Reed's Reckoning

All of them laugh and my eyes well with tears but I refuse to let them get to me.

“Well, in that case, nothing to talk about. If he sent you to me, then message received. You all can kiss my ass. You can have him.” I say pointedly to Bailey.

I get up to leave and push through them.

“Oh and Ari, don’t feel bad if he told you he loved you. He’s a charmer.”

My breathing hitches but I don’t answer her. I walk to my car and slide in. I grab my phone and dial Reed but his phone goes straight to voicemail. The sound of his voice crushes me.

I hang up without leaving a message. Everything in my body is screaming to go find him, but I’ve had enough humiliation today. The next call I make is to the only two people who won’t let me down.

When I finish my story, Reed is staring at me with a mixture of hate, anguish, and sadness on his face. Just reliving the day hurts so much. I twirl my glass in my hand waiting for him to say something.

“What happened next?”

“Pardon?”

“What happened after you left the café? Where’d you go? Who’d you talk to?”

“Um, why?”

“Ari, I’m hanging on by a thread here, I want to fucking punch something. I need to know what you did and why you didn’t come straight to me.” His hands flex into fists and his knuckles turn white.

“At first, I was so hurt, I called Sophie and Luke, and they helped me get through the night. I was devastated and when they learned about the baby, they were concerned. The next day, your pictures started popping up online at a party. You were tagged several times and looked so carefree.

“I went back to my campus apartment and tried to calm down but then the sickness hit. I didn’t want anyone else to know about the pregnancy. Luke moved me in with him so he and Sophie could watch me. He took me to see a doctor that prescribed medicine to help the nausea, but my depression was so severe, they were worried. I got through classes and studied as much as possible, but I didn’t do anything else. Finally, they had an intervention and explained that my actions were hurting my baby. I’d lost so much weight and been so sick, the pregnancy was at risk.”

He blows out a breath and hangs his head.

“Luke took me to an OB and we worked on a nutrition plan. She did a sonogram and I saw the baby for the first time. Even though I was shattered, I still wanted it more than anything in the world and vowed to get better. I wanted a piece of you even if you never wanted us.”

“I still can’t understand why you didn’t come to me.” His shoulders slump and he looks at me with confusion.

“One day, I tried. I waited behind your gym but you never came. The next day Dean Harris requested a meeting with me. When I sat down with him, he told me a complaint had been made that I was stalking you. He wouldn’t let me explain our history or even listen to my side of the story. He threatened my scholarship and gave me one more chance with the stipulation I stay away from you. I was petrified and in agony. From then on, I kept as far away from you as possible.

“Why didn’t you come to me?”

“I tried. My sister was there for the week of spring break and she tried to keep me sane. When I read the note and thought you broke up with me, I went to that stupid Greek party and got drunk to numb the pain. The next day, I woke up miserable and she tried to help me. Even when I broke down begging her to go look for you, she wouldn’t leave my side. I called you and when your phone was disconnected, I went to your place. Your roommate said you were with Luke. Then when Cara finally left, I saw you on campus one day with Luke. He was holding you and you smiled up at him. I felt like a fool. I spent the next month drunk until I had to straighten up. Then things got so crazy with the draft and I found myself with an agent, a manager, and a pro NFL career.

“Now tell me, again, why didn’t you tell me about the baby?”

“My scholarship was at risk and in my mind, you dumped me for your high school sweetheart. A few weeks later, Sophie talked me into trying one more time. I had already decided to move home to have the baby, so I knew my scholarship didn’t matter anymore. That’s when I came to your place and you were having a party. We both know how that ended. When you disappeared into your bedroom with that girl, I slipped a note under your door telling you we needed to talk. You never responded. After that, I knew you didn’t want us.”