Page 164 of Dream On

A mangled sob catches in my throat as I wheel my suitcase behind me through the main level of Lex’s condominium. The space is empty. The lights are turned off, and the sky’s fire has burned down to a smoky gray. I pause in the living room and glance out the balcony doors, feeling like my grief is a tangible thing staring back at me from the somber skyline.

My heart is broken.

I’m transported back to that hospital room on day ten, confined to a stiff, joyless bed postsurgery, wondering why Lex hadn’t come to visit me. No flowers, no phone calls—only Mr. Hamlin perched at my bedside with his bundle of white tulips and awful words: “I’m so sorry, Stevie. Lexington was pulled from Hollow High this morning. His family must be relocating.”

The moment my car collided with that tree, my dreams fell like empires. Dreams of stardom, of dancing across stages and colorful sets.

The dream that maybe Lexington Hall and his electric blue eyes would take the starring role in my real-life love story, following me to the other side of “The End.”

Foolish, silly dreams.

And still, my heart had the audacity to believe it for a second time.

I realize now why Lex left so suddenly. He did something. Made a deal withhis parents, trading his future for mine. A parting gift he’d never planned to tell me about.

Lex is why that DUI charge never landed on my record. He was protecting me.

Just like he’s trying to do again.

But he doesn’t understand that protecting me from the harsh truths of life doesn’t keep me safe. It only keeps us both stagnant, locked in a bubble of unrealized potential. By trying to shield me from pain, he’s kept us from growing, from learning, and from confronting the very realities that shape who we become.

Shaky fingers curl around the handle of my suitcase as I trudge forward, my hair sticking to wet cheeks. There’s a check in my hand, crumpled and slick with sweat. A payment for my time here. The dollar amount is higher than anything I’ve ever seen, and I almost abandoned the slip of paper on the countertop where he’d left it for me.

But my parents need this money. Every cent is going to them, a repayment for all they’ve done for my sister and me. They’ll use it to pay off medical debt, upgrade the farm tools, fix up the family home in the wake of inconceivable cruelty, and hopefully take a vacation somewhere warm.

They’ve earned that. They deserve that.

A cry spills out as I reach the front door, slipping the check in my back pocket. My sorrow echoes through the huge space, bouncing off walls and slamming me in the chest. My tears fall harder, sliding down my face and neck, dampening my collar.

When I make it outside, I don’t remember moving. I’m in a mournful daze, this new reality slowly edging its way inside me the closer I make it to the limousine and to Adrian standing there with his hands clasped in front of him.

“Hello, Stevie,” he says kindly, his warm brown eyes twinkling against the misty morning. He takes my roller bag. “I do hope we can meet again one day. Your time here has been a pleasure.”

“Thank you. You’ve been so wonderful.”

“Just doing my job, miss.”

Sniffling, I shuffle past him toward the vehicle, hesitating as I glance back atthe complex, at the groups of people hovering outside the entrance, watching, snapping photographs. I peer up at Adrian as he waits by the door. “You’ll look out for him?”

A frown creases. “I’m sorry?”

“Lex,” I whisper. “You’ll make sure he’s okay?”

Adrian’s frown deepens for a moment, then softens into understanding. “Of course,” he replies. “I will do what I can. Just know…he is stronger than he believes.”

I nod, my throat tight as I fight back more tears.

Adrian studies me for a long moment, as if weighing the unspoken burden we both feel. “Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, I—” My hand clasps around my empty neck, a thought striking me.

I left something in Lex’s room last night.

My necklace.

“Wait…I did forget something,” I say, stepping away from the limo. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time.”