Chapter Twenty Eight

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 The diner comes up fast on our left, but Carter doesn't hit the brakes

Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.

 The diner comes up fast on our left, but Carter doesn't hit the brakes.

"Hang on!" he shouts before throwing us into the turn. Thankfully, Tyler's car is much newer than his; it spins on a dime and sends us flying through the lot and into the first spot we find.

I have to peel my fingers off the grab handle above my head, but they're trembling so hard I can't get the door open. Carter isn't doing much better; all I hear from his side is the jingling of the keys stuck in the ignition.

The door gives first, spilling me out on the sidewalk. My palms catch me at the last minute and scrape against the pavement, but the pain doesn't register. A cold blanket of adrenaline has set in, driving me forward — until I don't hear Carter behind me.

He's still stuck.

"Go," he shouts from inside the truck "I'm right behind you!"

I don't hang around for him to change his mind. On first instinct, I head for the front entrance, then stop short; it's not like they'd be shooting up in one of the booths. Besides that, I can see through the windows that almost no one's in there, every seat vacant. I briefly consider checking the bathrooms until I notice a large SUV plow through the lot and head around the back — ignoring the empty spots out front.

The car isn't familiar, but it has to be them. I take off before I can second guess myself. It feels like hours before I reach the corner, but when I turn the bend, my legs nearly give out from under me.

"Mark!"

He's halfway off the ground, gripping Darren's hand. His head whips around at the sound of my voice, and even from this distance, I can see the shock in his eyes. His bright, very-much-alive eyes.

"Amber?" Mark asks, staring at me like I've grown a second head. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you shitting me, Anderson?" Darren spits, ripping his hand back. "You told her where?!"

"I swear Darren, I didn't know—"

"Just like you didn't know she's been calling me all night from your phone, right?" he shouts, his eyes darting wildly between me and Mark.

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