Page 8

Troy

I shouldn’t have gone to her. I shouldn’t have given a damn about her shaking hands, her panicked breathing, the silent tears sliding down her face.

But I had.

And now Adrian was giving me an earful about it.

“You should’ve let her deal with it herself,” Adrian muttered, slouching in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. “You wasted your time and looked like a jackass.”

I clenched my jaw. “She was panicking.”

“So?” Adrian shot me a sour look. “Since when do we care?”

I didn’t answer because we didn’t. Not supposed to, anyway. Not since we were kids, since the day we made the pact. We had vowed never to give a shit about her or her mother. They were the reason our mom had never come back. The reason she stopped calling.The reason Dad had moved on.

Elena and Lacey had ruined our family. It was something we’d agreed on long ago, but deep down I knew it wasn’t Lacey and Elena’s fault for any of the shit that happened.

And yet, here I was—sitting back in my seat, irritated at myself for having gone to her .

I cast a glance toward her.

Her eyes were closed now, her body looser, but her fingers were lightly twisted together in her lap.

At least she looked calmer.

I thought about the sleeping pills I had in my bag.

Some nights, I struggled to fall asleep. Sometimes, my mind wouldn’t shut off. I had them for those moments. I considered offering her one. She’d never take it, though.

She was too stubborn.

I sighed and leaned back in my seat, closing my eyes. I just needed to sleep.

I’d deal with everything else when we landed.

I woke to the plane shaking violently. My heart shot into my throat as I sat up. Adrian was already awake, too, looking around, his brows furrowed.

Dean’s voice crackled through the intercom. “Another storm rolling in. Everyone, stay buckled. We’re going to try to fly above it if we can.”

I immediately looked toward Elena. She was fumbling with her seatbelt, making sure it was tight. Her face was pale again, and her breaths were too fast and sharp.

Shit.

I silently cursed myself for not staying with her. But staying would’ve been too awkward.

The plane jolted again. The shaking worsened. And then?—

Alarms. Sirens.

A sudden, gut-wrenching drop.

Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling.

There was a crackle of static and shouting from the cockpit.

Adrian and I shared a look. A look that said, This is bad . Real fucking bad .

Dean’s voice was sharp and tense as he radioed for help, his shouts loud enough that we could hear them.

I swallowed hard, trying to keep my breathing steady.

“Dean?” Adrian called out.

There was a pause.

“Brace yourselves,” Dean’s rough voice called out.

Fuck.

I turned sharply toward Elena.

“Elena!”

She didn’t respond. Her chest was rising too fast, her eyes wide and unseeing, her body locked in place. She was having a full-blown panic attack.

I cursed and unbuckled my seatbelt, trying to get to her. Adrian grabbed me, yanking me back into my seat.

“Don’t be a fucking idiot!” he snapped. “It’s not safe! Buckle in, man. She’ll be OK.”

I struggled against his hold, ignoring his words. A sudden downward dive made me fall back into my seat. Quickly, I put on my seatbelt again.

We both cast terrified looks at Elena.

She was gasping, her fingers gripping the armrest so tightly her knuckles turned white. She needed to take her oxygen mask and put it on her face.

I wanted to help her.

I wanted to get to her.

But I couldn’t.

“E-Elena. Elena!” I shouted. “Put the mask on! Put it on!”

Her eyes were as big as saucers. Fumbling, she put the mask on her face, relieving me. She was freaking out way too much, though.

Dean’s voice came over the intercom again, grimmer than before.

“We’re going down. I-I can’t control it. I’m sorry. Hold on.”

Everything inside me locked up. I turned to the window, my stomach twisting into a tight, unbearable knot. The clouds rushed past us, and the ground was getting closer—mountains, snow.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

At that moment, my mind spun with a thousand thoughts .

Dad. The company. Law school. Amanda.

But only one thought settled.

Elena.

Elena, curled up in the student lounge, reading her books. Elena, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear. Elena, ignoring the world, always just out of reach.

“Elena!” I shouted again.

Her muffled scream split through the cabin.

And then?—

Impact.

A bone-shattering crash.

A deafening roar of metal twisting and snapping apart.

My body bounced hard against the seat. Something struck me in the face.

I felt weightless for a moment—then crushed under the force.

Darkness swallowed me whole, doting out what little light there was, Elena’s cries in my ears.