When I left the kitchen and entered my bedroom, I flipped on the light, closed the door and crossed the room to my wardrobe. I flung it open and grabbed the first items of clothing I could get my hands on. That ended up being a pair of black leggings and a white hoodie with the name of Risk’s band, Blood Oath, designed to look like it was spray-painted across the front in black.
I didn’t even stop to search for a T-shirt or bra to wear under my hoodie, I simply grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and stripped out of my pyjamas then put on the clean clothes. I grabbed an old pair of blue Vans and slid my bare feet into them then tied the laces up tight. I grabbed a hair tie from my vanity table and gathered my mess of thick, unruly, curly, waist-length auburn hair and piled it to the top of my head and tied it into an ugly bun. I didn’t pause to perfect the look; I didn’t care about my appearance.
I grabbed my phone as I went into my bathroom and called Risk, putting it on speaker as I washed my face and brushed my teeth. The phone rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up. I rinsed my mouth out with water followed by mouthwash as my call went to voicemail instead.
“Hey,” the husky, deep voice of the boy I loved filled the quiet room. “Sorry I missed your call. I’ll hit you back when I have a sec.”
When the tone beeped I said, “Risk, answer your phone. My mum was in a car accident, I’m going to the hospital with Dr O’Rourke. Please. I need you.”
I ended the voicemail and instantly tapped on his name again. I took the phone off speaker and put it to my ear as I left the bathroom, then made my way into the kitchen where Dr O’Rourke was still sitting at my table, drinking what was by now likely to be a cold cup of tea. Risk’s voicemail played again in my ear. Annoyed, I ended the call before I could leave another message and sent him six back-to-back texts asking him to call me as soon as he could.
“I’m ready.” I grabbed my bag from its hook. I checked it had an inhaler inside and once I saw it did, I closed it and grabbed my keys. “Let’s go.”
Dr O’Rourke rose to his feet and, wordlessly, we left my home and headed to his car that was parked out front. We both hurried to get inside as the ice-cold breeze of the January winter night curled around us. It didn’t help that it was drizzling either. As soon as I buckled my seat belt, I said, “We need to stop off at Mum’s house to get her clothes and—”
“I went there before I came here.” Dr O’Rourke interrupted as he buckled his belt and started the car. “I grabbed some underwear, pyjamas and some toiletries. I figured if she needed anythin’ more specific, we could grab it in a few hours when shops open up.”
I nodded and looked down to my phone as he pulled the car onto the main road. Risk still hadn’t replied to me and there was no way in hell I was asking Dr O’Rourke to make a detour to the studio so I could see him. The studio was built right next to May Acton’s parents’ home. He was a member of the band and Risk’s best friend. I rang Risk a few more times. I phoned his friends too, to no avail. I sent him more back-to-back texts and received no response. I began to grow angry with him for not being there when I needed him, but I told myself that he was asleep.
He’d answer my calls and texts otherwise.
“How is Risk’s band gettin’ along?” Dr O’Rourke quizzed as we drove. “What’s the name of it again?”
“Blood Oath,” I answered, appreciating the small talk. “They’re doing really well. They released their first EP last month and they’ve received lots of notice from it. One of the songs off it became really popular on Blink so their fanbase has grown hugely thanks to that. You know the way fanbases have their own names? Well, now so do Blood Oath’s fans. They’re called Sinners.”
“What’s Blink?”
“Just an app used for skits and dances and stuff.”
“Oh, right.”
The conversation died down and we spent the roughly thirty-five minute drive in silence. I was tense the entire journey and I sensed that Dr O’Rourke was too. I had so many questions that needed answering, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask a single one of them because I was too scared of what the answers would be. It had just gone half past six by the time we reached the hospital and parked. It was still pitch black outside, but there were more cars on the road as people began to wake up to start their day by heading to work. Quickly, I sent Risk another text telling him which hospital I was at so he’d know.