It was the first band practice of the week. There was no play practice, so Taylor was there. "So, have we chosen the song we're doing for the talent show yet?" Anna asked.
"The talent show has honestly been the last thing on my mind," Nora murmured.
"Same, but having a distraction would be nice," Leah said. "I say today we run through most of our setlist. Once we do that, we can decide which song is best. I say we start with 'Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin' by The Runaways. It's a great warmup song."
"Okay," Leah said. They then ran through that song. They then went into their next song, then their next. When Leah was playing the drums, she let out all of her frustrations on the drums. Her bandmates seemed to get really into it as well. It was the one time she and Taylor Metternich were in harmony.
Once they were done with 'Somebody to Love' by Queen, their phones vibrated. It was a news alert. "Oh my gosh," Anna said.
Simon was released from the hospital that same day. They moved Simon's room into Jack's home office so he wouldn't have to travel upstairs. He had received more get well wishes from his classmates, and, luckily, no more threats on his end.
Simon and Bram were cuddling in his bed. Bram had his arm over Simon's shoulders, and they were holding hands. Simon rested his head on Bram's shoulder as they watched a movie. The door was cracked open, and the room was near the kitchen.
"I can't believe junior year went this way," Simon sighed.
"Me either," Bram said. Their phones both vibrated. It was texts, telling them to turn on the news. They quickly changed the channel and watched the news report. They were horrified at what they heard.
"Breaking news," the reporter said. "The severed finger found in high school junior Leah Burke's locker has been identified. It belongs to her classmate, Martin Addison. Addison has been missing since Tuesday, the day the finger was found."
Simon's face went blank. "Babe, you okay?" Bram asked. He didn't respond. All of his hatred for Martin was suddenly gone, and it was filled with a sudden urge to find him. He slung his legs over the side, cringing as his broken leg hit the ground. He reached for his crutches.
"Martin's in danger," Simon gasped out. He cringed as another sharp pain went through his leg. "We have to get to him before he's killed."
He didn't care at that moment how Martin blackmailed him. He didn't care that Martin outed him. He just cared Martin was in danger and had already been hurt. "You're in no state to go on a manhunt," Bram said.
Simon's own health was the last thing on his mind. He needed to make sure Martin was okay. His crunches were just out of reach, so he stood up. He grabbed his bed's falling to steady himself. After one step, he fell onto the ground.
