Chapter 3

I took my plate to the kitchen and dumped everything into the trash, then tossed the wooden doll on top of the heap.

I turned around just in time for Drake to shove a big slice of cake into my face.

"Tim! Why did you turn around?!" he cried with false concern as he tried to wipe my face with a dirty kitchen rag.

"Fuck off!" I snapped, shoving his hand away before feeling my way toward the faucet.

The commotion was loud enough to bring Daphne rushing into the kitchen.

Drake immediately launched into his version of events. "I was trying to hand him his share of the cake, but he bumped right into it and blamed me."

Daphne grabbed me angrily. "Apologize to him. Now!"

"What?! I didn't do anything wrong!" I protested, my eyes darting between the two of them.

My childhood best friend and the woman I had once loved above all else stood right in front of me, yet neither of them remembered that I was allergic to cream.

I tore myself free of her grip and stormed toward the front door, determined to leave.

Two minutes later, however, I came rushing back into Daphne's house.

"Daphne, can you please give me a ride to the hospital?! I didn't drive here, and my mom just fainted!" I pleaded, my hand trembling.

I was short of breath, and I couldn't even tell whether it was from the allergy or the panic.

Daphne's parents lived in the suburbs, and at this hour, there was no chance of getting an Uber.

Daphne didn't share my urgency at all.

"Sure. Apologize to Drake, and I'll drive you," she said calmly.

I turned toward Drake. He was busy recounting his pitiful tale of being bullied to the unsuspecting crowd, even though I was the one who had been mistreated.

My mom's emergency was too important to let this petty drama hold me up, so I quickly walked over to him. "I'm sorry."

"Oh, Tim. How could I possibly be angry at you? We go way back, man! I was only upset that you cursed at me. It really hurt..."

I didn't wait for him to finish yammering. I grabbed Daphne and pulled her out the door toward her car.

The drive was chillingly quiet until she finally spoke. "Listen, I only made you apologize because I know how much this friendship means to both of you. You and Drake have been bros for more than two decades! I don't wanna see you figh—"

"Just focus on the road."

A few minutes later, Drake called.

"Daphne! Daphne! I..." He hesitated. "I didn't wanna bother you, but I... don't have any other friends I can ask for help. Uh... You remember that time you fell down the stairs and I caught you before you tumbled all the way down? I twisted my ankle doing that, and it's getting worse. I can't drive at all!"

The car immediately screeched to a halt.

My head slammed against the windshield.

Daphne got out, came around to my side, yanked open the door, and dragged me out. "Sorry, but you'll have to get to the hospital on your own. Drake's been drinking, and now his twisted ankle is acting up. At the very least, I need to drive him home safely."

Panic surged through me. "B-But my mom..."

Daphne was already back in the driver's seat. She sped away and left me in the dust.

I watched her taillights disappear into the distance.

I had no idea where I was. There wasn't even any cell service. The weak glow of my phone screen was my only source of light; everything around me was almost pitch-black.

Terror seized me.

When I was a child, my parents used to punish me by locking me in the basement. The experience had left a traumatic scar that still haunted me as an adult, and now every hair on my body stood on end.

Daphne had forgotten about my fear of the dark, too.

Back when things were good between us, she had installed automatic night-lights in almost every corner of the house. She even kept a stash of candles and matches just in case, determined to make sure I was never left without light.

Now, that light shone on someone else.

I started running along the road, desperate to reach the freeway.

Half an hour later, a driver finally stopped and offered me a ride to the hospital.

…

When I arrived, the doctor told me, "The patient suffered a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Her condition is critical. We're doing everything we can to save her."

That was all I heard. Then the world went dark.

…

Dawn had barely broken when I finally opened my eyes.

The doctor told me I had suddenly fallen into a coma because of my allergic reaction. If I had gone without medical attention for even a few more minutes, my life could have been in danger.

Fortunately, that wasn't the only good news I received that day.

My mother's operation had been successful. She had survived.

Words couldn't express my relief. I didn't think I could ever forgive myself if I failed to be by her side when she needed me most.