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He said he would be lost without me, living a life filled with pain. My heart nearly cracks in two as images of him flick by in a timeline of our short, intense relationship.
Micah when he showed me the tattoo he got in honor of me.
Micah sitting on his outdoor furniture when I waded into the hot tub.
Micah staring at me as if I consume him, not the other way around.
And the last image I see is of him and Athena. My girl.
My fingers flex into the hardwood, my stomach convulsing as I drag in air that’s getting thicker and thicker by the minute.
No, I can’t do this. I can’t just lay here.
Tears leak from my eyes. I take in a deep breath, count to four, and then let it out again. I repeat it a couple of times towrangle my breaths under control. When that doesn’t work, I know I need to push through anyway. Limbs like lead weights and lungs bursting, I army crawl toward the door. “Athena?”
It’s like crawling through molasses in January. My very body fighting me every inch of the way. I keep the picture of Athena and Micah in my mind. I need to save her like she saved me, like she continued to rescue me day in and day out.
Muscles flexing, I use all my strength, my hands searching in front of me and to the side. They keep coming up empty. I start to choke again, the smoke heavy like tar. I surge forward and… “Athena!” I grip a foot, then scramble forward, hope leaping in my chest as I find her ribcage, then her neck and head. “Athena, Athena,” I whimper like a prayer. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t alert to her name.
I bury my head in her neck, kissing her soft fur, and still, she doesn’t stir. A sob wretches from my body as if expelling a bad dream.
“Wake up,” I weep, shaking her.
With a wail, I grab her two front legs and yank her forward. I move toward the door, pulling her with me. Tears and snot trickle past my lips. My lungs protest every inch of the way until my shoulder hits a solid surface.
Relief floods me. Keeping one hand on Athena, I place my palm against the door. Relief washes through me when it’s not hot. Reaching up, I twist the doorknob and yank, only to be met with even thicker, blacker smoke. A gasp floods my lungs with soot, suffocating me until I sputter and cough.
I pull my shirt up to my face to use it as a mask but it’s no use. It’s too much.
28
Micah
Igrab my playbook and slip out the doors with offensive plays running through my mind. The home game this weekend is a big one for us. We need to beat the Tigers to move up in our division.
Slipping my phone from my pocket, I check to see if I have any messages from Raeann. None. I send her one instead.Hey, want company tonight?
A hand rests on my shoulder, and I peer to my left to find Levi. “Hey, how’s Raeann doing?”
“She’s good,” I tell him. “We’re moving in together.”
His eyes widen. “No shit.”
The skepticism in his eyes burns bright, and it makes me want to laugh. “You’ll get there someday.”
He grimaces. “Honestly, man, I just don’t get it. I’m happy for you, though. But settling down isn’t for me.”
He says that… Maybe we’ve all said it at some point until we find the person who turns our whole world upside down inan instant. Levi’s not ready to hear it yet, though. “Well, hey, Raeann has a friend…”
“Yeah?” His grin widens.
“She’s expressed some interest in your dumbass. I’ve yet to see the appeal.”
“It’s my chiseled good looks, old man.”
“Fuck off.”
“You’re about to be tied down. You’re an old man like Tipper and Parker. I need to find some new friends.”