The First Flight ❀ COLIFER

Chapter 4 ❀ He dead

I grabbed the doorframe to stabilize myself, knowing Colin wouldn't be standing here if he just peed his pants. His face was too serious.

"What do you mean? Is he alright? What happened?"

"Josh called me, he's with him in the ambulance. Lana and Ginny are following them with the van."

"Ambulance??"

God no. It was only the first day of our trip, and we promised his parents we'd take care of him, we promised he would be fine...

"I need to see him," I said, racing back inside to grab my phone. I came back ten seconds later, and Colin was already on his way to the other van. He got in at the driver's side and I ran around the front. As soon as I hopped inside, he hit the road and started rambling.

"Josh didn't tell me what happened, but it sounded pretty serious. Sean, Emilie, Bex and Bobby went with them to the restaurant, but they're still there since Ginny and Lana took the other van."

I was having trouble listening to what he was saying, because the motherly instincts I didn't even know I had suddenly presented me with the worst images of Jared in a hospital bed, completely beat up and bleeding. I shook my head, not aware of the beauty of the landscape outside, and turned to Colin.

"You don't know what happened? Weren't you with them?"

He took his eyes off the road for a split second and shook his head. "No. I stayed at the bungalow."

His gaze burned in mine, making it impossible for me to breathe. I looked away, not saying another word until the GPS guided us to the emergency room. I unbuckled and jumped out of the car before we were even properly parked.

We headed straight for the information desk, but I quivered when I heard Josh's voice. He was walking towards us, taking gigantic steps.

"Josh, what happened? Is he okay?" I asked as soon as he was in earshot. My heart started beating even faster when I saw the expression on his face. His eyes were still watery, and I could see he cried.

"I just wanted him to have some fun," he said, sounding torn by guilt when Colin guided us towards the waiting area. When we sat down in the plastic chairs, Josh rubbed his eyes and hung his head.

"What happened?" Colin asked again, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I took him to the beach after dinner." His voice was muffled, because he was burying his face in his hands. "He wanted to dive off the cliffs and into the water. There were other guys there, and they were fine... I went first. Jared came right after me, but he hit one of the rocks when he jumped."

"Oh god..." I let out, clapping my hands over my mouth. I looked up at Colin, but he was already staring at me.

"I heard his scream before he went under," Josh continued. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears. "I got him out and he was conscious, but confused. He broke his leg and he might have a minor concussion. They're getting him ready for surgery now."

I didn't even realize I'd grabbed his hand, but he squeezed it before he looked back down. "I never wanted him to get hurt. I never—"

"Of course you didn't want him to get hurt," Colin interrupted him, patting his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up, this wasn't your fault."

Josh's head shot up. "HOW can you say that?? Of course I'm responsible, we promised his parents we'd take care of him!"

"Colin is right, this could've happened either way," I said. "But didn't you say Lana and Ginny were here too?"