Best-Friends With Benefits

12 hours, 28 minutes, and 43 seconds.

That's how long I've been staring at the clock , my mother quietly crying at my bedside next to my father, who was currently looking at everything except me.

That's also how long it's been since Conner left.

I mean, I couldn't exactly say I blamed him for needing some air. After all, he did just find out that he impregnated his childhood best friend.

But the air in this freaking hospital room was literally suffocating me.

I wanted to just run out the door and skip town, unable to face the discussion with my parents that I knew was just around the corner. But I knew that if I did that, my mom would probably try to strangle me.

It was a good thing that the ER was just down stairs.

I soft knock at the door made my head whip up anxiously, almost giving me whiplash. But instead of Conner being there as I had hoped, Alex and Lilly were nervously waiting at the door, looking uncertain.

"Hi girls." My mom greeted them with a weak smile.

"Hi Mrs.Rider." Lilly smiled politely. "Do you mind if we have a quick word with Selena? We'll only take a moment."

"Of course dear. We'll just go to the cafeteria for a bite to eat." My mom nodded, getting out of her chair and leading my dad out the door. "Selena, honey, if you need anything just call. Okay? We'll be back soon." She called to me over her shoulder as they exited, my father not even looking back at me.

I didn't respond. Alex and Lilly came to sit on either side of my bed. "Hi." Alex said, looking uncharacteristically subdued.

"Hey." My voice was still scratchy from crying.

"How are you feeling?" Lilly asked me.

I shrugged. "I'm in the hospital. Can't get much worse."

That made Lilly smile. But Alex was looking dead serious as she took my hand in hers and asked the question I could practically hear echoing through their brains.

"Is it true?"

I hesitated. Should I tell them? They were my friends! If I couldn't trust them, who could I trust at all?

I mean, besides Conner.

I nodded hesitantly. No one said anything for a moment, and I nervously waited for them to ask who the father was.

"I'm sorry about the miscarriage. That bitch was way out of line." Alex huffed the last part angrily, looking more like herself again.

"Wait, what bitch?"

They both turned to look at me, surprised. "You don't remember what happened?" Lilly asked.

"Nope, nothing past Travis kissing that dude in truth or dare." I confessed, cracking a smile at the memory.

"Wow, you missed everything!" Alex exclaimed. "I mean, Lilly and Tom hooking up, some guys on the football team skinny dipping in the pool (that was nice), strip poker, me and you pole dancing-"

"We did what?"

"Alex." Lilly frowned at her friend. "Maybe we should fill her in on the rest later."

Alex rolled her green eyes. "Fine. Well anyway, some bitch who was dressed up like a slutty bunny and was hitting on Conner was totally jealous of you and him, so she pushed you off of him while you were giving him a lap dance-"

"I did what?"

"-and then threw a plate at you. Next thing we know, she's in a police car and you're in an ambulance. We were so scared! You started screaming and crying and-" She paused, paling slightly. "There was so much blood. No one was sure where it was coming from, but it was everywhere. Conner looked just about ready to have a heart attack when he helped carry you to the ambulance."

I didn't say anything, but vaugely remembered the sounnds of screaming and sirens.

I was looking up at the ceiling, clutching my stomach as it clenched painfully again. Through my pain, I could here a loud sound ripping through the air, until I realized it was just me screaming. Conner crouched over me, the blood completely drained for his face as he looked down at me.

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to move. We have to get her to the hospital right now."

His jaw clenched as he glanced at me again. "Then what are we waiting for?"

He gently picked me up in his arms, but I still flinched at the movement. He cradled my sobbing face to his chest as he quickly jogged outside. I could see that his arms were now drenched in blood.

Blood? Was he hurt?

I looked down, and realized that it was my blood. That made me cry even harder.