Page 34 of Alphas Like Us

Farrow studies me for a long beat, and then his tattooed fingers touch his earpiece again, his gum chewing slowsdown.

I pass the phone to Charlie since Ben is still concentrating on the road. “Just let me handle this,” I say and add to Winona. “Don’t tell the girl squad what’s happened.” Last thing I need is for the entire family to be in on this before I even talk toXander.

“My babes won’t know,” Winona confirms, and bybabes, she means my sister Kinney, then Audrey Cobalt and Vada Abbey. Her shoulders loosen, and she exhales inrelief.

Ben gains speed but falters as the storm brews. He decelerates. “Thanks, Moffy—” A camera flashes at the driver’s window in pitch black night, jarringBen.

He swervesright.

“Ben!” Winonayells.

“I can’tsee!”

Charlie instantly grabs the wheel and straightens thecar.

“Relax,” Farrow tells the teenagers, slightly turned as he watches security’s car behindus.

We’re wedged between a truck and an SUV, both windows rolled down. Cameras wrapped in plastic point at ourcar.

“I can’t see,” Ben mutters again. He grips the steering wheelharder.

Flashes blast in quick succession. Imagine a strobe light in your face on a freeway at seventy-five miles per hour in pouring down rain, and you just got your license three monthsago.

“Slow down,” I suggest. “Just ride here. They’ll get bored andleave.”

Now Ben is pressing down on the gas. “I can try to passone—”

We spin out the second he pushes eighty-five, no traction to the wheels on the wet road—my arm extends over Winona’s chest to protect my cousin, and I feel Farrow doing the exact same forher.

As the car revolves, there’s no time to glance left or right. No time to course correct or overthink or call out toFarrow.

There is just human life and love andpain.

My world blinks past me and the right side, my side,slamsinto the concrete median with a violentbang. My body wrenches forward against my seatbelt. Acracksteals my breath away. Hot tears slip out of the corners of my eyes—I can’tbreathe.

And then, the carflips.

6

FARROW KEENE

Everything is eerilymotionless except for theping ping pingof rain hitting the underside of the car. The smell of rain on metal overpowers my senses, and slowly, I gather mybearings.

I’m upsidedown.

We all are, but I’m the first to barrel through disorientation. My earpiece dangles on a cord down my chest, my radio cracked. Every airbag blew, every window shattered, and the greatest impact was on…no.

“Maximoff,” I call out, my voicehoarse.

His car door is crushed against the concrete median. Charlie’s door is also smashed but not asbadly.

I cough a few times, my pulse spiking. I can’t see Maximoff that well. Winona’s hair cascades down and shields him fromview.

He’sfine.

I try topretend.

He’sfine.