Page 106 of The Monster I Am
They were just loading Ry into the back of the ambulance when I reached them, jumping inside before they even realized I was there.
Tai was standing behind the ambulance when they flung the doors open on our arrival, the pair of us refusing to leave Ry’s side until we were forcibly held back by security so they could get him to the doctors.
He’s okay thankfully. Just concussed, a little banged up, and probably going to have one hell of a migraine too. Love that for us.
I let my eyes wander over to the other side of the bed, finally takingrealnotice of Tai. His unfocused gaze is staring at the blank wall by the head of the bed, hands together as he reclines in the uncomfortable hospital cuck chair.
Sensing me, he looks over, offering a tight, fake smile. I don’t return it, too tired to deal with the bullshit and pretend everything is wonderful.
“I have a migraine,” I grumble instead.
Tai nods, understanding this is my version of an apology for being a dick. Words can have minimal meaning, but letting someone see your vulnerability? That’s friendship.
“Fuck, that sucks,” he murmurs sincerely. “If you need to rest, I can stay.”
“I’m not leaving,” I reply. “I’ll survive. Besides, neither of us want to leave.”
Tai sighs, dropping his head back. “We need to tell her, H.”
I glance over at Ry’s sleeping frame. “Not yet. She doesn’t need the extra stress right now.”
“I know,” he agrees. “But she deserves to know anyway. You know she’s going to kill us when she finds out.”
An amused half-smirk tugs at my lips. “That’s the fun of it, right?”
Tai grumbles. “Sure—until she finds out we spoofed her number and lied.”
“It’s for her own protection,” I tell him. “Until we can figure out what happened, it’s best she stays in the dark. The less people who know, the better.”
The detectives claim the crash was nothing more than an accident. A reckless DUI that caused the other driver to run the red light. But I have a hard time believing that.
It’s a little too convenient and coincidental.
“Do you really think they did it?” Tai asks quietly.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” I admit. “We’re constantly in a game of cat and mouse. Every time I’m sure I know who’s coming after us, something changes.”
Tai nods. “Between the fire and now this, I’m sick of the damn feud. Wouldn’t it be great to just finish senior year with some normality?”
I groan. The fucking exams.
And there goes my migraine again.
The nurses kicked us out of the room after Ry woke up. As soon as the sedatives started to wear off, they demanded we take a walk while he had a head scan.
Even slightly delirious, Rylan still hasn’t lost his sense of humor. He found the whole ordeal hilarious, cheering the nurses on when we tried to argue.
I argued anyway. Tai threw his hands up and muttered something under his breath. I’m fairly certain it was aimed at me, but I promptly joined him after telling Ry I’m going to slip laxatives into his IV bag when he began laughing at my frustration.
Absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he was asking about Bexley and I needed some excuse to slip away before he could pry too much.
“He looked… sad.”
I glance over at Tai, the pair of us sitting outside in the private park on the hospital grounds. Taking a sip of my coffee, I shrug. “Ignore him—he won’t be thinking straight right now.”
Tai cocks an eyebrow at me. “He’s asking for her, H.”
“No,” I cut him off. “It’s too soon. Besides, Duchess will be at the academy. You know my father will go after her if she misses any classes.”
