Page 22 of Toxic Kiss

I take a deep breath.

“Okay, you win. I’ll push harder.”

Pain echoes in my bones, throbbing in my joints. It’s like someone’s dragging a knife across every nerve ending. Suddenly, my vision blurs. I try to blink it away.

I know this pain. A migraine bites behind my eyes. I walk over to my bag, crouch down and crack the lid of the pill bottle, then drop one into my hand. Just one painkiller. Just enough to take the edge off. My hands shake as I dry swallow it.

When I stand up again, they’re all watching me. They don’t say a word. Don’t need to. The silence between us says everything.

Vex points at me.

“Get it together. I’m sick of looking like a fucking asshole because of you,” he says, then storms out for the second time.

“You do that well enough on your own,” I mumble under my breath. Eren and Ash smirk, but Ledger shakes his head at me.

I wait until they leave before I wander back to my bedroom and shut myself in the shower. My body aches like I’ve gone fifteen rounds with Evander Holyfield.

Twisting the taps, I slowly strip out of my workout clothes, wincing with every little movement. Steam fogs the glass, and I lean my forehead against the cold tile, letting the water scald all the way down my spine. But it doesn’t compare to the burn throughout my body.

A flash comes unexpectedly and unwelcome.

Patrick’s laughter bounces off the walls of the little perch outside my bedroom window. I love that spot. The fancy enclave you can only reach through my window or see from the forest behind the house. Patrick’s hoodie is two sizes too big, much like Haven always wears. He’s flipping a lighter open and closed like a nervous tic.

“They’re gonna love you, Cy,” Patrick says. “One day, they’ll scream your name.”

I lost who I was somewhere along the line, and I still can’t find myself. It’s like a game of hide and seek. I wipe the droplets from my face. Water or tears? I can’t even tell at this point.

“God, I miss you,” I whisper, unsure if it’s to Patrick or the me that I’ve lost.

Let everyone call what happened another scandal. I know what it really is…the countdown on my life, but I’m the only one who hears the clock ticking.

Rinsing off the shampoo, I open my eyes as someone knocks on the door.

“What?”

No one answers.

“Hello? Which one of you fuckers is it?”

Still, no one answers.

The knock happens again, and the handle rattles.

“What the fuck do you guys want?”

Turning off the shower, I grab my towel, wrap it around my waist, and whip open the door. No one there. I poke my head out, but my bedroom is empty. I look around, then freeze. There is a light shining under the bed.

What the hell?

The color changes from red to blue, flashing as if a cop car is stuck underneath. The lights hit the walls, casting shadows. I blink hard, but they are still there.

“This isn’t real. I’m going to kill whichever one of you assholes is doing this.”

Marching across the room, I drop to my knees and lift the blanket. Nothing.

“Cyrus…I miss you.” Patrick’s voice floats out from under the bed.

I drop the blanket and push myself back along the floor. This is impossible, but it sounds just like him.