All Our Next Times: Fallen Brook Series: Book 1

by Jennilynn Wyer

  The sound of my voice seems to break Jayson from whatever suspended stupor he’s in. He looks up at me and for a second a smile spreads across his face like he’s happy to see me. Next, he notices me, Ryder, and Maria all glaring angrily at him. He turns his head to see Jacinda pressed against his back, and in one move jumps and stumbles away from the bed while flinging her off of him. “What. The. Fuck!” he bellows.

  I can’t watch anymore. The hurt and betrayal flaying me alive almost brings me to my knees. I turn and desperately grab Ryder. “Ryder, please take me home now. I’ve seen all I can handle tonight.” I won’t allow myself to cry, not in front of Jacinda. She doesn’t get to see me break.

  “Come on, Lizzie. Let’s go to the car. We’ll find Julien and Elijah.” Maria hooks her arm through mine and I allow her to walk me downstairs. I hear Jayson’s voice shouting my name and Ryder’s voice shouting back at him, but right now, I’m done. This whole night has been one giant nightmare.

  I don’t remember much after getting into Ryder’s car. I lay my head against Maria’s shoulder. I’ll think about things tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow, my broken heart repeats back. And then I close my eyes and shut down.

  Jayson

  “Liz! Elizabeth!” I fumble and try to push past Ryder, but he shoves me back as a wave of nausea hits me hard. “What the fuck man! Get out of my way!” Why am I slurring?

  “You need to calm your shit down before you make matters worse.”

  Jacinda slinks by my side. “Let me know if you want to pick up where we left off.”

  “Fuck you,” I spit at her.

  “Oh, you were about to big boy,” she taunts. “Here’s your shirt.” She dangles it in front me and I grab it, clumsily shoving it over my head.

  Ryder steps out of her way and motions for her to leave the room. “Jacinda, get out. I think you’ve caused enough trouble tonight.”

  She runs her hands up his chest. “I’m up for a repeat later. Come find me,” she winks and exits down the hallway.

  My bleary eyes turn to Ryder as I stumble back toward the bed. “I still can’t believe you let her suck you off.”

  “Yeah, well, I was having a bad night. Not as bad as the one you’re having though,” Ryder responds, his words full of criticism and disappointment.

  “Liz. I need to find Liz.” I start to panic. I don’t know what she thought she saw but I need to explain to her that nothing happened. Fuck, I don’t even know what did happen. I drag my hands over my face into my hair and pull. “Ryder, what the hell is going on?”

  Ryder closes the door to the bedroom to give us privacy and crosses his arms over his chest. “I think that’s the question you need to be answering.”

  I collapse back down on the bed. “Other than my head feeling funny and I’m nauseous as hell and a bit dizzy, I have no freaking clue.”

  “What do you remember then?”

  I shake my head trying to clear some of the cobwebs and rub my temples to stave away the headache I feel coming. “We all got here. Maria and I went to get beer. I remember looking for Liz, but you all weren’t in the front of the house anymore. Maria grabbed a couple of bottles of water for you guys. Jacinda and Samantha were at the keg and handed me two drinks. I remember Maria and I searched the house looking for where you all went. Fallon told us to check outside. I started feeling bad, like woozy and light-headed. I heard Marshall say something about Liz. And then things get real fuzzy from there.”

  “Wait a minute. Back up. You said Samantha and Jacinda handed you drinks?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Bottles?”

  I shake my head. “No. Red cups.”

  “Did you drink any of it?”

  “Well, yeah. I downed mine before we headed outside to find you.”

  Ryder steps toward me. “Did Maria drink hers?”

  “No. She was carrying the waters.” No, I tell myself. No fucking way. “You think the stuff was drugged?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me. You said you’re feeling funny and can’t remember much of what happened after the fight. Do you remember beating Marshal until he passed out or Fallon bringing you in after?”

  “No.”

  “Know how you got up here? How Jacinda got here? How you both lost your shirts and ended up half naked together?”

  I stand up ready to punch him for even insinuating I would cheat on Liz. Never in a million fucking years would that ever be a possibility. As soon as I stand up, dizziness pushes me to sit back down. “Oh God, my head is killing me.” I push off the bed and grab the waste basket and vomit into it.

  Ryder pulls his phone from his back pocket and texts someone. I lean back and wipe my mouth off, deciding to keep the trash bin next to me just in case I need it again.

  “I think we need to get you to the hospital and get your stomach pumped.”

  I shake my head vigorously. “No. I need to talk to Liz. I need to explain.” God, what have I done? What must Liz be thinking? My sweet girl. I just want to find her right now and wrap around her and never let go. Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her I love her.

  Elijah walks into the room. “Holy fuck man. What did you do?”

  I look at Elijah with bleak, red eyes. “Is Liz ok? Where is she?”

  “She’s with Maria and Julien in the car.” He looks at Ryder. “They’re waiting on you.”

  Ryder hands him his car keys. “Give these to Jules and tell him to take them home. I’ll handle Jay.”

  “Whatever you say man. Jay?”

  When I see Elijah’s expression, my stomach churns again. “She’s torn up man. She just zoned out and won’t talk, but we’re taking care of her. She’s in good hands. You take care of you now.”

  Elijah fist bumps Ryder and leaves.

  “Come on. I’m taking you to the hospital just to make sure.” Ryder lifts me off the bed and helps carry me downstairs and out to my car. Everyone is looking at us, whispering, but they can all go fuck themselves.

  I hand Ryder my keys and he opens the back door to my truck. “I think it may be better if you lay down back here.”

  “God, my parents are going to kill me when they find out.”

  “This may not be the worst of it. I’ll explain it all to you later, after we get you checked out by a doctor.”

  Ryder slips into the driver’s seat and turns the engine. I take out my phone.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea right now,” Ryder says, his eyes looking back at me from the rear-view mirror.

  “She needs to know I love her and that I didn’t cheat on her. She needs to know. I can’t lose her, Ryder.” Great. Now I’m a fucking pussy on top of everything else, I chastise myself as tears gather behind my eyes.

  “We’ll figure out what happened. You won’t lose her. I’ll make sure of it.”

  “Why would you do that for me? After what I did to you?”

  Ryder slows down to stop at a light and twists around to look down at me in the back seat. “Because I love her, and she chose you.”

  The light turns green and we drive in silence until we get to the ER. I try to type out a quick text to Liz, but my fingers keep smearing across the screen and it's hard to make out the small letters on my phone.

  Me: luv u princes fuckg mch. i lv you. all r next times. pls 4 give me.

  Ryder walks me into the ER and after he tells the check-in nurse that I may have unknowingly ingested a date-rape drug, they get a doctor immediately and rush me back to a room.

  After the nurses take several vials of blood and a urine sample, I am hooked up to an IV. We’re now waiting for the doctor to come back with the lab results. Ryder hasn’t left my side. His loyalty to me compounds my shitty mood because his support and friendship are just two more things I don’t deserve. He called my parents, a conversation I’m glad not to have overheard. I keep checking my phone every five seconds hoping to see a text from Liz. Nothing. I blow out a disgusted huff and toss my phone on the hospital bed.

  “Julien said
he’s on his way with your parents.”

  I adjust my position on the bed and the IV line tugs. I hiss at the sting it creates and stop moving. Fucking uncomfortable beds. If I never see the inside of a hospital again, it will be too soon. Of course, the automatic blood pressure cuff attached to my arm decides to turn on. The nurse set it to take my blood pressure every fifteen minutes and it’s driving me fucking insane.

  “Why is it taking so long?” I complain sounding like a whiny bitch. I can’t help it because that’s exactly how I feel right now. “Did Jules say anything about Liz? How’s she doing? Has she asked about me? Does she know I’m here?” I’d give anything to see her beautiful face walk through my hospital room door.

  “He said she fell asleep in the car and didn't want to wake her. He carried her upstairs to her room. Her parents are out, but Hailey was home and will keep an eye on her.” My hope deflates like a popped balloon. She doesn’t know. She’s not coming.

  “Are you going to finally fill me in on what the hell happened at the party?”

  “Are you sure you’re ready to hear it?” I nod yes even though my mind screams no. Ryder tells me what happened out on the back patio with Marshall and his side goons. When he describes how that sleazy prick kept taunting Liz to get a reaction from Julien, my blood boils with rage which causes the heart rate monitor to rapidly beep. A nurse is in my room a minute later to check on me. I want Ryder to be able to get everything out before my parents arrive, so I focus on calming down. I don’t want any more interruptions from the hospital staff thinking I’m having a heart attack.

  As soon as the nurse leaves, I turn back to Ryder. “What happened next?”

  “Next, you come charging out and knock Marshall to the ground. We didn’t know what was going on at first because it all happened so fast. As soon as we realized it was you, we jumped in. But fuck, man. You wouldn’t stop. I have never seen anything like that - never seen you like that before. You beat on Marshall until he was no longer moving, and you still didn’t stop.”

  I cringe. “I don’t remember. Why can’t I remember? Fuck!” I look down at my hands which the nurses cleaned up and bandaged after I was placed in the room.

  “That may not be the worst of it.” He hands me his phone. A video is pulled up. “Hit play,” he says. I watch the video and even though it’s dark and you can’t make out who is who, I know what I’m viewing. I watch as my dark form sits on top of a body on the ground assailing it with punch after punch. Once the video ends, I hand Ry back his phone.

  “They could press charges against us. Marshall’s family could sue you. This may get worse before it gets better.”

  I release a disgusted laugh. That’s not the half of it. If colleges and scouts see me on the video, my chances of getting a swim scholarship could be blown. I could face jail time and have a permanent record if they charge me as an adult.

  “I know what you’re thinking. Don't jump to any conclusions. I’ve already spoken to Fallon and he assures me he’ll take care of it. He’s more concerned about the fallout to him if your lab work comes back positive for something. You were at his house at a party he threw. He has as much stake in making sure things are kept quiet as we do. I highly doubt Marshall or the other guys will go against Fallon since he rules their school and will make life fucked up for them if they say anything.”

  I’m sure Ryder’s right. If there’s one thing about Marshall, it’s he’s a cowardly fuck. No one in their right mind wants to be on Fallon’s shit list.

  The sounds of heavy footfalls outside in the corridor and my mom’s voice end our conversation. I tense like I’m preparing myself for battle. There is nothing worse than facing the wrath of my mom when she’s angry, and as sure as I am that the sun will rise, she is going to be livid at me.

  My hospital room door opens, and my mom, dad, and Julien walk inside, closely followed thirty seconds later by a doctor wearing a typical white lab coat, stethoscope around his neck.

  My mom rushes over to my bedside and runs her hands all over my face and shoulders to ensure herself that I’m in one piece. “Oh sweetheart. What happened?”

  “Are you the family of Mr. Jameson’s?” the doctor asks, clipboard in hand.

  My dad speaks up. “Yes, we are, and this is his brother, Julien.” My dad focuses on Ryder. “Ryder, thank you for calling us. Can you please tell us what happened?”

  The doctor gets our attention by clearing his throat. All eyes turn to him. “My name is Dr. Dukovny. I am the doctor assigned to your son’s case.”

  “Can they all stay in here with me, Doctor?” I ask him. “I have no secrets from any of them. I’ll sign waivers if you need me to.”

  “That’s fine. Your verbal agreement will do.” He sets the clipboard down and bends over me with a flashlight to check my pupils, listens to my heart, and checks the IV drip line. Once he’s satisfied, he sits down on a rolling stool and flips through papers on the clipboard. “Your vitals look good. The lab work did find trace amounts of GHB in your system.” My mom’s hands fly over her mouth when she gasps.

  “If you had waited to come in,” the doctor continued, “we wouldn’t have been able to find any trace of it. From the timeline you both gave the medical staff and your symptoms along with the blood results, it’s safe to say you didn’t ingest a large amount. You should recover quickly. We’ll keep you on an IV drip overnight to continue to flush your system and rehydrate you just to make sure. Any questions?”

  “Shouldn’t my son report this to the police?” my mom asks. “Ryder said he didn’t willingly ingest this drug. It was put in his drink without his knowledge.”

  “My responsibility is to provide your son with the best medical care and treatment I can and uphold doctor-patient confidentiality. The hospital is not required to report instances such as this. It’s up to your son if he would like to speak with the authorities regarding this matter.”

  “No police.”

  “Jayson! Why?”

  “No police, Mom.”

  “I’ll leave you all to discuss matters privately. Mr. Jameson, if you need anything, just press the call button. I’ll come back and check on you again before my shift is over.”

  As soon as Dr. Dukovny exits the room, four sets of eyes turn toward me.

  “How did this happen, Jayson?” my father asks with a no bullshit tone to his voice.

  “We went to a party and apparently the beer I was handed had the stuff in it.”

  “Jayson, you were drinking alcohol? You’re only seventeen years old!”

  “Freda, honey, I don’t think yelling at him is going to help the situation.” Dad wraps his arm around Mom to hold her tight to his side. “Let’s let him explain.”

  Julien walks over and stands by my bedside to show he and I are a united front. “Yes, Mom, we drink. We party, we have sex.” My parents’ eyes bug out like it’s the most shocking thing to hear that their two seventeen-year-old sons are having sex. “I’m sorry if that comes as a shock to you both, but it is what it is. We use protection, we don’t do drugs, we would never drink and drive, and we always have someone as a designated driver. We try to be responsible and look after one another. It’s not Jayson’s fault that someone slipped him something without him knowing. What is his fault, however,” he turns to me, “is that you took an open drink from someone. You know better, Jay.”

  He’s right. There is nothing I can say to refute that, so I just bow my head in shame, nodding to let him know he is absolutely correct.

  “Wait a minute. You were with Elizabeth tonight. Where’s Elizabeth? Oh, dear, is she here too? Did anything happen to her?” Mom starts frantically rummaging through her purse to find her phone, more than likely to call Liz’s mom, Ann.

  Julien grabs Mom's arm. “She’s fine, Mom. Liz doesn’t drink. I drove her home and she’s fast asleep, safe in her bed. I saw Hailey when I dropped her off.”

  “Thank goodness.”

  I grab Ry’s attention. “Hey, man. Since J
ulien and my parents are here, would you mind checking on Liz for me?”

  “I can do that.”

  “Tell her that I love her. Tell her-”

  “I know. I’ll take care of it.” He wraps his hand around the nape of my neck and gives it a hard squeeze. “Just rest, ok. I’ll see if she’ll come back with me before you’re discharged tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, ok. Alright. Thanks, man.”

  My mom launches herself at Ryder and hugs him fiercely. “Thank you, Ryder. Thank you for bringing Jay here and thank you for looking out for him. I don’t know what we would do without you.” She kisses his cheek. My dad is next and gives him a quick hug and a handshake, and then Ryder leaves to go take care of my girl.

  Ryder

  It’s after two in the morning when I arrive at Elizabeth’s house. I get out of my car and instead of going up to the front door, I walk around the side to peer up at Elizabeth’s window. Since Jay’s parents and Julien are at the hospital with him now, their house is silent and dark. I hope the other neighbors are asleep and don’t look out their windows as I have no doubt that I probably appear like a freaky creeper that’s up to no good standing under a tree looking up at a window in the middle of the night. There’s a faint light coming from Elizabeth’s window, so I take a chance that she’s still up even though she hasn’t responded to any of my texts.

  I take a lingering examination of the tree that sits between the two houses. There’s no way in hell I’m going to climb this damn tree and fall and break my neck. Jayson and Julien do it, so can you. Hell, even Elizabeth climbs up and down the damn thing. Fine, enough being a pussy about it. I take a few steps back and leap off the ground to grab one of the low hanging branches and pull myself up. This isn’t as hard as I thought it would be, as long as I don’t look down. I take my time climbing and when I reach Elizabeth’s window, I pluck an acorn from a branch and chuck it at the glass. I do it a second time. I remind myself once again not to look down.