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“Yes. Didn’t you get into a fight with her?” Piper asked, raising her brows.
“Sort of. But we got over it,” I said. “What about Izzy? And Xavier? How are they doing?”
“Izzy?” Piper’s nose wrinkled. “I don’t really know her, so I have no idea. But Xavier… well, he’s his usual self. He’s throwing a huge New Year’s Eve party in a month. It’s such a shame you have to miss it. He always has the best parties.”
I instinctively moved a hand to my abdomen as she spoke. I’d only attended one of Xavier’s parties before, and the baby inside me had more than likely been conceived that very same night.
“Yeah,” I murmured, recalling those moments of intense heat and passion against the fence. “Great parties.”
“I’ll take a ton of photos on the night,” Piper said, flashing me a bright smile. “And I’ll come and visit you again so I can show you.”
Bitch. She was taunting me. She knew that showing me photos of my old peers enjoying themselves in the outside world would absolutely destroy me. Especially if Jensen was in them.
I cleared my throat. “What about Jensen?” I asked in a hollow voice. “What’s he been up to?”
“Oh my god. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you!” Piper said, eyes widening. “This is actually the craziest drama that’s happened all month. Well, apart from the Kelly thing.”
“Um… okay,” I said, voice edged with uncertainty. “What happened?”
“Well, ever since you left, Jensen has gone back to being… well, Jensen. You know what he’s like.” Piper let out an irritated sniff. “He’s been hooking up with this girl from the basketball team and two of my friends. All at the same time. Right after he was hooking up with you! Gross, right?”
I clenched my jaw and stared at a spot on the opposite wall, trying my best to breathe deeply and remain calm. Piper was just taunting me again. There was no way Jensen was hooking up with other girls. No fucking way.
“So anyway, I got really mad at him for playing everyone, and I practically attacked him on Monday morning. Like, I literally shoved him into a locker,” Piper prattled on. “Then Ms. Wilson caught us fighting. She was so mad.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t get a detention over that incident,” Zara said sharply from her spot on the sofa. “Ms. Wilson actually called me about it the other day.”
Piper rolled her eyes. “I knew she would,” she said, tossing her hair back over her shoulder. “But now you know why I did it. Jensen is a total manwhore.”
Zara’s lips pursed, and her gaze skated down to my middle. “Yes, he certainly is,” she said in a withering tone.
Piper let out a frustrated groan. “Oh my god. I totally forgot to tell you about this other drama too. But it’s such a long story.” She paused and turned her head over her shoulder. “Mom, can Amerie come and help me with the file sorting? That way we’ll have more time together. I have so much stuff to tell her.”
“No.” Zara rose and returned to my bedside. “Amerie is pregnant, so she needs to relax.”
“Actually, it’s good to stay active when you’re pregnant,” Piper said, arching a brow. “I thought you knew that. Besides, she lived with us for free for months. I even gave up my shoe storage room for her! The least she can do is help me out a little bit now.”
God, she really was a nasty, selfish little bitch. A real mini-me of her mother.
Zara sighed. “All right. She can go with you. But she can’t do any heavy lifting.”
“Duh, of course not.” Piper turned back to grin at me. “Come on, let’s go. You’ll literally die when you hear this goss.”
I reluctantly got out of bed and slid my shoes on. I didn’t actually want to spend any more time with Piper, but the file sorting would be a nice distraction from my morose thoughts. Better than lying in bed all day, anyway.
She hooked an arm in mine and smiled brightly. “I have an idea,” she said. “Once we’re done with the files, I’ll give you a proper tour of the Playground. Mom told me you’ve been spending most of your time holed up in here like a hermit, so you probably haven’t seen much yet.”
“That’s a nice idea.” Zara smiled and waved at us. “Have fun, you two. I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
Piper waved back at her before steering me out of the room, up the hall, and down the stairs to the ground floor. “The file room isn’t far from the kitchen,” she said. “Have you been eating much? The food here is amazing.”
“I don’t have much of an appetite,” I murmured.
“That’s a shame. Hopefully the morning sickness goes away soon.” She smiled again and pushed a door open, revealing a small room filled with boxes and paperwork stacked haphazardly on shelving units.
I stepped inside, nose wrinkling at the musty smell. It was almost enough to make my nausea return in full force. “Where should we start?” I asked flatly, turning back to Piper.
She shut the door with a soft click and stepped forward. The bright smile had vanished from her face, replaced with an expression so intense it scared me. “We’re not here to sort files, Amerie,” she said. “Not really, anyway.”
