Free Seconds Before Sunrise (The Timely Death Trilogy) by Shannon A. Thompson Page A

eyes, I knew he was tough. He was complicated , too, and I was convinced Eric was simply misunderstood. He was always nice to me, and I couldn’t help but feel the desire to be nice back to him. I wanted to make sure he was okay.
    “D o you see him tonight?” I asked.
    Jonathon’s focus returned to his palette. “I’m planning to,” he said, suddenly refusing to look at me. “Want me to say hi for you?”
    “Can you take me?” I asked, and Jonathon went rigid. My stomach twisted. “I’d like to say hi myself.”
    “I don’t know i f that’s the best idea, Jess,” he said, each word as deliberate as the first.
    “Please,” I begged, touching his arm. “I just want to make sure he’s okay myself.”
    “But—”
    “Please, Jonathon. ” I was desperate for his help. “Please?”
    Jonathon glanced over before staring at his painting, sighing. “I guess I can’t stop you.”
    “Thank you.” I hugged Jonathon without a second thought. He felt like a friend now, and Eric, in a way, had always been one. It would be nice to see them both outside of school, even under the circumstances.
    “You’re welcome,” Jonathon said, tense beneath my arms.
    I let go. “Meet up after school?”
    “I’ll have Teresa take us,” he said.
    “Teresa?”
    “Eric’s—” Jonathon took a moment to breathe. “She’s a family friend, too.”
    The name was like my other memories – familiar, but a migraine. I repeated the name until I got a mental picture of her up on the hill, underneath the willow tree as she talked to Eric. She used to pick him up every day after lunch. “Short, black hair?”
    “You’ve seen her?”
    “I think so,” I said. “Last year sometime.”
    “She has an old , silver BMW.” Jonathon eyed the clock. Class was almost over. “Meet me out front.”
    “Sounds perfect,” I said, standing as bell rang.
     

     
    Jessica
     
    The car door squeaked when Jonathon opened it, and Teresa was already turned around, focused on him. Jonathon’s face turned red.
    “Teresa, this is Jess,” he said, climbing into the passenger seat as I got in the back.
    She was pretty, but she was even prettier close up. Her pale skin was flawless, and her cerulean nails were as bright as her eyes. Behind the black bob, she gawked, and her bottom lip opened up. I expected her to say something, but she only put on her dark sunglasses.
    “She’s coming to the hospital with us,” Jonathon explained.
    “Jonathon—”
    “Not now,” he grumbled.
    I straightened up to peer into the rearview mirror. Teresa was tightlipped until she turned to me. “Hey, Jess.”
    “Hi.”
    “Are you strapped in?” she asked, and I nodded. “Good.”
    She drove away from the cracked curb, and no one spoke. Jonathon turned up the radio to mask the awkward silence.
    I t was fifteen agonizing minutes before we reached the hospital. I got out of her car as quickly as I could and followed them into the giant building. Like most people, I didn’t like hospitals, but I was willing to deal with it if it meant seeing Eric. The rumors made it sound like he would never function again.
    “He’s this way,” Teresa said, seemingly calmer, and we were buzzed into a section I didn’t even see a secretary fo r. I walked behind them, only stopping when they did.
    A middle-aged man stood outside of a room, and I recognized him as Eric’s father. His de meanor was so alike his son’s that I couldn’t forget him.
    “Mr. Welborn.” Jonathon gained the man’s att ention.
    He looked up, and his expression dropped when he saw me. “Jess?”
    “Hi, Mr. Welborn,” I squeaked, waving. “I’m surprised you remembered my name.”
    “ Well,” he cleared his throat. “Eric doesn’t have many girls over.”
    Eric’s name twisted my gut. “Is he okay ?”
    “Other than his ribs, he’s perfectly fine.” H is father sounded more confident than anyone else had. “They have him on a lot of painkillers, so he’s been sleeping a