Finding Flynn

by Alexandria Bishop

  I haven’t exactly been the best of friends to her tonight. It doesn’t take me long to find her huddled in a chair by the fire pit, sitting all alone. She’s usually the life of the party, so it’s weird she’s separating herself from everyone else.

  I tread lightly when I ask her, “Hey, Chlo, what’s going on? Why are you sitting over here?”

  Coming up closer, I spot the bottle of tequila she’s nursing and from the lack of liquid in the bottle, I’m guessing she’s been at it for a while.

  “Hey, Ash. I was hanging out with Hudson but he got bored with me, so he left. Everyone’s leaving me these days. So I’m hanging out with my buddy José tonight. He always likes spending time with me.”

  I reach for the bottle of tequila and take it out of her hands. She’s had way too much to drink and doesn’t need any more. Why would Hudson leave her sitting here all by herself, though? That’s pretty messed up, and I’ll have to talk to him about that later. I wish he would have at least come to find me instead of leaving her all alone to get drunk and even more depressed.

  “Why are you upset, Chloe? What’s going on?”

  Throwing her arms out, she stumbles out of her chair. Her face is red and her breathing is heavy. I’m the worst best friend in the world. Whatever is going on has obviously been building and it took her being wasted for me to notice.

  Ever since Flynn and I got back together, all of my attention and focus has been on him. I just assumed everything was fine with Chloe because she’s been spending so much time with Jax, lately. If I would have spent more time with Chloe, I would have been able to tell something else was going on and she obviously isn’t okay.

  “I can’t do this anymore. I really like Jax. I thought something could actually happen between us. Something real.”

  “Every time I’ve asked you, you’ve told me you’re just hanging out.”

  “Yeah, well, I lied. He’s over there livin’ it up with all the ‘see you next Tuesdays.’ I’ve never been the girl to care but somehow my stupid heart got involved. I need to leave.”

  Shit. Now I’m a little panicked. I grab her arm and say, “Chloe, you can’t leave like this.”

  Stumbling, she says, “Just watch me.”

  I’m grasping at straws when I reply, “The plan was to stay the night. If you had told me you wanted to leave, I wouldn’t have started drinking tonight. I’m sorry you have feelings for Jax, but you’re right, I don’t see him settling down anytime soon. Sorry.”

  That might have gone too far. I’m trying to convince her to stay, not leave. Maybe I’ve had a little more to drink than I thought. Alcohol is always followed by loose lips, especially with me.

  “I need to get out of here. I need to get away from Jax. I don’t feel like sitting here watching him pick his whore for the evening. He’s literally ripping my heart out of my chest. I feel like I’m suffocating, and I need to be as far away from him as possible.”

  “Chloe, calm down for a minute. Let’s talk about this. You never told me you felt that way about Jax. You always acted like you were having fun.”

  “I don’t want to talk this to death right now, Ash. I need to get out of here.”

  I look around trying to find anyone to help me. Flynn hasn’t gotten back from the bathroom yet and there isn’t a sober person in sight. Chloe’s already at the car and starts it up. I don’t think, I just do. I run to the car and fling the door open. I slide into the passenger seat before she peels out of there. Luckily, she has her seat belt on, and I make sure to put mine on as well.

  “Chloe, pull over. We can figure everything out. We’ve both been drinking and your emotions are going a little haywire right now. It sucks Jax is an ass, but you knew that already. He’s the epitome of a player.”

  “Yeah and I was another one of the stupid girls thinking they could tame him. I hope someone rips his heart out and stomps the shit out of it someday.”

  Chloe’s phone starts ringing and she starts searching around for it. I keep one eye on the road while I help her try and find her phone. We really should just pull over and not worry about her phone but I’m not the one driving, so there isn’t anything I can do about that right now. I’m sure Flynn is freaking the fuck out wondering where I went. I pull my phone out real quick and send him a text.

  Ashtyn: Hey I did something really stupid. Chloe was upset and wanted to leave the party. I told her not to but she hopped in the car and started leaving. I jumped in with her to try and calm her down and get her to stop driving. I hope you get this and come find us. <3 <3 <3

  She finds her phone and goes to answer it.

  “Hey, right now isn’t the best time to be on the phone—”

  “What’s going on? Isn’t it like 3 am over there?”

  I’m not sure what answer Chloe gets but her face goes white and tears start streaming down her face. I’m not sure if she accidentally drops her phone or does it on purpose but a gut-wrenching cry releases from her throat.

  I lean down, trying to search for her phone, but it’s dark in the car. I finally spot it underneath her feet, and I reach down as far as I can to try and grab it. The last thing I hear is Chloe scream and the loud honking before everything goes black. My last thought is that I never got to tell Flynn that I love him.

  Chapter 17

  Flynn

  Coming out of the bathroom, my pocket buzzes. Frowning, I open a new text from Ashtyn.

  Ashtyn: Hey I did something really stupid. Chloe was upset and wanted to leave the party. I told her not to but she hopped in the car and started leaving. I jumped in with her to try and calm her down and get her to stop driving. I hope you get this and come find us. <3 <3 <3

  What the fuck?

  There’s no way she’d be that stupid. I was only gone for a couple minutes, five tops. Racing back outside, I spot Jax with all the women around him. If that douche knew how to keep it in his pants, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.

  Hudson runs up to me with a wild look in his eyes and asks, “Flynn, have you seen Chloe? I went to get her a bottle of water but I can’t find her anywhere.”

  “Hudson, I don’t have time for this shit. Chloe’s pissed off at your asshole brother and she took off. Ashtyn went with her but they’re both wasted. I need to go after them before they get in a car accident.”

  At the mention of Jax and Chloe, Hudson’s face crumbles. There’s something going on there but I don’t have time to think about it. I need to get the hell out of here. Peeling out, I race down the road, hoping Chloe’s smart enough to go in the right direction.

  My heart is pounding through my chest like I’m racing against time. The normal exhilaration and pleasure I feel while on my bike is gone. I’m running on pure adrenaline and there’s only one thing I’m feeling right now

  Fear.

  I need to get to her.

  Plain and simple.

  How could she be so fucking reckless?

  I don’t have to turn around to know Hudson’s trailing right behind me. Up ahead, I spot taillights and I just hope it’s them. Somehow, time moves in slow motion and extremely fast at the same time. A truck is heading toward us in the opposite lane and Chloe’s SUV starts drifting toward it. Panic sets in when I think they’re going to collide but Chloe quickly swerves back into her own lane. I momentarily feel relief, but then she overcorrects and the SUV continues off the road and slams into a tree.

  I don’t even think twice. I’m throw down my bike and run to the passenger side of the SUV. The closer I get to the car, the louder my heart pounds in my ears. I can’t hear anything else around me. I can’t see anything except the mangled car that holds the girl I love. I can’t imagine my life without her and there’s no way in hell I’m leaving her now.

  Holding my breath, I throw the door open and find her crumpled up in her seat. Thankfully, her seat belt is on, but she’s bent over at an awkward angle and she’s unconscious. I pull at her seatbelt but it’s jammed. My palms are slick with sweat a
nd I can’t stop the shakes in my body. I forcefully pull on the belt and attempt to cut her out using my teeth.

  Somebody pulls me off of her and I sock them in the face, trying to get back to her. My main mission is getting her out and nobody is going to stop me. I can’t handle knowing she’s so helpless and trapped in the car.

  This time two people pull me off her and hold me back. Fighting against them, I notice an ambulance and police cars have arrived. They cut her out of the seatbelt and load her up onto a stretcher.

  My body gives out and as I hit the ground, and a feral cry releases from me. I finally get my wits about me as they’re pushing her toward the ambulance. They’re taking her away from me and I need to go with her. I get up and start to step forward but those same guys grab onto me again.

  “Get the fuck off of me! That’s my fiancée in there!”

  The closer to the ambulance Ashtyn gets, the more I feel her slowly slipping away from me. They finally let go of me, and I take off at a sprint, hoping it isn’t too late. I did not come this far to lose another woman in my life. I never knew my mom but I’m the reason she isn’t here today, and it can’t be my fault that Ashtyn dies too. If only I had never gone to the bathroom. If only I had never introduced her and Chloe to the guys. If only…

  I can’t lose her.

  I won’t lose her.

  The guy in the ambulance glances around uneasily and his whole body tenses up. I look like a fucking crazy person but I don’t give a shit right now.

  “She’s my fiancée.”

  His face is covered with pity as he nods me in. I don’t know what to do, and I’m too terrified to touch her, so I just sit there and watch. She’s lying there helpless and at the mercy of these strangers. How did everything get so fucked up so quickly?

  Arriving at the hospital, they whisk her away, and I’m left all alone in the waiting room. I lean up against a wall out of everyone’s way and just wait. When nobody comes, I slide down the wall and break down. My adrenaline is shot and I can’t hear anything over my own sobs, not that anyone is telling me anything anyway.

  Someone comes over and sits by me, but I don’t even care to find out who it is. “I called the guys and Ashtyn’s mom. Everyone’s on their way here. I didn’t get any information but Chloe and Ashtyn have both been taken to rooms.”

  Hudson’s hugging his legs to his body and his eyes are puffy and red. He looks like shit and I know I don’t look much better. I’m such a dick. It never even crossed my mind to call her mom or anyone for that matter. I can’t think straight right now. At least someone was calm and collected enough to do everything that needed to get done.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “I knew you’d be wrecked. I just grabbed their bags before heading over here. Jude hasn’t been drinking so he moved your bike and he’s bringing Jax. I wish he would sleep it off, but I guess he was insistent on coming.”

  Not that it matters now but to give myself something else to focus on, I ask the one question we all should have asked a long time ago. “What the fuck is going on between the three of you? Jax and Chloe were just fuck buddies. So how do you work into this?”

  Hudson closes his eyes and continually pinches the bridge of his nose. He opens and closes his mouth a few times. Pausing for a minute, he opens his mouth again to say something.

  His attention whips past me, and I see Ashtyn’s mom come running in. I get up and start heading over to her. She’s frantic and can’t get anyone’s attention. I come up behind her and put my hand on her shoulder. She whips around, her face drenched in tears.

  “Oh, thank God! Flynn, what’s going on? Where’s Ashtyn?”

  I don’t have the news she needs. What we both need.

  I sigh with defeat and tell her, “I don’t know what’s going on. They won’t tell me anything. They took her away when we got here.”

  Her face breaks even more, and I grab her by the arm and turn her toward the waiting room so we can sit down.

  “How did this happen?”

  “Chloe was pissed and took off. Ashtyn went after her. I’m not going to lie, they were both drinking. Chloe swerved and hit a tree.”

  Before she gets the chance to say anything, her phone starts ringing. Her hand flies to her mouth and she says, “It’s Chloe’s Grandma. I better take this.”

  She gets up and starts pacing after she answers the phone. I try not to eavesdrop, but it’s hard not to once she starts yelling.

  “Really, Martha! You felt it was necessary to call Chloe this late at night?” She pauses, I’m assuming while whoever Martha is answers her. “Yes, I’m going to yell! Do you know where I’m at right now? Why don’t you take one guess? I’m at the fucking hospital! Your phone call obviously upset Chloe and both of the girls were in a car accident!”

  She hangs up the phone and her body is wracked with more sobs. I don’t know what I should do. I start to get up but find myself in a half-standing, half-sitting position. What the fuck just happened?

  Through her sobs I make out, “I lost my best friend and now I might lose my daughter. This cannot be happening.”

  I’m not sure what she’s talking about, but I say, “I’m sorry about your best friend but you aren’t going to lose Ashtyn. I won’t let it happen. I can’t lose her.”

  She looks over at me. “Chloe’s parents died. That’s what the phone call was about. Apparently her Grandma called Chloe and that’s what caused the accident.”

  Well, shit.

  This night just keeps getting better and better. I collapse back into the chair. This is all out of my range of expertise. I’d rather just sit here quietly than say something else and fuck up the situation even more.

  “Mrs. Moretti, I’m Hudson, the guy that called you. Is there anyone I can call for you or anything I can do?”

  “I remember who you are, Hudson. Thank you for calling me, and no, there isn’t anyone else to call. Oh, shit! I need to call Ashtyn’s father. Will you boys excuse me for me a minute? If they have an update will you let them know I stepped outside?”

  I just nod my head but realize I should say something when Hudson beats me to it. “Sure thing, Mrs. Moretti. Flynn here told them he’s her fiancé so I’m sure if there are any updates they’ll let him know.”

  I cringe inside as she whips around to look at me. “We aren’t engaged. I swear. I needed them to let me in the ambulance. That was the first thing that popped in my head.”

  She walks back over and leans down and gives me a hug. “I’m glad my daughter has you, Flynn. But don’t go getting any ideas. She’s way too young to get married.”

  As she’s leaving, Jax comes storming in with Jude trailing behind him. He looks like he’s a man on a mission, and I start to get up so he can’t start any trouble. Hudson pushes me back down and walks toward his brother.

  They look like they’re about ready to tear each other apart when Hudson says, “Outside!”

  They both turn and go back out. I don’t have the brainpower to deal with their shit right now. Hopefully, they’ll figure out their own drama.

  Jude comes over and sits down. “Have you heard anything?”

  I rub my face and run my fingers through my hair. I don’t have the patience to answer everyone’s questions. Why did Ashtyn have to get in that damn car? I need her to make it. I turn to answer Jude when a doctor comes through the doors. I get up in anticipation, waiting for her name to be called.

  Please say her name, please say her name.

  “Ashtyn Moretti’s family?”

  I practically run into him and the poor guy backs up with his hands out in front. I hope this guy isn’t Ashtyn’s doctor. She needs someone that won’t break under pressure. I’ll call my dad to provide the best fucking doctors out there. No matter what she needs, I’ll make sure we get it. I fucking hate the bastard, but I’ll do it for her if it means she’ll be fine and come back to me.

  The lie comes out even easier this time and I don’t have time to think about wh
y. “I’m Ashtyn’s fiancé.”

  “Ashtyn hit her head in the accident and knocked herself unconscious. We’re monitoring her, but there’s no cause for worry right now. Her body is healing itself. It’s just a waiting game until she wakes up.”

  “When can I see her?”

  Avoiding me, he looks around the room, and I’m starting to hate this guy. Either he sucks at talking to people, or he just sucks in general. I don’t want a guy that constantly hesitates taking care of Ashtyn. That shit’s not okay.

  “I can take you to her but I want to warn you, she’s a little banged up.”

  Through clenched teeth I say, “Take. Me. To. Her.”

  He looks like he’s going to shit himself but he nods his head. I turn around for Jude and find him standing right next to me. “Can you tell Ashtyn’s mom when she comes in?”

  “I’ll tell her. Don’t worry about anything else.”

  I follow the guy down multiple hallways until he comes to a stop in front of one of the many patient rooms. She’s behind that door. Instinctually, I start to back away but I stop myself. She was unconscious when I got to her but seeing her in the hospital bed will break me even more. Putting my clammy hand on the cold metal doorknob, I slowly turn until it clicks and push the door open.

  The lights are dim and the only noise coming from the room is the different machines she’s hooked up to. Sucking in a breath, I try to hold everything in.

  Turning toward me, the doctor says, “We’re monitoring her. Think of it like she’s sleeping. Ashtyn will wake up when she’s ready.”

  I think I nod my head but I’m not sure if I just thought about it or if I actually did it. I pull a chair up next to her bed and grab her frail hand. Laying in the hospital bed, she appears so much smaller than she is. The whole damn thing swallows her up. I have a strong desire to pick her up and just hold her. I find myself breaking down and I can’t hold it in any longer. Not sure what else to do, I just start talking.

  “Ashtyn, I hope you can hear me right now. I don’t know how all of this works, but I’d really like it if you would just wake up right now. You could even just squeeze my hand to let me know you’re listening.”