Chapter 27

August's POV

She turned from the door with this stubborn fire in her eyes, and I already knew I was in for a headache. She had that “don’t even try to stop me” face. I already felt the urge to push her buttons just to see if she’d explode.

“It’s none of your business where I go.” She started, sharp as a knife.

“Yeah, except it kinda is,” I answered, crossing my arms. “You’re sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night. Where do you even think you’re going?”

Her jaw worked, like she was chewing the inside of her cheek. “If I tell you, will you leave me alone?”

“Unlikely, but go ahead.”

She huffed. “My best friend had an asthma attack, she’s in the hospital and I’m going to see her.”

That caught me off guard. “Wait. She’s in the hospital? Right now?”

“Yes, August. Right now.”

“And your genius plan is what? Walk across town in the dark while there's a maniac out there who just blew up our kitchen, and could be tailing you?”

She glared daggers at me. “Uh, what exactly do you want me to do, sit here and do nothing? No way. She’s my best friend.”

“Just call her. That should be enough.”

“It’s not the same, and I already did!” Her voice wavered, but she doubled down. “I need to see her.”

God, she was impossible. I ran a hand through my hair. “You’re reckless.”

“Fuck off, August!" She growled and stormed out the front door.

I stood there for a minute and thought about just letting her storm off. She was an adult after all, and could probably hold her own. But another part of me couldn't just let her off like that, not with our world the way it was right now. So I grabbed my keys and followed.

The look she gave me when she heard my engine start behind her was priceless. She whirled around, saw my headlights inching along behind her, and threw her hands in the air.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” she yelled.

I rolled the window down and leaned an elbow out. “Don’t let me stop you, Princess! Walk all you want, I’ll just follow!”

She stomped harder on the pavement and muttered under her breath, her hood bouncing with every angry step. I kept the car crawling right behind her.

“This is creepy!” she shouted.

“This is safe!” I corrected.

“This is annoying!”

“This is hilarious!”

She sped up. I sped up. She slowed down like she was testing me. I slowed down too. Then she nearly tripped over the curb, and I couldn’t hold in a laugh.

“You’re such an asshole!” she snapped, whipping her hair out of her face.

“I am keeping you alive!”

She stopped dead on the sidewalk and glared so hard I thought she might combust. Her cheeks were red, and her fists were tight at her sides. “Fine! You win!”

I leaned across the seat and popped the passenger door open. “Knew you’d get tired eventually.”

“Go to hell,” she muttered, yanking the door close after she climbed in.

I glanced at her as I pulled back onto the street. She was sulking in the seat with her hood pulled up.

“You lasted longer than I thought,” I teased.

“Shut up.”

“Admit it, it was kinda funny.”

“Fuck off, August!"

I chuckled, keeping my eyes on the road. “Alright. Silence it is.”

The car went quiet except for the hum of the engine. She stared out the window, refusing to look at me, but I could feel her anger... or maybe it was something else. Either way, I didn’t care if she hated me for it. At least she wasn’t out there alone.

Hospitals were really not my thing. There was way too much of that weird, sterile chemical smell that refused to leave you even after you'd left the hospital. And I had many not-so-fond memories of this place and morgues, from my mother's sickness five years ago.

But watching Dona march up to the front desk, I didn’t say a word. She was on a mission, and her voice was steady when she asked for Piper Ramirez.

They pointed us down the hall, and I followed her like a stray dog that didn’t know where else to be. She didn’t even look back to check if I was coming, just stormed ahead until we got to the room.

The second she walked in, I saw her shoulders collapse in a sigh of despair.

Her friend—Piper—was laid out in the bed with tubes in her nose. She looked small and fragile, as if someone had drained all the life out of her. I saw Dona’s face fall, and it messed with me more than I expected. She rushed forward and clutched Piper’s hands.

“Pipes,” she whispered. “Oh my God, are you okay?”

“Relax, loca. I’m not dead,” Piper muttered, smiling weakly.

Not funny. I could tell Dona thought the same thing.

But then Piper’s eyes moved from Dona to me, and the smile vanished. “What’s he doing here?”

I silently stood by the door, trying not to make this about me.

“He drove me,” Dona said quickly, like that excused my existence.

"Doesn't mean he should hang around.”

Dona gave her a warning look, but Piper wasn’t backing down. She turned her glare on me. “I’m fine, hockey boy. You don’t need to stand there like a guard dog.”

Cool.

I mumbled it under my breath and kept my eyes on the floor. I wasn’t here for her anyway.

Dona tried to focus on her. “Hey, what happened? You scared the hell out of me.”

“I told you I couldn’t find my inhaler,” Piper said like it was nothing.

“That’s all?” Dona snapped. “Piper, you’re in a hospital bed!”

Piper was just beginning to explain something when the door beside me opened. A doctor came in, flipping through a chart.

She glanced at me, then at Dona, then cocked an eyebrow at Piper. "They're friends." Piper explained, then added while jabbing a finger at me. "He's not, though."

The doctor nodded and said, “I was going to wait till your mother came back to say this, but I suppose I can say it here and now. Your asthma has been worsening, Miss Ramirez. Inhalers aren’t enough anymore. We’re recommending a biologic therapy: regular injections every few weeks. It should help manage the inflammation.”

I kept my eyes on Dona, who was pale with fear. She was holding on to her friend's hand for dear life. “Injections? Forever?”

“Long term, yes. We’ll monitor her.” The doctor nodded, then left as fast as she came.

The silence afterward was ominous, and Piper broke it with a groan. “Great. Robot lungs. Love that for me.”

“Better than not breathing,” Dona snapped at her friend. "I need you alive for at least five more decades."

I could see she was about to lose it, and it killed me to just stand there, useless in the corner. I wanted to tell her it’d be fine, that Piper would be okay, but I knew it wasn’t my place.

Piper tugged on Dona’s hand until she looked at her. “Don’t cry, Dona. I’ll be fine. I’ll still yell at you when you’re dumb.”

And then, of course, Piper glanced at me again as she said "dumb".

“Seriously?” Dona groaned.

“What? I’m just saying. Don’t let him hang around acting like he cares. He doesn’t!"

That was it.

“You don’t know what I care about,” I muttered. "Perhaps get to know me first?"

Piper laughed under her breath. “Oh, please. You’re standing there like you’d rather be anywhere else. Don’t do her any favors.”

Annoyance flared in my chest instantly. I wanted to snap back, but what was the point? I muttered, “Whatever. I’m just here for her,” and glanced at Dona for half a second before looking away again.

Piper scoffed. “Exactly.”

I stayed against the wall, hands jammed in my pockets while Dona sat in that chair. She kept her head down, brushing Piper’s hand with her thumb, but her shoulders were trembling.

I hated how small she looked, and I hated that I probably would never be able to convince her friend that I wasn't a villain. And most of all, I hated that her friend wasn’t wrong. Because no matter what I told myself, I couldn’t look at Dona and not feel like I was making her entire life worse just by being in it.