Blindness(84)

“We have to go,” I say in his ear.

“Huh?” he says, turning to me and bunching his brow.

I must look like a lunatic, my heart is beating fast, and I know I’m talking rapidly and bouncing my leg like I have to pee, but I just want him to hurry, to trust me on this one.

“I’m sorry, I know this sucks, and I know how much you love this game, but we have to go,” I say, forcing him to look at me and put his beer down on the table when I hold onto his shoulder. “It’s Cody; I think he’s in trouble.”

I see the panic hit Trevor now, and he pulls his keys from his pocket and hands them to me, leaving a few bills from his wallet for tips on the table. He shakes Kevin’s hand quickly and pats Rob on the back, leaning over to explain to them that there’s an emergency.

We’re out the door seconds later, Jessie tagging along behind us. “Where is he at? What’s going on?” Trevor says, his step picking up pace as we hit the ramps to the parking lot.

“He’s drunk. Just got a little carried away is all, but he’s heading out to the pits to jump his bike,” Jessie says, once again bailing me out of a situation.

“Damnit,” Trevor says, and I can see the frustrated look on his face. It’s not that Trevor doesn’t drink; quite the opposite, he can hold his liquor well. He’s just not a big fan of drunken behavior. The wildest thing he’s done at a bar is make an unwise bet on a hockey game.

We get to the car, and I click the locks. We get in, and I start racing from the lot before everyone’s seatbelts are on.

“Where do I need to go?” I ask Jessie.

“Highway. Get off on Bird Lane, it’s about ten miles past the shop,” she says.

I do as she says, letting my foot fall heavy on the pedal. I know Trevor’s had a few beers and that’s why he let me drive, but I’m glad he did. I need the distraction, because the visions racing through my mind are unbearable, and each time I let a new one rear into my mind, I edge up a few more miles per hour. By the time we hit the suburbs, I’m cruising at about 90.

“Careful, Charlotte. Watch for cops, okay?” Trevor says, his voice stern. I can tell he’s angry that we had to leave, and I can tell he’s irritated at me somehow, too. But I don’t care. I swear if I can just get there fast enough, somehow stop Cody before he rides up a hill and does something to hurt himself, I’ll tell him everything. I’ll tell Trevor everything. I don’t know what I was thinking letting Jim make decisions for me, about who I get to love.

Jessie guides me down a few rural roads after I exit the highway, and soon we’re pulling into a giant dirt lot, with lighted tracks and riders zipping over mounds and hills. I see a few big ramps and a giant pit in the middle, full of foam, and I know that’s where he is. I don’t even turn off the car when I push the gear into park and sprint away, the door hanging wide open.

“Cody! Cody!” I’m yelling, my voice shrill and cracking from the cold. People are looking at me like I’m crazy, but I don’t care. I have to find him; I have to stop him.

“Cody! Cody…Cody Carmichael?” I ask one guy walking by with a helmet covered in stickers. He just shrugs and shakes his head at me, almost avoiding me like I’m one of those phone salesmen at a kiosk in the mall.

“Cody!” I hear Jessie yelling, several feet away from me. She’s climbing up a series of steps, and Trevor is jogging to catch up to her. I look to the top of the steps, up one of the ramps. I see Gabe, and it fuels me. I run, faster than I ever have, and take the stairs two at a time until I eventually catch and pass Trevor and Jessie. When I get to the top, I see him, swiveling his tire side-to-side on his bike, his helmet buckled, but his goggles pushed up so I can see his bloodshot eyes.

“Cody, no! Stop it!” I yell, walking out to the edge of the giant dirt ramp, but Gabe grabs my arm and pulls me back to him.

“Careful, Charlie. It’s steep! You’ll fall,” he says.

“I have to get to him, Gabe. He has to see me. He can’t do this,” I say, my entire body shaking from the crying I can no longer stop.

“Relax, Charlie. He jumps all the time. He’ll be careful, he always is,” he says, but I can tell by the look on his face that he isn’t sure. So when his grip loosens, I take off running toward Cody, waving my arms to get his attention. I’m almost to him, and he’s pulling his helmet off as he sees me, when I feel my left foot give and slide to the side down the hill. I land on my knee hard and fall flat on my hands and face next, sliding forward, but teetering dangerously on the edge.

I’m going to fall. It’s inevitable—I just know it. I dig my fingertips into the dirt and press my cheek flat as I slide slowly, hoping if I stay pressed against the earth that I won’t roll or break a bone. I’ll have one hell of a set of cuts on the front of my body, but those I can handle. I close my eyes tightly as the direction of my slide starts to turn down the hill, and I feel the left side of my body start to twist—and then I feel a hand grip my wrist.

“I got you, Charlie. Hold on; hold on for me, okay?” Cody says, his eyes scared. He’s laying flat along the top of the hill, and he reaches down with his other hand to pull my arm while I kick at the ground and dig in with my shoes, fighting gravity.

“Cody, I’m falling. I can’t—” I say as my foot slips, and I slide down a few inches.