Chapter 8

Ashton's POV

I sat in the sterile, quiet hospital room, the steady beeping of the machines filling the air as a constant reminder that Parker was still here. He was still alive, though barely. His face was pale, his body unmoving, and the only thing indicating he was still with me was the rhythmic pulse of the heart monitor. I didn't know how many days had passed, maybe even weeks. Time felt irrelevant in this sterile white space.

I stared at the IV running into his arm, my mind wandering. I reached down to scratch at the bite mark on my ankle—Jasmine's mark. Her teeth had left a scar, both physical and emotional, and I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had spiraled out of control ever since she came back into my life.

Where did it all go wrong? My thoughts were consumed with the mess I'd created. Parker lying here because of the chaos I had helped fuel. The guilt gnawed at me. Every action, every choice seemed to have led me here.

It all traced back to them—Emia.

The name echoed in my head like a curse, a whisper in the back of my mind that refused to be silenced.

They were the architect of all this destruction, pulling the strings behind every event. They were the one who sent the video. The one who planted the seed of doubt. 

But it wasn't just them, was it? No, I was complicit. I had played my part. And now, I had to watch my best friend fight for his life in this damn hospital room.

The door creaked open, and I looked up. The same nurse from earlier walked in, clipboard in hand trying to act like it was just another normal day. I didn't have the energy to exchange pleasantries. She checked Parker's vitals and, seeing that I wasn't responding to her attempts at small talk, gave a soft sigh.

"You know," she said, as if trying to offer me advice, "talking to him might help. Letting him know what's going on in the world could pull him back to us. "

I didn't say anything, and she quietly left the room, leaving me alone with Parker again.

I shifted my chair closer to his bedside, my fingers hesitating before finally gripping Parker's hand. His skin was cold, nothing like the warmth I remembered from all those times we'd dapped each other up, thrown arms over each other's shoulders, shoved each other around like brothers did.

I took a breath, but when I opened my mouth, nothing came out. The words were stuck, caught somewhere in my throat, choking me.

I tried again.

"Parker… hey, man." My voice cracked. I swallowed and forced out a dry laugh. "You're missing out on school. Pretty sure Milo's losing his mind without you. Luke, too. They, uh… they keep calling me. I haven't answered."

My grip on his hand tightened.

"I don't know what to tell them," I admitted. "I don't know how to explain that I—" My breath hitched. "That I ruined everything."

I dropped my head, pressing Parker's knuckles to my forehead.

"You were right to hit me," I whispered. "I deserved worse."

My phone buzzed, cutting through the silence.

I ignored it at first, but when it buzzed again, I pulled it out with a sigh, expecting another missed call from Luke or Milo.

Instead, my screen was lit up with a news alert.

Local Teen in Critical Condition After Late-Night Crash—Identity Remains Unknown

I nearly dropped my phone. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat. I skimmed the article, my pulse hammering.

"A high-speed collision on Silverpine Road late Wednesday night has left one individual in critical condition, police say. The victim, an unidentified male teenager, was transported to Mercy General, where he remains unresponsive. Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward."

No names. No details.

No one knew it was Parker.

For a moment, I let out a shaky breath. It meant his parents hadn't spoken to the press. It meant the school didn't know yet. It meant—

"Did you hear about the crash?"

The sound of two nurses whispering just outside the room made me freeze.

"Yeah," one of them said. "Terrible. A kid that young? It's a miracle he even survived."

I clenched my jaw, gripping my phone so tight my knuckles went white.

"Do you think he'll wake up?"

A pause.

"Hard to say," the nurse admitted. "With injuries like that, it's not just the body that has to heal. The brain… sometimes it doesn't recover the same way."

My stomach dropped.

Not recover the same way.

I turned back to Parker, my heart pounding. Would he ever wake up? And if he did… would he ever forgive me?

I shook my head, shoving my phone into my pocket and leaning forward. My voice barely above a whisper, like I was afraid to wake him up just by talking too loud. "Parker... I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry." The words came out choked, like I was fighting something inside me that wanted to break free.

"Parker, man, you gotta wake up," I muttered. "You have to. This… this can't be how it ends."

I exhaled shakily, running a hand down my face.

"If you wake up, I swear I'll fix this," I said, voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know how… but I will."

I didn't expect an answer. I didn't expect him to open his eyes and forgive me on the spot. But I said it anyway, desperate to make things right, even if it felt impossible.

The only sound was the steady, endless beeping of the machine.

"How much longer can I hide from the truth?" I muttered under my breath, clutching my phone tightly.

I sat there for a long while, holding his hand, waiting. But as the minutes dragged on, I found myself growing restless. I pulled out my phone again, scrolling mindlessly. That's when I saw it—another notification. This one from a group chat with Luke and Milo. I hesitated for a moment before opening it.

It was a video. My heart stopped as I pressed play.

It was a grainy shot of the crash scene—the aftermath. The ambulance, the flashing lights, the police cars. In the video, I could see the wrecked car that had once been Parker's. It was surreal. I could hardly recognize it. I could hardly recognize any of this.

There was no mention of me, of course. The media still didn't know who had been involved. But I knew it would only be a matter of time before someone put the pieces together. I could already feel the weight of the consequences hanging over me.

Just as I was about to turn my phone off, another message popped up from Luke in the group chat.

"Isn't this Parker's car?"

My stomach twisted into knots as I stared at the text.

Another message followed almost immediately.

"What aren't you telling us, Ash?"

I put my phone down and took a deep breath. I couldn't avoid this forever.

It was time.