(Slade’s POV)
The dream hit harder than usual.
I was back on the frozen lake behind our old house. Cory was racing ahead of me, skates cutting clean lines into the ice. He turned back, laughing, calling my name.
I pushed harder.
I almost reached him.
Almost grabbed his jacket—
Then the ice cracked.
A sound like a gunshot.
His smile dropped.
He disappeared.
Dark water swallowed him whole, and no matter how hard I clawed at the ice, I couldn’t reach him. I couldn’t get him out. I could hear him calling my name and then—
Silence.
I jolted awake with a shout lodged in my throat.
Sweat clung to my skin. My pulse hammered so loud I thought it would break through my ribs. The room was pitch black except for the faint glow of my phone on the nightstand.
I dragged a hand through my ha
