Little Hoodlum (Hood River Hoodlums Book 2)
Page 25
Charlotte
The accident…
Pain.
Oh my God.
So much pain.
“Char, babe,” Ryan grunts out. “I got you.”
I’m being dragged away from my car, the heels of my bare feet scraping across the asphalt. Oh my God. My car. It’s mangled beyond recognition. Everything hurts and my mind is foggy.
“Oww,” I whine. “It hurts.”
“You’re fine,” he croons. “You’re fine. We’re fine. My dad will be here soon. Everything’s going to be all right.”
I start to cry.
Why is he being so nice now?
He’s a cruel, mean bastard.
The last thing I remember is him screaming at me, my hair tangled in his fist. Now he’s stroking my hair and promising me the world.
“Owww.” Tears roll out when another flash of pain slices across my midsection. “It hurts.”
“Ssh,” he says, his teeth chattering. “I have something to help.” His shaking hand appears in front of my face. “Take this.”
I turn my head. “I can’t. It won’t be good for the b—owww!”
The acrid taste of the pill makes me gag. He pushes it back and pinches my nose, forcing me to swallow it. As soon as it’s down, I start to cry harder. He strokes my hair, trying to calm me.
“W-What did we hit?” I ask, shuddering. “Did we hurt someone?”
“That car,” he says, pointing. “You weren’t looking at the road and hit it head-on.”
Bile rises up my esophagus. “I did that?”
He frowns in disappointment.
Everything spins around me. The pill starts its familiar pull. I wish he hadn’t made me take it. I can’t think right when I take that crap.
“I need to check on that person,” I whimper. “What if they’re hurt?”
“You’re hurt, Char. You. You need to stay still.”
Shaking my head, sending tears skating down my cheeks, I start to crawl away from him. He tugs painfully on my hair.
“I said stay. I’ll go check it out,” he bites out.
I sit up when he rises to his feet and walks over to the other car. Slowly, I crawl toward the vehicle, the glass shards puncturing my palms as I make my way over to it. It’s crumpled beyond recognition. I think it’s rolled several times based on the way the ceiling is crunched in.
I did this.
Oh my God.
Flashes of Ryan screaming at me make my head hurt more.
It wasn’t my fault.
He was hurting me.
A sob chokes me.
Sirens can be heard behind us. Ryan curses at me, stepping on my hand as he walks past, and then runs toward the police car. I cradle my hurt hand to my chest as I stand on wobbly legs. The pill he gave me has everything growing murky and numb.
“Hello?” I croak out. “Are you okay in there?”
I peek my head in a small opening and gasp. A portion of the roof is crushing this man’s skull in on one side. His eyes are open and his mouth is moving.
“Helpmehelpme.”
I cry out as recognition assaults me. Another sharp pain stabs me in the gut. Reaching into the car, I try to assure him everything will be okay.
But it won’t.
His head is smashed in.
Another pain in my stomach has me shrieking.
“T-Terrence,” I whimper. “Stay awake.”
Terrence’s eyes close.
No.
Oh, God, no.
“Wake up!” I cry out. “Terrence, wake up!”
He doesn’t wake, though.
Another pain in my abdomen has me collapsing to the ground beside the crumpled car. The loss I’m feeling hollows out the only parts of me worth living. For the first time in months, I’d had hope for something better.
A baby.
Barely pregnant.
Ryan was the father, but I hoped that news would calm him back down to the boy I used to love. Instead, it infuriated him. Now, I’m losing it. I can feel it.
Sobbing, I hold my stomach.
Ryan doesn’t return.
Several firemen with a big metal tool arrive and start cutting away at Terrence’s car. Paramedics rush over to me, assessing me. I recognize one of the firemen.
“Roan,” I croak out.
He kneels beside me, taking my hand in his gloved one. “Hey, Char, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
It’s not.
I’ve killed one of his best friends.
“It’s Terrence,” I whimper. “I…oh, God. It’s Terrence.”
His face falls and blanches white. “What?”
“His head…”
“Fuck,” he mutters. “Fuck.”
“I’m s-so sorry.”
He abandons me and runs to his friend, leaving me alone.
Another violent ripple reminds me I’m losing the baby too.
Everyone will hate me for this.
I hate me for this.
Why can’t I just die too?
The end…for now.
Campfire Chaos is up next!
Listen on Spotify here.
“i hate u, i love u” by gnash and Olivia O’Brien
“Movement” by Hozier
“Hi-Lo (Hollow)” by Bishop Briggs
“Twisted” by MISSIO
“Outta My System” by Tribe Society
“Meet Me in the Hallway” by Harry Styles
“Love the Way You Lie” by Eminem and Rhianna
“Stay” by Rhianna and Mikky Ekko
“Vermillion, Pt. 2” by Slipknot
“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star
“How’s it Going to Be” by Third Eye Blind
“Stay With Me” by Sam Smith
“Why Are You So Cold?” by The Haunt
“Truth Hurts” by Lizzo
Thank you to my husband. You’re my hero. Always.
A huge thank you to my Krazy for K Webster’s Books reader group. You all are insanely supportive, and I can’t thank you enough.
A gigantic thank you to those who always help me out behind the scenes. Elizabeth Clinton, Ella Stewart, Misty Walker, Holly Sparks, Jillian Ruize, Gina Behrends, Wendy Rinebold, Ker Dukey, J.D. Hollyfield, Nicole Blanchard, and Nikki Ash—you ladies are my rock!
Misty—you are my other half, woman! Love you!
A big thank you to my author friends who have given me your friendship and your support. You have no idea how much that means to me.
Thank you to all of my blogger friends both big and small that go above and beyond to always share my stuff. You all rock! #AllBlogsMatter
Emily A. Lawrence, thank you so much for editing this book. You’re a star!!
Thank you, Stacey Blake, for always making my books so pretty! You’re an angel and I love you!
A big thanks to Nicole Blanchard with Indie Sage PR for being there for me every step of the ways! Love ya, lady!
Lastly but certainly not least of all, thank you to all of the wonderful readers out there who are willing to hear my story and enjoy my characters like I do. It means the world to me!
K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in “Tornado Alley” with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.
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