14. June
CHAPTER 14
JUNE
K atrina lives in a friendly neighborhood where kids are still able to play outside. It helps that her house is in a cul-de-sac. I spot her children straightway, playing with other kids. It’s rare to see them all outside and not glued to their electronics. I suspect she got rid of them so she could deal with my family crisis. This is not how I envisioned spending the rest of my Sunday, but there will be time for fun later. April is my main priority.
Lachy parks in front of her house and looks at me. “We can wait here.”
I let out a breath of relief. I was dreading to ask them to stay in the car. “Just wait until I find out what’s going on.”
“Don’t worry about us, Peaches,” Ryan pipes up from the back seat.
“Okay. Wish me luck.”
Jake, who is sitting directly behind me, reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “We’ll be here if you need us.”
My heart does a backflip inside my chest. The way my boys take care of me makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
“Thank you. I hope I won’t be long.”
I get out of the car, and Lavinia, Katrina’s oldest daughter, waves at me. “Hi, June!”
I wave back. “Hi!”
Her attention immediately returns to her friends, and I continue my trek to the front door. Katrina, who must have been on the lookout, opens the door before I have the chance to ring the bell.
“How is she?” I ask.
“Quiet. She’s in the living room, watching TV.” Her gaze travels past my shoulder. “That’s not your car.”
My face becomes hot. “No. Lachy drove me.”
She looks at me again, her eyes round as saucers. “You’re saying you have a hot hockey player sitting inside that car?”
“Not a hockey player—three. They all wanted to come.”
“And you’re making them wait in the car?” Her voice rises in pitch.
Guilt pierces my chest. “I... they offered. And how am I going to explain their presence to April? I don’t even know why she’s here.”
“Oh, honey. I’m not judging.”
“I’m sorry. I was just projecting my guilt. I do feel bad.”
“Don’t. They offered to come with you and wait in the car. Besides... you can thank them later.” She wiggles her brows up and down.
I smile. “Definitely.”
Katrina opens the door wider for me and, from the entry foyer, I can see April on the couch, holding a pillow against her chest. Her blonde hair is tied in a low ponytail, and she’s wearing jeans and a sweatshirt. The low-key appearance isn’t her style, which raises several red flags.
“I’ll give you some privacy,” Katrina tells me.
“Thank you.” I veer for the TV room and stop in April’s line of sight. “Hey, April.”
“June!” She jumps from the couch and comes running to hug me tight. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
I hug her back for as long as she needs. When she finally steps back, she’s crying. “What’s wrong, honey? Why did you come to LA? Do Mom and Dad know you’re here?”
She wipes her wet cheeks. “No. They don’t know. Please don’t tell them yet.”
My brows furrow. “I have to tell them. They’ll be worried sick.”
“They won’t. They think I’m at Jenny’s.”
“You have school tomorrow.”
“I’ll call in sick.” She returns to the couch and grabs the pillow again.
Shit. April is spoiled, but she’s a straight A student. Whatever she’s going through is serious if she’s planning on skipping school. I sit next to her and take her hand. “What’s going on, April? Why did you come to LA?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does matter. You came to see me for a reason, right? Well, I’m here. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She turns to me, and her blue eyes are brighter thanks to all the unshed tears. “You have to promise me you won’t judge me.”
My stomach coils tightly, making me a little sick. “I swear I won’t.”
“I did something bad.” She licks her lower lip. “Something really bad.”
Oh God.
“You didn’t kill anyone, did you?”
Her eyes widen. “No! Of course not. If I killed someone, I’d have gone to August. He’d help me get rid of the body.”
I snort. “Yeah, he’s totally the guy for that. But if murder isn’t the problem, then it can’t be that bad.”
“It is bad, June, and murder will be a problem because Dad will kill Mason Flannigan.”
“Wait. Mason Flannigan ? I thought he moved to Houston.”
“He did, but he came back looking hotter than sin.”
Oh dear.
“I’m confused. Weren’t you dating Dash Wilkins?”
“I was, but Jenny heard from a junior that Dash still has a thing for May, and he was only dating me to make her jealous. I was so angry and not thinking straight that I ended up hooking up with Mason at Penelope Wilcox’s birthday party.”
My heart skips a beat. “What do you mean by hooking up?”
She gives me a droll look. “What do you think? I slept with him.”
My jaw drops. I know teens have sex, but I naively didn’t think April would start at only fifteen. I didn’t sleep with Bill until I was eighteen, for crying out loud, and we’d been going out for years. But I promised I wouldn’t judge.
“Oh... Was he your first?” I blurt out, and immediately cringe. I can’t believe I asked my baby sister about her sex life.
April’s face turns as bright as a tomato. “Yes.”
“How was it?”
“I’m not going to tell you that! Besides, it doesn’t matter if it was good or not, I can still get knocked up, even if it sucked.”
I feel the blood drain from my face. “April... are you saying you’re pregnant?”
She looks away. “Maybe.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I’m late and the home pregnancy test I took was positive. But Jenny says those tests aren’t super accurate.”
“How is that possible? I spoke to Mom the other day, and she said you and Dash were a couple. When did you hook up with Mason?”
She looks at her lap. “Last week.”
Hope flares in my chest. There’s no way a home pregnancy test would show a true positive this early.
“Jenny is right, those tests aren’t accurate, especially this early. Did you use a condom?”
“Yes.”
I cover her hands with mine. “April... I don’t think you’re pregnant.”
She whips her face to me. “Well, I freaked out. And Jenny said that condoms aren’t one hundred percent safe.”
They aren’t, but I don’t need to worry April more.
“Anyway...” April continues. “I bought a ticket to LA online, and Jenny drove me to the airport.”
“How did you pay for your flight?”
She nibbles on her lower lip. “I used Mom’s credit card.”
“She’s going to find out.”
April shrugs. “I know, but not until she sees the statement. And she won’t get too mad if I tell her I was worried about you.”
Sadly, Mom will totally buy that excuse, especially when April bats her pretty baby blue eyes at her. I don’t begrudge her. We all spoiled April, and I’d rather not worry Mom with the truth. She’ll blame herself if she finds out her baby girl isn’t a baby anymore.
“April... I have to tell Mom and Dad that you’re here.”
Her eyes bug out. “You can’t!”
“I can. I won’t tell them the reason. We can go with your excuse.”
She nibbles on her lower lip. “But... what about my problem? Where can I take a proper test that’ll be accurate?”
“I can bring you to my doctor tomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Yes. We’ll call Mom and Dad once we’re back in my apartment.”
Guilt shines in her eyes. “I’m sorry I bugged your friend. Mom always sends her Christmas cards, so I had the address, and I didn’t have your new one. I was afraid that if I called you from the airport, you’d make me take the next flight back home.”
“Why would you think that?”
“You’re Miss Perfect, June. You never break the rules. Mom always says you’re the perfect daughter.”
My chest becomes tighter. I doubt Mom would keep thinking that if she finds out I have three boyfriends.
“I’m not perfect. And I wouldn’t turn my back on you, April.”
“Thank you.”
Katrina joins us in the living room and asks, “Everything okay?”
“Yes. We’re going back to my apartment now. Thanks for helping.”
“Happy to.”
“May I use your bathroom before I go?” April asks.
“Of course, hon. It’s the second door to your right down the hallway.”
“Thanks.”
Once April leaves, Katrina moves closer and asks softly, “What was the fuss all about?”
“Boy trouble.”
I don’t want to tell Katrina about the possible pregnancy until we get the test results.
She arches a brow. “Only one boy in the equation?”
“Well... no.”
“It must run in the family.” She laughs.
“Shut up.”
“How are you going to explain the boys waiting for you in the car?”
“That I was with them when you called.” While April is in the bathroom, I veer for the front door.
“Where are you going?” Katrina follows me.
“I want to remind them to keep it cool.”
When I leave the house, I stop in my tracks. The boys are not in the car waiting but outside, playing ball with the neighborhood kids.
Katrina laughs. “I should have known they wouldn’t last long in the car.”
They’re in a circle, passing the soccer ball around, and don’t see me until Lavinia calls my name. Lachy is the first to break away from the group.
“How is everything, lass?”
“Good for now.”
“Where’s April?” Ryan looks toward Katrina’s house as he approaches.
“She’ll be out in a moment. I wanted to talk to you before making introductions.”
Jake joins us with his brows raised. “You sound ominous.”
“Remember that April can’t know about us. We’re just friends, okay?”
The boys trade a glance among themselves, then Jake replies. “Don’t worry, June. We didn’t forget.”
“Okay.”
“Is that your sister?” Ryan asks.
I turn and see April hugging Katrina. I walk over and notice something is different about April. She’s no longer sporting a gloomy expression. But I won’t ask her about it with the boys hovering nearby.
“Did you get everything?” I ask.
She nods enthusiastically. “Yep. I traveled light. I didn’t bring any clothes or anything.”
Right. She left in a hurry. I’d never have done something crazy like this when I was her age, but then again, I wouldn’t have been in this situation at her age. I was too terrified of the wrath of God—and Mom—to have underage sex. And look at me now, getting railed by three hot hockey players on a regular basis. I feel a little smug about it. All those years of being a good girl have finally paid off.
April’s attention switches to the boys. “Oh, who are they ?”
I hate the sudden interest in her question. The last thing I need is for April to start flirting with my boyfriends. It’d be so cringy and embarrassing.
“These are my neighbors—Ryan, Jake, and Lachlan. I was with them when you called.”
“Nice to meet you, April,” they say in unison.
“Hi,” she replies shyly.
I realize that Katrina hasn’t officially met them yet, so I make introductions. Surprisingly, she acts like they’re regular guys, not famous hockey players. I bet it’s because of April. If my sister weren’t around, Katrina would be making a fuss.
While Katrina is making small talk with the boys, April moves closer and whispers, “Why didn’t you tell me you were hanging out with men hotter than my BTS boys?”
I snort. “Are they? I never noticed.”
She leans back and stares a hole through my cheek. “Sure. Your face isn’t red at all.”
“Be quiet,” I grit out. “We’re ready to go,” I tell Lachy.
“Shotgun!” April calls, then runs to the passenger side of the car.
Ryan steps up next to me. “I like this new arrangement... Peaches sandwich.”
“Ryan...”
“I know, I know.” He lifts his hands up. “No shenanigans. We’re just friends. But you are riding in the middle.”
He’s sporting a crooked grin as he opens the door. I look at Katrina and find her trying to suppress a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, June.”
“Bye. Thanks for everything.”
I can’t bail on my students to take April to see my OB/GYN. I’ll have to take her during my lunch break, which means she needs to come to school with me. They do say when it rains, it pours. I’m looking forward to a long, drama-free period.
I wonder how long I’ll have to wait.