“Do you want to talk about it?” Brooke asked.
Lucy glanced at the wall clock and sighed. “I do. But we have class in twenty minutes and this conversation is gonna take a lot longer.”
Brooke reached over and squeezed her best friend’s hand. “I’ll clear my schedule. Tonight we talk. We can make it a girls night.”
“Do you mind if Jaxon comes? I think he should hear everything, too.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Get it all out at once.”
Lucy’s eyes swept over Brooke and she set her coffee mug down. “While we’re getting it all out, I have to confess something.”
“What?”
“I’m scared that Conner is going to break your heart.”
Brooke frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. Just a hunch I can’t shake, no thanks to your unhelpful Magic 8 Ball.”
Brooke’s mouth dropped open. “Lucy Adams, did you use my Magic 8 Ball?”
“Don’t be mad. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Mad?” Brooke threw her arms around Lucy. “I’m ecstatic. This means you believe! Oh my God, I’m totally getting you your own.”
“Brooke . . .”
“Nope, don’t even try to talk me out of it. I’m gonna call my Nonni right now and have her pick it out. She can have her Wiccan group bless it with a crystal ceremony.”
Lucy was looking at Brooke like she was speaking Chinese, but she didn’t care. The bubble of tension between them had popped. Tonight they would get it all out and everything would be perfect. She could feel it. Plus, Brooke was touched that Lucy worried for her heart enough to consult her Magic 8 Ball. She knew it wasn’t normally Lucy’s thing, but the fact that she’d tried anyway filled Brooke with happiness.
Her heart was full. She had a best friend and a boy that made her smile. What more could a girl want? Brooke raised her mug of coffee, grinning. “To Magic 8 Balls and unicorns.”
Lucy giggled, but clinked her mug to Brooke’s.
“Do I even wanna know?” Jaxon asked strolling into their dorm room.
They both turned to look at him and said, “Nope,” at the same time before dissolving into easy laughter.
Jaxon rolled his eyes and dropped a kiss onto Lucy’s head. “Come on, ya pack of hyenas. We’re gonna be late for class.”
Jaxon
Jaxon drove the girls to class. It was raining, so Brooke squeezed in the golf cart to hitch a ride too. They parked outside the science building and Jaxon scooped Lucy into his arms and dashed toward the building with Brooke chasing behind them.
As they got closer, Jaxon heard the wail of an alarm. They stopped under the building’s overhang where a large group of students were gathered and he set Lucy on her feet.
“What’s going on?” Jaxon asked a boy standing nearby.
“Fire alarm,” the boy said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
“See,” Lucy said, “Told you we wouldn’t be late.”
Jaxon smiled at her, pulling her in for a kiss. “And I suppose you knew there’d be a fire alarm today, huh, smarty pants.”
Lucy giggled and kissed him back. For a second, Jaxon forgot they had an audience and he lost himself in Lucy’s kiss. But then a snide voice cut through the air.
“Whore.”
Lucy pulled back like she’d been slapped. Jaxon straightened up looking for the jackass who’d just asked for a beating, but judging from Lucy’s reaction, he already knew who the voice belonged to.
Alex stood there with a smug look on his face. A group of his teammates stood laughing behind him.
“What did you say?” Jaxon growled, taking a step toward him.
Alex smirked. “You heard me.”
“Jaxon, don’t,” Lucy warned, but Jaxon barely registered her voice. All he saw was red. There was no way in hell he was gonna let some punk call his girl something like that and get away with it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Brooke pull Lucy back. Good. Because if Alex didn’t apologize some shit was gonna go down.
“You like sloppy seconds, huh, Suburbs,” Alex taunted.
Jaxon grabbed Alex by his collar and hauled him off his feet. He instantly lost the smirk. He wasn’t so tough when his feet weren’t on the ground.
“What’s that?” Jaxon asked, unable to keep himself from enjoying the fear in Alex’s eyes.
Alex kept his mouth shut.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jaxon said, shoving him roughly back on his feet and turning back to the girls.
But Alex couldn’t just leave it alone. “Enjoy her, Suburbs. But just know I had her first.”
Jaxon turned around so fast, Alex didn’t see him coming. Jaxon’s fist connected with Alex’s stomach just like he’d planned. A loud whoosh of air came out of Alex as he doubled over. But Jaxon held him up, moving his mouth close to Alex’s ear. Jaxon kept his voice low as he tried to contain the urge to rip the guy from limb to limb. “If you ever say anything about her again, you won’t take another breath, do you hear me?”
Alex nodded and Jaxon let him go. He turned around to walk back to Lucy and Brooke who were looking on in shock with everyone else.
“Show’s over,” Jaxon called, hoping to deter their open stares.
Lucy hurried to his side, her eyes wide with fear. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, babe. Come on, let’s go.”
“Where?” Lucy asked, slipping her hand into his.
“Anywhere but here.”
Jaxon could feel tension crackling through the air. Screw first period. He didn’t want to stick around in this powder keg, waiting for Alex or one of his friends to get ballsy. He wanted to get his girl outta there.
Jaxon was just about to pick Lucy up when her eyes went wide at something happening behind him.
“Look out!” Lucy cried and Jaxon whirled around, but he wasn’t fast enough. Somehow, Lucy moved faster and he was forced to watch with sickening agony as she took a hit that was meant for him.
Alex’s shoulder collided with Lucy’s tiny frame, throwing her backward and out from the shelter of the overhang. She landed with a solid crack on the rain soaked pavement and her head snapped back against the hard ground. Jaxon’s world stopped. The whole thing felt like it happened in slow motion. Ice cold dread wrapped around his heart and squeezed. Jaxon fought against the familiar feeling and forced air into his lungs.
Then, everything happened fast. Jaxon rushed to Lucy’s side. Brooke was there, too. She was cradling Lucy’s head where a pool of blood was beginning to stain the surrounding puddle a watery pink. Student’s crowded around them, but Jaxon ignored it all. Lucy was his only focus.
“Call 911,” Jaxon ordered, and Brooke obeyed.
Then he gently spoke to Lucy, stroking her cheeks. “Lucy? Lucy, angel? Can you open your eyes?”
She did. Relief flooded through Jaxon the moment he saw her gorgeous eyes flicker open. Then another emotion took over. Rage so consuming it made it hard to see. Jaxon looked from Lucy to Brooke. “Stay with her,” he growled and then he was on his feet.
Jaxon couldn’t be quite sure exactly how it started or who swung first. All he remembered was the feeling that surged up inside of him the second he spotted Alex’s face in the crowd. Alex had done this and he was going to pay.
Fury rose up in Jaxon like a flood, drowning out everything else. He didn’t even feel the first few punches or the people trying to pull him off of Alex. All Jaxon felt was the wrath pouring through him each time his fist connected with Alex’s face. His anger built into a frenzy, and no matter how much damage he unleashed on Alex, the feeling didn’t recede. It rose like the tide, spilling out every injustice Jaxon had been trying to keep inside for the past year.
Seeing Lucy get hurt because of him had broken something inside of Jaxon that he didn’t understand. And now that it had been unleashed he couldn’t stop. Not even when he heard bones crunching and sirens wailing. Jaxon didn’t
stop. He couldn’t. His worst fears had been dredged up and he was fighting them more than he was fighting Alex.
Jaxon had failed—he hadn’t protected Lucy. Just like he couldn’t protect his mother. Someone else was hurt because of him. But Jaxon would make someone pay this time. He couldn’t allow one more crime to go unpunished. So his fists kept swinging, long after Alex had stopped fighting back.
Brooke
Brooke had never seen something turn deadly so quickly. One second she and Lucy were watching typical high school drama unfold and the next, lives were in danger. Brooke sat in the rain holding her best friend’s head still as a blood-tinged puddled soaked through her clothes. Meanwhile, Jaxon was possibly ending Alex’s life. Brooke hated the guy, but she didn’t want to see anyone die, and she didn’t want Jaxon to end up in jail.
“Give me your phone,” Brooke yelled to a girl standing near her.
The girl obliged and Brooke traded cell phones with her.
“Stay on the line with the 911 operator. I’ve gotta make a phone call.”
The girl nodded and Brooke dialed a phone number from memory. She sighed with relief when the call connected after the second ring. She didn’t waste time with pleasantries. She got right to the point. “Hey, I’m on campus. You need to get down here now.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s your brother.”
“How bad?”
“Like syphilis and Locked Up Abroad bad.”
“Shit. I’ll be right there.”
“Hurry.”
38
Lucy
Lucy shivered as the rain poured down on her. She wanted to get up, but no one would let her move. The EMTs put her in a neck brace and strapped her to a backboard. She knew they were just being cautious because she’d hit her head, but she was fine. She was more concerned about Jaxon.
When the ambulance had first arrived they rushed past her and Brooke like they hadn’t even seen them. That could only mean one thing—someone else was hurt worse.
“Jaxon,” Lucy whimpered. “My boyfriend. I’ve got to make sure he’s okay.”
The EMT’s ignored her.
After they’d secured her, she was lifted onto a gurney. Everything in her resisted being pulled away without knowing where Jaxon was or if he was even okay. She pulled against her restraints, sobs tearing from her throat. “Jaxon!”
Every one of Lucy’s muscles ached, but none as bad as her heart. How had this happened? She couldn’t believe she had let Alex goad Jaxon into this. Lucy should’ve dragged him away the moment Alex opened his mouth. She’d been waiting for something like this to happen. Things had been going too well, and Alex was never one to leave well enough alone.
Jaxon
Something familiar finally broke through Jaxon’s post-rage haze. He thought he heard his brother’s voice, but then he realized he must be hallucinating. Jaxon was handcuffed in the back of a squad car, where he’d been ever since the police pulled him off of Alex’s unmoving body. If Jaxon was smart he would’ve asked to call his brother, but he’d been barely able to form rational thoughts. And now all he managed to do was torture himself by reliving the horrific events that had transpired a few minutes ago.
Every time Jaxon closed his eyes it was like watching a loop of Lucy’s tiny body hitting the concrete over and over. The sound of her skull connecting with the stone surface sent a shockwave of nausea through him. So he tried to force himself to keep his eyes open. But that scene wasn’t much better.
EMTs and police were everywhere, turning the preppy boarding school campus into a crime scene. And when Jaxon looked at the spot where he’d last seen Lucy, only a pink-tinged puddle remained. He watched the raindrops strike the puddle and felt guilt ripple through him with each drop. Lucy was hurt and it was his fault. He hadn’t been able to protect her and now he couldn’t even get to her.
A familiar voice pricked Jaxon’s ears again and someone opened the back door of the squad car he was in. A police officer leaned in and Jaxon was met with Conner’s concerned glare.
“That’s him,” Conner growled. “Get him out of the back of the car, and get those cuffs off of him for God’s sake.”
The officer Conner was talking to said something Jaxon couldn’t hear, but Conner’s response was loud and clear. “Then remand him into my custody. He’s my brother and he’s a minor. And if he inflicted as much damage as you say then I want him taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation before we talk charges.”
The next thing Jaxon knew he was being hauled out of the car and uncuffed. When the other officer walked away, Conner pulled Jaxon into a gruff hug. “You alright, bro?”
Jaxon nodded, his mind hazy. “You came?”
“Always.”
Jaxon blinked at his brother, confused as to how he’d known about the fight. He wanted to ask but the only word he managed to get out was her name. “Lucy?”
“She’s okay. They’ve already taken her to the hospital.”
Jaxon’s heart dropped to his feet. “Is she alone?”
“No, Brooke’s with her.”
That made Jaxon feel slightly better, but he didn’t feel like he’d be able to take a solid breath again until he saw Lucy was okay with his own eyes.
Conner seemed to sense that. “Come on, I’ll take you to her.”
Jaxon followed Conner through the sea of police officers and students until they reached his car. They climbed into his black Mustang and raced to the hospital.
39
Jaxon
The hospital was a zoo. Jaxon got his hands checked out and bandaged. The doctor thought he might have fractured his right hand, but it was too swollen to tell yet. Honestly, Jaxon didn’t give a shit about his hands. They didn’t even hurt. His whole body was numb and he knew it would stay that way until he saw Lucy, but no one would let him. There was a police officer stationed outside her room in the ER and one outside Alex’s as well. He was apparently hurt pretty bad, but Jaxon didn’t feel an ounce of remorse. The guy put hands on his girl.
Alex’s parents were there too. His father was throwing around allegations and threats of lawsuits. Jaxon noticed they only seemed worried about their son and not at all concerned about Lucy. Pricks.
Jaxon was glad his brother was there to keep him out of all the drama. After Jaxon’s hands were bandaged and he was cleared from the ER, Conner pulled Jaxon onto an elevator and took him to their uncle’s office.
“Thanks,” Jaxon said, realizing he hadn’t thanked his brother for showing up yet.
“Always, little brother.”
“How did you know what happened?”
“Brooke.”
“Brooke?”
“She called me while you were pummeling that guy and told me to get my ass down there before you took things too far.”
“She did?”
“Yeah, but from the look of that kid’s face I’d say I didn’t get there fast enough.”
Jaxon closed his eyes, flexing his swollen hands as he tried to block out the painful memories.
Conner put a hand on his shoulder. “Jax, what the hell happened?”
“He hit her. I saw her laying there and I-I just snapped.”
Jaxon was still trying to put the events in order. He’d been in such a blind rage that it seemed jumbled together. Some parts, like Lucy getting hit, felt like they happened in slow motion. But everything else was a blur.
“This is a mess, bro. I’m on you side, you know that. But it’s a fucking circus up there. The best thing for you to do is lay low down here. I’m gonna go talk to Uncle Steven. You’re gonna need a lawyer.”
“Con, I need to see her.”
Conner exhaled. “I know. I’ll see what I can do. But keep your ass in that chair until I tell you otherwise. You got it?”
“Got it.”
It was hours later, but Conner finally came back and he made good on his word.
“You can see her now. Steven and your attorney are gonna meet us
up there so you’ll probably only get a few minutes alone with her before they show up.”
Jaxon hugged his brother. That was music to his ears. He didn’t care if the whole damn world was in the room with them, he just needed to see his girl.
Conner led Jaxon to Lucy’s hospital room. She’d been moved to a different floor. It was quieter and there was no longer an officer outside her door. Jaxon pulled the door open, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand. His heart slammed to a stop in his chest when he caught sight of Lucy’s soaking wet hair hanging limply off the hospital bed.
He rushed toward her. “Lucy?”
Brooke, who’d been sitting at her bedside stood up. She must’ve left the room to give them some space. Jaxon couldn’t be sure because his eyes never left Lucy’s. When she saw him, she sat up in bed, her eyes puffy from crying, but she was conscious. She was better than conscious. Her eyes were as bright as ever when she reached out for him, whispering his name. “Jaxon!”
Jaxon swore he didn’t know what it was to feel his heart beat until he had Lucy in his arms again. He was halfway in her bed, breathing in her scent as she clung to him. “Angel, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. You . . . my God when I saw you like that . . . I-I just snapped, but I shouldn’t have left you. God, Lucy, I’m so sorry.”
Lucy was sobbing, pulling him closer, her hands fisted in the scrubs he’d changed into. “Jaxon, I was so worried. Are you okay?”
“Me? I’m fine.”
She looked him over like she didn’t believe him, but after a complete survey she seemed to calm down. But then her eyes reached his hands. Jaxon’s fingers were gripping hers tightly but he didn’t care about the pain. He just needed to hold onto her, to know she was okay.
“Your hands,” she whispered.
Jaxon looked at them through her eyes. His knuckles were swollen and covered with gauze and tape to hide the worst of the cuts. He tried to pull them away. Lucy didn’t need to see that. But she wouldn’t let go.
The Accidental Boyfriend: A YA Contemporary Romance Novel (The Boyfriend Series Book 7) Page 26
