Free Impossible by Komal Lewis Page A

attention. “Whoa, Ash, what the hell’s going on?” The car swerved as Luca pulled over and quickly unbuckled my seat belt. “Ash, calm down! You’re giving yourself a panic attack!”
    I tried to do as he said, but I couldn’t manage it. In my head, brakes squealed and tires skidded. Images of blood and a lifeless body flashed through my mind. Hot tears rolled down my face, and I couldn’t stop them—I didn’t know how. This hadn’t happened to me in years. Today it had happened because of Luca—because he’d been the one to ask.
    I felt only blackness, like my body was shutting down. My head was getting dizzy as I tried to take deep gulps of air. But it wasn’t working; I couldn’t slow down the feeling. My chest was tight and constricted in pain. I was losing myself.
    Firm hands grabbed me by the shoulders. “Breathe, Ashy, just breathe.”
    I found his green eyes and, using them as an anchor to hold on, felt my breathing slowing down. There was something about him that made me relax. He had brought this about and only he could stop it.
    I focused on every breath—In. Out. In. Out—until, finally, I felt calmer.
    Luca exhaled, relief passing over his face, as he slumped back in his seat. “Ash, what the hell is going on with you? What did I say to make you react like that?”
    “I don’t want to talk about it. Just take me to school,” I said, wiping away my tears.
    “Ash.” The concern in his voice was killing me. I wanted to be far away from him, to forget this ever happened. “Talk to me.”
    “I have nothing to say to you! Take me to school now!”
    Luca swore and sped the rest of the way to school. I was too overwhelmed to tell him to slow down. I just wanted to get to school and lose myself in the crowd. For once, I just wanted to disappear.
    When we were around the corner from school, Luca slammed on the brakes. He turned to look at me, and I could tell he wanted to say something. Despite the animosity we held towards each other, I could tell he still cared about me. That’s what hurt me the most—that he really cared.
    Before he could say anything, I wrenched open the door and jumped out. “This never happened.”

Chapter Ten
     
    Luca
     
    All day I’d been thinking about Ashton. She was driving me insane. First, she’d acted like a total snob. The next, we’d be sharing a moment where I didn’t want to bite her head off. And now, after her panic attack in the car, I could not figure her out. I’d been racking my brain all day trying to make sense of what I’d said to make her react that way. I’d asked her a simple question and she’d nearly had an emotional breakdown. What the hell was going on with her?
    Then there was the photo of my dad she’d had in her pocket. The only reason she’d take that photo was because she missed the old days. Missed my dad and, maybe, missed me. Despite, the tough exterior she tried to put on, it was becoming obvious she was broken inside. There was a vulnerable side to her, and if I pushed enough, maybe it would come out.
    “Hey, man,” Riley said, joining me at our usual spot on the wall. “What’s going on?”
    I shrugged as I downed my can of soda. “Nothing much. We jamming at mine today?”
    “I’m up for it. Just gotta see if Eddie can make it.”
    Riley pulled out two subs from his bag and handed me one. I nodded my thanks and scarfed it down. I hated the shit they served in the cafeteria, and Riley’s mom made the best food. She always gave Riley extra food for me and I wasn’t one to refuse.
    There’d been a time, before Dad’s death, when Momma used to make me lunch, but now she was lost in her own world. She was slowly getting better though. She’d gone back to work a few years ago and seemed to use that as a distraction from thinking about Dad. Some days you couldn’t even tell there was anything on her mind, weighing her down. Those were the days I lived for.
    As if on cue, Eddie entered the courtyard deep in