Whose Fault? (Editing)

Chapter Twenty-Four

I made sure Callie was properly buckled into her car seat, then started the car up and made sure music was playing. I was headed to the college for advisory day. I needed to see if there were any courses for my major that I could take online and if there were sign language classes available to do the same.

The appointment for the audiologist wasn't until next week, but I'd rather be safe than sorry; plus I'd always wanted to learn.

Max wanted to take the day off to come with me but I refused. I could take care of myself. I had been trying my hardest to convince him to go back home and live his own life, but he was so stubborn.

"You know, if everyone sees you with a girl and a baby all the time, they're gonna come to the wrong conclusions and think you're taken. And if you want your own kids, that's not gonna work out so well for you. Is it?"

It was the first time I had actually got him to consider leaving and going back home. Usually he would argue and say that, I was only kicking him out because I wanted Callie all to myself. Which was true, I did want her all to myself, but it wasn't the reason I was trying to get him to leave. The guilt was starting to eat away at me again. It was becoming too much. I couldn't keep him away from his own life anymore.

His reasoning for wanting to come with me today was to make sure I was okay because this was my first time out of the house, outside of doctors' appointments, in at least five months. Which was "real suspicious for someone carrying around an infant." I rolled my eyes at him when he said that and told him no one would have paid that much attention to how long they hadn't seen me for.

"Besides, if anyone asks, Callie's my baby sister."

It hurt like a bitch to even consider saying it, but I would have much rather made up a lie about my mother not being able to watch her for the day than to give everyone any reason to believe that they were right: I was a cheater and had been pregnant with someone else's baby other than Eli's.

The second half was true, I still constantly fought myself on the first bit.

When we arrived at the school, I grabbed my backpack that had everything from college information to diapers in it then removed the carrier with Callie in it from the car. I made my way to the advising building only to see a line out the door. Oh, you are kidding me. It looked like we were going to be there for hours.

I asked the last person in line if there was a place we had to sign in and he silently nodded his head. I made my way to the desk inside and signed my name under a long list of others, maybe about 35 people. Surprisingly, there were seats left in the waiting room inside. I sat down in one at the end of the back row grateful for the opportunity to put Callie's carrier down. That thing got heavy after holding it for so long.

I gently rocked the carrier to keep Callie asleep for as long as I could. I fed her about an hour ago, not even considering that the line would be so long. I knew she would get hungry while we were waiting, it would just stink if I missed my turn while feeding her.

When they only took ten more people in within the next half hour, I realized we would be waiting for at least an hour more. I quickly got up, made my way to the closest restroom, and changed Callie. Then I made my way back to the car to leave the carrier there. I had thought that it might help to have it there with me, but it just ended up annoying me.

I slowly made my way back towards the advising building, then checked to see how many names there were left on the list before mine. 23.

I let out a huff and relaxed back into a chair. I rested my eyes as I waited. It was quiet, except for when someone behind the counter periodically called a name out. It had been almost silent for a little while though when Callie started crying. Immediately, I got up and walked towards the bathroom so I could feed her.