Ch. 19: Numb

My entire body feels numb. I faintly hear Asher speaking to me, but I can't seem to register what he is saying. The rest of the world is being drowned out by the sound of tires screeching against the wet asphalt and the crunching sound of metal hitting the pavement. It isn't lost on me that it easily could have been me underneath the car. Or the fact that whoever was driving that car was the same person who tried to attack me outside of my childhood home. Asher was right. This isn't random. I'm being targeted. The warning from that last text message stays with me, as the guys walk me inside my apartment and set me down on the couch. I stare blankly ahead, ignoring Char's sheer panic and worry, as she asks what happened.

My surroundings slowly fade around me, as I process the last few minutes in my head. I only am just aware enough to hear what my friends are saying.

Asher's POV (Surprise lol):

"Can someone please tell me what the hell happened?" I tear my gaze from Makayla and focus my attention on Char, who stands a few feet away, fear etched onto her face. Nina sits down on the couch next to Makayla, placing a hand on her shoulder, in an attempt to pull her out of the daze she is in.

"Makayla almost died, that's what happened." Colton states matter-of-factly. I watch Char's eye widen to the size of saucers.

"WHAT!?" She screams out, rushing to Makayla's side. Noah and I both glare at Colton. He raises his eyebrows at us, clearly not seeing anything wrong in what he said.

"Really? That's how you break the news? Way to rip off the band aid, Colton." Noah rolls his eyes before they start bickering back and forth. I ignore them as long as I can before I snap.

"Will you two idiots shut up? This isn't helping." They shut up quickly after that.

"Okay, can someone start from the beginning? A little more detail would be nice." Nina speaks up from her spot on the couch. Char nods, standing up and turning to me, her arms folded across her chest. I sigh and look over at Makayla. She's still soaked from the rain, her hair dripping down onto the couch. Her body is shivering. I grab a blanket off the couch, ignoring Charlotte for the time being, as I drape the blanket over Makayla, hoping to give her some semblance of warmth and comfort. I pull her in close, as I feel her body slightly shake against my own. I plant a kiss on her forehead, letting her know that I'm here, before turning back to Char. I pinch the bridge of my nose, not sure where to start.

"It all happened so fast. One second I'm parking the car and the next I'm screaming at Makayla to move right before a van hops the sidewalk and almost hits her." I start before Char interrupts me.

"Oh my god. Well, did the driver at least apologize?" She asks, looking around the room. Judging by me and the guy's expressions, she stays silent for a moment before asking another question. "Asher, what are you leaving out?"

"Babe, there isn't much else to tell. The guy just drove off. Didn't even spare a minute to make sure our girl here was okay." Noah explains, as Colton mumbles "fucking asshole" loudly enough for the rest of us to here. Char and Nina share a look before Nina speaks up.

"Asher...." she starts. I tense, not wanting to explain any further without Makayla's permission. Even though I told her I didn't want to keep this a secret anymore, it doesn't feel like my place to tell her best friends. "Please. What's going on?"

"My mom is dead." Makayla finally speaks. She's been quiet this entire time, so her voice makes us all jump.

"Makayla..." Char begins to talk, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I've been kidding myself thinking otherwise. My mom is dead, and I think the person who killed her just tried to kill me."

Her words stun everyone else into silence. Noah looks like a fish out of water, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly. Colton tries to speak, but all that comes out is nonsense. Nina's hand flies to her mouth, looking at Makayla, as if she's waiting for a "just kidding" to follow. Char is another story. She takes a step back, as if the words knocked the wind out of her. Tears start to roll down her face before she wipes them away.

"Wait....how do you?" She stutters on her words, still trying to process Makayla's words. Makayla doesn't reply. She reaches into her pocket and tosses her phone at Char. Charlotte stays quiet for several minutes, her lips pursing. The silence quickly becomes uncomfortable, as the rest of our friends are left in the dark.

"Char? Baby? You have never been this quiet for so long, and it's starting to scare me." Noah finally breaks the silence. She finally brings her gaze from the phone back to Makayla. Gone are the tears; instead, anger and hurt replace her fear and worry.

"Tell me this is the first text you've gotten since we last talked." Char speaks lowly, looking at Makayla dead in the eyes. I feel Makayla tense besides me, before hanging her head low, not able to look her best friend in the eye as she replies.

"No. If you scroll up, you'll see this isn't the first text, and I'm sure it won't be the last." Nina sighs at Makayla's words, shaking her head in disbelief. Char does what she says, reading the various threatening texts received in the last month. Handing the phone off to Nina for her to read, Char turns her focus back to Makayla.

"You promised, Kay...You promised me that if anything else happened, we would go to the cops. You told me and Nina that you would keep us in the loop! Were those just words to you?" In the short time I have known Charlotte Moore, I have never once seen her angry. Let me tell you, it's extremely unnerving.

"Okay, let's just take a second and calm down, Char," Nina puts the phone down and stands up to pull Charlotte back. Her effort is in vain, though. Charlotte only shrugs her off, looking to Makayla for answers.

"No! Okay, I know I screwed up, but I don't need you dumping on me. I got enough shit to worry about now. I don't need to hear it from you!" Makayla shoots back, matching Char's anger. The two have gotten closer as they yell, the only barrier being Nina, trying to calm the two down.

"Oh okay! So, why is it that Asher doesn't seem shocked by all this? You can tell some guy you've known for a few months, but not your best friends?" Char directs her anger at me. My eyes widen, as I look over at Noah and Colton. The two frantically wave their arms, signaling me over. I leave my place on the couch and join them.

"Dude, you so don't want to be in the middle of this." Colton says quietly, while Noah nods along. I roll my eyes at their dramatics, before we turn our attention back to the girls.

"That isn't fair! Asher and I have been actively researching my mom's case. I didn't purposely tell him. The boy is just nosy and happened to glance over at my phone and see the texts." If the situation were any different, I would have protested her remark. Noah snickers to himself. I jab my elbow into his side, effectively shutting him up.

"You know what's not fair? Going back on a promise. If you haven't noticed, I have been absolutely sick with worry over this. Do you have any idea how much it sucks worrying about someone who couldn't give a shit about what happens to them?" Tears run down Char's face once again. Noah starts to walk towards her, but I stop him, shaking my head. This isn't our place to interrupt.

"Char, I do care..." Makayla mutters quietly, the fight leaving in her voice.

"You don't! Makayla, wake up! You've been ignoring this person's warning for months, and it's only getting worse! Don't you realize if anything happens to you, I will never be able to forgive myself?" Char shouts, as she sobs. Makayla's face softens, as she starts to tear up, as well.

"Charlotte, I'm so sorry," she trails off, a sob catching in the back of her throat.

Nina looks between the two and groans.

"If you guys keep crying, I'm gonna start and that's not going to help the situation, so please stop crying." She pleads.

"Char. Nina. I'm sorry that I didn't come to you sooner. I just figured the more texts I got, it meant I was getting closer to the truth. I never thought it would get to this point." Makayla sighs, wiping away the tears that continue to fall. Char stays quiet, scanning Makayla's face, trying to decide if she believes her or not. Sighing and letting her resolve crumble, she pulls Makayla into a tight hug. Makayla clings back, afraid that Char may change her mind and let go. Nina stands off to the side, wiping a few tears away before speaking up.

"Hey, don't forget about me." Without saying anything, Char and Makayla open their arms up, creating space for Nina to join the group hug. As the girls embrace, me and the guys stand off to the side, not sure what to do.

"You think we could join in too?" Noah asks, while pouting. Colton whacks him in the back of head. Noah lets out a cry, getting the girls attention as they pulled away from the emotional moment.

"Okay, so now what?" Colton asks. The rest of us look to Makayla, waiting for her to take the lead.

"Now, I'm gonna do what I should have done in the first place." She starts as I approach her. She tries to smile, before grabbing onto my hand and squeezing tightly. She looks at Char, Nina, and me before speaking. "Will you guys come down with me to the station?" Char and I both nod. Nina offers to stay back, trusting Char and I to look after Makayla, while also pointing out that someone needs to hang back and make sure Colton and Noah don't trash the place. Makayla laughs at that, before agreeing.

"I'll drive." Char offers. Before I close the door behind us, I can hear Noah and Colton protesting Nina's remarks. I can only pray that Nina doesn't kill them while we're gone.

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Makayla's POV:

By the time we arrive at the police station, I'm already starting to lose my nerve. The lady at the front desk was kind, offering us some coffee while we waited. I politely declined. Caffeine will only fuel my anxiety at this point. I feel a hand rest on my knee, interrupting my thoughts. I look over and see Asher shoot a warm, reassuring smile my way. The gesture helps calm my nerves. I glance over at Char and see her biting her nails, a nervous habit she has repeatedly failed to break. Just as I'm about to tell her to relax, ironic as it is coming from me, one of the station detectives makes their way over to us. We all stand up at once. I thank the heavens that I didn't stumble, as my legs feel like Jell-O.

"Makayla?" He asks, stopping in front of us. I nod in response, as he holds his hand out for me to shake. I hesitantly allow the handshake, as he continues to talk. "I'm Detective Cox. I hear you want to report a stalking incident, and I heard you mentioned a car being involved." He gestures for me to follow to his desk. I trail after him, feeling Char and Asher not too far behind. We all take a seat, as Detective Cox pulls out a notepad.

"Well, actually Detective, it's a little more complicated than that." I start before he interrupts.

"Wait, Makayla Davis? Aren't you the Lieutenant's kid?" I nod, before he sighs, setting down his notes. "If this is about your mother, I'm really sorry. You have my condolences, but I can't reopen her case, if that's what you're after. I know it's difficult not knowing, but there isn't anything that I can do for you other than point you in the direction of a grief support group," he speaks.

In only a few seconds, Detective Cox has shown why I didn't want to come here in the first place. All he sees is the same grieving teenage girl who wanted to know what happened to her mom, but I'm not that girl anymore. I'm not sad; I'm angry and I want answers, whether he's going to help me find them or not.

"Well, Detective, if you had let her speak before you started being so condescending, you would know that we came here because we think Makayla is in danger." Char spits out, seething with anger, having been down this path with me once or twice before. Detective Cox has at least the decency to feign interest after Char's comments before replying.

"Oh? Care to elaborate then, Miss Davis?" His remarks sound genuine, but I can detect a hint of sarcasm, as well. I roll my eyes before standing up.

"What's the point? You've already made up your mind. It shouldn't be my job to convince you to care. C'mon guys, let's go. This was a waste of time." Char and I stand up, moving towards the door.

"Protect and serve, my ass." I hear Asher say to the detective, before following behind. We're almost out the door, before I'm stopped by someone saying my name. I turn around and see my dad and Uncle Matt, standing at the front desk.

Oh shit.