Face of the Wave by Jordan Ford

Author:Jordan Ford [Ford, Jordan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jordan Ford Books
Published: 2019-04-12T04:00:00+00:00

32

Punchy Words

JED

The buzz of my phone takes a moment to register. It breaks through my sleep, calling to me with its incessant rhythm.

“My phone,” I mumble, smacking my lips together and nearly rolling over, until I realize what I just said. “My phone!”

I jerk awake, snatching it off the nightstand.

I added Skylar to my Favorites on Monday night, so no matter what time she called, my phone would ring. I said I’d be there for her anytime, night or day. I meant it.

And now she’s calling me, so sleep is a thing of the past.

I swipe right and murmur, “Skylar?”

“Talk to me. Please… just say… anything. I need to hear your voice.”

She’s crying and I’m instantly alert. “Skylar, what’s wrong?”

“I need… you… to talk to me.” Her words are coming out punchy, caught on erratic, uneven breaths. “I need you to… take it… away.”

“Take what away?”

“The dream. The… nightmare.”

“Okay, okay,” I soothe, noting her uptick in pitch and ragged sob. “You had a nightmare?”

“I’m scared,” she whispers.

I throw my covers off, swiveling around so my feet touch the floor. “Why are you scared? Are you in danger right now?”

She sniffs.

“Where are you?” Standing tall, I start searching for my clothes in the dark. I don’t want to turn on the light and disturb anybody, but in the end, I click my bedside lamp on.

“I’m standing by the window.”

I go still, remembering what Savvy told me about finding her best friend sitting on the roof. “How close are you to the edge?”

She’s silent for a beat, then whispers, “You think I jumped?”

“I don’t know what you did. I just want you to be safe. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. From the first time I saw you lying in that bed, I wanted you to be safe.” She sniffles and I force myself to keep going. “You used to cry sometimes in your sleep. When no one else was around. It was like your brain was waiting for you to be alone, so you could let it out.”

After a shaky breath, she eases my nerves. “I’m downstairs in the guest room, but my duvet cover is the same.”

She starts to cry, and I’m confused by what she’s saying.

What’s her duvet cover got to do with anything?

“Did I say anything? In my sleep?”

I close my eyes. “Sometimes you’d murmur, but I could never hear what you were saying. You were upset, though, afraid, but I couldn’t figure out why.”

“You think I was pushed?”

“I don’t know. I think something or someone drove you to that pier. Whether they did it physically or emotionally, I’m not sure.”

She starts to cry then, gut-wrenching sobs that make me want to hold her and tell her it’ll be okay. Shit, I hope I didn’t say the wrong thing. I run a hand over my head, scrambling to come up with better words.

“Skylar, it’s gonna be okay,” I murmur.

She stops crying, cutting off the sound with an abrupt sniff. “Can you sneak out?”

“What?”

“I want to see you. I need to see you.

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