He turned back to Blake and the other racers. “Y’all ready?” He made eye contact with each racer, who both nodded their heads in unison. “Let’s do it!” he shouted then moved to the sidelines.
Jungle Jim, the race master, moved the stand in front of the cars as they revved their engines. He inched each car forward until he was satisfied then ran three steps backward before raising his arm lightning fast and clicking the flashlight on.
Both cars peeled off instantly. The Impala bounced up and down a few times before gaining traction. Blake’s start was flawless as he pulled out two car lengths in front of the other car. The Impala’s engine grew louder, a sound that meant he was giving it all he had. Just as he was catching up to Blake’s Nova, his wheels turned to the right. The driver over-corrected by pulling the car to the left, which proved to be a huge mistake. He was so close to Blake that he clipped the back end of the Nova, causing Blake’s car to spin out for what seemed like eternity. Front end, back end, round and round until he was sliding across the grass and slamming into a giant tree. The crowd roared in panic as pandemonium ensued.
“Oh my God!” I screamed while running forward. With each step, I felt ill, dreading what I might find when I reached him, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop moving, determined to get there as fast as possible.
“Blake!” I cried as I navigated my way through chunks of car parts that were scattered in every direction. “Blake!” I knew people were running alongside me, but I didn’t look to see who they were. My eyes were fixed straight ahead.
The Nova had landed facing upright with the passenger door pressed against the tree. Several people had already made it to the driver’s side window.
“Fuck! Call an ambulance,” someone yelled.
“Jones! Can you hear me?” another person shouted. “I can’t get the door open!”
I was almost to the wreckage when a large body stepped in front of me with arms outstretched. I looked up to see King staring down at me with a grim face.
“Don’t go over there.” The look of sympathy in his eyes was like a shot to the gut. Blake was hurt badly. The seriousness of it all finally sank in.
“What? No, no, no!” I cried. Jonna suddenly appeared, wrapping her arms around me as I slumped to the ground.
“Shh, shh,” she soothed as she followed me down to the warm asphalt. I stared at the crowd in front of Blake’s car. I couldn’t see anything, but maybe that was a good thing. Several minutes later, an ambulance raced down the road and Fox waved them over to the wreckage. Soon after, flashing blue light
s made their way down the path. Most of the racers had already begun to disperse. Cops and racers didn’t mix well, no matter the circumstances.
I watched in pure terror as the rescue squad tried to free Blake from the car. The crunching of metal as they pried the door away filled my ears along with medical commands that were called out as the EMTs worked. Blake’s limp body was finally lifted onto a stretcher in one piece, thankfully. His eyes were closed and his face was covered in blood. I’d never felt that level of agony before and my stomach convulsed. I pulled away from Jonna and began to vomit uncontrollably. It was all too much. I felt like I was dying.
“Tayia,” Jonna said softly. “Pull it together, babe. Adam and I will take you to the hospital, okay?”
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and nodded. The whole way to the emergency room, I must have made a million bargains with God, with myself, and the man in the moon. I would have done anything it took if it meant he would be okay.
My poor, beautiful Blake.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sitting in the waiting area was pure torture. The cold, sterile room was filled with people who had no idea that my life felt like it was ending. Women holding crying babies, an elderly man coughing with an oxygen mask attached to his face, a woman in a wheelchair with a foot elevated on one of the chair’s rests, two teenagers chattering, and a boy playing a game on his hand-held device. None of them had any clue the misery I was feeling.
Jonna was sitting next to me as I rested my head on her shoulder while Brando sat on my opposite side in silent support. King was in the chair next to his wife, leaning with his forearms resting on his knee and his head lowered. Fox was standing against the wall while Harley whispered to him, and Neil paced the floor anxiously.
“Excuse me,” Harley spoke as she stepped over to the reception desk. “Is there any new information about Blake Jones?”
The receptionist looked up with blank eyes and a fake smile. “And who are you to the patient?” she asked expectantly.
“I’m his . . . ah . . . friend,” Harley replied and wound her fingers nervously. Friends was something Harley Wyatt didn’t have a lot of. She and Blake had grown quite close over the past few months. It was a friendship that sometimes made me jealous because it reminded me of how he and I used to be with each other.
“Sorry, I can only give information to immediate family members.”
“Oh, Tayia is right here!” Neil shouted as he pointed a finger to me. “This is Tayia Jones. Blake’s sister.”
My heart seized for a moment at the reference, just as it normally did, but it was honestly the first time I was grateful to be called that.
“Oh?” The receptionist shifted her bored eyes to me. “Ma’am, are you his sister?”
“Y-yes,” I stammered and nodded.
“Okay, I’ll call the doctor.”
The wait felt like an eternity until a gray-haired man stepped through the double doors and made his way over to us.