It was safe to say the barrier that had still been between Liam and I was long gone the next day.
When I caught sight of him in the hallway on my way to second period, he was apologizing to another one of his exes, his usual smile and twinkling eyes melting her where she stood, but when he walked away from her, his face twisted into an emotionless mask. He saw me, but didn't say anything and looked to the ground between his shoes instead. He was likely sticking true to his word of stopping the flirtatious comments and steering clear of me unless Jay was around. Or he was possibly upset that he'd allowed me to see him in such a vulnerable state last night that he didn't know what to say. Either way, I was glad to not have to try and conversate with him.
By the end of the day I was beyond exhausted and would have loved to just walk out of the school and go home and curl up in bed. But I knew, especially with the reopened wound so fresh, that all I would be able to think about is Raya. Raya my beautiful, bright eyed sister. Raya, as the blood pooled around her head as she died.
"Are you busy?" I barely looked in Liam's direction as I scanned the parking lot for Bryan.
"Reese, I'm talking to you." Liam grasped my forearm and turned me so I was forced to look at him. "Are you busy this afternoon?"
I scratched at my neck with a sigh. "No, not really."
"Then text Bryan and come on."
I looked to the football field where most of the team was running laps, then back to Liam. "Shouldn't you be at practice?"
"Coach wants me to sit it out until Friday. He wants me to be a hundred percent for the game."
That made sense.
"Where are you planning on taking me?" I asked, following him the moment he stepped from the concrete on to the asphalt. "I need to tell Bryan in case-"
In case of what? If Liam wanted to hurt me in any way he would have by now. The worst he'd done is have me witness him cry.
"We're going to the hospital." Liam said through a yawn. "We're going to see my sister."
We managed to get up to the pediatric floor of the hospital without running into my mother. I knew she'd be happy to see me doing something other than hanging off my bed reading or locking myself in my room to watch movies by myself after school. I just couldn't pick up on how she felt about Liam, she didn't really seem to be against the idea when she saw him outside, but didn't seem for the idea of us being friends either.
By the time we had a Vistor sticker slapped against our shirts, I could feel my stomach furling into a tight knot. When I finally peered through the glass and at Liam's little sister, no amount of preparation could have stopped my lunch from nearly coming back up and all over the disinfected tile beside me.
All that was visible was the girl's mess of brown curls, but when I turned my head a little and stood on my tippy toes I could see the way her perfect long lashes fanned her ashen cheeks the way her brother's did, the perfect curve of the tip of her nose, another feature she shared with Liam. She didn't even appear to be in a coma, but sleeping peacefully. What made it sickening was the monitors and IVs on every side of her, the nurse who continuously went in and out to change the bed pan. Liam's sister had been here so long that she had pretty much become part of a daily routine for the nurses.
"You're Margo's daughter." A quiet voice brought me back to reality. I turned to find a petite blonde woman with large, prompting brown eyes beside me. "What are you doing here? I don't think she mentioned anything about you coming by."
I smiled weakly, nodding toward Liam in the uncomfortable chair beside his baby sister, clutching her small hand between both of his own. "I'm here with a friend."
"Oh, Mr. Scott is here so frequently we like to joke he's one of us." The nurse, Reyna her nametag read, touched her hand to the glass. "He's here every morning before school and every night before visiting hours are up. Every night and every Sunday at church I pray that the little angel wakes up, for his sake. But her little brain shows no activity, the machines are unfortunately the only thing keeping her alive at this point."
I couldn't get a coherent answer out before she veered around me in her path and pushed the door open. Liam rose, a hopefulness in his eyes as he spoke to her, then his expression crumbled just as quickly. He nodded and turned his back to the nurse before exiting the room and starting down the hall at lightning speed.
"Liam!" I gasped, taking off after him. I nearly collapsed once I reached him, slapping my hands against my knees. "Not all of us run laps for fun, you know."
He blinked himself back into reality and stared down at my guilty, "I spaced you were with me, I'm sorry."
I nodded, unable to get a word out as I tried to catch my breath. I really did need to start running laps for fun, because I had barely run down a hallway and felt like I was going to die. I made a mental note to start jogging around the field at school as soon as tomorrow as I pulled my phone from my back pocket and winced.
Bry: where the hell are you, Reese? I've been trying to call for the last two hours
Queen Bri: re, pls answer. We're worried. If ur w liam just let us know
Jayjay: hey, Reese, babe, bryan called asking where you were. Are u ok? Call me asap
All three texts were followed by multiple missed calls and a couple voicemails from Bryan I knew wouldn't be very nice. After my breakdown at Homecoming, Bryan had been hyper focused on me, worry evident in every glance he casted in my direction.
"Shit, I'll drop you off at your friend's." Liam caught sight of the notifications over my shoulder, gritting his teeth.
I thought about what he said for a minute before shaking my head. "Do you think you can drop me off at Jay's?"
There was no way in hell I wanted to face Bryan's fury right now. Not after spending the afternoon watching Liam Scott sit at his comatoast little sister's bedside.
Liam made a noise of distaste as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
"He's my boyfriend, Liam."
"Is he?"
I threw my hands up in exasperation. "Are you just going to answer everything with a contradiction?"
"Hanging out at a guy's house, especially when they're your boyfriend isn't like chilling with Bryan or hanging with me." He tried as subtly as possible to get the hint across and I slowly deflated.
He was looking out for me and I couldn't hate him for that.
"Fine, fine. Just drop me off at home then."
**
I sat on the couch with my laptop after calling my friends and Jay and assuring them I was fine. I had told Bryan where I actually was but found myself lying to Jay and saying I was helping my mother out at the hospital. A partial lie was better than a full lie, wasn't it?
As soon as my mother walked through the front door, I slowly set my computer aside and whispered, "Mom, do you remember the night Mr. and Mrs. Scott died?"
She grew rigid beside the coat rack, her lips parting in surprise as all color drained from her face. Once she composed herself, still tense, she sat in the recliner across from me. "I do."
"Was Liam hurt too? Did you know he has a sister in a coma?"
My mom didn't flinch upon hearing the news. That was an answer to one of my questions.
"I did know about Annie, yes." She reached up and pulled her hair from the tight bun it was in so dark waves cascaded along her shoulders. "Liam was injured, yes, but most of his pain was mental. That boy, when they brought him in I thought he was dead he was so cold and still, his face completely drained of color. When I realized he was okay, I hugged that poor baby, I held him. They sent me home, they knew I was close with the Scotts, but most of that night I sat in Liam's room while he just clung to me like a baby. He sobbed, he screamed, then he did nothing but sit there, stoned faced and cold, like I did the rest of that week."
I stared at my mother, mouth agape. Hearing her side of the story somehow didn't help the immense amount of sympathy and relatability I'd found in Liam today.
"There must have been an angel watching over that baby." My mother continued, tears turning her brown eyes into a muddy mess. "He walked out of that accident nearly unscathed, physically at least."
I brought the back of my hand to my mouth, my own tears falling from my lashes on to my cheeks. "Can you imagine, Mom? To. . . to lose everything in the blink of an eye?"
My mother rose and crossed the living room to me on the sofa and took my face in her hands.
"I almost did, baby girl. When your father and I got that call my whole world began to cave in. I thought I'd lost both of you girls." She brushed her thumbs under my eyes, catching my tears. "It didn't make Raya's death hurt any less, but I started sobbing in relieve when I saw you looking around that hospital room frantically."
"It was my fault, Mom." I whispered, my hand trembling on my lap. "She would still be here and—"
My mom pressed her index finger against my lips. "Don't ever say that, Reese. It was an accident. If anyone is at fault it is that horrible boy who tried to do those things to you. Or that drunk truck driver. You did nothing wrong, sweetheart."
"Dad doesn't think that."
"Oh, honey, your father just wants someone to blame. He doesn't truly blame you for her death. Your father is just struggling a lot right now. He isn't as strong as we are."
I rested my hand against her chest, feeling her arm wrap around me and pull me closer. It'd been a long time since she had held me like this and all I wanted was to stay wrapped in her arms like a small child forever.
"I, for one, am glad that you have found a friend in Liam Scott, sweetheart. He's a good kid. He's just a little rough around the edges, a lot like you."
I nodded into her chest, wanting to laugh through my tears.
"Yeah." I sniffled. "I'm starting to realize that we have a lot in common."
**
By the time Mom headed for bed, I'd pieced myself back together and continued to work on the English project that had been the cause for my Playbook in the first place. I'd sent Liam a picture of the next play after he'd dropped me off but I hadn't heard much from him since, and after the conversation I'd had with my mother, I didn't really want to. Just as I was ending a paragraph, I felt my phone buzz against my thigh and picked it up. I had been tagged in a post on Facebook and Instagram. Confused, I logged in and felt my eyes widen a fraction when I caught sight of Jay's post.
It was from Homecoming; Brianna had taken it as soon as we'd stepped into the school and must have run it through one of Bryan's filters because it looked nothing like the crappy, dimly light of the hallway, but was bright and even had a lens flare. Jay's hand had been resting on my waist, his eyes on me, a cute half smile on his face as I stared up at him through my long eyelashes, a genuine smile of my own, almost teasing, playing on my red lips. From the picture it was easy to see there was a chemistry between us, a very real love blossoming. But the moment we'd stopped dancing not even ten minutes later I didn't see him again that night.
Below the picture was a cute captain that made my heart flutter a little bit it was so cheesy.
My beautiful girlfriend. I know I don't deserve you, but thank you for giving me a chance
I reacted to the picture but didn't know what to comment so I left it alone, noting to figure out what to say to him before tomorrow morning. Not even five minutes later my phone started buzzing. I answered the facetime call with Brianna, not at all shocked to find Andy perched on her bed tossing a football between his hands in the background.
"Oh my God, Reese, did you see Jay's post?" She squealed. "That was so cute!"
I felt my cheeks growing warm. "I saw it. It was cute."
"He is so totally into you." Brianna sighed dreamily. "Who would have thought that we'd end up with jocks? Because I totally didn't."
"Me either." I answered honestly. "I thought they were all egotistical dickhead's."
Andy raised an eyebrow, falling beside Brianna on her bed so his face was in front of the camera. "Excuse me?"
"Except you, Andy." I laughed. "You've always been the exception for me. I knew you were a good one, I just needed to make sure you were good enough for Bri before I tried to get you together."
He caressed my friend's cheek with a loving look, "I'm not good enough for her, but I try to be the best I can."
Aww.
"We got to go eat, Re. You know how Mama is about dinner in this house. Love you." She blew me a kiss through the screen. I did the same and watched both of their faces fade to black. Just as I was about to set my phone down it buzzed with a text message from Liam. It was the one worded, dry text that absorbed the flutter in my chest, the slight giddiness in my stomach, the flicker of happiness I'd just experienced talking about it with Brianna.
congratulations