Rush Read Free

understand all of it, Alec, but the impact tore one of the arteries that goes to his heart. He had to have heart surgery.”
    My fist tightens, my jaw clenches. “Heart surgery?” Holy shit. The world starts spinning. Logan’s hand shoots out and grabs my shoulder. “What?” My voice cracks.
    “I didn’t know if I should call you or not. I know that’s wrong. I didn’t want you to hurt anymore, but I don’t know what to do. He’s having a hard time, Alec. As soon as he left the hospital, they were able to bring him home to New York, but he won’t talk to anyone. Nate can hardly get anything out of him. Three of his teammates flew over from Ohio, but he doesn’t want to see anyone.”
    He called
me
,
pops into my head and I feel like a prick for thinking it. That shouldn’t matter right now.
    “I’m sure he’s scared. Worried about losing football . . .”
    And I know what he does when he’s scared—he runs. Closes himself off.
    Before he used to talk to me.
    “He could have died,” she whispers.
    “I’m coming. Don’t tell him, okay? But I’m coming.” It doesn’t matter that there’s still a month left of school or that I don’t really have the money. Nothing else matters.
    She says something in the background and I hear Nate say “thank you.” Without a word, I hang up the phone.
    “Logan—”
    He moves back. “It’s him?”
    The only reply I can give is a nod.
    “I guess you better go then.”
    “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.” I don’t have time for anything more than that. I fly my piece-of-shit truck back to my apartment and throw some of my stuff into a duffel. I check my bank account before I go, and then head to the airport. On the way, I call the moving company where I work, and tell them there’s a family emergency and I won’t be in for a few days.
    Family? Yeah right. They have to know it’s a lie, since all I have is Mom and Dad, but they don’t call me on it.
    Because of a delay, I don’t get into New York until early the next morning. If I trusted my truck more, I would have just driven in.
    As I’m waiting by the curb, a white BMW pulls up and Charlie steps out of the passenger seat. Her arms wrap around me, and I squeeze her tightly.
    “You shouldn’t have waited so long to tell me.” I get the reasoning, but I’m still pissed.
    “I didn’t know. We wanted to see what would happen and then when he made it out of surgery . . . I didn’t know the best thing to do. You never wanted to talk about him, and it’s only been a little over a week since he got out of the hospital.”
    I would have hated myself if he’d died and I didn’t even know he was hurt. “This is different, Charlie. You know I’d want to know this.” Before I pull away, I kiss her forehead so she knows it’s okay. Then I toss my duffel bag into the back and climb in.
    “What’s up?” I say to Nate who’s in the driver seat. Things have never been real great between us. From the first time they summered in Lakeland Village I was jealous as hell of him. He was the first guy who Charlie ever paid attention to other than me. Even back then I knew I felt things toward guys, but no one knew. Charlie was my best friend. I loved her. Things would have been okay with her. I thought I could be happy with her one day and more importantly, I could make her happy too.
    Nate changed that for her. The way Brandon changed things for me.
    Even though Nate and I are technically cool now, I’m not sure we’ll ever be close.
    Still, he turns around before pulling away and tells me, “Thanks for coming . . . My parents are worried. I didn’t know what else to do.”
    He’s going to be pissed. If he wanted me here, I would have been here for the past year and a half. “No problem.”
    We’re quiet most of the way to their house. A couple hours drive is a long time to be with my thoughts. I can’t stop wondering if it was right to come, how it will be to see him and other shit I have no