Loser II || WlW

Seven

"Is that why you came here?" I throw the pregnancy test back in her purse. "Because you had unprotected sex with some stranger and wanted to start over?"

     She crosses her arms over her chest. "Would it matter?"

     What's she implying? Of course it would matter. "Yeah. Yeah, it does matter."

     "You're saying that you'd be mad if I slept with someone in the last six months?" She raises an eyebrow. "When you went out and fucked everything with a pulse?"

     "I'm not mad you had sex. I'd be mad if you're pregnant right now," I say. "I think I'm entitled to know something like that before I commit to being in a relationship with you."

     "J." She shakes her head. Her defensiveness dissolves.  "You really think I'd go get knocked up? And ruin this body?" Her lips quirk into a grin.

     I force down a smile. "Why do you have a pregnancy test then?"

     She rests her head on my shoulder and wraps her arms around my waist. "Someone took advantage of me last month." Her voice is surprisingly steady. "I had already quit the pill because I knew I wouldn't be with a man again after I kissed you." She meets my eyes. Tears are flowing down her cheeks. "It was just a precaution."

     I cup her face in my hands and wipe the tears away. "Who was it?"

     She shakes her head. "You're not getting involved."

     "I will kill him, Brittany," I say through clenched teeth.

     She presses her face against my chest and says, "Maybe Zachary will share his attorney."

     She chuckles but I don't. I can't keep the anger at bay. I should have been there for her. Instead I was ignoring her messages and calls. I don't know how she forgave me. I wouldn't have.

     "I'm so sorry." I say and kiss the top of her head as she hugs me tighter.

     She waves the apology off. "I don't want this to ruin our trip," she says. "Are you spending the night? We have to leave pretty early to catch our flight."

     I nod. "I'll go pick my stuff up and come back in a couple hours."

     I shudder at the thought of having to see my mom right now. Usually, she'd be at work but her schedule has been off lately. I zone through the drive home, thinking about Brittany's confession. Who hurt her? I start running through a list of possible threats but the list is too long.

     It could have been Kyle. The guy from the party with the dark hair. I don't remember his name. Someone I've never met. I shake my head. I'll drive myself crazy trying to sort through them all. I'll just wait for Brittany to tell me. She'll open up about it eventually.

     I make my way up to my apartment, the dread growing in my chest with each step. I turn the knob and sigh. It's not locked. My mom must be home. I brace myself as I open the door. I'm prepared for the worst but instead I'm greeted by a large man at our dining table, eating a bowl of soup.

     He smiles, wipes his mouth with a napkin and stands, extending a hand to me. "Hi, I'm Roger."

     My eyes flick between him and my mom who's in the kitchen. "Oh, sweetie!" She dances over to us. "This is one of my patients from work. We've taken our relationship to the next level so I thought it was time you two met."

     My eyes go wide. "Your patient?" My mom works at an alcohol rehabilitation clinic with men who struggle with addiction. It was her way of giving back when she got clean. "Isn't that illegal?"