Defiant Princess (Boys of Oak Park Prep 2)

When I hung up, Miss Wallace stood from behind her desk, concern and pity etched into her face. “Are you all right, dear?”

“No.” My voice was hollow. “No. I have to—”

I didn’t even finish that sentence, already halfway out the door. I needed to get to Roseland Medical. I needed to be there now.

Chapter 17

A ride. I need a ride.

Flipping my backpack around to my front, I dug for my phone with shaking hands. There were two missed calls from a number I didn’t recognize, and I realized the hospital must’ve tried to call my cell first before switching to the alternate number Philip had for me.

Fuck. How many minutes had I lost because of that?

I pulled up the Uber app, and was about to start typing the hospital’s address when a voice penetrated the fog of my brain.

“Talia? Hey, Legs. You okay?”

My head jerked up with a start. I’d been walking and typing at the same time, hardly aware of my surroundings at all, and I’d almost run right into Finn.

“No.” It was the same one-word answer I’d given Miss Wallace, but it was the truth. “My grandpa. I have to—”

I skirted around him, heading for the south side of Craydon Hall where drop-offs and pick-ups happened, but he jogged to catch up to me.

“Your grandpa? What happened?”

“He had a—a stroke.” The word felt strange on my tongue. “I have to go—”

“Fuck.” Finn cursed low under his breath. Then he caught my arm. “Come on. I’ll drive you.”

There was a time when I would’ve refused. But at the moment, all I could think about was getting to the hospital, being there in case Philip needed me. So I nodded, letting Finn tug me in the opposite direction. We left Craydon Hall and cut northeast toward the student lot, and he kept his hand on my arm until we reached his car.

I’d actually never been in Finn’s car before. All through the previous semester, whenever we’d gone somewhere as a group, it was almost always in Mason’s car. Finn’s was black and sleek, though I wasn’t sure what kind it was, and he opened the passenger door for me, tugging my backpack off my shoulders and dropping it on the back seat while I sank into the plush leather up front. When he slid behind the wheel, he glanced over at me, running a hand through his golden-blond hair.

“Where is he?”

“Um. Roseland Medical.” I lifted the piece of paper in my hand, struggling to read the scrawled writing.

“I know where that is. It’s only like twenty minutes away. It’ll be okay, Legs. We’ll get there fast.”

I nodded numbly. Twenty minutes sounded like way too long. So much could happen in that time. My fingers twisted around and around each other in my lap as Finn gunned the engine and sped out of the lot. As he pulled onto the street, he rested his large hand over mine, the warmth of his skin almost shocking. Mine felt cold and stiff.

“Did they tell you anything else?”

“No,” I whispered. “He’s in surgery. That’s all the guy would say.”

“I didn’t realize you were still in touch with your grandpa.”

My gaze snapped up, fear converting to anger in a flash. “Sorry to wreck your plan. My grandma still hates me, if that makes you feel better.”

“No. Tal.” His hand stayed on mine, and his voice was serious. “I’m glad. You didn’t deserve to lose your whole family.”

“I might anyway,” I said dully, staring out the front windshield.

“You won’t.”

It was an empty promise, the kind of thing people say when disaster strikes just so they can find some hope and keep functioning. But surprisingly, it helped. I flipped my hands over, grabbing onto his and holding on tight, and he glanced over at me before hitting the gas again.

We got to the hospital in eighteen minutes. I watched each one of them tick by on the dashboard clock, and the back of Finn’s hand had little indentations from my fingers by the time he finally pulled up in front of the hospital.