November Sky (Hardest Mistakes Book 2) (9 page)

I nod in the direction Ryan left. “What was that about?” I already know the answer, why am I even asking?

Her face goes bright red and she sits back down in her chair. “Ryan asked me out on a date.” I try to look surprised, but it doesn’t work.

She doesn’t continue. I don’t know why, but I have to ask. I have to know her answer. “And?”

“And I said no.”

Okay, now I am surprised. She doesn’t seem upset. “Why? He seems like a nice guy.” Sort of.

She rolls her eyes and picks up the heavy textbook she’s been taking notes out of. “It would be really unfair of me to lead him on.” She pauses and looks up at me from under her thick lashes. “I’m already in love with someone else.”

I suck in a sharp breath and she looks away.

“Oh.” I exhale.

She huffs out a small, frustrated laugh, unhappy with my response and drops her textbook loudly on the desk before standing and heading for the main doors to the elevator where Gary is waiting for us.

Main Street is so busy; there’s nowhere to park the news van. Gary honks the horn several times to get pedestrians to move. The parade has everyone in a good mood. Who knew there were so many people in this city?

Bailey and I jump out, ready to unload the camera cases. I have to push my way through the throng of people to get to the side of the van.

Opening the sliding door, I reach for the large case of lenses, and so does Bailey, instead of grabbing the handle, my hand wraps around hers. We both go still and look at each other; I hold my breath as she gazes at me. We snap out of it at the same time.

“Sorry,” Bailey says, shaking her head and moving to sit at the computers. I stand still for a moment, my mouth hanging open slightly. What was that?

I watch Bailey discreetly as Gary tapes various scenes from the parade. Hopefully she’s gotten over the whole awkward situation in the office earlier, because I want to ask her to come over tonight, purely as a friend. I’ve finished unpacking and setting up all my new furniture. She helped pick them out, so it’s only right if I ask her to come take a look, right?

I shuffle sideways to the door of the van and lean my head in. “Hey, Bailey?”

“Mmmhmm,” she mumbles, chewing on her pen lid as she watches clips on the computer screens.

“I finished unpacking my furniture.”

She stops what she’s doing and turns to me with a questioning smile. “Yes?”

I hesitate; maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Taking a deep breath, I turn back to her. “Do you want to come over a take a look?”

She jumps in her seat excitedly. “I’d love to! I’ll bring Chinese for dinner.” She swings back to her monitors and puts her headphones back on. And just like that, all is forgiven. Relief washes over me and I twist back around to watch the parade.

CHAPTER 10

JESSICA

A million little lights twinkle below me in different colors. I knew Paris would be beautiful, and I’m not disappointed. I watch a breeze ruffle the hair and clothes of the people around me, but I can’t feel it. Out of all the things I can no longer have, I wish I could feel the touch of wind on my skin.

I turn away and look out across the city.

I shouldn’t have run off like that. Kristian is probably worried about me. I should go back. I should forgive him for kissing that girl. It wasn’t his fault, she forced herself on him. I haven’t been around enough lately, he’s probably lonely.

***

KRISTIAN

I feel lighter, maybe even happy? I don’t bother closing my front door. Bailey will be here soon. Throwing my keys on the counter, I head to the fridge for a bottle of water.

“I didn’t know where you were. You’re usually home from work by this time, but when I arrived, your apartment was empty.” The voice makes me jump, dropping my water. It spills out all over the kitchen floor. I turn in a circle, searching.

“Jess?”

“Yes.” Her voice echoes close to my ear. She materializes beside me, her cold hand on my arm. I don’t know which emotion to feel first, they’re all so strong. I’m angry at her for destroying my apartment and leaving, but I’m also happy she’s back; it feels as if a piece of me that was missing has returned.

“Where have you been?” she whispers sadly.

I shake my confusing thoughts away and concentrate on her question. “Well, I couldn’t stay here. You kind of destroyed everything.”

She looks away, ashamed. “I know and I’m sorry for that.” She tilts her head up and smiles at me shyly. I missed her so much. She grasps my hand firmly and pulls me along the hallway to my bedroom. I lay down on the bed beside her. She pushes me on my back, straddling my hips and pressing her cold lips onto mine. My hands run up her sides and into her silky gold hair.

A wet slap hits the floor in the hallway; I jerk my head away from Jess to see Bailey standing there, her mouth open in shock. Chinese food scattered across the floor.

I frown in confusion, glancing back at a smug Jess. “You can see her?”

Bailey snaps out of it and takes a step back. “Of course I can, Kristian, I’m not blind.” She spins on her heel and dashes down the hall.

“Wait!” I call after her; I gently push Jess off me and stumble down the hallway after her, slipping on the Chinese. By the time I make it to the front door, she’s gone.

***

I can feel Jess’s gaze on me as I slide my shirt over my head. She hasn’t left my side since she came back. I wish I could pay more attention to her, but I can’t stop thinking about the devastated look on Bailey’s face when she saw Jess and I together. I have to make it up to her. As silly as it sounds, she’s the only real friend I’ve ever had.

The walk to the news station is slow and wet. The drizzle hasn’t let up since the parade last week. By the time I reach our desk, I’m shivering. I look around, Bailey isn’t here yet.

I settle myself into my chair and unpack my things, waiting. What am I going to say to her? That my dead girlfriend and I were just fooling around? How could she see Jess, anyway? I thought no one could see her but me.

Bailey swings her bag onto the desk with a heavy thud and pulls out her notebooks and pens. I lean across the desk, trying to get her attention, but she doesn’t lift her eyes to mine. She’s acting like I don’t exist.

“Bailey?” I ask hesitantly. I hear her sigh softly but she doesn’t acknowledge my presence. “Bailey, I can explain.” She turns to the computer screen and turns it on, tapping her pen on the desk with her other hand. “Please?” I ask softly. She huffs something under her breath and turns to me, her blue eyes are like chipped ice. Her expression is so cold, I flinch away from her. “I’m really sorry about last night.” She shakes her head slightly at my apology and turns away, looking back at the computer.

***

I’m burned out by the end of the week. I can’t do this anymore. I walk into work on Friday full of determination. I will make Bailey listen, I will make her understand. She sees me coming and ducks into the printer room before I can reach her. I’m not playing games anymore.

I push the door open and stride over to her, but as soon as her icy gaze meets mine, my confidence disappears. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I stand there like a fumbling idiot, unable to say what I came to say.

Bailey shakes her head with a frown and pushes past me to leave. I reach out and grab her arm. “Wait, Bailey, just listen to me.”

She turns on me, angry. “Why?”

“Why not?” She screws up her nose in distaste. I try again. “I remember you telling me once that you would listen when I was ready to tell you,” I plead quietly. She purses her lips, considering, and then she nods once.

I quickly glance behind us to make sure no one is listening. How do I say this so it will make sense? “She’s dead.” Okay, so maybe not the best choice of words. Can’t take them back now.

Bailey frowns, confused. “What?”

“The girl in my apartment. She died just after we graduated high school.” Her mouth opens in shock and she stares at me. She probably thinks I’m crazy. “You shouldn’t be able to see her. No one else can.”

I loosen my grip on her arm and rub my thumb along her soft skin. She looks away, thinking.

“So this whole time,” she starts slowly, not making eye contact, “You were with another girl.” She frowns and turns on me again, pulling her arm from my grip and poking her finger into my chest, I take a small step back, and she follows. “What kind of person are you? You have a girlfriend, and yet you still kissed me.”

“What? No…” I’m confused.

“You, Kristian Reed, are an asshole.” She spins around and sprints out of the room. I stand still, in shock, trying to understand what she just said. Did she just accuse me of cheating on her with a ghost?

I walk home in the rain again. God, the rain. I’m so sick of this weather. It’s making my already bad mood worse. All I do is mess things up. I’m even starting to miss my mom and I never miss her, that’s how bad I feel.

Jess is waiting for me when I get back; she’s always waiting for me. Why can’t I just let all of this go? Does it really matter if Bailey never speaks to me again?

Maybe.

I slump into my new sofa and lean my head back to rest on the cushioned arm. Jess materializes above me.

“Aren’t you happy I came back?”

I sigh. “Of course I am, Jess.” I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her down so she’s lying on top of me.

“Then why are you upset?” She rests her head on my chest.

I look away. “Because I lost a good friend.” It comes out barely a whisper, but she hears me.

“That girl?” she spits out.

I frown at her tone of voice and correct her. “Bailey.”

“Whatever,” she says, snuggling closer. “It doesn’t matter now. She won’t be back anytime soon. Oh, did I tell you about the Great Wall of China?” She changes the subject and starts chatting away about what she did while she was gone. I turn my head away, her excited voice fading into background noise. My mind is filled with thoughts of Bailey. I don’t know if I can fix this.

***

There’s chatter around the station about an impending super storm. With the mood I’m in, I really couldn’t care less. I’m already sick of the constant rain. Bailey glances at me from our desk on the other side of the office. The moment our eyes meet, I quickly look away. I’ve been staring at her for the past five minutes and she just caught me. Is the awkwardness ever going to end?

Placing my mug in the sink, I sigh and stroll back over to our desk, sitting with a heavy thump. I still have mounds upon mounds of paperwork to finish before tomorrow. Looks like I’ll be staying late tonight.

Bailey doesn’t say anything to me as she packs up her things and leaves for the day. I watch her back as she walks toward the elevator. She turns slightly and glances back over her shoulder at me just as she steps through the doors. Her expression is almost sad. It rips at my already tattered heart, making my chest tight. Trying to hold myself together, I turn back to the scattered papers in front of me and get to work.

The black and blue scribbles and words in front of me start to blur together. Rubbing my sore eyes, I stretch and look around the dark office. The only light comes from the lamps illuminating the desks. I crane my neck, trying to see if anyone else is still here.

“We’re all alone,” Jess whispers from somewhere close by.

The corner of my mouth lifts in a small smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to watch you work.” She touches my hand on the desk and materializes, sitting in Bailey’s chair across from me.

My eyebrows dip in a frown. “How long have you been here?”

She giggles like a school girl. “A while. Couldn’t you feel me?”

“No,” I lower my voice, a little confused. I must have been too distracted.

“Doesn’t matter.” She lifts herself from the chair and inches her way around the desk to sit on my lap. The yellow light from the desk lamp glitters off her blue irises as she leans forward to kiss me on the nose. Her lips feel like ice, reminding me suddenly and painfully that she’s not alive anymore.

She sits back with a sigh when she catches my expression. “What’s the matter now?”

“It’s just…” How do I explain to her that it’s just not the same anymore. Not for me, anyway. She searches my face, a worried gleam in her eye. I can’t hurt her again. I shake my head. “It’s nothing.” I pull her closer, holding her cold body to my chest.

“I love you, Kristian,” she whispers into my neck. My arms tighten around her and I drop my head to rest my lips on her temple.

CHAPTER 11

KRISTIAN

The alarm system at work startles me; I jerk up from scribbling notes and glance over at Bailey. She gives me a confused frown and stands up. She’s still not talking to me, but at least she’s not glaring at me anymore.

“Stay calm, everyone,” Georgia’s voice rings out across the PA system. “Please follow your team leaders down to the bunker in the basement in an orderly fashion. This is not a drill; I repeat, this is not a drill.”

Bailey grabs Fiona’s arm as she walks past. “What’s going on?”

Her face is pale with worry and fear. “It came out of nowhere; we were told it was just a storm.” Her eyes dart around the office and she tugs her arm out of Bailey’s grip.

“What happened?” I ask her impatiently.

“It’s turned into a hurricane.” She dashes off toward the exit where Georgia is standing, ushering people out of the room.

“Okay, everyone, the storm is nearly here. Don’t panic; let’s do this quickly and efficiently.” Georgia’s voice shakes a little over the speakers.

A hurricane. I turn to Bailey and do a double take. She’s halfway across the office, heading the wrong way. I run to catch up with her.

“Where are you going?”

She yanks the door to the stairs open and starts running. “Riley’s out there, I need to find him.”

“Are you stupid?” I rush down the stairs after her. “The storms nearly on top of us.”

She stops and I collide with her back. She looks up at me, her eyes pleading with me to let her go. “He’s my baby brother, Kristian.” I search her face and then nod once. She takes off again.

“Wait!” I call out, tripping on a step as I race after her.

The sky is a mix of black and green swirling, angry looking clouds; it feels like the middle of the night rather than mid-morning. How could the weather station not detect the intensity of this? I skid around the corner, following Bailey. She stops outside a large old business complex and pushes through the huge glass front doors.

“Riley!” she screams, wandering around the empty foyer. It looks as if the building is in the middle of renovations, there are sheets of plastic and building supplies scattered through the room. Glancing around, I realize it’s been evacuated. The front door swings open by itself behind me, the gust of wind nearly knocking me off my feet. I jog over to Bailey and grab her around the waist, pulling her through the first door I see. The room is dark. A small noise from across the room makes me freeze.

“Who’s there?”

The whimpering gets louder. Bailey is completely still beside me. The overhead lights flicker on for a split second and then the room is plunged back into darkness.

Bailey steps away from me and toward the woman huddled in the corner. “Have you seen my brother, Riley Nichols?” she asks quietly.

“Y-yes,” the woman stutters. “He’s upstairs in the rec room. Fourth floor, I think.”

“Thank you.” Bailey’s shadow moves back to me and the door.

“Wait,” the woman cries. “Take me with you.” A hand grasps my arm tightly…the terrified woman clings to me. Bailey opens the door again and makes a dash for the open stairwell.

I glance down at the woman beside me. “You need to leave and find a safe place to wait out the storm. There’s a storm shelter at the news station.” The woman nods quickly and then sprints away. I run across the lobby to follow Bailey up the stairs. When I reach the fourth floor, I can hear Bailey calling Riley’s name. I follow her voice to the end of the hall. The windows rattle loudly and the howling wind starts to pick up.

“Bailey, we have to find somewhere safe to use as a shelter,” I say gently.

“No!” She pushes my chest and stumbles past me, opening doors. “Riley!” The building creaks, the windows downstairs groan and then explode, shattering loudly.

It’s too late to leave.

“Bailey!” I grab her arm roughly and pull her into the next room. She struggles against my grip.

“Let go of me, Kristian. I have to find Riley.”

“Over here,” a male voice calls softly from the darkness. I release Bailey’s arm and watch her scramble across the room.

“Oh my god, Riley, are you okay?”

“What are you doing here, Bailey? It’s not safe.” Thank you, finally someone with some sense, even if he is an idiot.

The building creaks again, a deafening crack outside makes me jump. I search the dark room, looking for something to use as shelter. My worst fear is the floor falling out from beneath us or the roof caving in. By the looks of the renovations downstairs, they may not hold through the storm. Another crack outside, and the lights flicker overhead, briefly illuminating the room. Riley is crouched under a large desk, Bailey beside him. I have to think quickly. The safest place is definitely not near the outer wall and the windows.

I can no longer hear Bailey and Riley’s voices over the howling of the storm. Feeling my way through the dark room, I grab Bailey’s shoulder and pull her back.

“We need to be away from the window, get back toward the door,” I shout, hoping she can hear me. She nods once and stands up, heading for the door. The building creaks again, louder this time. Riley gets up and pushes past me to follow his sister. The window behind us shatters, throwing glass shards all over us. I throw my arms up to cover my head and take a step toward Riley. The floor groans under our feet and I freeze, Riley’s terrified gaze meeting mine.

There’s no time to think, it all happens so quickly.

The floor beneath us sinks and then collapses in huge chunks, leaving a jagged, gaping hole leading through the three other rooms below us to the ground floor. Riley and I slip, falling with the chunks of plaster and cement. I grasp the edge of the floor with one hand as I fall through and snatch Riley’s hand out of the air with the other.

I can’t handle his weight, my fingers start slipping. I dig my fingernails in and close my eyes tightly, trying to hold on. My arms feel as if they’re being torn out of their sockets.

The floor is still collapsing around us, hurling debris through the hole below. It’s too far to drop; we need to climb back up. I can barely hear Bailey screaming from above us over the noise of the storm.

I glance down at Riley, swinging precariously in my grip. Both his hands are grasped firmly on my arm, his face full of fear. “Riley!” I shout, trying to get his attention. “You need to use me to climb back up; I can’t hold the both of us for much longer.” He nods and adjusts his grip. I close my eyes again in pain. I’m being ripped in two, my arms are starting to shake with the effort.

Riley crawls up and drags himself onto the floor.

I sigh in relief when I’m not holding his weight anymore. I throw my other arm up and grasp the floor with both hands. The roof above us is starting to fall apart too, the plaster cracking off the ceiling and tumbling down around us. I pull myself up until my chest is just above the floor. Riley leans back over to help

“Go!” I yell at him, shoving his arm away from me. He scrambles back across the room to where Bailey is huddled beside the door. I take a deep breath, ready to pull my body the rest of the way. A huge chunk of plaster and concrete dislodges itself from the ceiling and slams into my shoulder as it falls. The impact makes me lose my grip on the edge of the floor. For a split second, I’m almost completely sure I’m going to fall to my death, but I catch myself at the last minute and drag myself back up.

“Kristian!” Bailey screams my name and moves to help me. If she comes any closer she could fall, get hurt, or worse—killed.

“Stay there,” I shout, throwing my arm out. I use the last bit of energy I have to pull myself all the way up and over, lying on my back beside the giant hole in the floor. I lay here for a moment, puffing, trying to catch my breath. The roof groans. I have to move before the rest of it comes down. I roll onto my stomach and struggle across the floor to Bailey and Riley.

Something wet runs down the side of my face, I wipe my brow with my arm and it comes away red. I try not to panic. I have to reach the others.

Bailey’s small hand wraps around my wrist and she drags me closer, propping me up into a sitting position. I lean back then immediately jerk away from the wall; a sharp pain shooting through my shoulder. It’s too painful to rest on.

I’m breathing hard, the adrenaline leaving my body quickly. I glance over at Riley and reach out, putting my hand on his shaking shoulder. “You okay?”

He stares at me for a moment, processing, and then his hand grasps mine briefly and he nods. The howling wind pushes its way into what’s left of the building, hammering down on everything that’s left. We all huddle closer, waiting for it to end.

Bailey looks at me, her face covered in blood, dirt, and sweat, and she smiles.

I must have dozed off. Riley nudges my shoulder until I wake. Opening my eyes, I look around. It’s still raining, but it sounds like the worst of the storm has passed. We can’t move further into the room, the hole is only about five feet from our shoes. I stand; my back protests and I groan loudly in pain. Bailey and Riley follow. We need to find a way out of the building.

The door creaks and falls open, revealing the same devastation in the hallway. I put my arm out to stop the others from walking past me and then I pick my way across the uneven broken floor, heading for the stairs.

Once in the nearly intact stairwell, we head down. The stairs are cut off abruptly by water. The first floor is flooded, which must mean half the city is too. How long will it take for someone to find us? We need to find somewhere safe to wait. 

“Why don’t we just swim out? We could find help outside the building.” Riley stops beside me and stares down at the murky water.

I glance at him and raise my eyebrows. “There could be all sorts of bacteria and diseases in there. You have open wounds on your arms and legs that could get infected,” I say, pointing to a large bleeding gash on his right leg. He closes his mouth and nods, agreeing with me.

“So what do we do?” Bailey asks from behind us. I glance around and take a deep breath, thinking.

“We need to find somewhere safe to wait, maybe higher in this stairwell, and then we need to find clean water—” My breath rushes out in one large gust and I kneel down on the nearest step. Pain floods my head and stomach, it’s a familiar feeling. Jessica. I gasp for air and wrap my good arm around my stomach, trying to hold myself together against the overwhelming pain.

“What’s wrong with him?” Riley exclaims, panicked.

“Calm down.” Bailey’s voice fades in and out, I can’t concentrate on what she’s saying. I’m going to pass out. I can already feel the darkness pulling at the edges of my consciousness. “This has happened before, it’s like a panic attack,” Bailey says softly. She grabs my bad arm; it hurts, but I don’t have the air in my lungs to protest. Then she pulls me up, dragging me limply up the stairs. We reach the next landing and she pushes me down so I’m sitting, leaning against the cold concrete wall, then her fuzzy shape crouches in front of me. “Kristian? Kristian, pay attention.” She snaps her fingers in front of my face. I can’t see them properly, her face is blurry and out of focus. I feel light, like I’m floating, then everything disappears and I black out. 

I don’t know where I am. Why am I so uncomfortable? What happened? Why does my shoulder hurt so much? I pry my eyes open and try to focus on my dark surroundings. I’m in a dimly lit stairwell. I tilt my head to the side slowly and find Bailey. She looks exhausted, but she’s awake. She’s leaning up against the concrete wall beside me. Everything comes flooding back and I glance around.

“Where’s Riley?” I croak out softly. For a second I’m worried she didn’t hear me, and then she lifts her head and moves closer.

“He went to find some water and maybe some food. He said there are vending machines close by. He hasn’t gone far.” She leans closer and reaches out, touching my bad shoulder gently and frowning. “Just sit forward for a moment.” I drag myself off the wall and fall forward, she pulls the hem of my damp shirt up and gasps loudly.

“What?”

“Your shoulder, it looks awful. The blood has soaked through your shirt.” She pushes me back against the wall and puts a hand on my cheek, turning my head to face her. “How do you feel?”

I gaze at her for a moment, at her messy brown hair, her cracked and dirty glasses. At the worried crease in her forehead, at the fear shining in her light blue eyes. I can’t tell her how I really feel. That my limbs feel as heavy as stone and I can’t lift them. That I have little to no energy. I can feel myself starting to shake from blood loss, but I can’t tell her that, it will just upset her more.

“I’m fine.” I rest my head back on the concrete wall. My eyes feel heavy, but I’m not tired.

“I found some bottled water and a Snickers bar,” Riley announces, jogging down the stairs to meet us. He holds out a bottle. I have to push myself to lift my arm and grasp the water. The effort drains me.

Bailey is watching me closely; I can’t show her how weak I’ve become, so I slowly lift the bottle to my mouth and take a large gulp. The water feels amazing sliding down my dry throat. I force myself to stop before I drink the entire bottle. We might need it later. Who knows how long we’ll be stuck here.