We continue our playful banter for a few minutes when I feel a sudden sharp stab of pain. I gasp and clutch my side, bending over slightly.

Landon is at my side immediately. “Brooke what is it? What wrong?”

“It hurts,” I gasp. I feel warmth run down my leg dripping onto the floorboard. “Blood. Landon, there’s blood,” I say hysterically.

“I know, I know. It is going to be okay, Brooke. I am going to take you to the hospital. Okay?”

I nod my head, tears pouring down my face. “I’m going to carry you, okay?” Landon tips my head up to meet my eyes. His are soft and full of fear, but his voice is strong and steady.

I nod again, and Landon lifts me bridal style off the ground. “Breathe. Just keep breathing, Beagchaithnini sneachta.”

Landon continues to murmur to me as he carried me upstairs and to the garage. His voice is a lift line. It seems to be the only solid thing to grab hold of as fear overwhelms every cell in my body.

CHAPTER 22

Landon’s Most Terrifying Moment

Landon

“We’re done!” Jared yells drunkenly. The crowd roars in response to his drunken stammering. I watch him stumble my way, shaking my head at him.

“Dude, it’s a party! We’re celebrating. We’re done!” Jared says loudly.

“Dude, that was just freshman year. We’ve still got three years to go,” I inform him.

Jared gasps, offended. “Kill joy! Derik, tell him he’s a kill joy,” Jared demands, flailing his arms.

“Landon, you’re a kill joy,” Derik says in the most serious tone he can muster.

I just shake my head as Jared places shots in front of us. We continue pounding back drink after drink.

“Derik, you little gobshite, stop staring at the lassie and go ask her out,” Jared ribs.

“Hold up. What lassie?” I ask, confused.

“Rebecca. The sweet blue-eyed lassie who helped Derik study for his finals.” Jared points her out across the room. “That’s the study buddy lass. Derik, you gombeen, you told me she wasn’t pretty.”

I let out a whistle. “She is a looker.”

“Shut up,” Derik says, going red.

“I think he’s just afraid of some competition. Knows he can’t win against me,” Jared says, a smug smile stretching across his face.

“Screw you, I could pick up twice the girls you could,” Derik challenges.

“Prove it. Starting now. Whoever gets more numbers before midnight wins.”

We go from party to party at the university, collecting numbers from girl after girl, drinking drink after drink. I do not know how we end up in our hometown. It was only a ten-minute drive. Derik and Jared were tied in their phone number count and looking for another party.

We decide it would be fun to break into my dad’s garage and take his classic cars for a race. I am behind the wheel, drunk. So drunk I do not realize I was in drive not reverse. The car goes straight through the kitchen, hitting my mother and throwing her into the fridge.