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I’d rather him constantly talk about himself than ask me questions I wasn’t ready to give the answers to. I wasn’t sure I ever would be.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Brayden asked me.
I shrugged. “Yeah, but I’ve had a rough day already.” It wasn’t a complete lie. Every day was fucking rough, regardless of the rumors flying around and the constant bullying.
“Want a coffee?” he asked me.
I shook my head. I couldn’t have coffee because of the baby, and though I hated it and hated this pregnancy, I wouldn’t do anything to harm it. I wasn’t a soulless bitch, after all.
“Want to talk to me about what’s going on?” Brayden softly asked.
I clammed up. Quickly, I shook my head. He sighed, nodding, understanding in his eyes. I swallowed thickly. The sudden urge to get up and run away crawled over my skin, making my feet twitch. I’d been entertaining him because I thought he wouldn’t ask.
We sat in silence for a minute or two before he broke it, telling me about his morning so far, about his classes at school, and what little he could tell me about his internship, considering he couldn’t tell me much because of patient confidentiality.
I pretended to be listening, nodding in the correct places as I stared out the windows next to us, watching as people walked by.
“You don’t seem real interested.”
I jerked back around to look at Brayden. My lips parted, wanting to say something, but I didn’t know what to say.
Brayden gently grabbed my hand. “How about later this evening, you come by my place, and we can watch some movies and eat junk food?” The thought of food made me want to vomit, but I nodded. Being at his place would keep my family’s worried eyes off of me, and I needed that desperately.
He smiled. “Whatever is going on, Bailey, just know that it’ll get better, yeah?”
I wanted to scoff. Scream.
None of this would get better.
And pretending that it would was a fucking joke.
* * *
Jacob was fumingwhen he caught me at lunch. After the coffee shop with Brayden, I’d gone back to campus. Maybe if I was lucky enough, I would get suspended for skipping.
But so far, I hadn’t gotten that lucky.
“Where the fuck did you go?” he demanded, his voice low but heated. “Have you even bothered to check your fucking phone?” I shook my head. I’d put it on silent and left it in my pocket. “Goddammit, Bailey, Trent and I have been worried fucking sick about you.”
Guilt tore at my insides.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I just—I needed—” Panic was making me stutter.
Jacob tugged me into a hug, his muscular arms binding around me. A shiver wracked my entire body. “Bailey, you can’t just run off without letting someone know. We thought—”
He abruptly cut himself off, not finishing his sentence. But I knew what they thought.
They thought I’d gone off to kill myself.
I hugged him back. “I’m not killing myself,” I whispered.
Not yet, anyway.
I still had a tiny bit of fight left in me.
Jacob audibly swallowed. “We love you, Bailey. God, you’re basically my family now.” My throat closed up with tears. “I don’t want to fucking lose you. Please don’t ever make me feel the way I’ve been feeling all day ever again.”
I sniffled and nodded, tears burning in my eyes. Stepping back, I reached up to swipe under my eyes, making sure no tears would fall. “I went to the coffee shop,” I said softly. Jacob grabbed my hand in his and led me over to a bench outside. “I saw Brayden.” I had told him about Brayden after my first date with him. “He offered for me to come over to his house and watch some movies tonight. I accepted.”
