pissed at me for getting him expelled from school, so he beat the crap out of me. That cool?”
Rey’s face matches the color of my blanket. Eyes are freaked.
“Rey?”
“I’m sorry, Cruise. I’m a fuckup. A loser. Because of me…” He swallows. “You could have gotten killed.”
I wave my good hand. Sort of. It lies on the bed like a dead log. Damn, I’m weak. “No sweat, bro.”
He stares at the bed. “You’re always bailing me out. Always looking out for me. And all I do is screw up again.”
He’s got that right. But I’ve got no clue what to say.
He swallows again. “When I saw you…” Another swallow. “When we ran to the ER and saw you…” He shakes his head. “I thought you were dead.”
“Must have looked pretty messed up, huh?”
He doesn’t smile.
“I’m good, Rey. It’s gonna take more than Jake and his lame-ass friends to take me down.”
He lifts his eyes. They are filled with tears. He opens his mouth to say something. His lower lip trembles. Mouth shuts.
Lex walks inside. “Sorry to interrupt.” She tucks some black hair behind her ear. Like she’s shy to be here. “It’s late. My mom…she wants me home.”
My eyes move to the window. Huh. It’s dark. For some idiotic reason, I thought it was the afternoon.
I don’t want her to leave. I want her to climb into bed with me. I want to hold her tight. Press my lips to all the sensitive places she loves. Kiss her silly until we both feel nothing but the amazing sensations.
She moves closer. “I wish I could stay.” She tucks some more hair behind her ear. “I’ll come by before school tomorrow.”
I open my palm. Her eyes dip to it. Then back to my face. She steps closer and slides it into mine. Our hands are clutching like we’re each other’s lifelines. Even though I don’t have a lot of strength, I use all my might to raise our interlocked hands to my face. I kiss the back of her palm.
She gives me the sweetest smile in the world.
“Good night, T. Rex,” I tell her.
“Good night, Cruiser. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She heads to the door. Before she leaves, she looks back at me. Gives me another one of those smiles that I love so much. They make her eyes go as small as Rice Krispies.
Rey and I look at each other. Just as he opens his mouth, a nurse comes in and orders him to leave. Says I need to sleep now. Mom and Dad come in to say goodbye. They’ll come by in the morning.
I’m all alone. I close my eyes and think only happy thoughts. Like Lex coming over first thing in the morning.
Chapter Four
Lex
“Please, please, please can I go to the hospital with you?” Rosie begs me.
“You’ll see him after school,” Mom tells her.
She folds her arms and pouts.
She and my parents visited Cruiser when he was asleep. She’s dying to see him now that he’s up, but I agree with my mom on this one. I don’t think I’d be able to take her with me and get her to school on time. Since she uses a wheelchair, a special van takes her to and from school. A girl from my dance squad will drop me off at the hospital.
“He’ll probably be up for visitors later today, anyway,” I say to my sister. I play with one of her dark pigtails. “He’ll be so happy to see you.”
“I don’t have to go to school.” Light shines in her eyes. “I can stay at the hospital and keep Cruiser company! I know he’s bored there. When I was in the hosp—” She cuts herself off and stares down at her lap.
Mom and I exchange a glance. We look away.
I stroke Rosie’s head. “You can’t avoid school, Rosie.”
She folds her arms again. “They don’t have to throw him a party, you know.”
Rosie’s best friend, Jamie, who is also in a wheelchair, will undergo an experimental procedure in a few days to try to help him to walk again. Ever since my little sister found out about it, she’s been feeling down. She would do anything to walk again. My parents—specifically my dad—thinks they’re chasing a
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