One nurse stops and explains what is going to happen next.
The baby is going to die.
This is my fault.
My body jerks forward as my chest rises and falls, barely able to catch a breath. It’s the middle of the night, and my room is pitch black. I shut my eyes tight, wishing this would go away, then fall back onto the bed.
I toss and turn, finally falling asleep at the crack of dawn before it’s time to wake up for school.
The school day drags on, as does my exhaustion. I almost fall asleep in bio, but thankfully the girl sitting next to me nudges me before Miss Dawson walks over.
Cole is busy with his friends, which I kinda welcome since he’d want me to come to his place after school. His parents are always working, making it easy for us to have sex without worrying about getting caught. But lately, I’ve tried to come up with every excuse to avoid it.
When I get back home, the house is empty. I grab a bag of Reese’s from the pantry, then head to my room to enjoy the peace and quiet.
As I open the door, I stop dead in my tracks.
My two older sisters, Millie and Ava, sit in my room without a care. My other sister, Addy, lives in San Francisco, so it comes as no surprise she hasn’t joined forces with Millie and Ava.
“You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do,” Ava utters.
Ava is my father's favorite daughter. Everyone in the family knows that. Of course, she will defend him and make it out like I’m the villain. There’s no point talking to my sisters like they’d even understand. Both are married, have kids, and don’t live under these stupid rules my parents insist on having.
Ignoring them, I walk toward my desk, swing my bag over the chair and place my books on my desk.
“This is my room, and you weren’t welcome in,” I respond in frustration.
Ava and Millie glance at each other. I’m waiting for Ava to go psycho since she has no filter, but Millie can hold an argument without backing down since she’s an attorney just like Mom.
“You hurt Dad. Just so you know,” Ava blurts out.
“The man is invincible,” I mutter, kicking my shoes off and walking into my wardrobe to change out of my uniform. I settle on a pair of sweats, even though it’s hot out, and my favorite tee. When I step back into my room, my sisters are less than pleased by my disregard for them defending my father.
“Dad aside …” Millie begins to pause briefly, then continues, “… why don’t you want to go to college? You do realize without a college degree your career choice is limited.”
I shrug, then throw myself onto my bed with my phone. “I want to travel.”
“On whose money?” Ava shouts, unable to hold back her anger. “Mom and Dad’s money?”
Over the many birthdays and special occasions, I’d put aside some cash for a just-in-case moment. My grandparents would spoil me rotten, gifting me envelopes on the sly despite my parents' wealth. I’ve saved a few thousand dollars to buy myself a plane ticket to Europe and a few weeks' stay at a low-budget hostel until I find a job. The hostel part isn’t exactly appealing, but surely it can’t be that bad.
“I have my own money, thank you very much.”
“And, so what? You last like a month until you call Dad begging for help,” Ava accuses.
I shuffle so my elbows rest on the bed, shifting my attention to my sisters. Millie is a lot like Mom in looks, the same brown shade of hair and facial features. Her eyes are identical to Dad’s, just like all of us. However, Ava looks just like Dad, which is probably why she’s the favorite.
“I think you’re confusing me for you, Ava,” I note with dark amusement.
Ava opens her mouth, but Millie grabs her arm to stop her.
“What about Cole?” Millie questions. “Are you going to break up with him?”
“I’m not like you, Millie. I don’t hold onto high school boyfriends for the sake of it.”
The moment Millie’s eyes widened and her mouth falls open, I know I’ve struck a nerve. It’s the truth, though. She stayed with her high school boyfriend and tried to do the whole long-distance thing until she cheated on him. Millie will argue she didn’t cheat. They were already broken up. Whatever, like I care what she did in her love life.
“Now you’re just being a bitch,” Ava bellows.