EMMETT: I love it when you’re bossy!
ME: Be careful driving home.
EMMETT: Always am. I love you, Cupcake. See you soon.
ME: Love you too XOXO
I fight back and forth on whether to wait for Emmett to take a shower, but after a full day at school and the drive here, I decide it’s better for both of us if I shower now. We can always take another shower later.
I head to the bathroom and shower quickly. Once done, I hurry back to the bedroom and grab a pair of leggings from the drawer and an over-sized sweater tunic from the closet. I’m not sure what we will do to celebrate when he gets back, so I go with cute and comfortable. Worst case, I need to change if he wants to do something fancier.
Reaching over to the book on the nightstand that I had been reading the last time I was here, I scoot back up against the headboard and lean back, opening the book to where I left off. Before I know it, my eyes feel heavy. I look over at my phone and see Em still isn’t due home for at least twenty more minutes. A quick power nap can’t hurt. If his texts are any indication as to what’s to come this evening, then a nap is definitely in my favor. Emmett can always wake me up when he gets home. I love when he wakes me up kissing me in all places, not just on my mouth.
I fall asleep in his bed peacefully and happy, unaware that our lives would be forever changed in just a few short hours.
I am jolted awake when I hear the front door to the apartment crash open and slam shut followed by Zach yelling my name. “Dani? Danielle! Are you here? Fuck! Please, God, Dani, be here!”
Zach barges through the bedroom door and it slams against the wall as it swings open. “Oh thank fuck, Dani, you’re here,” he exclaims while pulling me into his arms. He’s sweaty as fuck, as if he’s run here. Did he run here? I thought Emmett said he was out at a party tonight.
“What’s wrong? What time is it? Why the hell are you so sweaty?”
Zach tries to catch his breath. “I ran here, like literally left my Jeep and ran here to find you.”
“You ran? And why were you looking for me? How did you know I was here? Did Em tell you I was here?”
Wait, where is he? I look around for Emmett, for any sign of him. He should’ve been back from the library by now. Maybe he’s in the kitchen.
“Em?” I call out but get no response. When I look back to Zach, the color has left his face. “Zach, where’s Emmett?”
I start to feel a tightness in my chest. Zach opens his mouth to say something but closes it quickly. I go to reach for my phone and see I have fifty-three missed calls. What the hell is going on? Fifty-three missed calls—a mix of calls from my parents, Zach, and Haylee, but only one from Em and that was two hours ago.
Where the hell is he? I begin to panic. What the fuck.
“Zach, what the fuck is going on? Where’s Emmett?” Before he can respond, my phone rings again. I sigh in relief, thinking that it’s Em, but it’s not. It’s Mom.
I answer it, but I don’t even get to say hello before my mom speaks. “Danielle? Are you there? Baby girl, are you there?” She sounds upset and clearly has been crying.
“Mom, I’m here, I’m at the apartment. What’s going on?”
“Oh, thank goodness. We couldn’t get ahold of you and knew you had gone to see Emmett and feared…” Mom doesn’t finish her statement, but I can hear a commotion in the background of the call—a bunch of crying and wailing. Is that Ms. Natalie crying? And is that my dad yelling, “We will be there soon—I don’t give a shit if a cop wants to pull me over, I’m not stopping”?
“Mommy, you’re all scaring me. Zach just flew in here like a bat out of hell and won’t tell me what’s going on. I have a ton of missed calls from you all, and Emmett isn’t back from the library.”
My voice begins to catch in my throat. I can feel my hands begin to shake. I get a feeling that whatever it is they have to say I’m not going to like and my world is about to fall apart. Zach scoots closer to me on the bed as if to comfort me, but I quickly jump up to my feet.
“Will someone tell me what the fuck is going on?” I scream into the phone. My whole body is visibly shaking.
Mom continues to cry. “Sweetheart, I need you to sit down and be calm, okay?”
Tears have begun to fall down my cheeks. “No! Tell me what the fuck is going on? Why are you acting so strange, why do I hear crying in the background?”
My legs feel weak as I hear her say, “Honey, we are headed to Philly now.” She pauses to catch her breath. “Emmett…Emmett was in an accident.”
“He’s okay though, right? Why are you headed here since he’s okay? He’s gotta be. We’re celebrating my early acceptance tonight.” The world starts to go black around me.
“Danielle, I need you to listen to me.” I shake my head as if she can see me right now. “I need you and Zach to meet us at the hospital, okay? We’re about forty-five minutes away. I’m pretty sure your father has broken every driving law tonight.”
I hear Dad say in the background, “I don’t give a shit!”