Chapter 22

Zoe

I felt him behind me at my locker before I heard him. I didn't turn. His hands came around my waist.

"Hey, good looking."

I spun around.

"Zack, you need to go or you'll be late. Then your ass will be grass with Coach Pall." One of the advantages of having a locker near the gym was getting to see more of Zack before practice.

He kissed me. "I know, but I don't like the idea of you going out to your car by yourself."

He'd been my shadow all day, late to three of his classes because he'd walked me to mine. And neither of us were confronted by the sight of Ben once. Banner day all around.

"I'll be fine. I've been walking myself out to the car for weeks by myself."

He slid his hands to stick them in my back pocket, jerking me to him. "That's before you were mine," he growled.

Turnaround being fair play, I slid my hands over his uniform pants and grabbed his ass. "Ooh!" I smiled widely. "Football pants are life."

"Issaacs!"

We both jumped apart.

The head football coach stood holding open the glass door leading to the field. He jerked his head in that direction. "Come on."

"Coming, Coach."

Coach P. frowned but turned away, calling out to another kid outside and letting the door close behind him.

Zack walked backwards down the short hall to the door, directly across from my locker. "You text me as soon as you get to the car."

"Won't you get in trouble for having your phone?"

He shrugged. "I'll tell them I'm expecting an important phone call from my mom." He paused before backing through the door. "See ya," he said in a soft voice.

"See ya." I sighed and watched him as he ran to catch his coach. I couldn't believe how lucky I was.

I scooped my stuff up and headed out to my car. When I walked out of the building, a good number of cars were still in the parking lot, but no one was around. Kids certainly wasted no time getting out of there, especially on a football game night, and I'd dawdled long enough for Zack to get changed, so it was later than usual.

Most of these must be football players' cars. Or people involved in other extracurricular programs, I guess.

As I squeezed between cars, I heard a noise close by. I tensed, stopping to locate the sound. When it came again, I realized it was someone moaning. I looked in the window of the car to my left, and the one to my right, but no one was in them. I continued walking, but now the noise was louder and I could tell it came from the car across the row.

"Hello?"

When I got close to it, I noticed the rear window on my side was cracked open. I shielded my eyes to look in the back seat. Maria Alvarez was slumped in the corner with her eyes closed. Her head rolled from side to side and she moaned again.

I knocked on the window. "Maria? Maria, are you okay?"

She didn't respond. I looked her over while continuing to pound on the window and call her name. I couldn't make out any type of injury. One arm was across her stomach, one hanging limply to the floor. Then I spotted an empty pill bottle and the lid on the floorboard. "Shit!" I dropped my backpack and jerked on the car handle, relieved when it came open. I climbed in over her. "Maria." I shook her. "Maria!" Her eyes blinked open. "Oh, thank God!"

"Zoe?" she murmured.

"Maria, what did you do? Did you take some pills?"

"Zoe," she whimpered. "I didn't want to." The pain in her eyes went straight to my heart.

I reached into my jeans pocket for my phone, but it wasn't there. I quickly patted myself down.

What a freakin' time to leave my phone in my locker.

Her eyes were closed again. "Maria." I shook her desperately, but this time she wouldn't wake. In a panic, I turned my head to the door and screamed, "Help! Somebody help me!"

He was the last person I expected to answer my call.

"Zoe. What's wrong?"

"Nick!" I climbed out so I could talk to him better. "Do you have your phone?"

"Yes? Why?" He looked inside the car. "What's wrong with Maria?"

"I think she tried to commit suicide. Call 9-1-1." I noticed a water bottle in the side pocket of the backpack he was dropping to the ground. I snatched it and got back in the car.

What's first aid for an overdose? Are you supposed to stick your finger down their throat to get them to vomit? It seemed reasonable. They took something harmful, you get it out, right? Shit! Why didn't I take Mrs. Knudson's first aid class?

I crawled over and tapped Maria's cheeks, calling out her name. She mumbled something, which relieved me a tiny bit. Nick opened the front door and got in as I unscrewed the lid to his bottle. He was speaking into the phone.

"Umm... she's kind of conscious...."

"Ask her if I should make her vomit."

Nick listened. "She heard you, and she said no. She wants to know what pills she took."

"Uhh..." I searched the floor.

"She sent an ambulance, by the way."

I snagged the bottle. "Fentanyl?"

Nick repeated what I said into the phone. I poured some water into my palm and put it on Maria's forehead. She stirred and fought her eyes open.

"What? What are you doing?"

"How many did she take?" Nick asked.

"I don't know. I found her like this."

"We don't know."

I bent over her. "Maria, how many pills did you take?"

"Zoe? Zoe, I'm sorry. He made me do it. He made me do awful things."

Nick and I exchanged a look. Maria's eyes blinked. I hurriedly poured more water into my hands and got it on her cheeks and chest.

She moaned. "I didn't want to take the pictures. I swear. I'm sorry."

I jerked. I thought about it and remembered several occasions when Maria was in the locker room with me.

Still with the phone to his mouth, Nick asked, "What is she talking about Zoe? What pictures?"

We stared at each other. The voice on the other end of the phone was talking. Nick finally broke eye contact. "Yes, she's somewhat responsive."

Sirens blared.

"They're here," Nick said into the phone, and got out to flag them over.

When I looked at Maria, her eyes were closed again. I shook her. "Maria. Come on, Maria. Stay with us."

Moments later, the ambulance pulled behind the car, and paramedics jumped out. They took over, and we stepped back. A few people gathered, but they stayed off at a little bit of a distance. When they brought her out into the sunlight, I could distinguish better how gray her skin looked. She was perfectly still.

One of the paramedics raised his head when they passed. "You kids probably helped save your friend's life. Her pulse is barely there."

I covered my mouth with my hand. Nick put his arm over my shoulder. "She's gonna be okay, Zoe. You heard the man. You did good."

I smiled at him. "We did good." They lifted her into the back. "Where are you taking her?" I asked the paramedic closing the doors.

"Bryan Medical Center West."

A loud beep sounded.

A voice from inside said, "We lost her. Go. Go. Go!"

"Oh, my God!"

The driver hurried to the front and they screamed out of the parking lot.

"Come on. Let's go. I'll drive."

We grabbed our stuff, got in Nick's car, and he backed out.

"Shit!"

Nick looked at me. "What?"

"Uhh... nothing."

"Come on. What is it, Zoe?"

"Umm... can I borrow your phone to... call Zack?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks." It was on the seat between us so I picked it up.

"It's under Z-man." I stared at him. He shrugged with a half-smile. "To separate him from Zack Murphy."

Zack didn't answer.

It'll say Nick's phone.

My only choice was to keep calling. He finally picked up. He started off ticked I didn't call him right away, but understood when I told him why. Next, I called Dad to explain why I would be home late.

In the waiting room, Nick and I sat side-by-side. After about fifteen minutes, he leaned into me. "Okay. You can tell me to mind my own business, but I've just got to ask again, what pictures was she talking about?"

"Seeing as you came to my rescue today, I guess I owe you that." And I realized, something inside me wanted to tell Nick. "Ben Oatam has some pictures of me."

"So?" I stared at him. "Oh. Those kind of pictures. Well, geez, Zo. Didn't you know better than to send nudes to a prick like that?"

Really? "You did not just say that."

"What? I'm sorry. I mean, of course he shouldn't share them, but you have to protect yourself and don't send that shit to anybody."

"Nick, you idgit, I didn't send them. He took them. Without my knowledge."

"Oh." His eyes grew wide. "Oh. Well... umm. Sorry." His eyes lit up. "Need me to get 'em back for you? I owe Oatam anyway."

"No. Thanks." We quieted until someone passed us and moved out of earshot. "Zack and Scottie are working on it. In a non-violent way."

"Hmpf. I'd still be happy to slap him around."

"Seriously? What is it with guys?"

He shrugged, disgruntled. We sat in silence for a bit. "So... I heard you and Zack are going out."

I winced, but nodded. I wouldn't lie to him.

"That's good."

Whoa. "You're not mad?"

"Nah. Well, I was when he first told me, but it wasn't like I didn't see it coming."

I wrinkled my brow and cocked my head. "What do you mean?"

"Even I could tell things between you guys changed. The air was full of," he held his hands up and wiggled his fingers around, "'electricity.'"

I smothered a laugh and he laughed, too. "But seriously," I put a hand on his arm. "Thank you for coming to my rescue today. You were pretty amazing."

"All I did was talk on the phone. You were the one who helped her."

"But without that phone, we would have been hosed. So thanks."

He waved it off. "Sure thing." He leaned forward, with his arms on his legs, hands folded between them. "You know, Zo..." he turned to look at me, dead serious. "I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

I couldn't speak at first. My Nickie was back. "I appreciate that more than I can say." I drew him in for a hug.

Behind me, a throat was cleared. I turned around and Zack was standing there in his grass-stained uniform. "Am I interrupting something?"

I stood and took his hand. "No. I was filling Nick in on... things."

"Things?"

I raised my eyebrows and looked at him pointedly.

"Oh, things."

Nick stood. "And I'm on board to help you both." He held out his hand and Zack shook it. It was supremely bizarre for two high school boys, but whatever.

"What about practice?" I was worried he'd get in trouble.

"I explained it to coach. I thought I'd wait with you guys."

After about an hour and fifteen minutes, a nurse I talked to approached us. I was sitting holding Zack's hand, and Nick was in mid-pace.

"Your friend will be fine. We pumped her stomach, and her parents are here. She'll have to stay for a bit, until we can get her the help she needs, but... she's doing fine for the moment." She smiled with a nod and headed back to her duties.

I exhaled. "Thank. God."

The boys nodded in agreement.

"Now, we need to nail Ben's ass before anyone else gets hurt."