Chapter 4
At the hospital, my family and Jackson’s mom had only minor injuries and quickly regained consciousness.
Only Jackson’s dad, who had been at the point of impact, was still in the emergency room with an unknown condition.
Jackson’s mom cried while trying to call him again.
“Where has Jackson gone? Why isn’t he turning his phone on?!”
I let go of my mom’s hand and took out my phone.
Opening Facebook, I saw the poster continuously updating:
[OMG he just totally gave me the sweetest head pat after I told him how I feel!!!]
[Transferred senior year and fell hard for him right away. Caught him checking me out before finals.]
[Asked him today if he wanted to go to college with me in Chicago after we submitted our apps!]
[He didn’t say yes exactly but the way he looked at me? He’s SO into me!]
I replied to her post:
[Tell Jackson to turn on his phone and contact his family RIGHT NOW. His parents were in a car accident. His dad is in critical condition.]
The comments section exploded:
[Wait… is this that childhood friend?]
[Seriously? They just had this romantic moment and now his parents crash? Seems sus…]
[Girl, take it from someone who’s been there-a guy who can’t make up his mind isn’t worth it!]
Morgan posted a photo of Jackson smiling at the camera while holding an orange.
[Why use these manipulative tactics? If his family wasn’t pressuring him, he wouldn’t even want to talk to you.]
[Now you’re cursing his parents? Aren’t you afraid he’ll turn against you when he sees how toxic you’re being?]
Desperate, I took a photo of the hospital and uploaded it.
[This is all real! We’re at Presbyterian Hospital right now. Tell Jackson to come IMMEDIATELY!]
When I clicked send, a notification popped up:
[Unable to send message.]
Morgan had blocked me.
Staring at that message on my phone, I suddenly found the whole situation absurdly laughable.
A doctor rushed out speaking rapidly and urgently.
“The patient has intestinal perforation with contents leaking into the abdominal cavity. We need to operate immediately. Depending
on what we find, we may need to remove severely damaged sections of intestine…”
Chapter 4
“I’ve explained the necessity, procedure, and risks of the surgery. Do you understand? If you have no questions, please sign the informed consent form.”
Jackson’s mom turned deathly pale, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
“1…”
My parents, standing beside her, quickly supported her from both sides.
My dad hastily agreed: “Yes, we’ll sign it.”
He anxiously called Jackson’s mom by name until she regained focus, then thrust the pen into her hand, pointing at each place she needed to sign page by page.
Anger building in my chest, I quickly found the number for Jackson’s best friend.
As soon as he answered, I cut straight to the point.
“You know Morgan Dew, right? Do you have her number?”
His laughter abruptly stopped. After stammering for a moment, he finally said:
“I don’t have her number…”
I interrupted him through gritted teeth.
“Jackson’s parents were in a car accident half an hour ago. His dad is in critical condition right now!”
“If you don’t want him to live with lifelong regret, find Morgan! Jackson’s phone is off, but I’m CERTAIN he’s with her.”
His friend stuttered in shock.
“A-a-accident?”
“Riverside Drive. Two cars collided and exploded. It’s probably searchable online by now. Tell Jackson to pull his shit-filled head out of that girl’s lap before it’s too late to fix this!”
With that, I hung up irritably.
Looking up, I found Jackson’s mom staring at me in shock.
“What girl’s lap? Ava, where is Jackson?”
