35. Olivia
Olivia
The lump in my throat slides down like glass the moment I step through the automatic doors of Greenwood Memorial Hospital. Fuck I hate this place with a burning passion. Any hospital, for that matter.
The sharp, sterile air hits my nose, bringing so many memories to the forefront of my mind. But I shake them away for now. I can’t fall into the past when I need to be present for this adventure.
My eyes dart around the packed hospital lobby.
Some have tears in their eyes. Some smile and greet one another with a laugh and recognition.
Others mourn quietly in the corner, like a man in a long trench coat with a brimmed hat, resting his back against the wall, slowly talking to another man with his back to the rest of the world.
Grief seems to eat up their posture, but they don’t show it outwardly.
Well, maybe they are, but I can’t exactly see their faces to confirm.
The noise level amps up around me, echoing off the tall ceilings of the hospital lobby.
More people pile in, heading to get tests done on their own health.
God, I hate this place.
Don’t focus on the other people, Olivia.
Focus on your breathing that’s heaving out of control.
Focus on your heart, determined to leap out of your chest and fall on the floor.
Fuck. I’m alive. I’m here. Breathing. Heart beating.
And somewhere within these hospital walls, there’s a soul on the edge of reality.
Simon perkily yaps at my side, none the wiser to my mental freak-out, clinging to the bag holding the contraband that Wade requested this morning when he texted us he was lonely and wanted rocky road ice cream to soothe the ache in his arm. I don’t blame him. Ice cream does cure all.
It’s been a few days since Wade was stabbed.
He has to be stir crazy by now, sitting up here as the world passes him by.
Simon and I immediately left our dorm the night he texted and came to his bedside.
It was an awful sight. Wade was barely conscious from the pain meds the doctors had given him after admitting him for observation for a few days after cleaning the stab wound in his upper arm.
He’s lucky whoever attacked him didn’t break any bones or cause any major damage.
What a damn night.
We stayed until the nurses kicked us out.
Simon was in tears at the thought of another one of his roommates getting hurt or possibly killed.
As for me? I’m suspicious as fuck about everyone around us.
Wade is the dean’s son. If anyone should be protected more than us, it’s Wade.
So how the hell did he get himself stabbed walking home from a date? Is this how they collect their organs?
Only time will tell. And hopefully I’m the one to solve this bullshit.
“Wade’s going to be so pleased we got him this,” Simon chortles, as we grab our visitor badges from the welcome desk and make our way toward the main elevators. He shakes the bag a few times, grinning from ear to ear.
“Ice cream bright and early in the morning. Breakfast of champions,” I say, hitting the elevator button, and it automatically pops open.
“Skipping class was so worth this,” Simon snorts as we step into the elevator. “My professors didn’t blink an eye when I said I was in mourning over Wade’s attack. Told me to take a few days and collect myself. So noble of them.”
Yeah, it was worth it for him, maybe. I’m still in deep shit with my grades. I’m not failing every class right now, thanks to the blood drive. But they’re still in the red for my supposed scholarship. JJ better fix my grades soon, or I’m going to pull all my hair out from the stress of it all.
Simon’s expression drops again, and he shakes his head.
The same worry he’s had hanging over his head since we got the text about Wade shadows his expression.
Then, a short time later, we got the urgent SlamApp notification pushed to everyone on campus.
The photos of the girl I instantly recognized from her missing poster moved across my screen.
Meredith. Malic’s sister. The pictures of her lying on a bed with bright makeup and a deathly still face continue to haunt my memories.
Another innocent person taken too soon and put onto social media for clout and attention.
But as quickly as they appeared on the app, they were wiped away with no trace.
It’s a good thing I took screenshots and sent them straight to Jonathan and Carter for information.
“First Dane. Then Wade? And then the girl? Are we next, Oli?” There’s a hint of terror in his quiet voice as his eyes inspect mine.
“Oh, my God. We might be,” he frantically whispers, gripping my arm and audibly swallowing hard.
“You heard what Wade said. He was walking home and bam! He got stabbed, and they tried to get him into a dark van. Maybe they went after that girl next! Oh my God, Wade could have been a feature on the SlamApp.” He shakes his head.
“They’re picking us off one by one,” he whines, spiraling deeper into the anxiety that has plagued him since that night.
“We’re next. I feel it,” he whimpers now, squeezing his eyes shut.
“Si,” I say, gently taking his arm and forcing him to look directly into my eyes. “They probably saw an opportunity to grab someone from the school. They aren’t targeting us, okay?”
At least, I hope not. But I try to sound reassuring as he puffs a few breaths between his lips, expanding his cheeks.
He nods. “Yeah. I know. You’re probably right.
But I can’t help but think about it. It makes me rethink ever leaving our dorm again.
” He shudders. “And I have so many fun things planned this year.” That familiar grin crosses his face again, and I know exactly what—or should I say, who—he’s thinking about.
I smile his way, not exactly feeling it as the nerves slowly eat away at me.
The low hum of the elevator climbing the floors of the hospital comes to an end as it stops on the fourth floor.
Time to face the hospital again. What a joy that will be.
At least here, I could pretend for a few minutes that I was fine in this tiny elevator, distracting myself with Simon’s words.
But as the doors slowly open, revealing a small nurses’ station and checkered flooring, I remember exactly where I am.
The scent of disinfectant and bleach fills the air as the nurses chatter with one another and peer up at us as we stand inside the open elevator.
“Yeah, we can’t sit out because some lunatic is on the loose, Si. We have to keep doing what we’re doing. Keep living our lives like normal people.”
And I mean that we can’t let whoever is after the students of Greenwood affect us to the extent of locking ourselves up.
We’ll have to use caution, of course. Nowhere is entirely safe.
Although I have to keep an eye out for them, I can still do my job as an investigator.
Even though this case was 100 percent not on my radar.
But everything about this town is on my radar now. Franco. His suspicious heirs. The murderer. The organ stealers. Fuck. That’s so damn much.
Once we step out of the elevator, Simon returns to his former self, leaving his terror as the doors close behind us. He’s giddy now, talking about Daniel and their plans for a dinner date tonight in the next town over, and how they’ll be extra safe going to and from the fancy restaurant.
“Daniel even said we should grab a hotel,” Simon blushes a deep red.
“And I think… You know what, I think I’ll do it.
” He suddenly whips his face toward me. “Will that be okay, Oli? If I leave for a night? Maybe I shouldn’t.
It’s too risky, isn’t it? What if they find me at the hotel?
What if they take my kidneys and leave me in a bathtub full of ice?
Oh, shit,” he whimpers again, shaking his head.
“No. No! You’re right, Oli. I have to live for today and not worry about these maniacs in the shadows.
” He nods a few times and then looks to me for reassurance with big eyes.
I’m not sure when I became the voice of reason, but I won’t let him get held back because he’s scared.
I smirk. “I can fend for myself, Si. I promise. You have a fabulous romantic night with Daniel. You’ll be safe there,” I say, gently squeezing his arm.
It’s not that I want to kick my roommates out.
Not exactly. Simon is the best. And Wade?
Well, he’s a nice guy. But with Simon and Wade out of the dorm, I’ll be free to roam around the place without my binder, which I’m getting more used to by the second.
It’s almost second nature to wrap my boobs into oblivion.
But it does feel nice to shed my disguise at night when no one is looking and roam around in the nude. Well, if I wanted to, anyway.
“Are you sure?” he hums, bumping his shoulder into mine. “We can totally come back to the dorm…” He trails off, scrunching his nose, and I know exactly what’s going through his mind. He won’t have any privacy there to do whatever he and Daniel want.
“Nope! You two have fun. Don’t worry about me. I’ll survive.” No matter what. I’ll always survive. Everything. Even this place. The people. Everything in between.
“You’re a good friend, Oli,” Simon sighs, getting his phone out. “Looks like we’ll leave around four, go to dinner, have some wine, and then go back to a hotel suite.” A frown pulls at his lips. “Oh, boo. Looks like it’s going to rain. Hard. How weird. It never rains here, let alone storms.”