Page 5 of Catch Me

“She’s mad,” I say distractedly, peering out the window. “She has every reason to be.”

“They ended their vacation early when they heard you ran away again.”

I cringe. I have a lot of making up to do,ifI can even make up for all the shit I’ve done. “I’ll probably be grounded for the rest of my life.”

“At least until you go to college.”

The rest of the way to Reid’s house, Lex explains that he, Cade, and Reid came up with the cover story about me visiting my grandparents. No one knows I ran away again except the ones closest to me, and Sasha, of course. I don’t know how they got my parents to agree to the story instead of just calling the police, but here I am, being brought back to everything I ran away from and wondering why the need hit me so hard in the first place.

When I close my eyes, I still see Reid’s still form in the hospital bed. The panic creeps up that maybe he isn’t okay. Maybe he’s destined to end up like Brady, and then what?

I don’t know how I can explain it to everyone else because it seems so backwards.

The closer we get to Reid’s house, the antsier I get. “Who all is there?”

“Probably everyone.”

“Everyone?”

“Cade, Jules. Reid’s parents.”

“They’re probably pissed at me too.”

“No one’s pissed at you.”

I rub my eyes after they start to itch. He’s lying. Lex would do anything to keep me safe. I stare at his profile while he urges the car forward. We’ve been in this exact place, except the car wasn’t moving then. He did what I wanted, so I could feel better, even at the detriment to himself. The veins stick out on his arms as he hangs a left. He’s locked up, rigid, like he’s trying to contain shit inside. He might not even know he’s doing it, but he is. “You’ve always been so good to me, Lex.”

He blinks, then turns toward me for a brief second before watching the road again. “I’d do anything for you, Briar.”

My heart beats painfully in my chest. When I look up, I notice he’s pulled into Reid’s driveway. The sun is setting, and the porch light is already on like a beacon. Lex throws his door open first, and I get out slowly. I look up at the sky for a second, asking Brady what the hell I’ve been doing for the past few months. He doesn’t answer. He never does.

We walk past Cade’s and Jules’s car, parked just in front of the door. Everything in me is telling me to run away, but that instinct—that urge to run until I don’t want to look back—has never done anything good for me. I don’t even know where I got it from. It’s like a disease. They should call it Houdini-itis because all I want is to escape.

A hand at my back keeps me moving forward. “They’re going to be excited to see you,” he says. He sounds like he means it, but I’m still wary.

With that, the front door opens. Mrs. Parker steps out, her hands to her mouth. She jogs down the steps and throws her arms around me. “Oh Briar. I’ve been as worried as if you were my own.”

She squeezes me, not letting up, but then, Mr. Parker is there. He claps me on the back until Jules is in front of my face. Tears track down her cheeks. “I hate you,” she sobs.

“I know.”

She hugs me, but in the next moment, Cade is there. “I don’t know what we’re going to do with you,” he sighs. His arms wrap around me and hold.

I close my eyes, fighting back the emotion of having come home again.

“Reid!” Mrs. Parker scolds. “You’re supposed to be in bed.”

I peek over Cade’s shoulder to see his stumbling form make his way down the front steps. He looks crazed. My heart lodges in my throat as Cade moves out of the way in time for Reid to grab me. I stare into a pair of intoxicating green eyes. “Are you okay?” I ask, eyeing the raised lump in his hair line with a bandage over it.

Suddenly, all the oxygen gets taken away. I try to breathe in deep, but nothing comes. My eyes flare with panic, and my fingers sink into Reid’s upper arms, trying to steady myself. My vision narrows. The world’s falling away.

Something’s wrong!, I scream inside. I can’t bring in air.

Strong arms grip me from behind, hauling me into a chest. Lex skirts around Reid. “She’s having a panic attack. Watch out.” He brings me into the house and sets me down in the nice living room, the one they don’t use. I’m sprawled across the designer sofa, staring up at the ceiling that feels like it’s pressing down around me.

“Something’s wrong. What’s happening?” Reid curses. I try to focus on him, but the panic of feeling like I can’t breathe takes over everything.

“Shh,” Lex says, grabbing my hand. “You’re having a panic attack. Just breathe. Relax.”

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