Page 50 of The Prince Falls First
“I love you, a fucking lot, you know.”
Sam smiled and reached over to grab her hand. “I love you a fucking lot too.”
Gen smiled back, then faced forward again. In the distance she could see another car but they seemed to be driving erratically. “What’s that asshole doing? Is he drunk or something?”
“Fuck. I’m going to slow down until he passes. Oh fuck!”
“Sam!”
As the other car moved into their lane and began driving towards them head on, Sam swerved the car but not soon enough.
CRASH!
Gen groaned, then everything went black.
ten
I have no words today. ~ from Gen’s diary
GENEVIEVE
When Gen came to, she didn’t open her eyes at first. But it was the smell of smoke urging some part of her brain to WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! like an alarm she couldn’t shut off fast enough.
She blinked her eyes open, not fully understanding what was going on or where she was.
The car. Headlights. Sam swerving.
Sam!
As she tried to turn her head, she winced at the pain even in such a small movement. Her head ached something fierce and a migraine was threatening to bloom.
She coughed a few times, a dry cough that had her inhaling some of the oil-tasting smoke and caused more coughing. Her chest felt as if something heavy was on it, pressing her down, but when she glanced there was nothing. A sudden thoughtovertaking her, she quickly pressed down over her crotch and the felt the seat cushion underneath her. When she lifted her hand, there wasn’t any blood.
She sighed in relief then, when she looked up, she gasped.
The front window was irreparably damaged. Spider web-like cracks splintered throughout it, and there was even a large hole on one side. Beyond the shattering glass was a person—a person!—on top of the smoking hood of the car.
The memory came back in full then, adrenaline coursing through her body as she relived it. Someone swerving on the road, maybe driving drunk, Sam swerving to avoid them but they swerved at the same time too, hitting them head on.
Sam! She remembered her friend again and turned to look, letting out a cry of anguish at the sight of blood. “Sam!”
Gen groaned as she unbuckled her seat belt—thank fuck they’d both been wearing them—and leaned over, gritting her teeth at the pain in her torso.
She started patting Sam down, but it seemed like most of the wound was her head when it had hit the steering wheel after the impact. She also had some cuts and abrasions, maybe glass from the window.
She started patting her face and squeezing her hand. “Sam? Sam, I need you to wake up. Please, Sam? Please?”
She was crying now, sniffling as she kept calling for her friend with no response. “You said I get to be a selfish bitch if I become queen, right? Well, my first order is that you wake the fuck up. Don’t you fucking dare leave me like this…you, you can’t. You have to wake up. All right? You have to.”
Eventually, Sam’s eyes slowly blinked open.
“Sam! Oh my God! Don’t go back to sleep, okay? I know it probably hurts, but you have to stay awake. You can’t go to sleep and you’d better not fucking die, all right?”
Sam huffed a laugh which turned into a cough, which turned into a groan and a wince. “Are you okay?”
“I think so. Your head’s bleeding, try not to move too much. I need to go get help, okay? You have to stay awake and alive until I get back.”
“Gen?”
