Page 45 of Rise & Fall

“Shit, sorry.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault. It was kind of a freak accident to be honest with you.” I simplify my feelings about the situation a bit, remembering how I spent about a year in therapy for how depressed it made me before I took off to start a life of my own.

I think I made it a bigger deal because I’d never experienced any kind of loss like that. And though death is a big deal as it is, I had to come to the realization that there was literally nothing I could have done to prevent it.

“Do you mind me asking what happened?” Nolan’s bamboo and mint scented cologne mixes with the wind and whiffs past my nose.

We’re not close enough to touch, but I can still feel him on me and smelling him makes it that much more intimate.

“Yeah, he—”

Suddenly, with the sound of a thud, we’re interrupted as everyone gasps. I look over to see that my mom has collapsed.

Dexter barely catches her before she hits the ground.

“Mom!” I rush toward her, nearly knocking over the gifts on the table next to them.

I look around and I’m thankful the girls had already run off back to the park.

“Mom, are you okay?” Dexter gets her back up to standing, her eyes are open but they flutter dizzily.

“I just need to sit down,” she manages as she lowers herself onto the nearest bench.

“Water?” I request in a frenzy. I drop down to my knees in front of her. Dexter is sitting at her side. “Mom, can you hear me okay?” I don’t know the protocol for this, I don’t even know whatthisis? Is this another stroke? Is it worse? Is she just dizzy?

“Here.” I look up to a bottle of water being handed to me. I open the cap as calmly as possible and put it to my mom’s mouth. Dexter takes the bottle to assist her.

The other parents have all branched out to gather their kids, probably knowing that now is the time to go home. And perfect timing, because the dark clouds are tumbling in and thunder cracks through the sky.

“We need to get her to the hospital,” Dex says. And on instinct, the first pair of eyes I search for are Nolan’s but it doesn’t take long for me to find them because he’s standing right by my side, realizing that he’s the one who handed me the bottle of water.

“I’ll meet you at the car,” I tell Dex before getting up, making sure my mother can stand okay.

“Go,” Nolan says without any hesitation. I turn to look at him, tears threatening to break.

“You sure?”

“I’ve got this. I’ll clean this up and you can meet me back at my place when you’re done. I’ve got Em. Go.” I’m overcome with emotion as I hang on to his words.I’ve got this.I know it’s not an option, I’ve gotta go be with my mom. Life is short. I know that. But it hurts knowing that I have to leave Em behind.

But I look into Nolan’s deep brown eyes and I feel it…trust. I can trust him with my little sister while I go take care of what I moved back here for…our mom.

I lean up on my tiptoes and pull his lips to mine, not really knowing why I do it, but it happens and before I can manage to process anything else. I look back at Dex who’s got my mom halfway to the car.

“Thank you,” I whisper to Nolan before grabbing my mom’s car keys and our bags, sprinting to the car just as the rain lets loose.

thirteen

Nolan

Ittookaminuteto clean up the mess at the park, and the rain came pouring down all at once, which didn’t help the teeth-chattering of girls who were eager to go home.

I worried about her all night, paced for a few beats before I said goodbye to people I didn’t know, finishing off hosting a party that I didn’t throw. While I threw the remnants of popped balloons in the trash, she was on my mind. While I loaded the girls into the truck and, even now, getting everything inside and starting a movie for the girls, it isheron my mind.

I settle in on the couch next to the girls. Aria on my side, and Emsley next to her. I put on the new live-actionLittle Mermaidand the girls giggle and aw as they watch the movie, snuggled in blankets and the fire burning in front of us.

Nearly an hour goes by and I’m still watching the movie, but the girls have dozed off. I think about whether or not I should turn off the TV and take them to Aria’s room, or if I should just sit here and watch Ariel have her poor unfortunate soul taken from her, only for a small chance at love.

But I’m half relieved when I hear a faint knock on the front door.