Chapter 3

By the time Lucas arrived, the nurses had managed to stabilize me.

My oxygen was back on, and an IV ran into the bruised vein in my hand. Every breath still hurt, but at least the room had stopped spinning.

"Alice! Look who I brought."

Two people followed him, one carrying a camera and the other a shoulder bag full of equipment. They looked like a small crew from a local sports channel.

I turned my face toward the wall.

Lucas crossed the room and pulled the blanket away from my shoulder. "Don't hide. They're here to film a feature on Madison before Nationals."

He sounded thrilled with himself.

"Her club wants to get her story out there before the championship. It's a piece about resilience. The comeback girl who refused to give up."

I said nothing.

Lucas gave my shoulder an enthusiastic pat. Pain shot through my chest, and I flinched.

"Madison's story has everything," he went on, already directing the camera operator toward the foot of my bed. "Her ankle injury, the setback, and then watching her best friend fight through a terrible accident. You inspired her to get back on the ice. She's dedicating her performance to you."

I stared at him.

Madison had not sat by my bedside through the long nights. She hadn't helped me wash, eat, or get from the bed to a wheelchair.

She had visited when it suited her, usually with Ethan or Daniel beside her. Now they wanted to turn my suffering into a feel-good story about her.

"Lucas," I said, keeping my voice low. "Get them out of here."

His smile faltered. "What?"

"Tell them to leave."

He looked at the crew, then back at me. "Don't be difficult. All you have to do is say a few words about how Madison stood by you. The producer can cut the rest together."

A few words.

As if a lie became harmless just because it was short.

I remembered the last time Lucas had been given a choice.

Madison's boyfriend had dumped her after she'd caught him cheating. She'd spent days crying in her room, refusing calls and barely touching her food. Lucas was so worried about her that he practically camped outside her door.

At the time, a blood clot had formed in my leg. My calf had swollen and turned purple, and I was running a fever. The doctors warned that if the clot broke loose and traveled to my lungs, it could kill me.

I begged Lucas to use his favor on me.

"Please. The doctor says this clot could reach my lungs. I don't want to die. You can still help me."

He pulled his sleeve from my grasp.

"Blood clots can be treated, Alice. They'll give you blood thinners. Madison is falling apart. That guy cheated on her, and she can't even get out of bed."

"Then use your favor to help me first. She's heartbroken, Lucas. I'm dying."

He looked at me as if I were being selfish.

"She can't live with those memories. If the Fae can take away what he did to her, she can finally move on."

And that was exactly what he asked for: Madison's memories of her ex, and the pain that came with them.

When the favor was granted, she came out of her room smiling, asking Lucas if he wanted to go get burgers. He took her out to celebrate.

I was wheeled into a procedure to have a filter placed in the vein to catch any clots that might break loose. I faced it alone.

Now Lucas stood beside my bed, expecting me to help him sell another lie about how devoted Madison was to me.

"Lucas," I said again. "I won't do it."

His expression hardened. "Do you have any idea how many strings I had to pull to get this crew here? Madison's skating club wants sponsors paying attention. A story like this gives people a reason to root for her."

"Then tell them the truth."

"The truth?" He gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "The truth is that Madison has been there for you. She's the reason you're still fighting."

"She isn't."

"All you have to do is look into the camera and thank her. Is that really so hard?"

I looked past him at the camera lens. It was pointed straight at my bed, waiting for me to perform.

"No."

Lucas's jaw tightened. "You're unbelievable, Alice. Madison wanted to include you. She even planned to dedicate her medal to you. We came here because she thought it would make you happy."

"Then she should have asked me."

He snatched the fruit basket from the bedside table and hurled it to the floor. Apples rolled beneath the chairs.

"Don't act like you're too good for this. If Madison hadn't insisted on making you part of her story, nobody would be wasting their time in this room."

A couple of people in the neighboring beds looked over. One of the nurses paused outside my door.

Lucas glanced at the crew and forced a smile. "Sorry about that. She's been through a lot, and she's not feeling well. Let's wrap this up."

The camera operator lowered his equipment. The two crew members exchanged an uncomfortable look and started packing.

Lucas followed them to the door, then turned back to me.

"Without us paying your hospital bills, you'd have ended up in a long-term care facility a long time ago. Maybe you should remember that before you treat the people helping you like garbage."

"Tomorrow is the final. Ethan, Daniel, and I will all be there for Madison. She even wanted us to arrange for you to come in your wheelchair so you could watch her win."

"Forget it. You don't deserve to be there."