Downfall [h.s]

↞ Chapter 30 ↠

Any minute now, Toby was going to walk through that door and I was going to tell him that things were over between us. The guilt had settled too long in my stomach from hiding my true feelings from him. At least now I was going to be able to free him and myself from the mess that I put us both in the middle of.

Then the real scary part would begin.

Me and Harry. What in the world would that entail? Would we be boyfriend and girlfriend? Dating? Would we even be good for each other? We've both said some nasty things to one another. We've tried to hurt each other and push each other away. Things were probably going to end badly. The only thing I knew was that he infuriated me in ways I didn't know possible while simultaneously giving me a hoard of butterflies every time he was even close. Whatever would happen, it was going to be a crazy ride.

Unfortunately, being able to do so means hurting someone I care about. If only he would walk through the door so I could get this thing over with. He deserved to have someone who was as invested in him as he is in them. I couldn't give him that. In the long run, it would only hurt him more.

So as I waited for him, I practiced my breakup speech in my head. I had practiced it over a dozen times when I realized that Toby was over an hour late. It was like him to be late to anything. He hated being late, like me, so it was almost concerning that he hadn't gotten here on time or even texted me to let me know he was running late.

I gave him another thirty minutes, texting him to see where he was. When there was no response, I started to get worried. Each of my calls went unanswered. After ten calls, the panic was full blown in my chest. I didn't have his dad's number so my next best bet was to call Tyler or Asher.

Asher picked up pretty quickly and it sounded like he was speaking through a mouth full of food, "Hey, whats up Red?"

"Have you spoken to Toby today? He was supposed to be at my place over an hour ago and he's not answering any calls or texts. I'm starting to get worried, Ash." I wondered if I still had the right to be worried when I was going to break up with him. Was I allowed to wonder if he was okay if I was about to break his heart?

"I've got his dad's number. Let me give him a ring and see if he knows where Toby is."

Waiting for him to call back was torture. Something just didn't feel right in my gut. So when I got his call a few minutes later, I was already expecting bad news.

"Toby was in a car accident with his dad. They're at Mercy Gen's Emergency room."

The emergency room at Mercy Gen was packed. Nurses and doctors were running around, shouting orders, and tending to patients. It was absolute chaos. I had no idea where to start or who to turn to, but thankfully a nurse was able to direct me to the front desk.

"Hi, I'm looking for Toby James. I heard he was here. I'm his girlfriend."

She gave me a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry sweetheart. I can't give you any information unless you were family."