“I know.” She hiccups. “He’s just so awful.” Then she puts her face in her hands.
“I hate him,” I whisper coolly out loud. I know they say that hate is a strong word, but I absolutely cannot think of a better way to describe the way I feel about him.
“Also, who the fuck introduces themselves using any form of number or their middle name? I mean, seriously,” Jay quips from the couch, which makes us all laugh.
I snuggle into the crook of Jami’s neck while we all continue to talk about tonight’s events. We’re all exhausted from having dealt with Kyle Nathanial Davis III. As I watch all of my friends discuss someone we love, discuss how to help her and how worried they are for her, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love I feel in this room. Not just between the couples, but for everyone. We’d all do anything we could for one another.
I realize in this moment that I’m ready. I’m going to tell Jami that I love him too. I won’t do it tonight though. I don’t want to taint the first time with everything that’s happened with Beth and Kyle, but I’m going to tell him tomorrow night. He’s going snowboarding during the day, which will give me enough time to head over to his house and make him dinner. I’m still not the greatest chef in the world, but my cooking has definitely improved since being with Jami.
I’m so giddy with excitement from just thinking about it that I get hardly any sleep.
“YOU SHOULD SEE them. The amount of energy they have for someone so small. It’s exhausting,” Mrs. Campbell says from the chair in front of me.
“How many grandkids do you have now?” I ask her, checking the length of my cut against her shoulders.
“Four. Can you believe it? Four grandkids and another one on the way,” she says proudly. Although she’s been telling me how exhausting they are for the past hour, I can tell how much she loves them.
“My goodness, you do have your hands full, Mrs. Campbell,” I say, chuckling.
“Oh dear. I’ve told you a million times. Call me Dora please. I don’t like to feel any older than I am,” she scolds me as I pick up the blow-dryer.
“Of course, Dora.” I smile.
She’s one of my favorite clients, so I’m happy that she’s who I’ll be ending my day with. She’s only in about her early sixties, but she’s hilarious and adorable. I start to blow-dry her hair and miss the sound of the door chiming. I’m working her hair with my round brush, making sure to get the roots of her curly hair when I hear Dora clear her throat.
I leave the blow-dryer on but ask her, “Do you need something to drink?”
When she doesn’t answer, I look up to meet her eyes in the mirror. They are wide and staring at someone else. Follow her gaze, I almost drop the dryer once I see what she’s looking at.
Hannah’s standing a few feet in from the front door in her work clothes, tears pouring down her face, her makeup everywhere. She’s white as a ghost, and my stomach plummets. Beth.
I run over to her as she starts to collapse onto the ground. I grab underneath her arms and slowly help her to sit. “What’s wrong, Hannah? What happened?”
She sobs harder and my heart starts to pound. Whatever it is is really fucking bad.
“Hannah, please. You’re scaring me. What happened?” I beg her, holding her head in my hands.
“It’s… It’s…” Her words are cut off as another sob racks her body.
“Is it Beth? Is Beth okay?” I question her frantically, trying to search her face for answers. When she shakes her head, I sigh in relief. “Is it Greyson?”
She shakes her head again before finally looking up into my eyes. I can’t decipher the look behind her green eyes though.
“It’s Jami,” she says softly.
The blood drains from my face and all I can do is stare at her. What does she mean it’s Jami? “I don’t understand,” I tell her, panic creeping up my throat.
“They can’t find him,” she gasps between breaths.
“What do you mean they can’t find him?” I snap. I’m scared and confused.
“He went snowboarding today, right?” she asks me, and I nod my head. Hannah sits up, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Lennon, they can’t find him. He was supposed to meet Jay at the bottom over four hours ago.”
My body starts to shake as I absorb what she’s telling me.
“Jay tried calling you, and when he couldn’t get through, he called me. I figured you were at work and probably didn’t have your phone,” she says, the tears stopping as she forms into the rock she knows I need her to be. “They are sending search and rescue now.”