Layla shook in my arms like a leaf in heavy rain. The closer we drew to the camper the more my heart ached. Every step was too slow and yet so fast my head spun. When I saw Jess screaming at Alex I quickened to a run. I set Layla down when I reached them and told her to go into the camper.
Standing now Jess stopped her screaming. Something about unbridled agony raging within a woman so strong made me feel that now the world truly had ended.
My gaze shifted to the camper. In the back of my mind I knew that if Jess was upset Angela would have held her back or stood at her side. When I looked at Alex I understood. The world stopped spinning and my legs gave out. My knees smashed against the pavement and the absence of pain gave me hope I'd been dreaming, or jumping to conclusions. That hope was shattered by Jess rubbing my back, strong and hard to ground me.
