by Adam Kunz
“Is that too snug?” he asks, concern filling his eyes.
“No, it’s fine. Thank you.”
He leans in and gives me a kiss on the lips, but it’s not one of passion. It feels more like a kiss that’s meant to make someone feel safe and secure. It’s full of emotion, and I sense that he’s thankful he’s able to touch me again. There’s a hint of desperation behind it as well, as if this was going to be our last kiss.
“We’ve got to find something to tie Colton up with,” I say to Brent as he helps me to my feet. “Do you think Deputy Randall has any cuffs on her?”
“Good idea. Let me go check,” he replies, and moves over toward the front porch.
I keep my eyes on Colton the entire time Brent is gone, just in case he wakes up. I can see his chest rise and fall ever-so-slightly, but there’s no other movement. Deep down, I’m glad we didn’t have to kill him. He’s definitely bat-shit crazy, but if we had killed him, we’d be no better than he is.
“Her handcuffs were there, but she wasn’t,” Brent states when he returns, and then hands me the cuffs.
“She probably got the hell out of here, and personally I don’t blame her. Let’s just hope she went for help.”
Brent rolls Colton over in order to position his hands behind his back. I slap the cuffs around Colton’s wrists and click them down tight. Rolling him back over, Brent takes hold of Colton’s upper half and I wrap my arms around his legs. We struggle while carrying him over to the car, but eventually are able to wrestle open the trunk. After shoving him in, Brent slams it closed.
“Jared’s still in the barn. We need to go help him,” I say hurriedly while moving in that direction.
“What about the gun?” Brent asks, holding back a bit while waiting for my answer.
I search my immediate area for the gun, but with it being a shiny silver object, it’s going to be hard to find it in the snow. “Do you see it anywhere around you?”
“No, but the damn thing has to be here somewhere though,” he replies, still looking around for it.
“It might not even be loaded. We have to hurry and get to Jared, Brent, come on,” I say, quickly making my way back to him.
“All right, let’s go then,” he responds.
Brent follows close behind me as we rush toward the barn. My eyes widen at the sight in front of us the closer we get to the door. Trevor is standing there, wrenching the handle of an ax with both hands. He looks pissed. His bloodstained face is contorted into an angry scowl, making me wish we had looked harder for that gun.
Trevor releases a thunderous yell before he breaks out into a full sprint toward us. I feel Brent grab my arm.
“Run, Laney!”
Without even a response, I turn on my heel and begin running with Brent in the opposite direction. I try to keep up with him as he drags me along by the hand, but his stride is much wider than mine, and I keep stumbling through the snow while attempting to move faster. Peeking over my shoulder, I see Trevor gaining on us.
I whip my head forward when Brent comes to a complete stop. I collide with his back. I can’t see why we stopped since he’s blocking my vision with his broad shoulders. He spins and wraps his arms around me, pulling me down into the snow. During our fall to the ground, I see Deputy Randall standing in front of us with a gun drawn and pointed behind us at Trevor.
“Freeze, asshole,” she yells, followed almost immediately by gunfire when he refuses to comply.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
I watch as each bullet pierces Trevor’s chest, his body reacting to each impact. He’s brought to his knees, the ax slipping from his grip to the ground, before he slumps back onto the snow.
“You two all right?” Deputy Randall asks, kneeling down to check on us.
I nod and so does Brent.
“Help is on the way. I used a cell phone I found on the floor inside the house to call the station,” she says and then moves away from us. I watch her walk over to Trevor’s body and then stop, looking down at him. “That was for my partner, you son of a bitch.”
When I look over at Brent, he sends me a strained smile before pulling me in closer. He places a quick kiss on my forehead while he continues to hold me. “I can’t believe I almost lost you for a second time,” he says somberly. “If I would have survived this and you didn’t, I don’t think I would’ve lasted very long without you in my world.”
No more words are spoken as I allow myself to be completely and utterly overtaken by Brent’s lips. This kiss, unlike the last one, is a hope-and passion-ridden one that makes me fully appreciate being alive to experience it. The warmth that washes over me almost makes me forget about all the pain I’m in, and in this moment I truly feel safe in his arms. We both continue to lay there, Brent’s arms still firmly wrapped around me, and I hear him release a huge sigh after we part.
“Is there anyone else still alive?” Deputy Randall asks, approaching us again.
“Yes, in the barn,” I reply in sort of a daze. Making my way to my feet with Brent’s assistance, I move in front of Deputy Randall. I throw my arms around her and squeeze. “Thank you. You saved our lives.”
She releases a restrained laugh. “Just doing my job,” she replies and then reciprocates the hug.
I listen to the many machines in the hospital room beep and buzz while fidgeting with the edge of my coat. Though I was just released from the hospital, I had to come see this with my own eyes.
Nia.
When Emma wheeled Noah into my room to tell me she had survived, I was beside myself. I wanted to go see her right then and there, but my nurse wasn’t having it.
I squeeze Brent’s hand when the sight of all the tubes running from her arms to all different places around her bed begins tearing at my heart.
“She’s alive,” I whisper into the room. I feel Emma squeeze my shoulder as she stands next to me while holding onto Noah’s wheelchair with her other hand.
“I can’t believe Colton was involved with this,” Emma says softly. “It was his idea to go to Crystal Ridge.”
“I still can’t believe it either,” I reply. “You should have seen him, Emma. He wasn’t the Colton we knew anymore.”
“It’s scary to think we were alone with him all the time.” She shudders as the words clearly resonate with her.
“Yeah, and this was all because of me. I did this. I’m the reason Nia is like this. I’m the reason Tee isn’t-”
“Stop,” Noah says, grabbing for my other hand and surprising me. “Stop blaming yourself. This is no one’s fault other than the three sick fucks responsible, okay? I can’t speak for everyone, but I sure don’t blame you for what happened.”
As my eyes begin to become misty with tears, I nod, accepting what Noah is saying as truth. This is definitely not Noah’s typical party side I’m used to seeing.
“Thank you,” I reply, feeling a little more at ease.
“Unfortunately, two of you are going to have to move into the waiting room, due to the hospital’s visitor policy for the ICU,” the nurse announces as she enters the room.
“We’ll go,” Emma says. “You guys should stay with Nia since we’ve been in here most of the time anyway.” The smile showing on her face is genuine, but at the same time strained. She leans down and gives me a quick hug before rolling Noah out of the room.
My weary eyes pan over to Nia lying there, sleeping soundly. I didn’t actually get a chance to see them pull her out of the barn. The moment the paramedics arrived, Brent and I were loaded up in the back of one of the first sheriff’s cars to arrive on the scene, and immediately taken to the hospital. As happy as I am to see her lying there still alive, I can’t shake my feeling of sadness over losing Tee. He wasn’t only Nia’s boyfriend, but he was one of the good guys, and a great friend too.
A tear rolls down my cheek and Brent swipes it away with his thumb when it makes it to my chin. Our eyes meet. He leans in, bringing our foreheads to rest together.
Gently caressing my hand
with his, he asks, “You’re okay.”
I nod before placing a kiss on his cheek, and then turn my attention back to Nia. Her eyes are open when I look over at her, and I smile. I can tell she’s returning it because the oxygen mask over her mouth flexes at the corners. Getting up from my seat, I release Brent’s hand and move to the side of the bed. I take a hold of her hand as I stare down at the weariness reflected in her face. No words are exchanged. We just keep looking at each other, almost like we know what the other one’s thinking.
Brent comes up to me and places his hand around my shoulder. “I’m going to see if I can score some coffee from the nurse outside while you two catch up. Want anything?”
I shake my head, and he places a quick kiss on my cheek before heading out.
Nia reaches up and pulls down her mask enough to allow me to hear her clearly. “Hey, bitch, glad to see you’re still alive,” she teases, but it sounds like it drains a lot of her energy.
A faint laugh escapes my lips. “You have such a way with words, my friend.”
She smiles, squeezing my hand for the first time since I began holding hers. Her eyes become teary and the distraught look she sends me breaks my heart. “I was so scared, Laney.”
My eyes pool with tears. “Me too.”
“I keep replaying what happened to Tee in my head. My love is gone, and I don’t think I can handle this,” she cries, her tears completely taking her over. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him, or say I love you one more time.”
I think back to the conversation I had with Tee about the ring he bought for Nia, and I have to fight with all my being not to burst out and tell her. Remembering the amount of love Tee expressed for her that day makes me become an absolute emotional mess, and I break down right in front of her. I know I’m supposed to be strong and tell her everything’s going to be okay, but then I think back to everyone who told me that same thing four years ago.
All I want is for Tee to come strolling into the room and make her smile again. Nia doesn’t deserve this. I’m trying not to blame myself for what’s happened, but I’m finding it so hard. I dig deep and try to find any sort of strength I can provide to her, because I know she needs me to be there for her. I say the one thing I know probably won’t help, but I hope against hope that it’s more effective than when others said it to me.
“We’re going to get through this, Nia,” I choke out. “It’s going to be hard, but it will get easier, I promise.”
“I hope you’re right, Laney,” she replies with a sniffle. “I can’t even imagine how my life will be now. There’s a void where my heart should be, and I just feel numb all over.” She places the oxygen mask over her mouth again when she becomes short of breath. “This is so hard.”
I have to turn my head away so I can keep my composure. “I know it is, Nia.”
“I miss him so much, Laney.”
“I do too.”
Graduation Day...
“Cheeeeese!” we all say together just before our picture is taken.
My mom lets out a small giggle. “I have to take one more. Laney, your eyes were closed,” she says, prepping to take another picture.
“Sorry, everyone,” I say, causing the group to laugh. We all pose again and wait for her to take the photo.
“Looks wonderful,” she says, handing me back my phone.
I take a peek at the picture and my face lights up with a huge grin. There we all are, Emma, Noah, Nia, and me all smiling like we don’t have a care in the world. The only two absent from our group are Colton, for obvious prison-related reasons, and Jared.
I don’t blame Jared for not sticking around for graduation. He never really wanted to walk anyway. He always referred to a diploma as just another piece of paper that’s put in a frame and hung on a wall. He only went to college to make his mom happy.
Now he’s off gallivanting around New York and probably breaking hearts left and right. I get a text from him every once in a while, filling me in on how he’s doing and what he’s been up to. I don’t really need to look very far for updates, though, because his sculpted body is currently gracing the covers of two New York Times bestselling novels. Who knew that a few gigs stripping down to pose for art classes would turn into a full-blown book cover modeling career? Well, he definitely didn’t.
I become sentimental when I see the green ribbons tied around all of our arms in honor of Tee. It was his favorite color. Tee’s ring sits on Nia’s finger, shimmering in the sunlight. It’s the final straw that brings on the water works. It’s been a long road for Nia, but with each passing day, she seems to be adjusting. She’ll never truly get over it and neither will I, but it’s not about getting over it or forgetting it, it’s about accepting it and coming to terms with what you can’t control.
“Are you coming? They’re about to start the ceremony,” Nia calls out as she walks away, linked arm and arm with Emma.
“Be there in a minute,” I reply and then turn to face my mom, trying to hide the tears from my friends.
She extends her arms and wraps them around me, pulling me in for a warm hug. “I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become,” she chokes out. “You’ve been through so much these past few years ... more than anyone should, but you’ve persevered through it all.”
I can feel the tears streaming down her face as they brush against my cheek. It practically killed my parents when they found out what happened at the rental, especially after my incident four years ago. When they heard about it, they dropped everything and flew out to visit me immediately. They both felt so helpless and wished they could protect me from everything, but that’s not a realistic option. It’s been nice having them around more though. They’ve both understandably gone into super-protective mode since December, and have been visiting almost every weekend.
“I love you, Mom,” I say near her ear.
“I love you too. I’m sorry you had to go through all this-”
“It’s not your fault, Mom, or Dad’s, okay? Stop blaming yourselves,” I reply, squeezing her in for a bigger hug.
When we part, I notice Brent walking toward us from over her shoulder. She realizes something has caught my eye and follows my line of sight, seeing what I’m looking at, and then turns back to face me.
“It appears a very handsome man is here to see you,” she says with a smile.
“Mom, shush, he’ll hear you,” I chastise, which only makes her smile grow wider.
“Oh, please. I used to babysit both of you when you were in diapers still. You should be used to me embarrassing you guys.”
I roll my eyes. “Fair enough,” I laugh.
“Well, I guess I’ll go join your father in the crowd. Good luck up there,” she says with a smile and a gentle graze of my arm with her hand.
“Give my love to Dad,” I call out as she begins to walk away.
“Of course.”
My eyes find their way back to Brent as he approaches. He flashes me a smirk as our eyes meet, causing my heart to flutter. For the past few months, we’ve been taking it slow, deciding it was best for the both of us. I love having someone I can be with and talk to who isn’t just one of my best friends, but is also someone I can connect with on a deeper level.
We stand here for a moment, exchanging glances like two young, love-struck teens before either one of us begins to speak.
“A certain someone tells me you’re graduating today,” he says, ending the silence between us.
“That certain someone would be correct,” I reply, taking a step closer to him.
He takes another step toward me as well. “So, Laney Matthews, how does it feel to finally be done with college?”
“I’m not really sure,” I reply, moving closer to him.
“Not sure, huh?” he asks, taking another step. I shake my head while biting my lip as a smile tries to sneak across my mouth.
Brent digs into his pocket and pulls something out, but hides it behind his back before I can see it. He takes one more s
tep closer to me, and now we’re practically toe to toe.
“What do you have behind your back there?” I ask with an eyebrow raised.
He grins and then his face becomes somewhat serious. “Close your eyes.”
“Brent, come on. The ceremony’s about to begin and I need to get to my seat,” I whine in a playful manner.
“Then close your eyes,” he laughs.
I shut my eyes and wait for him to make a move. He gently takes my hand and turns it palm up. A cool sensation fills my hand as something is placed there. I release a tiny squeal when I realize what’s resting in my palm.
“Okay, you can open them now,” he says and my eyes shoot open to find what I had guessed would be laying there.
A silver heart-shaped locket attached to a thin chain rests in the center of my hand. It’s the same locket he tried to give me all those years ago.
“You kept it this whole time?” I ask while staring at it longingly.
“Of course I did. Deep down I always hoped I’d have another chance to give this to you, Laney, but wanted to wait for the perfect moment,” he answers with a sincere look. “Why don’t you try opening it?”
I pop open the locket. The sight before me warms my heart and sends tingles throughout my entire body. My eyes tear up again at the picture he placed inside. It’s one of Brent and me when we were younger. It was always my favorite picture of us. I even kept a copy of it on my vanity mirror in my bedroom for years until I went off to college. My eyes move to the other side of the locket and etched there is the word “forever.” I feel worse now about not opening it when he first tried to give it to me years ago.
He caresses my cheek with the back of his hand, causing me to move my focus from the locket back to him. I can feel the touch of each finger as they graze down individually.
“I have a question for you, Laney.”
“Really? What is it?”