What would I say, though? I think there’s going to be a break-in somewhere near the beach. Get the bad guy so the old woman doesn’t have to. Feeling like she might vomit, Summer folded over, squeezing her eyes closed. The world was still spinning, so she dropped to her knees.
Troy and Ashlyn crouched down next to her.
Troy cupped her cheek, his hand warm against her skin. “Tell me what you need.”
Where to even begin? She needed the world to stop spinning. To not see people die. To not know that Ashlyn was going to. Summer took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I think I just need some food. I’m hungry, and it’s making me light headed.” She forced herself to her feet. “How far is this place?”
Troy put his arm around her waist to steady her and pointed to the blue building on the corner. “It’s right there.”
Summer was almost sure she could make it.
“Hey listen to this,” Dad said, calling Summer into the living room. “This guy tried to rob a little old lady, but she shot him when he reached for his gun. They think he’s been responsible for several break-ins down in the PB area.”
It was too big of a coincidence to be just that.
Summer sat on the couch and Dad un-paused the television.
“A man was shot today when he tried to rob an elderly resident,” the news anchor said, and the footage cut to one of their reporters. He held his microphone up to the gray-haired woman from Summer’s vision, and ice spread through Summer’s veins.
“I heard something downstairs,” the woman said. “So I called 911 and got my gun. When I saw the man reach for his weapon, I fired.”
“That’s one tough lady,” the anchor commented when they cut back to him. “Cops arrived on the scene and took the body away. No charges will be pressed against the woman for defending herself…”
“That’s crazy, huh?” Dad said, turning the volume down a couple of clicks. “Maybe more criminals will think twice before they go take whatever they want now.”
“Yeah crazy,” Summer said, unable to take her eyes off the screen. He deserved it, she told herself over and over, trying to convince herself she’d done the right thing. A shudder went through her body. A cold so cold it burned, took hold of her insides. You’d think she’d be used to it by now. How do you get used to death, though? To seeing it happen before it really happens?
The answer was simple.
You don’t.
Chapter Nineteen
Bumping into someone with a dark soul brought on the worst nightmares Summer had ever experienced. For two nights she saw montages of gruesome deaths. Blood, gasping for air, dead eyes. If that wasn’t bad enough, the nightmares last night featured Ashlyn dying in every possible way.
So, as Summer sat at lunch on Monday, looking across the table at Ashlyn, her mind kept flashing to those images of her friend’s body, devoid of color and life.
Ashlyn took a sip of her Diet Coke and set it back on the table with a clink. “I had a genius idea. I know living at home when I go to college would be the cheaper way to go, since San Diego State is only a couple miles from my house, but I can’t wait to get out on my own.” She picked the tomatoes out of her sandwich and tossed them off to the side. “I was thinking that you and I should find a place and move in together. We’ll surf, even study on the rare occasion, and it’ll be a blast. What do you think?”
Summer thought about how much fun they’d have living together and about how nice it would be to meet people and go everywhere with Ash by her side. Since meeting Ashlyn, Summer didn’t feel so lost anymore. Little by little, she felt like the person she used to be. The person who laughed easily and was comfortable with who she was. The person who stood up for herself and wouldn’t keep going back to a boyfriend who didn’t treat her right. She’d missed this girl, and she didn’t want to go back to the way things had been before getting to know Ashlyn.
Most of all, she didn’t want Ashlyn to die. A giant lump formed in her throat. “It sounds like so much fun that I wish it was now.” Tears were threatening, and Summer blinked, trying to keep them from spilling. She knew she should tell Ashlyn to make her life worthwhile now. Tell her to go spend time with her mom. But she couldn’t force out the words without having a complete breakdown.
Summer stood so quickly her thighs slammed into the table and scooted it a couple inches. “I just remembered I have to go do something before my next class. I’ll see you later, okay?”
She charged out of the cafeteria and headed to the quieter part of campus. Her knees felt like they were going to give way, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. She reached out and steadied herself on the brick exterior of the band room. Warm tears slid down her cheeks. She crumpled to the ground, hugged her knees into her chest, and dropped her head on them. Then she went ahead and let go of all the emotions she’d been fighting back for days.
Losing Mom was bad enough. Why do I have to lose Ashlyn, too?
Grief and despair tore at her heart, making it impossible to breathe. She knew all too well what it was like to lose someone she loved. It had sent her into depression and made her numb for months. She couldn’t do it again. The hurt never quite healed, either. Not all the way.
The door near her opened, and she buried her head deeper, hoping whoever it was would ignore her.
She felt a hand on her shoulder. “What are you doing here, Sunshine?”
Not Troy. Anyone but him. She sensed him sit down next to her.
“What’s going on?” he asked. “Is it Kendall and the rest of the girls? Are they getting to you?”
Unable to answer, she shook her head. There was no answer anyway. Nothing she could explain. Well you see our friend Ashlyn is going to die and she’s a good person. And instead of making sure her death is filled with peace for her and her loved ones, I’m so selfish that I’m out here crying because I need her here with me.
That thought made her start crying all over again.
Troy draped his arm around her shoulders and she rolled toward him, crying against his shoulder. “You want me to go get Ashlyn?” he asked.
“No.” Her voice came out muffled, since her face was still buried in his shirt.
“You want to ditch the rest of school?”
Summer sniffed, struggling to get her emotions under control. “Yes, but I can’t. If I miss dance practice, the girls will kick me off for sure. And I don’t even want to think of the lecture I’d get from my dad.”
For a couple minutes they sat in silence. Summer kept her head against Troy’s shoulder as he ran his fingers up and down her back. It still felt like she had a rock in her gut, but with Troy next to her, everything seemed the tiniest bit better. The tears tapered off, and her breathing gradually returned to normal.
When Troy spoke, his voice was soft. “You want to go to a show tonight? There’s this band called Crusifictorious from Texas, and they’re supposed to be decent.”
“That sounds good. I’ll see if Ashlyn wants to come, too.” Summer lifted her head. The place was deserted, which meant she was already late for her next class. “Man, I’m a mess.” She straightened up and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“Maybe I could help if you told me what’s going on.”
“You already helped.” Summer stood, offered a hand to Troy, and pulled him to his feet. When she went to let go, he kept hold of her hand.
“Summer.” He so rarely said her name that hearing it from his lips pinned her in place, goose bumps scattering across her skin.