Page 29 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

Leukemia.

“Watch it,” someone snapped as I staggered through the door into the hall.

“Sofia, wait,” a voice called.

Not any voice.

Cole.

“Go away,” I murmured, right as my stomach churned.

Shit.

Picking up the pace, I staggered toward the front door, spilling out of the frat house with my hand clapped over my mouth.

No, no, no.

Not here, not—

I managed to rush over to a nearby bush just in time to puke up my insides.

“Fucking gross,” someone muttered.

“Take a walk, asshole.” Cole gathered my hair away and gently rubbed my back. “I got you,” he said. “I got you.”

“Ugh,” I retched again, my stomach turning inside out as my body purged itself of all the liquor.

“Fuck’s sake, Sofe,” Aaron shouted from somewhere behind us.

“Babe, not now.” That was Poppy. My best friend. My brother’s girl. God, part of me hated that she had to be loyal to him now.

“Guess I’ll call an Uber,” he grumbled.

“Sorry, I—” Another wave of nausea crashed over me, and I retched into the darkness.

“Somebody get me some water,” Cole said, still rubbing my back. I wanted to tell him to get the hell off me, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure I could stay upright without his steadying hands.

Finally, I stood, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. Cole kept one arm around my waist as he offered me the bottle of water.

“Here,” he said. “Little sips.”

“Thanks.” Shame flooded my cheeks, but I was too out of it to care. Everything was spinning still, the ground uneven beneath me.

“Uber’s here,” someone said, and Cole guided me gently toward our ride.

“How do you feel?” Poppy asked me, and I mumbled some incoherent response.

Truth was, I felt drained. Completely exhausted. I just wanted to get into bed, pull the covers over my head, and forget this ever happened.

Everyone piled into the SUV. Ezra waited, helping Cole get me inside and then Cole climbed in behind.

“Well, that was a fucking shitshow,” my brother muttered.

“Babe, cut her some slack.”

They obviously didn’t realize I could hear them or didn’t care. Cole turned to me and captured my chin in his fingers. “You think you can manage the ride back to the hotel?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.

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