Chapter Twenty-Five
Sophia
I ended up in my dorm that night, and Dana sat with me on my bed. I was still feeling a little out of it from earlier. The whole thing still felt so surreal.
In less than eight months I’d be giving birth to a baby. I was going to be a mother, and Elijah was going to be a father. Mom was remarried, and she and Ted would help us look after the baby while I finished college and when Elijah was busy with hockey.
The thoughts were running through my mind, that this was my life now. It felt like it was someone else’s life, to be honest like I was just on the outside looking in. When Elijah asked for my opinion on everything… I had nothing to say.
I told Dana everything because she was curious. We talked things out, and she explained her hand in what happened and apologized for it. I was annoyed, but in the end, what she did was the reason Elijah, and I ever got together, and I’d been so happy before the lies came out, but I couldn’t say I regretted it. I forgave her easily but wasn’t ready to let Elijah off the hook yet.
Then, we went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I felt a little more normal. We both had classes, especially me since I’d missed for nearly two weeks, but Dana cut class to stay with me instead of going. I didn’t feel like I was ready yet, anyway.
“What are you going to do about Elijah?” Dana asked.
I frowned. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to forgive him just yet. He’s trying, and that’s good, but he still invaded my privacy, and I doubt he had the nicest intentions starting out.”
“But I was the one who sold you out in the first place,” she muttered.
“He still took the bait,” I complained. “What would I do if he and I end up spending the rest of our lives together and I can't trust him?”
“Hasn’t he explained things to you by now?”
I pursed my lips. He had explained everything, from the beginning. He downplayed Dana and Logan’s role, but from what she told me, he didn’t leave anything out. And I knew, no matter how it started, he’d said he loved me, and I didn’t think that was a lie. I was the one that hadn't said it back.
“Don’t be stubborn, Sophia,” Dana said, guessing what I was thinking. “Even if you want to make things hard for him, don’t take it too far. Relationships are about compromise, both Logan and I got to figure out that as well, and so do you. You can't change what’s already happening, and your relationship is leagues above mine. Don’t tell me you won’t trust him with the baby, either, so you’ll raise it yourself?”
I clamped my mouth shut because there was no way I was brave enough to raise a child alone. Even with Mom so willing to help, it wouldn’t be right to let my responsibility fall to her. And going that far wouldn’t be fair for Elijah, either, especially since he was sincere about helping me with raising the baby.
“Dammit,” I grumbled to myself.
Dana looked approving as if she could guess I’d already made up my mind, and it was the right decision.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ll forgive him for this, but you have to help me with something.”
Her expression suddenly turned apprehensive. “What do you want me to do?”
I grinned. “If Elijah gets to hack into my computer to look for dirt on me, then I’m allowed to do the same.”
“And you want me to help you with that?” she exclaimed, surprised.
I nodded. “To be more specific, you and your boyfriend who just so happens to be his roommate. We can do it today. If he comes at me all mad, I’m going to fucking kick him. If he’s not mad, then he’s forgiven.”
“Because he can't get mad over something he wants you to forgive him over,” she said knowingly. “All right, I’ll help. Logan has practice today, and Elijah does, too. He had to ask for permission to miss when he went to get you, but they’re not allowed to miss hockey practice. We can do it then.”
My heart did melt a little when Dana said that, but I was determined to do this.
The two of us hung around the dorm all day. When it was time, Logan texted Dana, and we headed out to their room. Logan had been nice enough to leave a key with one of the guy’s in the room next to his, and Dana and he had obviously talked before. We made our way into the room, and there was Elijah’s computer, on the desk, the home screen still on. I didn’t know how Logan managed it, but I was warming up to him little by little.
It wasn’t easy finding a guy that would betray a close friend for his girlfriend. Or maybe he was enjoying the prank, too.
“We have time, but I don’t know how to do this,” Dana said.
“Don’t worry,” I said with a grin, sitting down. “I know exactly what to do.”
I’d done some IT classes for my degree course, so I knew my way around a computer. It was a good thing that practice ran for hours, though, because it took a while to find. But sure enough, there was something. A picture of Elijah when he was about three years old, wearing his mom’s high heels and posing for the camera.
For a moment, I thought about not using the pic. There were few reasons why he would keep this pic instead of deleting it. I knew he’d lost his mom, and unlike me, he hadn't hated her after she died.
“This is good,” Dana said excitedly. “Hey, let’s make posters and post them around the school!”
I firmed my conviction. I would apologize for it later, but right on his computer, I did the editing for the poster. Then, I titled it. Look how much he’s grown. The boys had a printer in their room, with ink and paper at the ready, and we got to printing.
“Let me ask some of my friends for help in posting these around campus,” Dana said, pulling out her cell, a grin on her face.
I just leaned back and watched my good work.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Elijah
I got out of practice, panting and sweating. After getting scolded by the coach, I joined the other guys in the locker room, and they cursed me out too for not playing well. I couldn’t tell them that there was no way I could be calm and collected after knowing I was going to be a father in my early twenties. In front of Sophia, I had to be put together because I wanted her to trust me, but I was nervous.
“Get off the guy’s case,” Logan said defensively. “He’s been out for a few days, do you think he went off to get some beauty sleep or something?”
I looked at him, arching an eyebrow, wondering why he was helping me. Usually, Logan would be the first one to complain when I didn’t pay enough attention to the field and messed up the team’s plays. He did laugh when he saw me getting shoved to the ground, which happened a little too many times.
Still, the other backed off, and I was relieved. I had enough on my plate without adding them to the mix.
I headed to the showers for a quick wash, then toweled dry and got changed. As I left the locker room with Logan, I thought the others were looking at me funny. They had their cells out, looking at something and laughing, and they kept glancing at me.
“What’s their problem?” I asked Logan, frowning.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re reliving all of you
r wipe outs during practice?”
I frowned at him, but he looked unapologetic.
Logan’s cell buzzed, and I watched as he pulled it out of his pocket to see what he got. His eyebrows shot up, then his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. Then, he laughed.
“What is it?” I asked, curious. Was it the same thing the other guys were all laughing about?
My cell buzzed and I took it from my pocket, wondering if it was whatever the others got. But instead, it was a message from Sophia, and it made my heart thump.
I’ll be in my dorm room, come over. Dana is over at your place.
“Sophia wants me to come over,” I said, looking at Logan. “And I hear Dana is waiting for you.”
“I thought she might be,” he said, still chuckling. “Anyway, I’ll see you later, man.”
He practically took off running, and I watched him go. From experience with Logan, I knew he was up to something, but I wasn’t in the mood to stop him.
The text Sophia had sent was simple, but I didn’t know how to take it. There was no indication that she was no longer angry, and she was willing to give us a chance. I would help with the baby regardless, but the week I spent looking for her while she was gone, even before I knew about the pregnancy, I’d been thinking about my future with Sophia in it. In my head, I was already making plans, but I was scared that she wouldn’t want to go along with them.
If she decided to break up with me, could I argue? Sophia was argumentative, and I wasn’t good with arguments in general. She was better with words than me, I was sure I would fail if it got to that point.
I started the walk over to Sophia’s dorm. As I walked, a few people met me on the way. Some of them laughed when they saw me, and others didn’t. I had no idea what was going on, but I had to put it out of my mind.
Until I got to Sophia’s building and noticed the poster put up outside. My eyes were ready to pass over it, but then I did a double take. I remembered the picture. It was something incredibly embarrassing, and I didn’t even remember it. But I did know it was a picture both my parents loved, so I had a copy buried in my computer’s memory.