Celeste had always been a hard edge. Even after divorcing her cheating husband, she hadn’t softened. If anything, being single had made her worse. She was angry and mean, and I’d never fully understood why.
But I knew she had a soft spot. A big, squishy center that only I seemed able to reach.
“You ask like it’s a simple thing. Like I can turn a blind eye while you throw away your future. Give me one good reason I shouldn’t call Mom and Dad right now.”
“Because I’ve gone numb here, Cece. And after everything…” I choked back the lump of unexpected emotion. “I need to feel like I’m doing something that matters. This isn’t it. I don’t belong here, and I think we both know it.”
The harsh set of her jaw didn’t shift, but I could see the gloss of unshed tears gathering in her eyes. “I know,” she agreed with a heavy sigh. “I just kept hoping you’d settle in. That maybe I could do something to help.”
“It’s not something you can fix. It’s not something anyone can fix. I just need to go home.”
She quirked her perfectly manicured eyebrow. “You realize you sound like you’re breaking up with me.”
I laughed. “Maybe I am.”
Someone cleared their throat behind me. Her coworker—the one she didn’t like—stood in the doorway, staring us down, having caught only the tail end of our conversation.
Celeste planted her red-tipped fingers on her hips and leveled her coworker with a look that made me grateful it wasn’t aimed at me. “Oh, for God’s sake, Janice! He’s my brother, and it was a joke. Keep your mind on your own shit—you’ve got enough of it.”
Poor Janice looked properly scolded as she scurried off to a desk on the other side of the room. I wondered if she sat that far away from my sister on purpose.
“Fine.” Celeste turned back to me with her usual scowl in place. “I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
“No, that’s Eric’s title. I’m just hoping to make the life he saved a little better.” She smiled at me, and for once it wasn’t forced. “One of us has to be happy, and you know it’ll never be me.”
“I’m feeling better already.” And I meant it. The weight I’d been hauling around since I came back from Copper Ridge was suddenly lighter, and it felt damn good.
“Good. I’ll file the paperwork. You need to take your delinquent ass home and tell our parents about this decision. But don’t you dare tell them it was me.” She raised her voice. “You can tell Mom and Dad it was Janice who helped you drop out of school.”
With her usual malicious smile, she shooed me out of her office. It was strange, but somehow she seemed happiest when making other people miserable.
I headed back toward my dorm, and for the first time in three weeks, I had something worth smiling about, too.
Something real. Something other than the memory of a kiss.
A name I’d been trying not to think about since the night I’d first heard it.
Zadie.
Chapter Six
Zadie
Two fuzzy pink lines assaulted my vision. The longer I stared, the fuzzier they became. No, wait…that was just my eyes losing focus.
I blinked.
But they were still there. Squinting changed nothing. No matter how hard I concentrated, two pink lines still stared back at me. The symbol created by their intersection was unmistakable.
A plus sign equaled positive. Baby on fucking board.
I’d done the math in my head, on my fingers, once on my toes, and I’d looked at the calendar on my phone repeatedly. Still, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
How was it possible that I’d been a walking, talking, human incubator and not known? Although looking back, it should have been obvious. I had all the standard symptoms. The mood swings. The lethargy. The sensitive, aching boobs.
And to think, if Chantel hadn’t stuck the test kit in my hand, I’d have carried on in blissful ignorance. How many periods would I have missed before it registered? How much weight could I have gained before I realized it wasn’t just the carbs?