By Your Side(31)

I hadn’t anticipated the reaction that would take place when I walked into the halls of school. It was the last thing on my mind. But I should’ve known. My face had been all over the news and social media. I had been presumed dead. Of course the kids at school would know. I opened the door and stepped inside, and before the door had even shut behind me, a couple of people cheered and said hi.

“Hey,” I answered back.

A guy from my Government class stepped in front of me. “Welcome back.”

“Thanks?”

“Autumn!” Cooper Black, a defensive lineman on the football team yelled. “You survived!”

“Survived?” This was going to get old very fast.

My friends were just as bad. Lisa, Morgan, and Avi acted like they hadn’t just seen me the day before at the hospital and smashed me into a group hug. “You came to school today! I didn’t think you’d come,” Lisa said.

Well, that explained their reaction. Then Dallin, Jeff’s best friend, barreled into me. He lifted me over his shoulder and carried me down the hall yelling, “She’s alive! She’s alive!” His reaction confused me most of all. I thought I’d find him a mess today, since Jeff was still in critical condition, but he seemed like his normal self.

During my unasked-for ride, I caught a glimpse of Dax walking down the hall. My heart jumped into my throat and I knew he was the real reason I’d come to school today—to make sure he was okay. Just as I lifted my hand to wave, he looked away, not acknowledging me at all. By the time Dallin had carried me to the end of the hall, my head was pounding even more than it had been that morning. I hit his back. “Let me down, Dallin. Please.”

He did, nearly plopping me on my backside in his effort. Then he gripped me by the shoulders. “We should have a Back From the Dead party this weekend on your behalf. Zombie-themed or something.”

I grabbed onto both his wrists. “How are you?” I asked sincerely.

He smiled and dropped his hands back to his sides. “Awesome. Ready to celebrate.”

I narrowed my eyes, wondering if he was more worried about Jeff than he was letting on. “No party for me this weekend. I just want a break.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “We’ll see about that.” Then he ran off, probably to start the early invites to a party I didn’t want.

Lisa plopped into the seat next to me in sixth period—Government. “Where were you at lunch?”

“Avoiding people.” And looking for Dax. Since the initial sighting that morning, I hadn’t been able to find him again. Was this how he was going to play it? We were just supposed to go back to normal, like we didn’t know each other at all?

“You look tired.”

“I am. I should’ve stayed home.”

“You should just wear a sign for the next week that says ‘Touch me and I’ll put an ugly pic of you in the yearbook.’”

I smiled. “Think that’ll work?”

“That’s the ultimate threat, Autumn. Use your power.”

I pulled my binder and a pen out of my backpack because Mrs. Harris started writing on the whiteboard. “I want to go to the hospital today after school and talk to Jeff’s parents. Take them flowers or something.”

“Do you know his parents?”

“I met them at his pool party last summer. I feel like I need to do something.”

“Me too. I’ll come with you.”

“Thank you.” I was hoping she’d say that. I still wasn’t sure what I would say to his parents. You probably don’t remember me but I should’ve been in that car with your son? Sorry I wasn’t with him when he plummeted forty feet into a river? Those would make great icebreakers.

“They’ll probably be happy to see some of his friends.”

“They’ll tell us how he is, right?” I asked.

“I hope so.”

Mrs. Harris clapped her hands twice. “Okay, class, get to work on these questions, then we’ll discuss.”





CHAPTER 20


“These flowers feel too cheery, too bright,” I said, unable to get out of the car even though Lisa had turned off the engine two minutes ago and the car was slowly transitioning to cold.

“I think that’s the point. We’re not going to a funeral, Autumn.”

I groaned. “I know.” My palms were sweating. I took several deep breaths. He was fine. Jeff was fine. I pulled on the door handle and pushed open the door. “Let’s go.”

The lady at the information desk pointed the way to the intensive care unit waiting room, warning us that’s as far as we’d make it if we weren’t family. I was okay with that.

Lisa grabbed my hand as we turned the last corner.

I recognized Jeff’s parents immediately from the summer before—both tall and handsome, like Jeff. They sat in the corner of the room, a few others I didn’t recognize around them. It seemed as though their bodies and the chairs they sat in had become one, like they’d been there for years. A television was on in the corner but nobody was watching it. My chest tightened another notch.

“We shouldn’t be here. I feel like I’m intruding,” I whispered. “You think they’ll be mad at me that I’m fine and he’s . . . ?”