Page 65 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

My heart lunges first, then my feet.

I shove Andrew sideways.

And Reaper’s knuckles

crack across my face.

A loud crunch, wet and inside my skull.

Then black stars,

then the fade,

then the air knocking out of me.

My jaw feels unhinged.

My ear rings.

My teeth clack.

My feet stagger.

My heart’s paralyzed, eyes wide, scared.

My bones ask each other if we’re still alive.

I taste metal. Blood.

But I don’t hit the ground.

Andrew’s here,

his arms wrapped around me,

his back to the world,

eyes wide,

lips moving,

hands cradling my head,

walking me back a few steps,

saying stuff I can’t hear.

Once he knows I’m standing, breathing,

he snaps. “Pete.”

Peter's next to me.

“Take her,” Andrew tells him.

“Andrew—”

“Take her.”