My room could certainly be tidier, but that isn’t what my friends have come over to talk about.
When I perch on the mattress, Dornan glances at the still-open door and strides over to close it.
“What’s going on, Ellie?” he demands.
“Nothing,” I say, hating that I have to keep secrets from him.
“Don’t lie to me,” he says, sitting next to me. The mattress bows beneath his weight, and my thigh rests against him, reminding me of how solid his presence has always been in my life. “You would have answered the phone if that was all it was. I know you, don’t forget. This isn’t you. There’s something bigger going on, and I want to know.”
“You don’t,” I whisper, keeping my eyes focused on the floor by Celine’s feet.
“Did you break up with the triplets? Is that what it is?” Gabriella asks, chewing her gum.
“No,” I say.
“Then what?” Dornan presses. His hand finds mine and tugs it into his lap, squeezing tightly. “Tell me, so I know what to do to help you. That’s what friendship is all about, Ellie. Sharing our troubles.”
“I can’t,” I say.
“Of course you can,” Celine says. “Maybe you just don’t want to.”
“What could it be that you don’t want to share with me?” Dornan sounds so hurt that I want to cry. When I glance up at Celine, her eyes are narrowed. She looks over at my nightstand, finding a packet of crackers and a half-finished cup of ginger tea. Reaching out for the mug, she takes a long inhale.
“Ginger,” she says knowingly, and my eyes widen with realization. Celine’s older sister has just had a baby. She went through awful morning sickness, which Celine knows all about.
I see the moment that the cogs in Celine’s sharp brain click into place. “You’re pregnant,” she says, confirming my fear.
Dornan’s and Gabriella’s heads snap to stare at me, and I bury my face in my hands.
“Fuck,” Dornan says. “It’s true?”
“Of course it is,” Celine says. “I’m not an idiot.”
“How?” Dornan asks, earning a scoff from Celine.
“She rode the big pipe a little too enthusiastically.”
I want to laugh like I usually do when Celine employs her filthy humor, but none of this is funny.
“Ellie?” The look on Dornan’s face seems a lot like disappointment, and for the millionth time today, I start to cry.
“Fuck.” Rather than hugging me like I expect him to, he stands. I stare up at my friend, watery-eyed and devastated, as he raises his hands to his head and grips his hair. “Fuck. This is all my fault.”
“Dornan…” I don’t get the chance to finish my sentence before he storms to the door, yanks it open and disappears.
“Oh, this isn’t good,” Gabriella says, skipping after him, closely followed by Celine. I leap up as soon as I realize what’s going to happen, but I’m too late to stop anything. Before I reach the bedroom door, Dornan is yelling. It sounds like Colby is yelling back, and then Gabriella and Celine join in, and there are too many voices to hear anything other than the colossal mess that will have my mom and Harry storming up the stairs.
“SHUT UP,” I yell as loud as I can. “ALL OF YOU…”
But it’s too late. Mom appears behind Dornan with Harry next to her. And when enough people notice, the noise reduces until an uneasy silence settles over the group. Celine’s eyes are wide, flitting between my mom and me.
“What is going on up here?” Harry’s voice is stern, and his expression matches it exactly.
Dornan, who is still holding a handful of Colby’s shirt, takes a step back.
“I think you need to leave,” Harry says, stepping forward to get closer to his son. Colby puts his hand up, though, and the look on his face tells me everything. He doesn’t want Dornan to get in trouble for being protective of me. He understands, but this isn’t the time to talk, not with our parents here.
“It’s okay,” I say quickly, moving closer and resting my hand on Dornan’s arm.
“It isn’t okay,” Dornan says, shaking Colby by the shirt. “I trusted you. I told you to look after her. How the fuck is getting her pregnant looking after her?”
“Pregnant,” Harry says. “Who’s pregnant? Colby, have you gotten someone into trouble?”
I want to laugh at the turn of phrase because what fucking decade are we living in?
“We don’t need to talk about this now,” I say. “Not with an audience.”
Dornan’s eyes are blazing, and I know he’s too far gone to hear what I’m trying to say. He’s gone into full-blown protection mode. “Just explain to me how this has happened, Colby?” He turns, finding Seb and Micky walking slowly from their rooms towards the disturbance. “And you. And you…tell me how you’ve gotten Ellie into this situation.”
“DORNAN,” I shout, grabbing his arm, desperate for him to hear me.