“I’m scared, Lennon,” she says, tears in her eyes. Maddie gives her a hug, and I pull them both into my side.
“I know, Soph. We love you and will protect you, okay? Hunter, Mason, Liam are all on your side too.”
“Just don’t say anything yet, okay? I’d rather just move my stuff out when he’s sober, tell him it’s over, then if he doesn’t take it well, we’ll get the cops involved.” Sophie wipes under her eyes, careful to her right eye that’s swollen.
“You aren’t doing it alone, though,” I tell her, and we compromise.
After a few minutes, I decide to change the subject and cheer her up. “So I have some news to share…” My words get cut off by a commotion of people running and police sirens.
“What the hell is that?” Maddie says, racing toward the door.
Sophie and I follow, speed walking behind her. There’s a crowd of people huddled by the exit doors. I spot Hunter and Liam, their outfits and hair are a mess, and as soon as Hunter makes eye contact with me, the look of distraught makes me panic. I’ve never seen him this shaken up before, which says a lot, considering the shit we’ve been through.
“What happened?” I ask, noticing at least a half dozen squad cars. Police officers are instructing people to stay back as they run yellow caution tape around an area.
“Your boyfriend…” Liam snaps at Sophie, his jaw twitching with anger.
“Just tell us what happened!” I shout at him.
“Oh my God,” Maddie screams, jerking our attention to where she’s looking.
Mason’s in handcuffs, his face full of blood, looking like he just got thrown from a tornado. “He’s going to jail?” I shriek. “For what? Fighting?”
Mason might not be as big as Hunter and Liam, but he’s fast and strong, especially since he has years of boxing experience.
“Weston started it,” Hunter says to Sophie, but I can tell he’s shaken up. “Things got heated, and Mason chased him outside so he’d get the hell out of here. Liam and I followed because we didn’t want a scene at my brother’s wedding. Then…” He shakes his head as if he’s struggling to continue.
“Shit hit the fucking fan,” Liam finishes, clamping his hands together behind his head. He stares out at Mason, whose eyes are glazed over, and I want to know what the hell is going on.
“Where’s Weston? Is he getting arrested too?” Sophie asks, glancing around the area in a panic. Squad cars surround the parking lot and I notice two ambulances off to the side. One of the officers says something to Mason and roughly forces him into the back of a car, cuffed.
Sophie tries to look around the crowd of people. She turns and searches my face. “Do you see Weston?”
“Maybe they’re cleaning him up in one of the ambulances,” I suggest, trying to calm her.
“No,” Hunter and Liam say in unison, a tinge of sadness in their tone.
“Soph, he’s…” Hunter pauses to suck in a deep breath. “They tried to resuscitate him, but…”
“What?” Maddie and I gasp. Sophie grabs my arm and holds on to me as if I’m her lifeline.
Before they can explain further, one of the officers approach us, seething. “Better get your friend a good lawyer. We’re taking him in, and we’re going to need some witness statements from you two.”
“What’s he being charged for?” I ask.
I’m so confused. So much is happening at once that I can barely comprehend any of it.
The cop deadpans. “For murder.”