The room drowned in silence as Paul approached me. I’d known him for years since he was my girlfriend’s brother, but I didn’t understand the look on his face – the intense sorrow in his eyes, the way his lips quivered and his hands shook.
“Nate.” It sounded painful for him to say. His voice was on edge and about to fall off. My heart sank. Why was the mood so off-putting?
“What’s wrong, Paul?” The sudden uncertainty made me nearly choke on the words.
“I just hung up with my mom,” he said, taking short pause to perhaps collect his words or gather his strength. “Rachael was in an accident.”
Every hair on my body stood on end as goosebumps raced across my flesh.
“She’s…” he trailed off as a tear formed in his eye and made its way slowly down his cheek. He didn’t have to finish. I already knew what he was going to say.