Page 61 of Crowned

“Nothing,” she mumbles, and rubs her arm. There are bruises peeking beneath her sleeve.

“Did they hit you?”

“Not hard. Just a few slaps because I made them mad.”

Anger blazes in my chest. “They hit you while you’re pregnant?”

“Your parents hit you. Or someone does.”

I’m a boy and my dad is an asshole. This sort of thing isn’t supposed to happen in nice houses and to people like Katya who read books and never bother anyone.

“Artem says it’s not his.”

Tears spring into Katya’s eyes. “I’m not lying! I never did it with anyone but him. I thought he liked me. No one believes—”

“I believe you.”

She stares at me. “What?”

“I know it’s his baby. But he doesn’t want it.”

Her face crumples and she sits down on her bed, defeated, one hand on her belly. I realize with a jolt that she has a bump. She’s been pregnant for weeks. Months, probably. I saw them together ages ago. She’s been alone with this all this time, and no one’s said one nice thing to her?

“Um. Congratulations,” I mutter.

“Screw you,” she whispers through her tears.

“I didn’t mean—I just think it’s cool. Someone nice having a baby.” I push my hand through my curls and shake my head. She’s miserable and I sound like a prick. But nice people should have babies. Not assholes like my father and broken dolls like my mother.

“I’m so scared. I’ve never seen Mom and Dad so angry with me before. They kept saying that I’ve ruined my life and the family’s reputation, and now I’ll never get married.”

Standing there with tears running down her face, she looks like the last puppy at the pet store that no one wants. If that’s all they’re worried about then I can fix that. “I’ll marry you.”

Katya stares at me. “What? You’re sixteen. I’m sixteen. We can’t get married.”

I shrug. “Why not? We’ll be seventeen when the baby arrives. I’m working. I’m earning money.”

Marriage never seemed like such a big deal to me, but if it means that much to Katya’s parents, I’ll marry her if it means they will stop hitting her. She shouldn’t be crying so much when she’s going to have a baby.

She twists her hands together apologetically. “Sorry but…my parents won’t have anything to do with your family. It’s not what I think,” she adds hastily. “It’s just what they think.”

I wave that off. I know all about what most people in this town think of my family, and I don’t really care. If they’re that worried about Katya’s reputation, they’ll get over it. “I’ll talk to your parents. Artem didn’t do that, did he?”

She shakes her head, her eyes filled with doubt. “No, but… Why would you do that?” she blurts out. “Marry me.”

I stare at her for a long time. “You’re different to the other people in this town. You’re nice. You don’t deserve to be all alone.”

Katya offers me a tentative smile. “You, too.”

I smile back at her. Look at us. The two town misfits, getting married.

For a moment, I wonder if I should get down on one knee and propose properly, but it doesn’t feel right, and I doubt Katya wants that either.

Instead, I jump out of Katya’s window, slide down the trellis, and walk around to the front of the house. There’s a huge brass knocker in the shape of a lion and I beat it against the metal plate.

The door opens, and the house within is lit with golden light that reflects off the polished floors, huge mirrors, and sparkling chandeliers. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

A woman my mother’s age peers at me with a frown on her face. Her hair is brushed and neat and dyed golden, so different to my mother’s faded and untidy bun. She wears jewelry and her back is straight and proud.

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