Chapter 26 Mazzie
Mazzie
Several hours after the doctor’s appointment and a trip to the drugstore, I sat on the edge of the whirlpool tub in the en suite of my room at Bailey’s house.
Three tests. Each one with two pink lines. Positive, positive, positive.
I wanted to scream and throw up, but all I could do was cry. I hated myself for allowing this to happen. Med school? Gone. Future? Exactly like my mother’s. To say I hated myself was an understatement.
A knock rattled the door.
Thank heavens Bailey was back with Advil. My head had been throbbing since I’d left Dr. Vasquez’s office.
“Maze, are you in there?” Kaylee asked, sounding as though she’d been crying.
I didn’t want my sister to know. All this pregnancy would do was prove to her that the Meyers women were doomed to screw up their lives.
“One second.” I collected the pregnancy tests and stuffed them in a drawer under the sink.
Then I pinched my cheeks to inject some color, but it was useless.
Nevertheless, I quickly splashed water on my face, twisted my hair up into a bun, and used the clip on the counter to secure the updo in place.
“Deep breath,” I mumbled, opening the door. “Hey, lil’ sis. What’s wrong?”
Kaylee’s face was littered with red blotches, probably like mine. “Mom’s going to prison for a year.”
Another punch in the gut. Today seemed like the day to screw with me. Still, I shoved my crisis aside as best as I could. Kaylee’s tears always came first.
“Where did you hear this?” I guided her over to the bed and patted the mattress. “Up.”
“I overheard Mrs. Armstrong talking to Mom’s lawyer.” She tucked her legs underneath her once she crawled up toward the pillows.
Considering the judge had denied Mom’s bail, I shouldn’t be surprised. I grabbed a couple of tissues from the nightstand and joined her. As I leaned against the headboard, I pulled her to me then handed her a tissue.
She sniffled. “Mr. Furlong tried to call you.”
“My phone died.” I rubbed her arm.
“I knew it was a possibility that Mom wouldn’t get out of jail, but I’m sad. Can we go see her?”
I snapped out of my funk. “Of course. We can go this weekend.”
She wiped her nose with the tissue. “Did you know? Is that why you’ve been crying?”
“I didn’t know.”
The sound of footsteps in the hall filtered into the room before Mrs. Armstrong graced the doorway with her presence, and I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to tell my sister why I’d been crying.
The Bailey look-alike smiled warmly. “I’m so sorry, Kaylee, that you overheard my conversation with Mr. Furlong.”
“The judge decided my mom’s case,” I said.
“I’m afraid so,” Mrs. Armstrong replied. “Mr. Furlong left you a voicemail. You can call him tomorrow if you need to clarify anything.”
I would like the details, for sure. But it wasn’t urgent.
Mrs. Armstrong held out her hand. “Kaylee, why don’t we get a snack before your bath?”
I kissed my sister. “Go. I have studying to do.”
Kaylee hugged me. “I love you.”
I held back the need to cry. “Love you more.”
“Mom,” Bailey said from the hall, “Dad is looking for you. He just got a call from the hospital, and he needs to go in.”
“That man works too much,” she mumbled as she took Kaylee’s hand.
Bailey came in with her phone in her hand.
“What is it?” I asked, puffing out my cheeks. “You have one of those expressions that the world is burning.”
In my world, it was. But in Bailey’s, she had everything neatly tied into a bow with loving parents, the perfect home, and no worries about money or being pregnant.
“Have you checked your messages?”
“Not yet. My phone is charging. And, hello, I’ve been dealing with a major life crisis.”
Her chest rose. “Lucas was beat up on campus.”
I slapped a hand over my mouth to muffle the sharp intake of breath. Then I remembered that Josh had a message for Lucas to watch his six.
I flew off the bed. “Did Erik say who did it?”
Bailey’s lips pressed tight. “No names. Just… It’s about his dad owing money.”
A pain spread through my chest. “Gambling money. And?”
“Lucas is at the hospital, but he’s okay. He’s actually there visiting because his dad was beaten up pretty badly too.”
I rubbed my chest. “Thank hell. We need to go.” I ran into the bathroom and unhooked my phone from the charger.
“You really want to go looking like you have been crying for days?”
I darted past her and went into the walk-in closet. “I’ll think of something to tell him. But I need to be with him.”
“Do you think Josh has something to do with all this?”
I slipped on a pair of jeans. “Maybe. I don’t know.” I couldn’t think. My looming pregnancy test was screwing with my head. “What is happening today? First, my shocking news. Then my mother was sentenced to a year in jail, and finally Lucas was beaten up.”
“I’ll change. Meet me downstairs,” she said.
I finished dressing then checked my messages.
Lucas
Call me when you see this.
I didn’t have any voicemails. The text was it. So I called Lucas.
The line rang once. “Mazzie, are you okay?” The panic was sharp as a tack in his voice.
“I am. I’m so sorry to have scared you. My phone died.” I shuddered. “Bailey just told me. What happened?”
He released a heavy breath. “Someone beat Kurtis pretty severely. He’s about to go into surgery.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I’m fine. Busted lip, sore stomach, and I’ll have a black eye. Nothing severe.”
I choked out a sob.
“Hey, I’m okay,” he said.
I wasn’t. But how could I tell him the truth? “Bailey and I are on our way.”
“No. The storm is pretty bad. You don’t have to come.”
My hand trembled around the phone. “I want to. We need to talk.” I knew I should wait until the second results were back from the second blood test, but it would be a miracle if that test came back negative. And the secret was killing me faster than the truth ever could.
The silence stretched over the line, thick with unspoken tension.
“Mazzie?” His voice was cautious. “What do we need to talk about?”
My throat constricted. You’re supposed to wait until the results come back tomorrow.
“Midnight, you’re scaring me.”
“I don’t mean to. It’s been a really crappy day. It’s about my mom. I’ll fill you in when I get there.”
I ended the call before he could ask more questions and before I blurted out that I was pregnant. He didn’t need to hear that now. Or ever, I prayed.