23

23

“Sidney, honey,” Brady said from across his apartment, “he’s here.”

Sidney went to sit up from the couch but found herself so heavy. Her muscles trembled weakly, depleted at the thought of moving her own weight. Her head itself seemed to be packed with lead. Or that was the heaping exhaustion from not sleeping for more than an hour straight in a couple weeks.

Sleep felt like betraying Kendra, but waking up felt even more sinister.

Sidney heard the two sets of footsteps move toward her over the hard floors and wrenched herself upright. Adam smiled at her—gently, cautiously—as he followed Brady. Sidney’s hands swept over the face and hair she had not washed in days. Her cheeks felt tender from the endless flood of tears. She did not even know if she had brought a brush to Brady and Jordan’s apartment.

“I told you I didn’t want you to come,” she said, her voice like gravel in her own mouth.

“Then why did you give me the address?” Adam joked softly.

“Because I knew you would