The Bet

The End

Riley wasn't stopping for anything and she sure as hell wasn't waiting around anymore. Her eyes stayed glued to the back of his head as he darted through the house and out onto the sidewalk where Zay was standing while the party blurred into a cloud of red and white lights.

The hiss of the tires over the smooth tarmac was lost under the pounding bass of the house music. But the second her foot left the door frame she barely had time to scream before the oncoming car slammed into Lucas as he pushed Zay out of the way. She watched his body hit the hood of the car and let out a deafening scream as his torso and head smashed up against the windshield while his arms and legs were flailing, searching for somewhere to hold.

Her screaming felt never ending as her lungs contracted with such force that she was afraid they would fold in on themselves. "No!" was all she was able to say as she ran through the crowd of party goers all huddling around to see what had happened. Zay wrapped his arms around her, trying to keep her away from his lifeless body that now laid limp in the middle of the cold, wet street.

All she could hear was the distant sound of herself screaming, she knew it was incoherent, she knew no matter how hard she tried nothing that came out would make any sense. She was in shock, her body trembled as Zay held her tight against his chest, trying to hold back his own tears as Riley sobbed into his chest. She heard someone yell 'call 911' and felt hands on her body, attempting to restrict her but nothing could keep her from him anymore.

Riley broke free of their grip and hurled towards the battered boy. When she finally reached him she could see very shallow breaths escaping his lips as his eyes fluttered around. He was covered in glass and had copious amounts of cuts and scrapes covering his body.

"Lucas." She breathed, pulling his head onto her lap. "Hey it's going to be okay, everything's going to be okay." He opened his mouth to speak but she shook her head, keeping her eyes locked on his. She feared what he might've said, she wasn't ready to say goodbye. It was too soon.

"Riley, I'm sorry." He grabbed hold of her hand, his voice raspy and barely a whisper. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

Her bottom lip quivered as she used the back of her hand to wipe the blood away from his mouth. "I know - I know you are. Lucas, I forgive you." She smiled weakly at him, he was able to smile back for a brief second before his eyes slowly shut. "LLL-Lucas...did you hear me?" Her voice was shaking, "I need you to open your eyes – Lucas, open your eyes!"

His once vibrant emerald eyes are a dull almost black color as he looks up at her face again, he nods his head, trying to regain his strength, "How's Zay? Is he hurt?"

"He's right over there. He's fine." She let out a deep breath, trying to steady herself. "Y-you saved him."

Another smile creeps up on the boy's face and a soft chuckle escapes his lips, "At least I did something right."

More tears surface in her eyes as she takes in the sight of him. She wasted so much time being angry, she refused to believe this was how their story ended.

"Shh, its okay." He assured her, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "It doesn't hurt. Besides, you're here with me. That's all I could ever want."

"I'm not going anywhere." She promised him, "I won't leave your side."

She interlocks her fingers with his and caresses his hand with hers, watching as he slowly drifts away. "Lucas..." She whispers knowing deep down that he wouldn't answer. With a heavy heart and lump in her throat she strokes the hair out of his face, leans down and gently kisses him on the cheek.