Page 170 of Staying Selfless

“No thanks,” Ali quickly answers. “I mean after the game, tomorrow night. Everyone on campus is going to Double G, hopefully to celebrate the win and to kick off spring break.”

“Yeah, maybe. I’m not sure yet.”

I clearly can’t drink alcohol right now, but I’m also not ready to tell Ali that I’m pregnant. I shouldn’t have even told Marc before I told Eli, but I definitely can’t tell anyone else before him.

“What’s going on with you?” Ali asks in an inquisitive tone, her eyes narrowing as she tries to read me.

“Hey,” Marc interrupts us, saving me from Ali’s questioning.

“Hey,” Ali quietly responds, the air thick with tension.

The three of us remain wordless as the mass of students filters into the classroom, and the deafening silence between my two friends continues even after they take a desk on either side of me.

“Before you all start bitching and complaining about having to be here on a Friday night,” our finance professor begins. “I know you were all planning to stay on campus to watch the hockey game tomorrow anyway, so get over it. You have one hour to finish the exam, and your time starts now.”

I’m the first student to finish my test, and I kind of breezed through it. For some reason, school has been easier for me this semester. Maybe it’s because my focus isn’t solely zeroed in on my academic studies, and therefore I feel less pressure. I’m not sure. But stress over school has been balanced with my concern for Eli’s career and now our future child. School has been put on the back burner, as far as my stress level goes, and now it’s coming to me much more easily.

And just when it gets easy, I have to drop out. Ironic how that works.

I take a seat on a bench outside of our classroom as I wait for Marc and Ali to finish. I haven’t been waiting around for them after class the last couple of weeks because I don’t want to play the awkward game of picking sides, but tonight, I can’t handle being alone. Even though I’m accepting this pregnancy, I still feel overwhelmed, and I need at least one of my people, whoever comes out first, even if their company only lasts for the short duration of the time it takes to walk back to the dorms.

Marc finishes his exam, so his handsome face is the one I see first.

“Ready?” I stand from the bench, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

“We should wait for Ali.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Marc takes a seat on the bench next to me. “You need all the people you can get right now, and it’d be a major dick move if I were the reason you couldn’t spend time with your two best friends when you need them most.”

“Thank you, Marc.” I rest my head on his shoulder as we wait for Ali to finish.

“Fucking hell, that was hard!” Ali exclaims as she throws open the classroom door. “Oh.” She stops in her tracks when her gaze lands on Marc and me on the bench. “You’re both still here.”

“Yep. You guys ready?” Marc asks coolly, not giving away that things have been tense between him and my little New Yorker.

“Yeah,” Ali slowly says, full of suspicion.

The majority of our walk back to the dorms is silent, but as we reach the lobby doors, Ali asks, “Logan, are you sure you don’t want to come have a drink with me? Just one.”

“Honestly, Ali, I’m so tired,” I somewhat lie as I push the button for the elevator.

“Then, I’m holding you to coming out tomorrow night.”

Marc and I make eye contact as we have a silent conversation about how the hell I’m going to get away with spending a night at a bar without making it obvious that I’m pregnant.

“Yeah, Logan, tomorrow night for sure,” Marc chimes in. “I’ll be at Double G, too, so you have to come.”

I give him a pointed glance, but he just subtly nods his head, telling me he’s going to be there so he can help me out and keep my secret.

“You are?” Ali turns to him with skepticism.

“Yeah, the whole campus will be out celebrating if the boys win. Don’t worry, Alison, Double G is big enough for the both of us.”

As soon as I walk into my dorm, I throw my bag down, pull my phone out and plop on my bed, finding a text waiting for me from Eli.

E: Call me after your test. Good luck.

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