not a game - vinnie hacker ✔️

『XVI』

dialogue:

kingsley's mouth dropped. "holy shit, chris, what?"

"i'm not certain but,"

"why are you calling me about this?"

"wh- i don't know," chris began, obvious hurt in his voice. "i guess you're the only person that i can talk to."

"we're not friend, chris." kingsley was mad.

"i know but,"

"we're not friends because you said that, chris."

"kingsley, i know, and i'm sorry. i messed up, and,"

"and," kingsley interrupted again. "and i'm not just someone you can treat like shit and then go to when you get sad or –" she stopped herself. she shut her eyes for a second as she realized that was exactly what she had done to chris. she didn't need to hate chris to prove that vinnie was a good boyfriend, and she didn't hate chris, but she tried telling herself she did. she didn't need to convince anyone else. it was just a game she continued to mess with. 

"kinsley, you there?" chris' voice snapped kingsley out of her trance and straight into work mode.

"okay, chris, i'm gonna talk you through this, can you keep up?" kingsley sat down at her desk and cleared the table. 

"uh, i'll try?"

"okay, how many times have you and effiel, um," she stuttered a bit. "done it?"

"kingsley!"

"just answer the question, chris! i'm trying to get a timeline."

"i don't know, like, five times."

"you've dated her for like, a week, chris, do you even know her eye color?" 

"okay, are we slut shamming or are we making a timeline?"

"okay, okay, okay. when did effiel tell you?"

"she texted me like, ten minutes ago."

"she texted you? what a –"

"focus, kings."

"right! did she send you any proof? a photo of a test or?

"yeah, yeah."

"okay, and did she mention when she knew?"

"she said she was found out minutes before telling me."

"okay, i'm trying to put grudges aside, but she could be lying, chris." 

"you mean it's not possible the kid is mine?" kingsley frowned at the slight bit of relief in his voice. 

"it could be, or it could not be. but chris, if it's yours and effiel wants to keep it, you have to help her raise it."

"i can't fucking raise a baby, kings!" chris said, kingsley could hear the fear in his voice. "i'm gonna fuck it up! i can't be around it, kings, it'd be better if effiel did it herself–"

"chris!" kingsley yelled through the phone. "i'm sorry that you're insecure, or that your plans of community college might be dented because of this, but it's not the baby's fault you were stupid. i don't like effiel but if she wants to be a mother then you stand up, chris. you don't back down, you don't go off and be coward. and maybe effiel agrees with you and asks you stay away from the baby–"

"i don't wanna be away from the baby." chris said, he was now obviously crying. 

"what the fuck, chris. you're not making any sense. look, are you at home?"