Total pages in book: 132
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124923 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 625(@200wpm)___ 500(@250wpm)___ 416(@300wpm)
“I feel like I got hit by a train.”
“Well, you did crash into a frozen river.”
“There is that.” I pull myself into a sitting position, scanning the room for Holden. He wasn’t here an hour ago when a new nurse took my vitals again, and I try to hide my disappointment at the fact that he’s not here now. After he left, I went to call Shayne, but then I remembered I didn’t have a phone. It’s probably at the bottom of the river. Or inside my car, wherever the fuck that is. God, I’m dreading dealing with that whole situation. I know I’ll have to tell my parents at some point, but I can’t find it in me to care about any of it.
“The nurse said Holden stayed most of the night,” Shayne says. “What happened?”
A knock saves me from trying to explain and has us both turning for the door. It’s halfway open and standing on the other side is the last person I expected to see. Spoke too soon.
“What are you doing here?” I ask my father. I told the nurse I didn’t want my family called. He ignores my question, his expression unreadable as he walks into the room like he owns the place.
“Are you okay?” He eyes my face, then scans the rest of me, as if checking to make sure I’m in one piece.
“I’m fine,” I say, my tone clipped. “How did you know I was here?”
“Good news,” the morning nurse says brightly, walking in behind him with a small packet of paperwork in hand. “I’ve got your discharge papers. Once you sign these, you’re free to go.”
I quickly sign the papers as she recites the discharge information and instructions about my medication, but I don’t really hear anything she’s saying. The whole process only takes a minute, and then I quickly use the bathroom to change into the clothes Shayne brought. I dig through my cheer bag full of stuff, finding a brush and a hairclip on top. I don’t bother taming my hair, knowing it’s going to take some serious conditioning later. I throw it up into a clip, then pull out the clothes she picked out. She brought my most comfortable leggings, an oversized, long-sleeved Hadley shirt, and some thick white socks. She even brought my favorite slippers.
It takes me a while to get dressed, my body still stiff and sore, but once I do, I swear I feel almost human again.
“So much better,” I say, walking out of the bathroom. “All I need now is a shower.”
“I got a hotel near campus. You should stay with me until you’re feeling better,” my dad says. Shayne and I both exchange bewildered looks.
“Why?”
“I think it would be a good idea, considering the circumstances.”
“Since when do you act like a parent?” I eye him skeptically. What does he know?
“Since I got a call at four o’clock this morning from your boyfriend telling me that you were run off the road, and if I was a halfway decent father, I’d come take care of you.”
I couldn’t look more shocked if he slapped me across the face. Holden called him? Why? How did he even get his number? That’s fucking rich. “Why isn’t he here himself if he’s so concerned?”
“That I don’t know.”
“I’ll be fine at the dorms,” I say, trying to sound grateful, because I am. It’s just…a little weird. And a little late. I stand on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks for checking on me.”
He looks like he wants to fight me on this, but what can he do? I’m not a minor. It’s not like he can force me. “I’ll deal with your car and get that sorted out. In the meantime, I’ll be at the Inn on Northampton.”
“Where’s Holden?” I ask Shayne once we’re outside the hospital doors. “I have a really bad feeling.”
She stops short. “I was going to ask you that question.”
My heart dips into my stomach. “You mean you haven’t seen him?”
Shayne shakes her head. “Not since last night, no. I’ve called him like a thousand times. Why?”
“We have to go to Sawyer Point. Now.”
“You need to rest. What the hell happened, Valen?”
“Where are you parked?” I say, hurrying my steps.
She points in the direction, and I spot her white car not too far from the entrance.
“Call Thayer. Tell him to meet us in Sawyer Point.”
“Explain first,” she says, opening the front door and sliding inside. “You’re scaring me.”
I lower myself into the passenger seat and close the door. “One minute, he was holding me in the hospital bed, and then when I woke up in the middle of the night, he was all freaked out, telling me that Samuel was the one who ran me off the road, and saying he couldn’t do this. I thought he was breaking up with me.”