I was floating.

“No, Merritt. Don’t close your eyes! I need you to keep them open. Look at me. Look in my eyes. Stay with me here.”

I tried to listen to the voice and keep my eyes open, but the pain in my head was too severe. It felt better when I closed my eyes. Everything felt better when I closed my eyes and drifted off. The voice drifted off then, too. I began to float away.

I was suddenly startled by bright lights and loud noises. I was no longer floating, but speeding towards two big double doors. There were people all around me, pulling and prodding at me. I tried to speak, but began choking. Blood was spurting out of my mouth instead of words. I was terrified and confused. People were shouting over the sound of a rapid beeping in the background. A sharp pain went through my arm, and I tried to cry out for help.

“Merritt!”

I jolted upright at the sound of my name.

“Merr, wake up. You’re having a nightmare.”

“Brody?”

“Yes, it’s Brody. Are you okay?”

I looked around at the empty waiting room. Brody sat next to me, with the same worried expression on his face that Shelly wore every time she woke me up from a nightmare.

“Where’s Shelly?”

He pointed to the front desk. “She’s trying to find out more information.”

I pulled my phone out of my sweatshirt pocket. No missed calls. No texts.

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