The Senior (College Years 4)

“It doesn’t matter.” I lean in close but she shakes her head.

“It might,” she says. “Check who’s calling. Then we can get back—to business.”

Grinning to hide my momentary sexual frustration, I let go of her to pull my phone out of my back pocket once more, frowning when I see that the call is from Ryan this time. My brother.

And he never calls me.

I answer him, impatience in my tone.

“Great timing,” I practically growl. “What’s up?”

“It’s Mom. She’s been in a car accident,” he says.

I whirl away from Ava, so my back is to her. “What? What do you mean? How did you hear—”

“Someone at the hospital called me. Said they tried to get ahold of you first, since you live closer, but you didn’t answer,” he says accusingly.

Shit. That must’ve been the hospital calling me a few minutes ago.

“Is she okay? What happened?” Nerves make my stomach clench and I feel Ava approach. She rests her hand on my shoulder and I send her a quick look, seeing the concern in her gaze.

“I don’t know all the details yet. But I believe there was just a single car involved, and she’s the only one who was hurt. Thank God,” he mutters.

“What do you mean by that?”

“She was drunk. The cops want to arrest her for DUI,” Ryan says, his words filling me with dread.

“What are you saying?” I ask, confused.

“

The cops who found her said the interior of her car reeked of alcohol. No one has the official blood test yet, but it was fairly obvious Mom was above the legal drinking limit,” Ryan explains, his tone serious. “I think she’s in serious trouble.”

Twenty-Two

Ava

I can only make out snippets of his conversation with his brother, but from what I can tell, Eli’s mother was in a car accident.

And she might’ve been…drunk?

“Okay yeah. I’ll call you when I get to the hospital and talk to someone.” He ends the call and turns to me, his face white. He looks like he’s in shock. “My mom’s been in a car accident.”

“Where?” I ask gently. I take his hands in mine, noting that they’re ice cold. “Where is she, Eli?”

“Saint Agnes. I need to go.” He lets go of my hands and starts for the door. I chase after him, surprised at how fast the man can be, though I guess I shouldn’t, considering how quick he is on the field. “I’ll call you.”

“Eli.” I follow him down the hall, having to run extra fast to keep up with him. “Eli, I’ll go with you.”

It’s as if he doesn’t even hear me. He walks through all the people still mingling in the living room and goes for the front door, throwing it open. I follow him out into the chilly night, shivering when the breeze off the lake hits me. My feet in the cowboy boots are killing me as I keep running, falling behind as Eli’s determined steps take him to his car. It’s only when he stops to fumble in his front pockets for his keys that I get a chance to catch up to him, calling his name.

He blinks at me, looking shocked. “I thought you were staying here.”

I shake my head. “I want to go with you.”

“I don’t know how long it’s going to take. I could be there for hours.”

“I don’t care. I want to be there for you,” I say firmly.