Everything with you

Part 68

Justin

For a brief, glorious moment, I forgot everything—Henry, the threats, the constant shadow of fear that had been gnawing at me for months. All of it melted away under the roar of the crowd and the sound of my teammates screaming my name. We'd done it. We'd actually won.

The final whistle had barely faded when my team swarmed me, tackling me to the ground in a chaotic heap of sweat and adrenaline. We screamed, we laughed, and we clung to each other like we'd never let go. When they finally let me up, my chest ached from both the celebration and the realization that... we'd made it.

And then I saw Coach. Coach Grayson—always the unshakable, gruff wall—stood there with glassy eyes. In all my life, I'd never seen him like that. He stepped forward, pulling me into a hug before patting my shoulder.

"We made it, son," he said, his voice breaking.

I could only nod, the weight of his words sinking in. I turned to look at my team—pure joy etched on every face. The home crowd had stormed the field, a blur of cheers and waving flags, people everywhere. I scanned the sea of faces, looking for Emma. Nothing.

I searched for Dad next—nowhere. My gut twisted. Then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted him. It wasn't hard—he was one of the few people taller than the crowd. But his expression... it made my heart drop. Panic.

I shoved through the crowd until we met halfway. "Where's Emma?" I demanded.

"She went to the restroom with Hayley just before the final minutes," he said, looking over my shoulder like he was searching too.

I scanned the crowd again. No sign of her. But then Hayley appeared behind Dad. Her eyes were red and wet, her face pale. She looked terrified.

I grabbed her hand immediately, guiding her away from the crush of bodies toward the entrance where the crowd was thinner. Nate and Ash were right there with us, flanking me. Nate, in this strangely possessive way, took Hayley's hand from mine and sat her down, murmuring for her to calm down.

When she finally caught her breath, I crouched in front of her. "Where's Emma?" My voice cracked, panic threading through every word.

Hayley hiccuped. "She... she followed a kid. Said she wanted to talk to him—something about building a case against Henry."

My stomach tightened.

Her voice wavered more. "Then... then some guys showed up. The ones with Drew. Emma told me to run to Mr. Shepard with this."

She handed me Emma's phone.

My heart plummeted. "No..."

Dad took the phone from my hand, but I didn't wait. I was already sprinting toward the hallway Hayley had pointed to. I shoved through bodies, ignoring the shouts and protests, until I pushed open the restroom door.

Empty.

The air punched out of me. My eyes fell to the floor.

Blood.

"No... no, no, no..." My voice broke as the reality clawed at me. This couldn't be real.

I had no idea when Nate, Ash, Hayley, and Joel came inside the room. Hayley was crying harder now, helpless sobs shaking her.

"We can find her, man," Nate said, his tone not steady.

"Yes, Justin, come on, let's go," Ash added, already pulling at my arm.

I let them drag me out, my mind a complete blur. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. We had no clue where she was.

The moment we stepped out the door, I spotted my dad with Coach. My dad's voice cut through the noise.