Splinters: Part One

Part One | 52

I sighed and Grady groaned.

"You guys don't like it?" she guessed.

"We haven't had the best year," Grady admitted.

Jo frowned.

I bit my lip. "Okay, so people found out about me. You know, being an orphan. I didn't tell anyone at first because I wanted a restart. You know how it is, Jo, when people give you those stupid sympathetic looks when you admit you're an orphan."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah I understand."

"Well I told this guy Andrew because I just had to get it out."

"For the record, I didn't even know at this time and I was Brayden's friend first."

I frowned. "Yeah... Yeah, sorry Grady."

He waved me off.

"So this Andrew guy knows," Jo said.

"Yeah. Well he told this guy named Zech who's just about the biggest asshole in the world."

"Brayden!" Jo gasped.

"Brayden swears now," Grady smirked.

"No, I don't, but when it comes to him, no swear word can even compete to how much of a jerk he is." Jo didn't say anything. "Anyway, at a dance, he told everyone, and I mean everyone."

She gawked. "So everyone found out."

I nodded. "It was just about the worst thing that could possibly happen to me."

"How did he find out? From Andrew?"

I nodded again.

"What a jerk."

"Wanna know the best part? He's dating Ursanne now."

"He's dating your sister?"

"Yep."

"That sucks."

"But for her sake, he and I are pretty much friends again. He felt bad about telling Zech and it had a huge story that went along with it."

"That's crazy. Why would Zech do that to you, though?"

And so this is where I tell her. "I have a girlfriend-"

"You have a girlfriend?"

"Well, I-I mean, I think so. We're not doing so good right now."

"Why?"

I wasn't ready to tell her. No. I didn't want to tell her. No way in a million years would neither one of us would think that the other got someone or is pregnant. I didn't want Josephine to look at my differently, but I felt like I had to tell her.

"I'm not a virgin, Jo."

Her face fell. She seemed to be at a loss for words for a few moments, making me feel extremely uncomfortable and stupid.

"I know," Grady said. "I couldn't believe it either."

I glanced at him awkwardly. "Grady thinks that she's pregnant because she hasn't spoken to me since it happened."

She raised her eyebrows. "Um, have you asked her?"

"Not yet. Like I said, she hasn't really been talking to me."

She glared at me. "You're dumb, Brayden."

I laughed half-heartedly. "I know."

"So what's her name?"

"Collie."

Josephine made a face. "Is she a dog?'

Grady and I both laughed. "No, her name's Colleen, but we call her Collie."