Page 110 of The Pass Protection
Mom: Congratulations, sweetie! I’m so proud of you! Love you.
Saylor: Ahhh!! MVP and Champions?! Way to go, big brother!
Jett: Glad you pulled your heads out of your asses! Proud of you, little brother!
Scrolling through the messages, I search for “Rebel.” My eyebrows pinch together when I don’t find a new message from her. Our last messages are from when she wished me good luck, and I confirmed she was safe inside our locked apartment.
Fear coils as the terrifying notion that something could have happened to her. Ignoring the congratulations text from Cody, I fire off a text.
Me: Have you heard from Bret lately? She hasn’t messaged me since before the game.
Cody Jacobs: Yes, she messaged me around halftime, saying she was calling it an early night and that all of the doors were locked.
Cody Jacobs: She’s safe, bro.
My shoulders slump in relief as I pocket my phone. Only a few more hours until I’ll be home with my girl, and we can start living the life we’ve been dreaming about…out in the open.
****
After our three-hour drive from Arlington, the guys and I arrived at the apartment around eleven thirty the following day. Most of the guys went out to celebrate last night, while I barely made it to my hotel room before crashing. Between the adrenaline rush and the anxiety from this week’s events, I was mentally and physically exhausted.
“I think I’m going to sleep for a week,” JP grumbles from behind me as we climb the three stories of stairs.
“Dude, finals week.” Harris digs in his pockets for his keys.
“Man, forget finals.” I wish I could forget finals. Instead, I’ll be busy preparing for three back-to-back full days of exams today and tomorrow. But not before I take a nice long nap with my Rebel.
Harris has the door unlocked by the time JP and I drag our asses up the wooden stairs. Silence greets us, and I huff out a laugh. Rebel must be just as exhausted as we all are. Hell, I can’t say I blame her. She’s been through the wringer this week, and there’s nothing more exhausting than being stuck inside your head.
Moving inside my bedroom, I placed my suitcase against the wall next to my bed and put my phone on the charger I forgot to bring with us.
“Riggsby.” JP’s panicked voice has me turning on my heels. “You’re going to want to see this…”
His voice trails off as I stride down the hallway to where he waits next to the dining table. The corners of his eyes are softened and tilted down as he looks at me. I don’t like the way he is watching me. His lips press together in a line as he exhales slowly. Pity is never a good expression to see on anyone’s face. A piece of paper is held between his fingers.
With an outstretched hand, I take the sheet of notebook paper from his hands. Taking my time, I read the letter word for word.
My stomach plummets as I drop the letter. It floats to the ground while I take off running to Bret’s door. Her white door is standing open, which is my first clue. Moving around her room, I look for Spalding—her basketball—if he’s gone, she’s gone because there’s no way she’d leave him behind. Bending down, I search below her bed before flinging open her closet doors. Gaps with empty hangers capture my attention before I trail my eyes over her haphazard floor.
All the color drains from my face as my knees buckle. I don’t fight the pull as I drop to the ground. A hand grips my shoulder, but I barely feel it. My heart has been ripped from my chest along with my soul.
She’s gone.
Crew: Rebel, come home. Baby, please, everything is going to be okay. Please just come back.
Crew: Good morning, beautiful. I feel like I’m living a nightmare with you gone. Nothing is the same without you. Please just talk to me.
Crew: Please just talk to me. Tell me how we fix this. I love you, Rebel.
JP: The apartment is a total sausage fest without you. Miss you, baby girl.
Tyler: Take the time you need to focus on yourself, Bret. You’ve been through a lot of dramatic shit. Prioritize your meditation and find your inner peace. I miss my cooking buddy.
Chloe: Hey, girlie. I’m here if you need anything.Love you!
Staring around the dark gray walls of my teenage room, I clutch the teddy bear I’ve had for years, seeking the comfort it once gave me as a scared child. I’m transported back to a time when my insecurities were less tragic. When my biggest concern was how many points I’d score in my basketball game or what we were doing Friday night after school.
Now I feel like a lost little girl trapped in the space that once offered me solace, haunted and at war with my inner demons. The quiet is needed to think, but it’s only made those demonic voices louder. It’s suffocating, squeezing my lungs in its powerful grip. My thoughts wage war with each other, swarming like angry bees, stinging my doubts with questions I can’t answer.
