Reed's Reckoning

Fucking understatement of the fucking year. Hell yeah, we’re having a talk. I want to know what the fuck took me away from the only woman I have loved and the beautiful child in the next room.

We sit down on the couch with her facing me. Even with all the anger cursing through my system, her presence calms me. The green eyes, the pouty lips, her dimples all stun me. Her body is fuller, but she was always too skinny to me in college—she ran like a maniac. I tried to run with her one time, but she was a long distance runner with huge endurance. I got tired at mile five.

“Ari, I need you to tell me what happened.”

She sighs and tears fall down her cheeks as she starts her story.

Chapter 4

Ari

He looks at me sincerely and I know I need to tell him. I swore I would never repeat this story for the rest of my life. But now, I want him to hear the pain and anguish.

The café he asked me to meet him at is almost empty when I take my seat at the back table. My tea is in front of me and my head reels from the doctor’s appointment I just left. God, I hope he’s serious. He says he loves me but a baby? This might send him running for the hills. He has so much going for him the next few months, what if he resents me? I started the shot shortly after we started dating and waited two months before having sex. Even then, I made him wear a condom for the first few weeks. He never complained, but the first time I told him we were safe, he jumped at the chance to go without.

Now here I am about to tell him we’re having a baby. I want him to be happy, but if he’s not, I’ll accept his decision.

“Well, well, well. Look who it is.” I barely recognize the girl. I think she was in my freshman dorm, but we’ve never really spoken. I don’t know any of the friends with her.

“Can I help you?” I ask politely taking a sip of my tea.

“Actually, I’m here to help you.” She looks over her shoulder at a beautiful girl who looks at me with venom in her eyes. “This is Reed’s girlfriend. She’s moving here for the rest of the semester and for the draft. Seeing as you have been spending so much time with him, maybe it’s time y’all met. Bailey and Reed are high school sweethearts.”

My stomach rolls and my head spins. Did she say girlfriend? I look at this girl again and she is staring through me with an icy glare.

“It’s time you step back from the fairytale you’re living and leave him alone. We’re all here to root him on and watch his dream of being an NFL player come true. He always wanted to slum for a while, but now it’s time for him to concentrate.”

“No way, you’re full of bullshit. We’ve been together far too long for me to believe a girlfriend would come conveniently out of the woodwork when he’s so close to the draft.”

“Believe it, bitch!” Bailey speaks up and her face is so full of hatred, I sit back. “He’s mine. Always has been. We may have taken a few small breaks, but I’m back in his life for good now. You need to back the fuck off.”

“Small breaks? Is that what we call breaking up nowadays? What makes you so sure he still wants you? Seems to me like what we have is pretty special.”

“Special? You call screwing a two-bit whore special? What can you offer him? I can tell you—nothing! You’re trash.”

Her words hurt but she’s just getting started. “You need to stay away from Reed starting today. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll back off.”

“And if I don’t?”

“How much do you and your precious friend Luke need your scholarships? What about your housing allowance and stipends? That’s the first to go. We’ve got influence here that you can’t even imagine, Arianna. Our connections combined could have your ass off campus before Spring Break.” Dorm girl practically hisses at me. Her friends look amused.

All I can think is that this can’t be happening. I shake my head in disbelief.

“Yeah, bitch, believe it.” She pulls out her phone and her friends do the same.

My phone starts buzzing on the table and I look to see a barrage of text messages. There are pictures of me with Sophie, Luke, and Reed all at different places at different times.

“Make a decision now. If you don’t leave Reed alone, he has given us permission to post the pictures on all social media sites claiming you’re a stalker.”

“What? Reed?”

“Ding, ding, ding, the idiot finally clues in. Of course he approves. He’s the one who sent us today. When Bailey got to town, he told her everything. Their reconciliation took hours, but we finally got her out from under him. He told us to meet you here.”