I Don''t Want to Be Friends

  “No.” Madison beamed at him. “It’s Baudelaire—reinterpreted, of course.”

  “Well…” David bumped his cup into hers. “To whatever you just said.”

  He took a long sip and so did Madison, relishing the cool taste. The danger with Mai Tais was that they went down so smoothly; the orange juice made them fresh, and the sugar disguised the rum all too well. Madison soon lost count of how many they’d ordered—but the barman sure seemed to be awfully familiar with them by now.

  Halfway through their umpteenth Mai Tai and borrowed-from-dead-poets toasts, angry shouts distracted them from their drunken mission. Two dudes who looked even more wasted than they did appeared about to start a fight near the pool, just a few feet away from Haley and Scott’s daybed. A tall, bulky guy with blond hair was arguing with another shorter, but equally bulky, brown-haired guy. Chests puffed out, brows set in menacing frowns, they yelled insults at each other. The blond guy was bare-chested, while the shorter guy wore a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt. Each guy had two or three dudes standing behind them, ready to intervene if the fight got serious. Madison didn’t recognize any of them; there were far too many people at the party to know everyone.

  Turning back to David, she asked, “Did you know Blake had so many D-bag friends?”

  David shook his head. “I doubt half the people here are even his friends, but I don’t care if a couple of losers want to beat the hell out of each other. We can just sit back and enjoy the show.”

  A loud crashing sound made Madison look back to the scene. It appeared that Tall Guy had pushed Short Guy into a chair that had capsized, and now Short Guy was returning the favor. Tall Guy stumbled backward, losing his footing. As he flung his arms out in a desperate attempt to stay upright, he sent the entire contents of his glass spilling upward in a wide arc.

  Unfortunately, the arc trajectory ended right on top of Haley. She let out a loud screech and jumped up from the lounger, wiping the sticky liquid from her body as well as she could with her hands.

  In a matter of seconds, Scott was on his feet and marching purposefully toward the now full-fledged brawl—the friends of Short and Tall Guy had joined in the scuffle, pushing each other around and making everyone around them flee. Everyone except Scott, who was almost on them.

  “Unless,” David sighed, “my brother decides to play the hero and enters the melee, in which case…” He dropped his glass on the bar. “I have to help him defend the family’s honor.”

  Haley was now trying to convince Scott to give up his quest, shouting at him to come back, that she only needed a quick shower. But Scott seemed deaf to her pleas. Of course, he would be the knight in shiny armor for the girl he loved.

  Pity that’s not me.

  David seemed to have a less chivalrous assessment of the situation. “What a fool,” he said, pushing off the bar.

  In the time it took David to walk from the cabana to the pool, Scott reached Tall Guy—who, tall as he might be, was still three or four inches shorter than either Williams brother.

  The brawl was still roaring, but Not So Tall Guy had been pushed to the edges, and now he seemed more preoccupied with the newcomer towering over him.

  “You spilled your drink on my girlfriend,” Scott said, with such palpable fury that Not So Tall Guy was quick to go on the defensive.

  “Yeah.” David materialized by their side, taking a menacing stance next to Scott. “Kind of a dick move.”

  Outmatched two-to-one, Not So Tall Guy let go of his boldness rather quickly.

  “Sorry, dude,” he said to Scott. “I didn’t mean to.”

  “You should apologize to her,” Scott said, still visibly furious.

  Not So Tall Guy wasted no time. He waved to Haley, yelling, “Sorry!”

  “It’s okay, I’m fine,” Haley shouted back. “Scott, please come back here.”

  “See, it’s all cool,” Not So Tall Guy said.

  David nodded to his brother and withdrew from the scene. Scott gave Not So Tall Guy one last withering stare, then started retracing his steps as well.

  What happened next went down so fast that Madison took a couple of extra seconds to process it. One moment, Scott was peacefully walking back toward Haley. The next, he was falling into the pool, pushed inside like a human domino piece; two guys had careened into Not So Tall Guy, who, in turn, had fallen backward into Scott—back to back—propelling him into the water. But Scott was already at the edge of the pool and, before he plunged into the water, he hit the back of his head on the stone edge.

  Haley’s scream of terror shook Madison out of her momentary inertia. She dropped her glass and ran forward. David was much quicker to react. With an angered roar, he pushed everyone aside and, without removing his clothes, plunged head-first into the water, which was now tinged with blood, an ominous red nebula spreading from one corner to the rest of the pool. Scott’s body lay unmoving at the bottom.

  Haley

  Haley didn’t realize she was still screaming until Alice wrapped her arms around her and made her stop. They watched together as David disappeared underwater. He resurfaced in a few seconds, dragging Scott’s inert body with him. Jack jumped over a lounger and joined them at the edge of the pool in an eye-blink.

  “Call an ambulance,” Jack screamed back at the girls.

  Haley couldn’t move. She couldn’t do anything; she just stood there, trembling like a leaf, watching as Jack helped David drag Scott’s body out of the water. Alice still had her wits about her and was quick to reach for her phone and call 911.

  David and Jack laid Scott gently on the grass. He wasn’t moving, and gave no sign he was alive. David bent his head sideways, putting his ear close to Scott’s mouth, probably to check if his brother was breathing. The look of utter desperation on David’s face as he straightened sent a chill down to Haley’s core.

  “Damn it!” David screamed, water from the pool mingling with tears streaming down his cheeks. “Don’t you do this to me.”

  He pinched Scott’s nose closed with one hand and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He blew air into Scott’s mouth four times and then, letting go of his nose, checked again for any sign of breathing.

  “Come on, Scott, come on,” David yelled.

  Desperation mixed with sheer determination on David’s face as he pinched Scott’s nose closed again and started puffing air into him again. Halfway through the third breath, Scott’s chest convulsed. David hastily helped his brother roll to the side as he vomited water. Once the spasm was over, Scott lay unconscious and deadly white. David bent his ear to Scott’s mouth a third time and, this time, he straightened up with a crazed smile on his face.

  “He’s breathing. Someone call an ambulance!”

  Jack threw Alice an interrogative stare, and she said, “We already did.”

  Everything happened in a blur next. The paramedics arrived quickly, and put an oxygen mask over Scott’s mouth before moving him onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. David jumped in with them, and Haley watched them go, still too stunned to say or feel anything.

  Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling as she got changed into something clean, and she kept on shivering even though it was eighty degrees outside.

  Alice, the only one of them who had had nothing to drink, drove them all to the hospital in Madison’s car. They left the car in the parking garage and hurried toward the emergency room. Walking inside, Haley was assaulted by an unwelcome déjà vu. Unnatural neon light flashing past, careworn faces, and that typical hospital smell of disinfectant and despair. The same that had clung to her for days after visiting her father at Mercy Hospital in Buffalo. She’d almost lost him less than a month ago, and now she risked losing Scott as well.

  No. Haley clenched her teeth with determination. Scott will be fine.

  They found David pacing barefooted in the general waiting area. His clothes, a light white T-shirt and white board-shorts, left a trail of water droplets behind him and clu
ng to his body like a second skin. He was a portrait of controlled fear: head bent low, gaze trained on the floor, and one hand rubbing his chin in a worried gesture.

  “Man,” Jack said, putting one hand on David’s shoulder. “I’ve brought you a change of clothes.” He produced a small bag Haley noticed for the first time.

  David took the bag and stared at each of them in turn. When his blue eyes settled on Haley’s, it was like staring into a mirror. Pale and weary, David looked as if he’d lost ten years of his life.

  “Where’s Scott?” Haley asked in a trembling voice.

  “They’re running a few tests on him.”

  “Did they tell you anything?” Alice asked.

  David shook his head. “They wouldn’t say much. Just asked me what happened, how he was revived, and then told me they needed to check his wound before they could tell me anything. He’s getting an MRI…” David’s jaw kept twitching as he spoke, and he wasn’t able to stand still. “…or something.” David smiled a bitter smile. “I’m afraid I’ve got no clue what that means. Scott’s the neurosurgeon in the family. But they assured me giving him mouth-to-mouth was the right thing to do. Now we can only wait for the test results.”

  “Man, go put on some dry clothes,” Jack insisted. “We’ll be right here if anyone shows up.”

  David thanked him and disappeared into the closest restroom to get changed.

  The girls sat on a couch nearby. Jack gave Alice a quick hug and then said, “I’m going to the hospital store to see if I can find a pair of shoes for David.”

  Alice kissed his cheek, and they all watched her boyfriend ask a nurse for directions and vanish down a side hall.

  “Thank goodness for him,” Alice said. “He’s the only one who’s thinking straight.”

  Haley nodded, making an effort to stop her lower lip from trembling. Seated in the middle between her friends, she lifted her hands, palms up, silently asking them to hold them. On her left, Alice’s hand was warm and dry; on the right, Madison’s was cold and clammy. Madison hadn’t uttered a single word so far and, from the way she held on to Haley’s hand, she must be just as shaken.

  David came back from the bathroom wearing Jack’s clothes and a deep frown. He stopped in front of them, looking like he was lost in thought.

  “What’s the matter?” Alice asked.

  “I don’t know if I should call my parents.”

  “They would want to know,” Alice offered tentatively.

  “Yeah, but my dad is in Hong Kong for work right now, and I don’t want to scare my mom while she’s home alone… But if it’s something bad and I didn’t call them…” David paused, visibly choked by emotions.

  “How long before the doctors have the MRI results?”

  “A couple of hours.”

  “You can wait to hear what they have to say and then alert your parents,” Alice suggested. “That way you’ll be able to give them better information.”

  “Yeah,” David agreed. “It’s not worth it to scare them.” Then, looking straight at Haley, he added, “Scott will be all right.”

  Haley swallowed and nodded. She wanted to believe David, to share his positive attitude, but not until she spoke to Scott. Not until she saw his green eyes sparkle with life.

  Six

  Haley

  “David Williams?” a young doctor called after a while.

  Haley had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been minutes or hours.

  “Yes, Doctor, I’m here.” David stepped forward.

  “If you could follow me, I’d like to give you an update on your brother.”

  David turned toward the group of people standing behind him. Besides Haley, Madison, Alice, and Jack, now all the guys from the team had joined them in the waiting room. With the school year about to begin, everyone had returned to Boston after summer break, and they’d all come to the hospital. Except for Blake, who had to deal with the police back at the country house since they’d opened an investigation into the accident.

  “Please, Doctor,” David said, “whatever you have to say, I will have to repeat it to them, and I’m afraid I’ll do a very poor job.”

  “All right.” The doctor sighed, clearly not pleased at having such a wide audience. “Your brother suffered a head injury. He needed stitches, but there’s no skull fracture. However, the scans showed a small hematoma we hope will reabsorb on its own. We want to keep him here under observation for forty-eight hours at least.”

  “So, he’s fine?”

  “We’ll only be able to give you a definitive answer once he wakes up. We’ve kept him sedated for now.” Finally, the doctor smiled. “But, yes. Your brother should be out of the woods.”

  Haley let out a long exhale. She felt like she’d been holding her breath for the past few hours, and now she could breathe again.

  “Can I see him?” David asked.

  Haley got up to join him, but the doctor threw her an apologetic glance. “Sorry, it’s only family at this point.” Then, turning to David, he added, “Please come this way.”

  David returned half an hour later with a much more relaxed look on his face. “Scott’s sleeping like a baby,” he said, attempting a joke.

  “When can other people visit him?” Haley asked.

  “Sorry, they’re not letting anyone who’s not family in until tomorrow, or the day after. But you can have a peek through the glass. I’ll show you to his room in a moment. Guys,” David addressed all the people in the visitors’ area. “Thank you all for coming, but you should go home now. There’s no point in waiting here. I’ll text you as soon as there’s news.”

  The announcement was followed by a manly display of affection made of several back slaps, bro hugs, and hand-wrestler handshakes. Soon enough, all the guys had said goodbye and filed out of the hospital.

  When everyone except Haley, Madison, Alice, and Jack had gone, David asked, “Did you guys bring Scott’s phone?” He smiled regretfully. “Mine got toasted in the pool, and I still have to call my parents.”

  “Yeah.” Jack, ever the cool-headed one, fished the phone out of another sack and handed it over.

  David stepped away to have some privacy.

  “You guys should go home,” Haley told her friends.

  “You’re not coming?” Alice asked.

  “No, I’m staying. Even if they won’t let me into his room, I’d go crazy at home. I prefer to be here.”

  David came back a few minutes later, hands shoved in his pockets.

  “How did it go?” Alice asked.

  David puffed his cheeks, blowing out air. “As well as one could expect. My mom will come as soon as she can. She’s calling my father now.”

  “I’m sorry, man.” Jack put a hand on David’s shoulder. “Can we help in any way?”

  “No. Thank you, guys… for everything.”

  “We’re going to go,” Jack said, letting go of David’s shoulder. “Call if you need anything.”

  David nodded and stared at Haley questioningly.

  “I’m staying,” she said.

  After saying bye to everyone else, Haley followed David to Scott’s room. Through the glass, Scott looked pale but serene, lying on the hospital bed with his back kept in a slightly raised position. He wasn’t intubated but had an IV jutting out of his left arm and a gauze bandage around his head that resembled a white tennis player’s headband.

  Haley rested the tips of her fingers on the cold glass. “So the doctors said he’ll be all right.”

  “He will,” David whispered, standing right behind her. “He has to be.”

  “I got so afraid.” Tears she’d been holding back all day finally rushed out. “There was blood everywhere,” Haley sobbed. “If it wasn’t for you, I… I don’t know… I feel like I’m living my life in and out of a hospital. Everyone I care about is getting sick…” She was spinning down a dark rabbit hole of doom and gloom.

  “No one is ge
tting sick.” David pulled her into a hug, and Haley’s nostrils filled with the acrid smell of chlorine, David’s usual scent of summer and the sea washed away by the pool water. “Scott had a dumb accident, but he’s fine. And your dad is fine, too. We got scared today, that’s all.”

  “Scott wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you! The doctor said it, too. You saved his life.”

  “Hey.” David let her go and grinned. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

  “You care about him.”

  “He’s my little brother.”

  “Yeah, but from the way you two act around each other… You always behave as if you hate him.”

  “We have a complicated relationship.” David tilted his head, frowning slightly. “Usually there’s a girl standing in the middle…”

  Haley’s heart skipped a beat.

  “…But Scott is my family. I would never let something bad happen to him. On that note…” David took a step back. “I’ve been told it’s good to talk to unconscious people, helps their brains”—David twirled a finger in the air near his temple—“mend, or stay active, or something. I’ll go check if they have a book I can read to him at the hospital store. Can I leave you at the wheel?”

  “Yeah, I’ll call you if something happens.”

  “Right.” David scratched the back of his head. “Remember to use Scott’s number,” he said, before jogging away.

  He came back about twenty minutes later with a dark-covered paperback and an air of mischief about him. After looking around furtively, he said, “All right, here’s the plan. The doctors are making their rounds in half an hour and the nurses are changing shifts right now. I can cover you for five minutes.”

  “What do you mean?” Haley asked, surprised.

  “As much as I’m sure my suave voice has extraordinary healing powers, I’m positive five minutes of hearing you talk to him will do much better for Scott’s brain than anything else. Come on.” He opened Scott’s door. “I’ll knock when it’s time to come out.”