(Picture of Kelsey Owens)
• • •
Breakfast is silent.
I repeat. Breakfast is silent! How on earth is this happening, I'm not sure. Must be the damn elephant in the room that no one wants to bring up.
Well, lucky they have me.
"Okay, are we going to talk about it or are we going to pretend like nothing happened?" I ask before shoving my slice of grape jam toast in my mouth.
Ally glances up from across me and glares at me while Wayne simply rolls his eyes.
"What?" I retort. "We're adults! This is what adults do, right?"
"The fact that I have to talk to my little sister about who I bring into my bedroom is ridiculous." My brother grumbles.
"Any other girl, I don't care. This is my friend you're talking about! The least I get is at least an update!"
"Kelsey!" Ally whisper-yells. Cass discreetly helps to shift the hot coffee pot away in case the former tries to pour that over my head.
"Fine. Okay. Then let's talk Bianca. Shouldn't we be done with her already? It's annoying."
"If you're so good at this, Kel," Wayne pauses from sipping from his mug. "Why don't you help me get rid of her then? Because trust me I've tried and that woman is like a piece of gum that keeps getting stuck under your shoes."
"Or maybe you've fallen for her, that's why?" I raise a brow at him. He stares at me in disbelief. "The Wayne I know dumps girls as easy as a flick of his fingers. Just block her damn number!"
"It's not that easy." He mutters under his breath.
Ally visibly slouches and hangs her head.
"Alright then! What's the plan for little Kelsey's birthday?!" Drew cuts in and switches the subject like he always does.
———
The clinic granted me a five-day leave of absence but I returned to college the very next Monday anyway. Turns out, having a procedure done is much less painful and heals quicker than letting the fetus bleed itself out. Besides, finals are really approaching and I can no longer risk skipping any more classes if I really wanted to do well.
As usual, I head towards the parking lot to retrieve my beloved car. Everybody hates Monday except me. My classes begin at 8:30 and ends 12:30. We'll have lunch together and then I'm always free to go home and waste the rest of the day away.
That's exactly what I plan to do today, too.
Until I keep walking with my focus solely on my phone and hear someone calling out my name. No, not the deep voice you all will assume. A feminine voice. High-pitched, squeaky yet soft at the same time. And that's judged based on the one word two syllables name this person just called.
I glance up briefly, my pace not faltering, and I swiftly located the source. What the- why is she here and most importantly, why in the hell is she leaning against my bumper?
I speed up my strides and as I get closer, I realize—no, she isn't leaning. This bitch is straight up sitting on my car! Her butt!
The nerves!
Without hesitation, I march towards her with a gigantic scowl that even I can picture without seeing myself. But life's never so kind to me, and I should've known that by now.
"F-ffffuck!" I curse, tripping over a mini kerb that I failed to notice. Goddamnit. How much more embarrassing can I be? Falling down in front of the woman who's been trying her best to humiliate me.
I hear her gasp and watch her finally lift her buttocks up from my car's bumper. I'll have to bring it to the car wash right away.
"What do you want?" I seethe, gritting my teeth. Both my knees are scraped and bleeding, but the worst of all seems to be my palms; which must have been taking the most damage when I tried to stop my fall.
Now she has one more thing to mock me! Fantastic!
"Look, I know you must be thinking I have bad intentions. And I admit I did. But not today, I swear." She chews on her nails, as disgusting as it looks. I remain seated on the ground, looking up at her who's standing over me.
"You were practically sitting on my car! I call that evil motive!" I narrow my eyes, partially shielding them from the sunlight.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I- I- I was just..." she stammers. Then to my surprise, she takes one step towards me and reaches out a hand for me to take.
I stare at her hand like it's poison. This was the same person who led you to believe Zac is the father of her child! Also the same person who framed a whole caught-in-the-bed act!
Don't take her hand! Stand up on your own!
"What the fuck, Rebecca?" Someone bellows from behind me and I hear said person's footsteps catching up hastily.
Becca's face turns pale white when she glances up and sees who's coming. She retracts her hand immediately and takes a step back.
Zac hurries over to my side, taking into account my knees and palms. Then as pissed as he is, he stands up and takes a threatening step towards the supposedly pregnant lady.
"What the fuck did you do to her?" I watch in horror as he looks like he's about to punch Becca. "Haven't you done enough? What else do you-"
"Wait!" I cut him off. "I fell down on my own, okay? It's not her." He whips around to look at me and I point at the kerb where I tripped. "Really. She didn't do anything. Yet."
"I don't plan to do anything." Becca speaks up.
"Oh, really? So you're just here to say hello to the woman I love? The same one you tried to keep me away from?" Zac clenches his jaw, crouching down beside me as he tries to help me up.
Becca's eyes begin to well up with unshed tears. I guess, it must've been hard for her to witness someone dear to her treat her like she's trash. The looks he gives her are filled with utter disdain. I know that look. J used to give them to me when I told him I was pregnant, and he gave them to me when I caught him in bed with my best friend too.
I squeeze his forearms, hinting for him to back down.
"I'm sorry. I had time to think and I swear to god, if I knew you were pregnant Kelsey, I wouldn't have done any of the horrible things I did. I'm a bitch, I know. And nothing I say or do will bring your baby back. It's my fault. It's all my fault. I-"
"Enough, Rebecca. I don't know what the hell you're trying to achieve here, but I think it's done. Don't add fuel to the fire." Zac cuts her off.
"I... I just wanted to apologize." A single tear rolls down Becca's cheek. "As a pregnant lady, I think I'd be devastated if I were to lose my kid the way you did. I'm sorry. I deserve this. I'll go." And she turns to leave.
"That was harsh," I comment as he holds on to my waist. My knees are so scabbed I can't even stand with them straight.
"How did you fall? Are you sure she has nothing to do with this? Or are you still feeling weak? God, look at your hands. We need to get it cleaned up before it gets infected. Let's-"
"Zac, I'm fine. I have bandaids in my car."
"No. I have a first aid kit in mine. And I'm driving you back. No way you can drive with both your palms so cut up."
He leads me by my elbows first as we make the walk towards his Audi. But after ten steps or so, he bends down in front of me and grabs the back of my knees to give me a piggy back ride.
Charming.
"She needs you."
"I don't care."
"You mentioned that she has no one else except you. You should be there for her."
"Are you trying to get rid of me? 'Cause I'm sorry to inform you that you won't succeed. I'm exactly that gum Wayne mentioned this morning." Zac chuckles.
But I remain a straight face. No, I haven't gone crazy. And neither have I forgiven nor forgotten what she's done. But if I know of a bitchy pregnant woman who's incredibly lonely and in need of someone, and I don't offer a hand, won't it make me a horrible person too?
"I'm serious, Zacson." I warn him.
"I said no."
"But she's pregnant! She can't be alone."
"Look, baby. I'm not going to put myself in a position where I will risk losing you again. Not anymore. So, no. I don't care if she or some other women needs my help to take care of them. None of my damn fucking business. What she needs is a servant, not me."
"She needs a friend." I let out a breath. "Don't be heartless. She apologized."
"Baby."
"Baby." I parrot him. His lips twitches.
"Fine. Only if we do this together. I'll only talk to her, see her or help her when you're with me. Don't ask me for anything more. Okay?"
I grin. "Okay."
———
"I realized my new favourite position."
"Yeah?" I whip my head around to glance at him.
"Not sexual." Zac chuckles. "Not on bed. Although technically, we are on bed right now."
"So you like me sitting between your legs even though this bed is clearly big enough for both of us to lie down side by side on."
"Yeah. I like holding you to me. I like sniffing your hair, your neck, your back. And even though I have to look at the movie from over your shoulder, there's no other position better than being able to wrap my arms around you." He wraps his arms tighter and pulls my back against his chest.
"That's it? That's all you're feeling, huh?"
"Mm."
"Then correct me if I'm wrong," I clear my throat. "I seem to be feeling something stiff pressing behind my lower back. Not sexual?" I tease him.
"Yeah. About that. My dick... he's just a little... confused."
• • •
A/N: I know this took long :( I'm updating at about once or twice a week now. And because I don't want to deliver empty promises, that's why I don't put up a specific schedule as to when I publish new chapters.
I have to confess. I've been hooked up with medical dramas for the past week, hence the slight delay. Please forgive me. 😝