Secrets to Keep

Prologue

I wake to the smell of smoke. I can barely see in the dark. Everything hurts. Then I remember what happened. I try to jerk my head up but I can't. We are upside down in the fucking car. I look to my left and see Grey isn't moving.

"Fuck! Grey! Wake up!"

I can feel the tears sliding down my face. They burn on what I assume are cuts but I ignore it.

"Grey! Please. I need you!"

I'm screaming now. Desperate.

Slowly, his eyes peel open. I can see the moment the panic and realization of what's happened sets in.

"Shit Des, are you ok?"

Of course the first words out of his mouth are about me. I shake my head because right now I don't care about me.

"I don't know. I think so. But Grey... you... there's so much blood."

He reaches towards me and takes my hand. "Listen Des. I love you and Chase more than anything. I need you to promise me something."

I'm sobbing, but manage to croak our a "what?"

"If something happens to me, run. Get out of here and away from your dad, okay?"

"Fuck Grey, I can't live without you."

He smiles faintly at me and I can tell his energy is waning, "You can do anything, Destiny Hearst. I believe in you. But just in case, there's a flash drive in the glove compartment."

He coughs and when he pulls his hand away, little drops of red speckle his perfect tan skin.  "Grey, no!"

His breathing gets shallow and his grip on my hand loosens seconds before his eyes close. I squeeze his hand and scream, pleading for him to wake up. Siren sounds in the distance, but they are too far away.  I know it.  Panicking, I reach the glove compartment and find the drive he was talking about, stuffing it in the wristlet still hanging from my wrist.  The movement causes a sharp pain to radiate down my leg causing me to scream.  It's the last thing I remember before the world goes black.

~~~~~

My clothes are ripped and soaked in blood. Part of it is mine and part of it is his. The nurses have asked me to change multiple times but I can't bring myself to do it. I can't leave him. Not until his family gets here. Our family. I consider them my family too but I'm sure they won't feel that way about me after this.

How the fuck could I have let this happen?