“Sure. That would be great.”
“Are you pregnant?” The question comes from a girl with blonde hair who’s currently standing in the doorway to the yard, smoking a cigarette.
“None of your business, Shawna,” Trey says.
Shawna shrugs. “Living with these guys, you’d probably get pregnant from sitting on the couch.”
I wrinkle my face in disgust, and so does Trey. “If you’re insinuating that we all sit around jacking off in the den, your head in is an unbelievably gross place.” Trey hands me a red plastic cup and leads me away from Shawna into the den. “Stay away from her,” he says softly. “She’s not in a good place.”
“Okay.” I sip the orange juice and survey the groups who are congregated around the room. Hunter and Harley are laughing with a group of girls who all look as though they might be cheerleaders. They have that manicured look about them, and all of them are wearing tops that don’t meet their pants and skirts. In another corner, Logan, Reggie, and the triplets are slumped on couches with men who look familiar. I think they might have been at the gym when Gordon pushed Cox. Their other teammates, I guess. In the garden, there is more laughter. John is out there with Gordon and a load of other people I don’t recognize.
“I’ll introduce you,” Trey says.
“As what?”
“Maggie.”
“And when they ask who I am and why I’m here?”
“I could tell them that you’re our foster sister or that you’re a friend from out of town. Or even better, that you’re trying out for the position of girlfriend.”
“I think you might blow some minds with that last one,” I laugh.
“And sister sounds wrong,” Trey says thoughtfully.
“So, friend, it is.”
“No way,” Sean says behind us, throwing an arm around each of our shoulders. “Friend sounds lame, and I’m not embarrassed about what we’re trying here.”
“But maybe Maggie is.” Trey and Sean stare at me expectantly, and I start to blush.
“You see,” Trey says. “She’s blushing just at the idea of telling people.”
“It’s not that I’m embarrassed,” I say. “It’s just that as soon as you tell people, they’ll be imagining the sex, and to be honest, I’m just not that comfortable with it.”
“I’m imagining the sex,” Sean says. “Are you uncomfortable with that?”
“Me too.” Trey winks, and I melt a little at their cuteness.
“You guys can imagine all you want. If you play your cards right, you might not need to imagine after tonight.” I wiggle my eyebrows, and Sean pulls us both closer, hugging us to him with so much glee that a giggle bubbles up from inside me.
Sean takes my hand, dragging me into the center of the room, and begins to introduce me to his friends. In one group, he tells them that I’m a long-lost cousin. In another group, I’m the nanny that the state has sent to look after them, and in another, I’m the new lodger. Each time, everyone seems to believe what he’s saying completely, and I get asked a ton of strange questions that I have to play along to answer. Sean is practically wetting himself with laughter by the time I manage to escape.
We wind up outside sitting under a massive tree with a couple of plates of pizza, and I feel lighter in my heart than I have in a really long time. I’m nineteen and pregnant, but this is really the first time in my life that I’ve felt free.
“This pizza is good,” Sean says, licking his ever-smiling lips. His black hair reflects the light cast from the house, making it seem even shinier than usual, and his jade eyes sparkle in a way that sends a shiver down my spine. He leans close, using his thumb to wipe away a blob of tomato sauce that I have on my lip. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says. “I’m glad you stuck around after hearing the crazy vote. Most girls would have run.”
“I’m not most girls,” I say, “and anyway, I’m not sure I agree. I mean, look at you guys.” We both survey the yard, finding each of the boys laughing and eating, their beautiful faces lit up and their athletic bodies relaxed. “You guys could have your pick of any of the girls here. I guarantee to you.”
“But we don’t want the girls here. Not wanting to make things awkward, but most of them have passed through here at one time or another, and they weren’t keepers.”
“Really?”
Sean shrugs. “I think we’re all good at working out the truth of a situation. We’ve been through enough to size people up, especially the bad ones. Too many girls are looking for a meal ticket, or they want to fuck so that they can brag to their friends. Maybe they’re looking to keep evidence of them with you so that they can sell it in the future if you go pro. I’ve had girls taking selfies with me while I was sleeping, for fuck’s sake.”