Page 70 of The Freshman

“See,” Mike said. “Hewants the experience. We’re teaching him how to handle a grievingprisoner on the day of a funeral.”

“We are burying my NanaDoris’s ashes,” Nate spat. “This isn’t a day-trip for yourinexperienced puppy. Pull up and let him out.”

Mike raised his eyebrows, then sunkback into his seat. “Not happening, Nate.”

Nate was wound up like a spring readyto explode, and Alfie had caused it. Nate had been fine before heopened the car, almost bored in his expression, but the secondtheir eyes met, he changed to a caged beast.

Alfie watched his house whizz by, andthe coffee shop Tia worked at. They were his safe places away fromNate, and they vanished in the distance like nothing. He had nobarrier, no haven away from confusion. Dave drove them from thetown, and the packed terrace houses made way for fields ofgreen.

Dave took another sharp bend, butAlfie clutched the door to compensate. He wanted to limit theamount he and Nate touched.

“What the hell?” Davemuttered, slowing the car.

Orange cones were lined across theroad, blocking them, and a huge blue sign pointed right for adiversion.

“Gonna have to take it,”Mike said. “We got time.”

Dave spun the car to the right andshook his head. “What do you recon, busted pipe?”

“More likely pot holes.They’re craters on these country roads.”

Dave nodded. “Council really shouldsort them out.”

Alfie closed his eyes at the droningconversation, and it was in those few seconds it happened. The carlurched violently, and Alfie snapped his eyes open. They werespinning off the road.

The wheels screeched desperately tostay on the tarmac. Dave cursed, and Mike called out. Alfie saw thetree getting closer to him. He scrunched his face, anticipatingpain, and it didn’t disappoint. A sharpness shot down his rightside. His shoulder throbbed, his hip sung with agony.

Alfie squeezed his eyes shut, hopingit would lessen the pain, but it only enhanced it. The piercingsilence following the crash was drowned under an intense buzzing inhis head. A buzzing that brought an onslaught of pain, and amnesia.He didn’t know where he was, who he was with. All he could thinkand feel was pain. Red hot and angry, like someone was holding ascorching iron to his side and not letting him moveaway.

The voices around him were muffled, asif underwater, and the scent of petrol seeped into the air. Alfiedidn’t care for either. All he cared about was the burning iron,which was no longer just pressed to his skin, but penetratingthrough and branding his bones. It pushed in, then lessened, thenpushed in farther, not letting him recover or prepare for the nextfierce flare. He couldn’t breathe, the pain disrupted his ability,and his chest tightened, ringing out the air in his lungs. He wasgoing to die, and there was too much pain to panic about it. Hotterthan lava, it wrapped around his bones, melting them tonothing.

There was pressure on his arm. He wasbeing tugged. He wanted to beg whoever was pulling him not to,wanted to sob and plead, but they continued tugging him.

More voices, all different, more beingpushed and pulled, and set down on something. The only consistentthing was the pain. It didn’t lessen. It continued to rob him ofbreath and thought. Blood ran down the back of his throat. He couldtaste it, and he could feel it running from his nose, tacky on hislips.

“Alfie!”

Nate’s voice broke through. Panickedagain, not hating.

Alfie registered movement. He wasvibrating. Something growled around him, tipping him left to right.He knew Nate was near him, hovering above, and tried to draw hisscent in through his nose.

“Hang in there, Alfie.You’re gonna be alright.”

He latched on to his voice, trustedNate to make him better.

“We’ve got to leavehim.”

Alfie didn’t recognize the woman’svoice, but he didn’t want to be left. He hurt, and the only thinghe could cling to in the darkness was Nate’s voice. It was close,then far away, then close again, and so was his presence. It camein waves, and each time it left the fire took over, and Alfie triedto beg for Nate to speak again. He didn’t know whether he spoke, orif his desire to hear Nate was locked deep in his head.

“I can’t do that,” Nateargued.

“He’s messed up. Hedoesn’t need you.”

She was wrong, so wrong. All he neededwas Nate.

“I won’t abandonhim.”

Paralyzed in pain, Alfie cheered Nateon, prayed he would be able to convince the woman.

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