Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
B riar
My first instinct is to call Annie as I make the drive toward Ann Arbor. I’ve never met a boyfriend’s parents before. Well, Aaron isn’t my boyfriend, and this is way more serious because he’s probably going to introduce me as his baby mama. I really hope his parents take the news well. I figure they must be good people if they raised such a chivalrous son. I can’t believe Aaron came back to Black Jack’s to clean snow off my car or that he sent me food with Uber Eats after my shift. It was exactly what I needed to have a good night’s sleep. Although, I still puked this morning. Now, after a day of classes and arguing with the person who works at the financial office, I’m exhausted. The pregnancy is wearing me out, even though it’s only the beginning. I got a call this morning from the hospital to confirm my ultrasound on Tuesday morning. I sent Aaron a text with the details, and he said he will be there. I want to believe him, but I also don’t want to get my hopes up. He’s being over-the-top with worrying about me eating and taking care of myself. I’ve been on my own since high school. When Mom got remarried, I moved in with a friend and her family. They were a bit dysfunctional with the father having an alcohol problem and the brother selling drugs from their home, but it was a roof over my head. Aaron is being extra with worrying about me. I’m not used to it. I’m a lone wolf. I’ve learned to survive; his attention is unnerving.
If I call Annie, it would mean I tell her about the pregnancy, and it’s all so new. Besides, I told Aaron to keep it a secret, so it’s only fair I do the same.
Mom calls as I’m driving.
I pick up. “Hi, Mom.”
“I need to come down to you on Sunday. I hope that works,” she says.
This is how our conversations go. She tells me what she needs and gets right to the point. No, “Hi, how are you?”
“Okay.”
“Good. So what’s going on?” she asks.
“Just going to watch a friend play hockey in Ann Arbor,” I tell her.
“Isn’t that expensive on gas?” she chides. It is, but it’s kind of important I go to this game. At least it seemed that way when Aaron invited me.
“It’s not too bad. I didn’t have to pay for the ticket. I have a friend on the team,” I say.
I don’t know why I can’t bring myself to tell her I’m pregnant. Maybe I’ll do it on Sunday, face-to-face.
“Is that a boyfriend?” she asks.
“Just a friend,” I reply.
One of the kids screams something in the background. “I gotta go. See you Sunday,” she says, and she ends the call.
The call makes me feel tense. I turn up the radio and get lost in some music. By the time I get to the arena, I’m starved. I quickly chow down on a granola bar because the game is starting soon, and I don’t want to be late. Aaron texted me the ticket earlier, so I head into the arena.
I’m seated in the second row with some other people wearing Riverside Rocket jerseys. I don’t see anyone I know. When I see an older couple taking a seat at the end of the row, I wonder if they are Aaron’s parents. The man is tall just like Aaron, but his hair has white strands. The woman is shorter. She’s a brunette. I watch how attentive the man is with her, checking on her and making sure she’s comfortable. Couples like them don’t exist in real life, do they? I need to look away because I feel like I’m intruding on them. Instead, I google rules of hockey on my phone. The last game I went to was okay, but I had no clue what was going on.
“Is this your first game?” the girl beside me asks. There’s another girl beside her and she watches me, waiting for an answer too.
“No, my second,” I say.
“Did one of the players invite you?” she asks.
“Um… no. I just figured that hockey could be an interesting game to watch,” I reply, and it sounds like such a stupid answer.
“Oh, Tyler invited me,” the girl beside me says.
“Seth invited me,” the girl beside her adds.
“I’m Trina and this is Kat,” the girls introduce themselves.
“Briar, nice to meet you both.”
“That’s Laina.” She points to a brunette sitting farther down. “Beside her is Christy and beside her is Nat, which is short for Natalie.” Each of the girls wave to me. I begin to wonder if they are groupies.
“Luc Chabot invited the last three,” she whispers.
Holy shit. Luc invited three girls, not one.
“Um, cool.”
Trina smiles. “Ooh, puck drop. Let the fun begin.” She winks like I’m in on some joke or something.
Yup, they are definitely groupies. These guys must get around a lot if they are inviting random girls to games.
My stomach sinks at the thought of how much Aaron must get around. I shouldn’t care. He doesn’t owe me anything. He clearly wants to be involved with the baby, but he isn’t looking for more. We were a quick fling that has lasting consequences.
My thoughts get sidetracked when the girls start shouting like commentators. Well, I guess googling the rules isn’t necessary anymore.
“Amazing breakaway, Finn!” one of them shouts.
Then another girl yells, “He’s on you,” to Hayden, who is my good friend Ruby’s brother. “Come on, Aaron, swoop in and save the day!” Kat shouts.
I wonder if this screaming is going to go on for the whole game. By the end of second period, I realize it is and I’ve had enough. I head out to the restroom during break or intermission or whatever it’s called. I contemplate buying a hot dog but when I think of the last hot dog I ate, and how I puked after, I am repulsed and just the thought of eating one makes me heave.
By third period I am sitting on the edge of my seat. The game is tied. A guy named Brody is up to puck drop. Tyler and Seth are on the ice too, and the girls beside me keep on hooting.
Again, I look at the older couple in the front row. When Aaron gets hold of the puck, the woman shouts, “That’s it, Aaron, bring it home,” I know it’s his mom. Those are his parents. His very supportive parents. What are they going to think of me? A girl who got pregnant from their son when I am not even his girlfriend.
Aaron scores a goal. I jump but then wince because I don’t want the girls getting wind that I’m here for him. Trina notices. “Aaron’s a hottie, huh?”
I don’t know what to say so I nod. “He doesn’t get around like the rest of the guys though. He’s more selective. Good luck.” She shrugs and goes back to the game.
She’s just given me a piece of information about Aaron I didn’t have before. So he isn’t into the groupies. He still isn’t a saint though. Not that I would expect him to be. I blink and remind myself that none of this information matters. Aaron and I are simply two people who are having a baby together. We’re never going to get together because a guy like him wouldn’t want a girl like me.