For the Rush(49)

“Me too, man.” I took a step forward, steeling myself for the service when I saw her. She was walking from the parking lot wearing a short black dress, her head down, her hair obscuring her face. “Hey, I gotta take care of something. Head on in. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Sawyer nodded and walked off. I raced toward Chloe as fast as I dared with my injured arm. I had to be careful not to jostle it too much.

“Chloe,” I hollered as I neared her.

Her head whipped toward me. “Holden.”

Hearing her say my name was like a balm to my soul. For the first time in days I felt my chest expand. “I’m glad you came.”

She looked around nervously. “I wasn’t sure if I should, but it felt like the right thing to do.”

I stepped forward, my fingers closing around one of her arms. She flinched, but didn’t pull away. “Have you watched the news at all?”

“Not really. I don’t need to. I know what happened.”

I knew the demons in her eyes reflected my own. We’d seen unspeakable things. Things no one should ever have to see. And I understood her need to not be reminded of it. “Preston was sick, Chloe. He’d been obsessed with violence and revenge for years.”

Agitated, she shook her head. “I don’t want to hear this. It’s not why I came. I just want to put it all behind me.”

“That’s what I’m trying to help you do.”

“By throwing it in my face?” Her voice rose and her gaze shifted. A few people looked over at us. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I don’t want to cause a scene. Why don’t we go inside and pay respects to your friend?”

Music sounded from inside. I sighed. “Sit with me.”

She paused.

“Please?”

“Fine.”

I snatched up her hand and guided her inside. We found some empty seats in a pew near the back and slipped into them. Chloe tugged on the bottom of her dress, pulling it down over her legs. The black dress against her pale skin reminded me of the first time we met – of her black bikini. If only we could go back to then. Go back to when things were simple.

Go back to when life was carefree.





CHAPTER 24


Chloe



I told myself I was going to Ryan’s memorial service because it was the right thing to do. But who was I kidding? I wanted to see Holden, plain and simple. However, it seemed wrong to be thinking about a boy when people had lost their lives this week. Our school had suffered a horrible tragedy, and that was so much more important than my crush on a boy.

Still, I ended up going to the church. And now I was glad I had. Holden was genuinely happy to see me when I showed up. He held my hand through the entire service as if drawing strength from my presence. When it ended, he made me promise to wait for him so we could talk. I wanted to say no. Holden had so much on his plate right now. Worrying about me shouldn’t be something he had to concern himself with. But when his eyes met mine, I couldn’t refuse him. Instead, I nodded and headed outside to wait while Holden spoke to Ryan’s family.

Hugging myself, I shivered. I stayed close to the church, hidden under the large awning. The clouds were even darker than when I’d arrived. It looked like it would rain any minute. Cold wind blew over my skin, causing goosebumps to rise on my arms.

“Hi, Chloe.”

I looked up to see Holden’s mom approaching.

“Hi.”

“It’s nice to see you again.” She surprised me by flashing a genuine smile. I figured she’d hate me. I was the reason her son had been injured, after all.

“Nice to see you again too,” I answered honestly. From over her shoulder I caught Bethany and her friends peering at me. It made me even more grateful to be chatting with Holden’s mom.

A nice-looking man wearing a suit came to join us.

“James, this is Chloe. She’s a…” Holden’s mom stopped as if trying to figure out what to call me. “a friend of Holden’s.”

“Nice to meet you.” James stuck out his hand.

“You too.” I shook his hand.

Holden swaggered up behind him. I couldn’t help but appreciate how good he looked in his suit. Remembering where I was, I shook away the thoughts. Holden placed a hand on his mom’s shoulder.

“Are you ready?” His mom asked.

“Um…” he glanced over at me, a question in his eyes. “I think I’ll catch a ride with Chloe.”

My stomach flipped.

“If that’s okay with you?” He raised a brow.

I hesitated, but those dark eyes won me over every time. “Okay.”

“Be careful.” His mom pointed her finger at him. Then she turned to me. “Make sure he doesn’t overexert himself. He needs to be careful with his arm.”