Way to focus on the important things, Briar.
“You ready?” Asher asks as he rushes down the stairs, Sawyer and Cole right behind him.
I blink at him, realizing that everyone’s coming with me, and nod. I don’t have the energy to argue about having an entire fucking entourage of people with me right now. I just want to get to Penn and find out what the hell happened to our friend.
Everyone’s watching me and it takes a second to realize that they’re all watching me like I’m about to break.
Ha.
They have no idea.
“Yeah, I’m ready.”
“I’m driving,” Travis states, his tone brokering no room for argument. I don’t really care who drives as long as I get to the dorm quickly.
I’m ushered outside by Sawyer and end up in the back seat of Travis’s Range Rover squished between the twins. One thing I will give Travis, he doesn’t fuck around in a crisis. He’s calm, level headed, and drives like a bat out of hell.
Before I even get time to really think over the fact that Serena is dead, we’re pulling up outside the dorm building. There are police everywhere, but we manage to get inside and up to my room after answering a dozen questions and proving that my room is my room.
Pretty sure we would’ve had more questions if Cole and Travis weren’t with us. They really are like royalty in Serenity Falls.
“There you are!” Penn gushes when I enter our room. Connor is sitting on her bed, where I’m guessing she just jumped up from. I hug her back and the guys filter into the room around us. All of a sudden the space feels a little suffocating.
“What happened?” I ask her as I break the hug.
“I’m not entirely sure yet. I got home and saw all the police, and then I found Charli crying in the back of an ambulance. They’ve blocked off where they found her body behind the building, but that’s all I know so far.”
I squeeze her hand, watching as she swallows and blinks, obviously trying not to cry.
I look over at Travis who already has his phone in his hand. He and Cole seem to have a silent conversation and both stand. “We’ll go see what we can find out.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely, though I have no idea how they’re going to find anything out. Then again, royalty.
“I need to go and see Charli,” Penn mumbles as she starts putting clothes into a duffle. “I’m going to stay with Connor for a few nights.”
“Okay,” I respond, nodding.
I should probably feel something, especially since the shock has worn off, but I’ve always dealt with death a little weird.
Well, ever since Iris anyway.
Nope, not going there right now, Briar.
She hugs me before she leaves with Connor, who smiles sadly at me before the door closes behind them, leaving me with the twins.
“I should change,” I say, heading into my closet and grabbing a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, some underwear, and a pair of Converse. I showered last night, so I don’t worry about that and just get changed, not bothering with the screen since they’ve both seen me very much naked anyway.
“You’re coming to stay with us,” Asher says, matter-of-factly. “At least for a few days until Penn is back.”
I nod, knowing that it’s not worth the argument, and grab my suitcase from under the bed, throwing in an array of clothes. “You sure the other’s aren’t going to mind? I can just go back and stay with Mom and Chase.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sawyer scoffs, cracking his knuckles. “There’s no way you’re staying in that museum of a house. Not when you can stay with us, be close by for class, and where we can make sure you’re safe.”
Warm fuzzies fill my chest, but I refuse to trust them. Warm fuzzies usually just lead to a swift kick in the girl parts followed by a lot of tears.
Absolutely not.
Wow, my brain is fully trying to not think about Serena and what happened to her.