“Shadow, go f**kin help ZZ. I’m good. Just banged up, nothin broken here.” Smokey croaks, and in no time, Shadow is at my side.

I hear bikes and tires squeal.

“It’s brothers,” Shadow murmurs. “Here I’ll cut the seatbelt; you hold her body up so she doesn’t fall.”

“My foot,” She swallows, her eyes opening just a little. “Is stuck… under the pedal.”

I feel someone reach into my back pocket and snag my riding gloves. I look over my shoulder and see a very shaky Winter. She’s putting on my gloves, and she’s white as a ghost. After she puts them on, she moves to the back seat door, and starts crawling through the broken window. She stops in between the two front seats and looks up towards the pedal.

“Ambulance is on their way,” Winter murmurs while reaching up and untying Storm’s shoe. “Sniper and Pyro are standing alert,” she nods in my direction. “I called Braxx; he’s gonna try to get home as quick as he can.”

None of this seems f**kin real right now. It’s like I’m in some kind of f**ked up nightmare.

“ZZ,” Winter snaps.

“What?”

“Shadow needs you to hold onto her tight. I’m gonna hold her upper body up and help lower her into your arms. Don’t f**kin drop her. She’s free of the seatbelt.” She grits her teeth.

I don’t argue with her and say I’m already holding up Storm. I’m a f**kin mess and Winter senses it.

“One… Two… Three,” Winter counts as she starts lowering the bottom half of Storm’s body. As Shadow helps me pull Storm freely outta the car, Winter starts coming out with her legs. Strom’s head ends up in my lap and her legs into Winter’s.

“Shadow go help Smokey,” Winter directs.

I look over at Shadow because Winter shouldn’t have to be directing him, and see his line of sight. I look towards Storm’s legs and see the blood staining through her jeans.

“We live in such a f**ked up world.” He curses, getting up to go help Smokey.

Storm cries out, her hands shakily moving to her stomach while her eyes remain shut. I look towards the sky and grip my cross with one of my hands. I feel two fingers direct my chin back down.

“ZZ, she’ll be okay.”

“No, no she won’t Winter.” I croak out. “Not after this.”

How the f**k could she be okay after this? I try to jerk my chin away, and Winter’s grip tightens on my face.

“She’ll be okay. She’ll get mad, ZZ. She’ll get so f**kin mad; her life, her safety will depend on that anger. Do you get what I’m saying to you?”

“FUCK!” I roar and immediately regret it because Storm whimpers. “I’m sorry, I’m so f**king sorry.” I whisper stroking her hair from her bloodied face.

“Where are those f**king EMT’s?” Winter starts cursing.

***

Chapter 18

Storm

When I woke up in the hospital stiff as hell, I already knew. I already knew I had lost the baby. Call it a mother’s intuition, even though I wasn’t a mother yet. I knew. ZZ hasn’t left my side. In fact, when the doctors were explaining that I underwent a D&C, he held my hand the entire time. I cried; hell, did I cry. But somethings are just out of our control. Something’s are meant to be, and some aren’t. And unfortunately for me, this was one of those aren’t times. I’m not angry. Well okay, that’s a lie. I’m f**kin pissed. Those men were out to kill me and killed half of me instead. Am I gonna turn into a blubbering mess? No. I’ve went through so much bad shit that if I let it control my life, I wouldn’t be living one. I chose to live this life. When Braxxon and Winter found me and offered to send me home free of cost, I chose to stay here. I’d rather be with this family then the family I grew up with. This is the life I’ve chosen for myself, and this is the life I’m gonna live. I’m sure someone from outside lookin in on our world would chastise and criticize us for choosing to live this way and that’s okay; that’s their opinion. The truth people, is that this world isn’t all sunshine, flowers, and rainbows. The people criticizing us and mocking us are just f**kin blind. Blind to it all. Not one inch of this earth has a place that’s perfect. Perfect is a word that some idiot made up to describe a fairytale. And me? I don’t have time for f**kin fairytales. I don’t have time for perfect. I’m not stupid. I won’t waste my time, my life on searching for a damn fairytale. Life is way too short for that shit. All I can do is live the happiest I can with the people I love and I’ll make that my f**king fairytale. That’ll be my perfect.

I reach over and run my sore hand through ZZ’s hair. He’s awake. I can feel it. But his eyes are focused on the door while his head rests on my bed.

***

ZZ

I dare a motherfucker to come through that door. I f**kin dare them. I’m so f**king angry. So f**kin angry, I can’t see straight. She didn’t deserve this shit. She didn’t deserve to have something so new taken from her. And through all that anger, Pyro’s words keep replaying over and over in my head.

“Because she wants you and you want her. That f**kin simple brother. One day, all the decisions you’ve ever made about staying away from her are gonna eat your insides all f**kin up. One day you’re gonna regret it and one day you’re gonna be pissed you didn’t take advantage of that time.”