Page 13 of Pumped

“Yo, dude, are you sleepwalking or something? Hello?” He snaps his fingers at me and I resist the urge to slap his hand away.

“I’m not sleepwalking.” Although, my voice is rough enough it sounds like I’m asleep. My eyes feel swollen and my cheeks are tight with dried tears.

And my mug is empty. I’m going to need way more caffeine if I hope to make it through the day. I stand to go brew myself another cup. While the machine whirs, I flick on the faucet and splash some cold water on my face. It helps. But the nightmare isn’t washed away so easily.

I pat my face dry with the handkerchief I carry in my pocket, then turn back to the coffee machine.

“Yo, you didn’t answer my question.” Everest rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands as he shuffles in my direction. “And where are Eden and Jeremy? Aren’t they back yet?”

My throat closes up. I can’t speak. I’ve lost the ability to formulate words and voice them out loud. I keep my gaze trained on the mug as it fills.

Everest leans his hip against the counter and frowns at me. Arms crossed, biceps bulging against the fabric of his shirt. “Hello? Earth to Owen. If it’s not too much trouble, we mere mortals would like an answer, please.”

He’s close enough that I can smell the alcohol and sweat from whatever he was doing last night. But underneath that, the unique scent that is pure Everest. Earthy, warm, like freshly turned soil and newly cut grass.

“You stink. You need a shower.” I grab the mug from the machine and stalk back to the kitchen table.

Behind me, Everest sighs loudly. “Fine. Don’t tell me. They’ll have to come home eventually.”

Through the reflection in the window, I can see Everest opening the coffee pod drawer to pick out something for himself.

“They’re not coming home.” The words come out in a strangled mutter.

“What?” Everest looks over his shoulder at me, his expression in the window is genuinely confused.

“They’re not coming home,” I manage to say, a little louder.

Everest abandons the coffee pod on the counter and rounds the kitchen island to stand in front of me. His brows are drawn together in a scowl.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” All traces of sleepiness are gone. He’s wide awake and alarmed.

I swallow, pushing down the grief, the despair, and fill my lungs just enough to speak again. “Eden and Jeremy. They died in a car accident last night.”

Everest doesn’t react. He doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, doesn’t even blink. Long seconds tick by in silence before he shakes his head and scowls deeper.

“That’s not even a little bit funny, asshat.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Of course you’re joking. Eden and Jeremy can’t be dead. I just saw them last week.” He grips the back of a chair and pulls it out from under the kitchen table, but he doesn’t sit down. “No. You don’t know what you’re talking about. They just got held up. They’ll be back any minute now.”

I stare at him. He’s in shock. It’s understandable. I wouldn’t want to believe it either. Hell, I didn’t fully believe it until I saw Jeremy’s body on that slab in the morgue.

I try to keep my voice gentle when I speak. “They won’t. Because they’re gone.”

Everest takes a step backward and sticks both hands into his hair. His eyes go unfocused and a little wild. “No, that’s… No…”

“I’ve already called your parents. They’re on their way in. When Ivy wakes up, we’ll bring her to the hospital to say goodbye to Eden.”

With every word I say, Everest’s expression grows a little more unhinged.

“What? What?! No! What are you talking about? Stop it!” He lunges in toward me and practically spits in my face. “Stop saying shit like that. It’s not funny.”

I shoot to my feet, grabbing the front of his too-tight shirt and giving him a shake. I feel like I’m an elastic band, stretched to its limit and about to snap. We’re nose to nose and I can smell Everest’s morning breath, the sour scent of dried sweat. I can see the black spots in his light brown irises.

“I’m not fucking joking,” I grit out between my teeth, hating the way my voice catches on the last word. “They’re dead. Jeremy’s in the fucking morgue and Eden has no brain activity. They’re gone. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Everest’s face is bright red with anger and he looks like he’s about to punch me in the throat. Then out of nowhere, all the fight empties out of him and the blood drains from his face, leaving him limp and pale. Staring vacantly into the distance, he staggers backward until he hits the wall.

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