As I’m passing by them, I pretend to cough while pushing a little Lust out of me, just to see if it’ll work.
Neon green grossness permeates the air. The power seriously backfired, so it’s like I just rained on their nudist paint parade, because they start moping around. One guy even starts crying, for cupid’s sake.
“Worthless fucking thrives,” I mumble as I continue to walk. So much for being this community’s spirit love guide. Good thing I had casino money to donate to the communal funds.
Stupid Warren Knight had to go and ruin everything. I’m so mad at him. I’m mad at his stupid heart. I’m mad at myself that I can’t do anything about it.
No wonder he’s been such an asshole. Now all those botched dates make sense. He started giving up. He was just going through the motions.
I veer off the path, deciding to shove out some of my frustrations with a rousing game of shuffleboard, but Blue comes running up behind me, grabbing me by the arm.
One look at her face lets me know that something’s wrong. “What happened? Did Bea get burned in the house or something?” I quickly ask. “I told you, you guys shouldn’t be soldering naked in the loft.”
Blue shakes her head, trying to calm her breathing since she must’ve run all the way over here. “Trix, Harvey just called.”
My eyes run over her face pinched with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s Warren.”
Her answer plays on repeat in my head.
It’s Warren, it’s Warren, it’s Warren.
“What happened?”
Blue starts tugging me towards the parking lot, and I follow numbly. “He collapsed. Someone found him this morning. He’s in the hospital, but they don’t think…” Her voice veers off the trail and falls right over a cliff. And my heart goes right along with it.
He’s dying. Warren Knight, my thrive, is dying. And there’s nothing I can do about it.
Chapter 34
Trix
When we get to the hospital, I’m surprised to see reporters hanging around outside with a few security guards wearing their Knight Enterprises logo. The only way we make it past the reception area is because Harvey is there waiting for us, and he put our names on the approved visitors’ list.
One of the reporters recognizes me from the CupidShuffle ads and tries to get my attention, but I ignore him as I walk with Blue and Harvey to the elevators.
“How is he?” I ask nervously as Harvey pushes the button on the elevator and we head up to ICU.
Harvey’s face looks grim and his eyes tired. “He collapsed and suffered a seizure. It’s… I won’t lie to you, Trix. It’s not good.”
Fear and despair yank at me, pulling me tight.
Blue whistles under her breath and shakes her head. “Damn. Now I feel bad for punching the jackass.”
Startled, I look up at her. “You punched him?”
Blue nods a little bit sheepishly. “Yeah. If I’d known he had a heart condition, I wouldn’t have hit him so hard.”
Harvey looks at her incredulously. “But you still would’ve hit him?” he asks.
She shrugs. “Well, yeah. He was a dick to Trix.”
I nudge her arm as a little thanks, because when your friend will go out of her way to a punch a dude in the face for you, that’s next-level friendship stuff right there.
When we make it up to ICU, one of the nurses informs us that only one of us can visit at a time, so Harvey and Blue stay back in the waiting room so I can go first.
“Here’s his room, honey,” the nurse says as she leads me to his door before turning and bustling away.