CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LINA
I t’s been a week of Grant and me playing into the pregnancy rumors—which has mainly consisted of us buying baby items very obviously in public places near campus—and I’d be lying if I said we weren’t having fun with it.
It has also been a week of me sleeping in his bed consistently, which has done wonders for my sleep schedule.
And with final exam season and Christmas break quickly approaching, I’ve come to accept the fact that I need sleep. If Grant’s bed is the only place I can get even a bit of that, I’m game for it.
Grant dropped me off at my class this morning, and after a brutal first final, I step out into the courtyard, blinking harshly as my eyes get used to the late morning sun.
I’m definitely not paying enough attention to where I’m going as I head toward the coffee cart, and I’m about two seconds away from running straight into someone when I catch a flash of platinum blonde hair in my peripheral vision.
I try to stop myself, but it’s too late. I bump into her shoulder, stumbling back a step.
“Shit—sorry,” I blurt out, looking up and immediately recognizing the girl in front of me.
Savannah Sinclair.
She looks exactly as I’d describe her any other time I’ve seen her: porcelain skin, red glossy lips, and a sharpness to her gaze that makes it feel like she’s peeling me apart in a glance. Except she doesn’t look mad, just a little surprised. Maybe even a little happy?
Not that it’s obscenely odd for her to look that way. In fact, I’ve never had a bad experience with her. She was super nice the night she found me in Grant’s backyard and the few times I’ve seen her in passing since.
She’s proven herself to be an overly nice girl. Yet, part of me still wonders if she feels different toward me considering I’ve been sleeping in her hookup’s bed.
“Lina, hi!” She smiles brightly, confirming again that she’s as perfect as I’ve suspected.
“Hey!” I try to sound as excited as she does, but I’m not entirely sure what to make of her or how to act.
I can tell she’s not the type of girl to be jealous or hold resentment because I’ve been hanging out with Grant. But there’s still a part of me that feels like the two of us are in a weird limbo.
“I was actually just with Grant! What you guys are doing with the whole pregnancy stunt is the funniest thing ever.”
We both laugh a little, silently agreeing to continue walking toward the coffee cart together. “Yeah, it’s been super fun for us too,” I reply.
“Do you have any idea when you guys are going to let everyone in on the hoax?”
It might be the first time I’ve ever seen her not wearing a skirt, which makes sense considering how cold it is outside. Still, her jeans fit her perfectly in the same way Jennifer Aniston’s would, and the pink Polo sweater she has on perfectly accentuates her frame.
The line moves up a little more. We both take a small step forward while her eyes are still trained on me.
“We’re going to a bakery tonight to get blue and pink cupcakes as one last joke before taking them to his sister’s house—the one who’s actually pregnant.
I think we’re going to post something with his sister, giving her all the stuff we’ve been buying as confirmation that the baby is, in fact, not ours. ”
“Honestly, that’s brilliant. People deserve to be confused for at least a little longer.”
A small, surprised giggle slips out of me. “Yeah, we may have leaned into it more than we should have.”
“No such thing, in my opinion.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
The girl in front of us finishes ordering, and I step up to rattle off my request before paying and waiting off to the side for Savannah.
“Listen,” she says when she’s done ordering. “I don’t know what’s going on with the two of you, but whatever it is, it needs to continue.”
“Oh.” I laugh, not sure how else to respond. “Nothing like that is going on between us. Trust me, we’re just friends.”
I thought she would be relieved to hear this, considering she is the one who’s been hooking up with Grant, but I’m shocked when her expression sobers.
Then, as if she’s been waiting for the right moment, Savannah turns fully toward me. Her voice softens. “I figured I should say this because we’ve never really talked. And maybe it doesn’t matter to you, but—I was never annoyed with you. I’m sorry if it ever came across that way.”
My eyes widen, caught off guard. “I never thought you were.”
It’s the truth. I’ve more wondered why she wasn’t jealous, but that was before I realized how obviously confident Savannah is in herself.
“Good. I was just…worried about him, I guess. Grant’s my friend—he always has been, and I would love to see him find something more than what he has with me. I’ve seen him mess things up enough times to know he’s usually his own worst enemy.”
“Yeah. I can see that.”
Both our coffees are placed in front of us, and we grab them before walking back toward the path.
“I don’t do the whole ‘girls hating each other for no reason’ thing. So…if you ever want someone to, I don’t know, bitch about classes with or grab a drink, let me know.” The offer is so casual, like it doesn’t matter either way, but something about it feels genuine.
I nod, feeling lighter than I had a minute ago. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Cool. I’ll see you around, Lina.” Savannah grins, all sharp edges softening a little before she leans in to mutter something more quietly. “Oh, and this might be a weird thing to say, but Grant is amazing in bed. If anyone is going to dismantle me, I can only hope it will be you.”
I choke on my coffee mid-sip, coughing so hard I have to step to the side and catch my breath. Savannah laughs easily and tosses me a wink before heading off down the path like she didn’t completely shatter my brain in the middle of the courtyard.
* * *
The bell above the bakery door jingles as we step inside. The place is almost empty except for a couple of students crammed into a booth, hunched over laptops. The air smells strongly of vanilla and sugar, like fresh cinnamon rolls.
Grant beelines for the counter. “Hi. Do you have cupcakes? Pink and blue ones?”
“For a gender reveal party?” The girl behind the counter brightens.
I can see the look in her eye, the one that is begging for it to be true just so she can go back into the break room and be the first to send this news to Notes of New Haven.
“Something like that,” Grant says, tossing me a grin over his shoulder.
The girl points to a little display case filled with tiny cupcakes. There are a few frosted in bubblegum pink and soft baby blue. Some even have sprinkles shaped like rattles and onesies.
Grant orders six of each like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and a minute later, we’re perched at a corner table, a ridiculous spread of pastel cupcakes between us.
“So…” He looks up at me as he reaches for the box. “I heard you talked to Savannah today.”
“Hey!” I smack his hand away from the box. “Those are supposed to be for Abby.”
All he does is smirk, reaching out again and successfully opening it this time. “She won’t notice if a few are gone.”
I roll my eyes, but I don’t complain when he holds one out to me either.
“So, back to my question. Did you talk to Savannah today?”
“Seems like you already know the answer to that.”
“And it seems like you’re avoiding talking about it.”
Sighing, I peel the wrapper off my blue cupcake slowly. “We bumped into each other in the courtyard after class and talked for a bit. What else do you want to know?”
He smirks. “Did you guys talk about me?”
“You’re so obsessed with yourself.”
Grant leans back in his chair, arms crossed, like he’s settling in for story time. “That’s not a no.”
I take a bite of the cupcake to buy myself a second. It’s sweet and fluffy. Definitely better than this conversation.
“She said she was never annoyed with me,” I say after swallowing, keeping my voice casual.
Grant gives me a questioning look. “Were you worried she was?”
“No. I didn’t expect her to say anything at all.”
He watches me, a slow smile curving his mouth like he knows more than he’s letting on. “Anything else?”
I lean in a little, keeping my voice low even though no one’s really paying attention to us. “That’s basically it. She told me that she’s never been jealous of me, she’s always been your friend, and—oh, yeah—that if anyone’s going to ‘dismantle her’ from your bed, she hopes it’s me.”
Grant freezes, a cupcake halfway to his mouth. He turns his head slowly to stare at me, mouth twitching like he’s fighting a full-blown laugh. “She said what ?”
“You heard me.”
“God, I love Savannah.” He’s grinning like he’s having the time of his life.
“She almost made me choke to death in public.”
“Sounds about right. She’s a menace.” He pauses, then adds with a smirk, “Also, for the record, I can’t say I disagree with her.”
I splutter, smacking his arm as he barks out a laugh.
“Shut up!”
He’s still smiling when he grabs the box from the counter and tugs me toward the door. “I’m just saying,” he adds as he holds it open for me. “You better start preparing yourself, Lina. You’re not getting out of this fake pregnancy without at least one real scandal.”
And although it feels like the type of foreshadowing Meredith would warn me of, I still shove him as I pass through the door, my cheeks aching with a smile.
* * *
When we make it to Abby’s house—a stately brick home set back from the road, with tall stained glass and lanterns on either side of a weathered front door—she seems shocked to see us together, but within seconds, her expression lights up and she pulls me into a tight hug.
“Is it true?” she asks, pulling back and holding me by the shoulders to look me up and down. “Are you pregnant?”
“ What?”
“Abby!” Grant yells at the same time. “Jesus Christ. No. Lina’s not pregnant.”
Her face drops slightly. “Just me?”
“Just you,” he confirms. “And you shouldn’t be excited at the idea of a teen pregnancy.”