Page 97 of Becoming Us

Exactly four days later, I woke to the insistent buzzing of my phone vibrating across the nightstand. It rattled like it was trying to claw its way into my skull.

The air was thick with stale vodka and sweat as I sat up, head pounding, throat dry. There was someone else in my bed—naked, curled into the sheets like they belonged there. I didn’t look too closely.

The phone kept vibrating.

I stumbled to the bathroom, each step heavy. Inside, I flipped on the light, squinting at the sudden brightness, and grabbed abump from the baggie on the counter. It burned just enough to make me feel like I could breathe again.

Then I answered without glancing at the screen.

“Noah.” It was my mom, which was weird. She almost never called me.

“Yeah?”

“You need to come home.”

My heart slammed against my ribs and shot straight into my throat. “What is it—Dad? Is he okay?”

“I’ve been calling you all night. We’re at the hospital. He started feeling sick, and the doctors said his calcium spiked. I don’t really understand, but he was—he was aggressive and confused, and they had to sedate him…” Her words tumbled out in a breathless rush, the panic bleeding through every syllable.

Then came the sob. Small. Shaky. “He’s in a coma right now, Noah. You need to come home.”

He’s in a coma right now.

The words didn’t land all at once. They echoed—too big to fit in my head, too heavy to settle anywhere.

“I’m on my way,” I said, though it didn’t sound like me.

I set the phone down on the counter, barely aware of the movement. Slowly, I looked up. My reflection stared back—blank eyes, parted lips. The green was unmistakable. His eyes.

He wasn’t supposed to get worse. The last appointment had been fine. He said it was fine.

He’s in a coma right now.

The world tilted slightly. I grabbed the sink edge to stay upright, heart thudding somewhere in my ears.

What the fuck just happened?

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

AFTER

The club was buzzing today. Atty had told me there was a tournament he had to oversee, and since we’d officially dropped thehow-many-times-a-week-we-see-each-otherclause, I could visit him whenever I wanted.

And today, he’d actually invited me. So that was a bonus.

As I sat on one of the beach bar’s stools, I spotted him in all his shirtless lifeguard Atty glory. Those red swim shorts somehow made his body look even better than usual. He was talking to one of the girls on the team. For once, they all seemed focused—not openly drooling over their coach. That role was reserved just for me.

His gaze lifted, locking onto mine. A small smile tugged at his lips. I waved and winked, leaning back on my elbows like I hadn’t been counting down the minutes to see him.

“Barkeep!” I called.

Ezra walked toward me with an exaggerated sigh. “What do you want, Rossi?”

“Hi. Club soda with a lime wedge, please.” I flashed him my most dazzling smile.

He huffed and went to get it.