My shoulders tighten. An accident?
“He’s in the hospital,” Giselle goes on. “Because he hurt his arm.”
“His arm,” Mom mutters.
I know what she’s thinking. At least it’s not his leg, not the leg that’s kicked so many winning goals in the sport he excels in.
Her hands go to her arms. “Is it broken?”
“They don’t know yet,” Giselle answers. “But he said he’s fine.”
My mom lets out a sigh of relief. She places her arms around Giselle.
“Thank God.”
My eyebrows crease. That’s it? I thought that it was more serious.
“He’s fine,” Giselle repeats against my mom’s shoulder. “But he’s also not.”
My mom steps back. “What do you mean?”
Giselle purses her lips. A tear leaks out of the corner of her eye.
“Giselle?”
“He was in the car with… Sharon.”
No surprise there. Sharon has been Leander’s girlfriend since the seventh grade. She’s his first love, his high school sweetheart. They picked the same college. They’d be living together if not for the fact that Sharon’s parents don’t want them to. Not until they get married, which to everyone, including me, is just a matter of time.
“How is she?” my mom asks.
Another tear streaks down Giselle’s cheek. That can’t be good.
“She got thrown out of the car,” she says in a quivering voice. “She’s… dead.”
A lump forms in my throat. I guess there’s no wedding now.
Giselle breaks into a sob as soon as she’s delivered the news. My mom hugs her. I just stand there, watching them drowning in grief. What do I do? What can I do?
The sound of the screen door falling shut behind me puts my thoughts back in focus. I turn my head in time to catch a glimpse of red hair.
Aster.
She must have come here to check on Giselle because Giselle was taking so long. And she must have heard the news.
Shit.
“Aster!”
I run after her. Cold shards of rain stab my shirt, my arms and the top of my head. The soft ground squishes beneath my bare feet.
I shouldn’t be out here under the rain. I should have worn shoes. I should have grabbed an umbrella. But those aren’t the thoughts running through my head right now. All I can think of is that I have to catch up to Aster.
I finally do on the patio behind her house. I reach out and grab the sleeve of her sweater. As she turns around, the edge of her umbrella nearly hits me in the face and I let her go.
Her eyes grow wide as they take in my appearance. “Mason, you’re soaked!”
She holds her umbrella over my head and nearly steps on my feet.
“And you don’t have shoes.”
“Nope,” I say.
As she lifts her head, I find myself gazing straight into her brown eyes. For a second, I hold my breath before it escapes me.
“Is it true? Is Sharon…? Is she…?” Aster looks away.
“Dead?” I finish her question. “That’s what Giselle said Leander told her.”
She shakes her head. “That’s terrible. I can’t imagine the pain Leander must be feeling right now. He loved her so much. He must be so devastated and so alone and so helpless and – ”
“He’ll be fine,” I cut her off. “He’s a big boy now.”
I can’t stand to keep listening to her outpouring of sympathy for Leander. The expression on her face tells me she didn’t like my remark, though.
“And he’s not going to be alone,” I add. “I’m sure my mom will head over to his side as soon as she talks to my dad.”
Nothing is going to keep her away from her favorite son at a time like this.
Aster nods. “It’s just… It’s so unfair, you know. Leander and Sharon, they were a perfect couple.”
“No such thing.”
She doesn’t like that, either. “Oh, come on. You saw how they were together.”
I say nothing.
“Fine. They weren’t perfect, but they were great. They were… so in love and now, this happens.”
“Nothing is fair,” I tell her.
Some people never find who they’re looking for. Some people find each other only to be torn apart by an accident or some natural disaster. And some people find themselves unable to stay away from a person even though that person barely knows they exist, or worse, are in love with someone who doesn’t love them back.
“I know that,” Aster agrees. “But this, this is a tragedy of epic proportions.”
That I disagree with. A hurricane wiping out half the country. Internet going back to dial-up. The Elder Scrolls not having a sequel. Those are tragedies of epic proportions.
“People die all the time, Aster,” I say.
A flicker of anger crosses her eyes. Now, I haven’t just annoyed her. I’ve offended her.
“I’m just saying,” I try to soften the blow.
The damage has already been done, though. I can tell from the creases on her forehead.
“Your brother’s girlfriend, the girl he loved, just died,” Aster points out. “And you can’t even feel a shred of sympathy for him?”