They Loved Me After Death

Chapter 3

By noon, a long line had formed outside the park restaurant. Dylan ordered four meals and paid with my prepaid park card. I'd loaded it with $500 so we could take both our parents to eat out.

Gavin picked up his tray. "What about Tessa?"

Dylan wiped his hands. "Pretending to be passed out? No lunch for her. She'll get up when she's hungry."

Molly reached for the strawberry cake on his tray. "Won't she be mad?"

"No."

"You're that sure?"

He pushed the cake toward her. "The wedding's in 3 days. She makes a scene now, she's the one who looks stupid."

Everyone laughed. This time, it didn't hurt for long.

A week earlier, Dylan's phone had lit up late at night.

Molly: Will this finally fix her?

The next morning, I'd asked him, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

He'd stroked my hair and smiled. "I'm working on a wedding surprise." He'd barely touched me with any affection in the last 6 months. I knew something was wrong, but I'd let myself lean into his hand for a moment anyway.

Now I knew what the surprise was. Trick me onto the drop tower, leave me stranded 330 feet in the air, and turn my dying struggles into entertainment for our wedding guests. Molly had gone further.

Outside the restaurant, rain began falling through the sunshine. Dylan checked his phone. Over a dozen missed calls, all from park staff.

Gavin glanced at the screen. "She must've complained. Don't pick up. She'll make you apologize again."

Dylan silenced it.

Molly chewed her straw, looking uneasy. "Isn't she keeping this up a little too long?"

Wesley scoffed. "Did you forget what she was like as a kid? She could keep it up all day."

I stared at him, suddenly remembering a locked bathroom door. I was 12. There had been crushed peanuts in something I'd eaten. The allergic reaction had triggered an asthma attack, and I'd collapsed by the door, begging for help. From the other side, Wesley had snapped, "It's my birthday. Could you stop trying to make everything about you?" His mother came home 2 hours later and took me to the hospital.

Gavin had once locked me in a storage room in the middle of winter to prove that cold air couldn't make me sick. Afterward, Dylan went with me to get a new inhaler. He slipped it into my pocket. "I'll believe you from now on."

"Really?" I'd asked through tears.

"Really." He wiped my cheeks. "But Gavin didn't mean any harm. Let it go."

I'd held on to that promise for 10 years. Only now did I understand what the rest of it had meant.

When the rain stopped, they went on a water ride. Molly came off soaked, and Dylan immediately wrapped his jacket around her. "Don't want you catching a cold."

Gavin grinned. "Does the bride know her groom's taking such good care of the bridesmaid?"

Molly stepped back, but kept hold of Dylan's sleeve. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm like a little sister to him." He didn't pull away.

I watched them for a few seconds, then felt strangely calm. He hadn't forgotten how to be gentle. He simply didn't want to be gentle with me.

Back at the rest area, the staff finally realized something was wrong. By the time the medics arrived, dark patches had appeared on my body where the blood had settled. Someone recognized me and called the police.

An announcement came over the speakers. "Would anyone visiting with Tessa Holloway please report to the east rest area immediately?"

Dylan was opening a bottle of water for Molly. At my name, his expression hardened. "Here we go again."

"Don't go yet," Molly said softly. "Give in now, and she'll be even worse next time."

"She can wait." He handed her the water.

I stood behind him. I didn't ask whether he'd turn around anymore. The answer no longer mattered. Rain passed through me and fell at his feet. For the first time, it didn't hurt. I only wished I hadn't wasted those 10 years.