Chapter 47
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
ASTRID
“Oh my God,” Diya said, staring down at her phone from the driver’s seat.
I hummed to myself and sat in the passenger seat of her car, scrolling through social media before school. Calix had messaged me about a billion times since last night, wondering why I wasn’t responding to him, if it was something that he had done …
While I’d tried to reassure him that it was nothing, I had racked my brain for so many reasons why I could be acting this way. But the truth was that my best friend and his sister was pregnant by his stepdaddy, and he wasn’t going to like that.
Diya froze beside me. “Astrid, you’re not going to believe this.”
“What happened?” I asked, ready to believe almost anything that happened in this town now.
This past year had been nothing but drama, drama, drama, drama, and now with my best friend pregnant … it was only going to get crazier.
A direct message popped up on the app.
Calix: Where are you??
After blowing out a sigh, soft enough so Diya didn’t question it, I ignored the message on my screen and exited all of my social media. God, it has been so hard, ignoring him. I need to come up with a good excuse soon.
Calix wasn’t going to wait much longer, not after adding two question marks.
The phone buzzed again, and I clutched my hand around it. He isn’t going to let this go—
Arch: It’d better be mine.
My brow furrowed, and I clicked on his message to see nothing more. No texting bubbles. No other messages. Just one text that didn’t make any fucking sense. But, hey, it was Arch.
When my phone buzzed for a third time, I immediately tapped open the message.
Cairo: I’ll make sure you can make up your Physics exam. Stay home. I’ll see you soon.
Then another.
Frasier: Tell me what you need, and I’ll pick it up after school for you, baby.
I scrunched my nose. What’s with the emoji? And why are they all acting weird?
“I’m so sorry, Astrid,” Diya said, eyes filling with tears.
Oh gosh, the hormones are already kicking in. I don’t think I’m ready for it.
Once I set my phone on the dashboard, I pulled Diya into a hug. “Shh, shh, shh. It’s okay, Diya. You don’t have anything to apologize for. I know that this week has been especially hard for you. Don’t worry. I will—”
“All of Redwood thinks you’re pregnant,” she said.
I stiffened. “What?”
“All of Redwood thinks you’re pregnant.”
“What do you mean, they think I’m pregnant?”
She pulled back slightly and showed me her phone, where Calix had texted Diya less than two minutes ago, asking where I was and if she had known that I was pregnant. I snatched the phone from her hand and immediately messaged him back.
Diya: What? Where did you hear that???
Texting bubbles appeared almost instantly, followed by another message.
Calix: Some girls were talking about it in the hall.
Calix: Where is she?
My heart dropped, and I slowly handed Diya’s phone back and stared out the windshield. How had they found out about it so quickly? We had only told Sakura last night, and I hadn’t thought she’d tell anyone.
Maybe she’d mentioned it to one of her guy friends, and they’d mentioned it to someone else? But … no. I still couldn’t see any of them spreading drama, not when Sakura herself was pregnant. They wouldn’t do that to someone.
“I’m sorry,” Diya cried, head in her hands. “I’m sorry. I should tell everyone that it’s me.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No. No. No. No. It’s okay.”
If I had to protect my best friend from the bullying by taking it myself, then I would. I wasn’t actually pregnant, not really hormonal, only when I needed some dick. I could endure the abuse for the first month or so.
But what about the guys? I’d have to tell them, right?
I scrolled back through the messages on my phone.
Calix: Where are you??
Arch: It’d better be mine.
Cairo: I’ll make sure you can make up your Physics exam. Stay home. I’ll see you soon.
Frasier: Tell me what you need, and I’ll pick it up after school for you, baby.
Heat rushed through my body, and I pressed my thighs together. It probably wasn’t a good time to be turned on as my best friend cried in the seat beside me, but tell me why they all seemed to be … okay about it? Excited almost?
Calix was searching for me. Arch wanted the kid to be his. Cairo was being the cute, loving guy that he always had been. Frasier was going to get me anything I needed. And Rush …
My gaze dropped, scanning to see if I had missed a message from him.
I guessed Rush really didn’t care.
He didn’t want to hang out after school. Barely spoke to me. Didn’t message me.
“I’m sorry, Astrid.” Diya sobbed.
“Diya, I already said not to worry. We’ll just play this off. It’ll be cool.”
“Cool?!”
“You know how much Redwood Academy loves drama,” I said. “Let’s give it to them.”
While she was in the middle of crying, she cracked a small smile. “How?”
“You wipe these tears,” I said, pushing them away with my thumbs, “and get to first period. I’ll stay home today to really stir everything up. People won’t be able to stop talking about why I’m not in class.”
“B-but why?” she asked.
I tucked some hair behind her ear. “Because I love you and I care about you.”
“People will wonder whose it is,” she said.
“Tell them that it’s Principal Vaughn’s … before Poison chopped his head off.”
That’ll really make everyone go nuts!
“B-but—”
I hopped out of the car, ran over to her side, and yanked her out, pushing her off toward her first period. I might’ve had a Physics exam today, but Cairo had me covered. This would surely spice up second semester, even more so than fucking five best friends.
Once she disappeared into the building, I headed across the parking lot toward my car.
A car sped up beside me, and Rush rolled down the passenger window.
What is he doing here? Last time I talked to him, he didn’t want to hang.
“Rush?” I whispered, heart racing inside my chest.
“Get in, Astrid. We’re going for a ride.”