Page 134 of Fragments

Sliding into the seat next to Lex, I nudge his arm, nodding at the food in front of him. “Eat.”

He exhales, forfeiting the nervous staring long enough to take a bite of spaghetti.

An Alabaster Pen delicacy… Pasta with red sauce.

It’s literally just mushy Costco brand spaghetti and jar sauce that’s obviously been made in bulk and frozen, but still. It’s one of the better things we get. A stark contrast to themystery meat casserole, which you should only eat if you’re in need of a colon cleanse, or have accidentally ingested poison.

“So… what’s new?” I ask the boys, in an effort to act normal and distract Lex.

I need to keep him eating and talking so he doesn’t notice that Dashisactually behaving very strangely. He’s over in a corner, pacing and talking to himself. I don’t want to freak Lex out more than he already is, but even I’m starting to worry about the kid. He seems totally unhinged.

“Nothing…” Lex sniffs, pushing his pasta around with his fork. “Have you, um… watched any new movies on your iPad?”

“Well, it only has four movies, so I’ve already watched each one about five times.” I chuckle. “But it also has season six ofThe Big Bang Theory, so… I definitely have that sombitch memorized by now. I swear to God, that show makes you smarter. Go ahead, ask me anything about String Theory.”

My rambling fades into awkward chuckles, brows furrowing at Dash, who’s across the room having a heated argument… with himself.

I tap my fingers on the table. “Let’s see, what else… It has the soundtrack toHedwig on Broadway, the Neil Patrick Harris version, so that’s pretty cool. Some eBooks I’m assuming are smut based on the shirtless dudes on the covers… Ooh! There’s an audiobook on there that’s gay as fuck! I skipped to the middle to try to find a sex scene, and let me tell you…Boner-approved.”

Dash shouts something at the wall, and I bite the inside of my cheek.God dammit…

Peters and Brenner rush over, all eyes in the room now on Dash, who’s deep in a psychotic episode, yanking at his hair and yelling at no one. Around the room, inmates call out taunts, a few jumping up from their seats.

“Sit the fuck down!” Rook barks at the guys, and they slink back into place.

He and Joy are lingering by our table, watching on with the rest of us as Brenner and Peters try to subdue Dash. I know I was trying to downplay it, but Lex was totally right. Dash is not doing wellat all, and now I’m kind of scared for him.

My chest constricts at the sight of Brenner and Peters grabbing our friend, lifting him by his arms and legs, attempting to cuff him while he struggles against their hold.

“Shit shit shit…” Joy mumbles, stepping forward like she wants to intervene, but can’t.

She actually looksnervous. That alone is worrying, since I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen an emotion on her face other than annoyance.

Dash is wriggling in Brenner’s arms while Peters tries to secure the cuffs. A whimper comes from Lex at my side, and I reach over quick, grabbing his hand.

“What’s going on?” Lex cries quietly. “What are they doing to him??”

“Calm down,” Rook mumbles, but even he looks concerned.

Heavy footsteps charge up from behind us.

And here comes Daddy to get the kids in line…

“What the fuck is going on over here?” Velle barks, storming up to his men and our panicked, sobbing friend.

I can’t hear what Dash is saying, but the fear in his eyes and the tears streaming down his cheeks are breaking my fucking heart. Lex is squeezing my hand so hard, it’s going numb. Kang is anxiously gnawing on his bottom lip.

We’re all just frozen, staring on helplessly as Velle pulls a syringe from his holster and sticks a needle into Dash’s neck. In an instant, Dash goes limp.

Jesus…

Lex releases a hoarse whimper, burying his face in my chest. Folding him up in my arms, I press my lips to his head, kissing his soft, short hair. I can feel him shaking; he’s so torn up over this, and I get it. Dash looks like a broken doll…

This is terrible.

It reminds me of when Parker came down with pneumonia… When they told us he was being air-lifted to a medical center for treatment, and even though we wanted to believe he’d be okay, I could feel in my chest that something was seriously wrong. Despite how strained things were between Lex and me at the time, he didn’t even hesitate.

He launched himself at me, hugging mesotight, stroking my hair and whispering calming words into my ear… Just like I am right now.