Page 46 of Apparently, I’m Torture

The door opened and shut with the sound of a woman groaning. As she walked into the backroom, Nikki said, “I cannot believe I have another two months of this to go. I can’t actually get any bigger, can I?”

Tristan turned; his brown eyes lit with joy as his pregnant wife shuffled closer for a kiss.

“You sure can,” I started. “But if you two keep going at it the way you do, that baby might shake loose before we’re ready.” I shot Nikki a smile and winked as she laughed.

“I can’t help it. Not when my husband looks like this–” she gestured to Tristan “–and this weird watermelon makes me intensely hormonal.”

Tristan gripped her waist and pulled her close. He ran his finger across her cheek before saying, “I can’t wait until you start maternity leave; I’m never letting you out of our bed.” She let out a quiet gasp as Tristan put his lips to hers.

Letting out a fake breath of exasperation, I said, “You know, we probably shouldn’t be used to this. Watching you guys grope each other, I mean.”

Nikki’s honey and cinnamon hair shifted as Tristan broke the kiss. Laughing, he asked, “Are you saying you’re not going to miss this when you go?”

“Ohhh don’t remind me,” Nikki groaned. “I can’t believe you guys are leaving. Have you both decided where you’re teaching yet?”

A bit of panic wedged itself into my gut. I still hadn’t told Lilly.

Shrugging, I said, “No idea. But I’m pretty sure Lilly’s made her mind up.”

Lilly’s breath was sharp, her eyes snapping to us as if she’d just come out of a trance. Her voice was strained as she said, “I have to go to South Bronx.”

Nikki’s brows furrowed as she pulled away from her husband. She looked worried. “Are you okay?”

“It’s just graduation, you know? It’s a big deal.” Her voice was a tremulous squeak.

Nikki and Tristan swapped glances.

“Did something happen?” Tristan asked, folding his arms in that way he did when he was trying to be stern with us.

She shook her head again, slower this time, but neither of our bosses looked like they believed her.

“I’m going to South Bronx Classical.” She tried to sound confident, but her voice frayed at the edges. “I’m going to teach at my mom’s school.”

“You are,” Nikki confirmed, no doubt as confused as the rest of us. Something was off here. “And nothing’s going to stop that from happening, right?”

She nodded. “Nothing, except, my final exam is in a week and I haven’t exactly… been studying.”

“You haven’t? Why not?”

“I’ve been so busy.” She held up her hand and lowered fingers as she listed all the things she’d been doing. “I had to teach another Kappa about fundraiser merchandising, and then there was this literacy study group I had to manage, and I created a mock lesson plan with–”

“Lilly, what will happen if you don’t pass this exam?” Tristan cut in.

She paused and met each of their glances, then her eyes landed on me. Her voice warbled as she said, “I might not graduate.”

Nikki plopped herself on the couch, wrapped an arm around Lilly, and pulled her close.

Tristan shook his head and turned to me.

“Do you think you can handle helping Lilly with this?” he asked, his voice low.

My stomach dropped. “Huh?”

His voice was hushed as Nikki and Lilly kept talking. “She needs someone to help her focus. You know how she gets. People take, take, take and she doesn’t know how to say no. Now she’s run out of time. If her anxiety gets worse, she might never pass. You could study with her.”

I suppressed a groan, but it wasn’t easy. “Don’t you think working with her day in and out is enough? I’m killing myself here. Now you want me stuck in a cramped dorm room alone with her? How am I supposed to handle that?”

His face softened. “I know it’s hard. I’ve been there with Nikki, I get it. And in a few weeks, you’ll never have to talk to her again if you don’t want to. But for now, you’re still her friend. Do you think you can do this last thing for her?”