Page 57 of Kings of the Campus

My breath catches, and the world seems to tilt around me. A scream lodges in my throat, my vision blurring. “Oh my God…oh my God.”

Valencia rushes to my side, her hands on my shoulders. “Tessa, breathe. You’re okay.”

But I’m not okay. My lungs seize as my body trembles uncontrollably. A sharp pain rips through my belly, doubling me over. “Something’s wrong,” I gasp, my hand instinctively flying to my stomach. “Valencia, I need to go to a hospital.” Tears well up in my eyes as I plead with the universe not to do this to me right now. “I’m pregnant but something is wrong…”

Valencia’s eyes widen with horror. “Matteo! We need to get her to the hospital, now!”

Matteo bundles me up into their car without another word, helping me into the back seat while Valencia sits next to me, holding my hand tightly. He climbs into the driver’s seat and takes off in a controlled rush.

We arrive at the hospital in minutes and they’re rushing me through the ER doors, helping me to the reception desk where we explain what’s happening.

Everything hurts. My chest hurts. My stomach hurts. My throat feels like it’s closing up. The room spins around me and I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe!

“She’s collapsing!” I hear someone yell, but it sounds like it’s coming from somewhere far away.

The next thing I know, I look up to find myself on a gurney being rushed to an exam room on the spot.

Val and Matteo hang back outside the double doors, promising to come in with me the moment that they’re allowed back.

Everything sort of happens in a haze. People come in and out of my exam room checking on me and then someone decides I need to be admitted so they wheel me up to the fourth floor. Matteo and Valencia are finally allowed to come in and sit with me while they wait to get me seen by some kind of specialist.

I’m giving a nasal cannula to encourage even breathing since I was apparently in the midst of a panic attack when they brought me in.

“Tell me what’s going on with you lately, please?” Valencia begs. She’s sitting next to me in a hard, plastic hospital chair while holding my hand. She hasn’t let it go since the moment she was allowed back in with me.

“I’m pregnant,” I tell her again, looking down at our joined hands.

Valencia nods. She’s wearing pajamas and her hair is in a big, messy bun. I feel guilty for pulling her out of bed at this hour. “That’s what you said,” she reminds me gently. “How come you didn’t tell me?”

“I was still processing it,” I confess. “I haven’t totally decided what I wanted to do but…now that this is all happening, I think maybe I don’t want to lose this baby.” The admission takes me aback as I realize the truth of my words.

I’d been dithering for weeks about what to do and maybe that in and of itself was all the answer I needed. I wasn’t ready to let go of the idea of bringing a tiny human being into the world.

“How far along are you?” Matteo asks, his tone gentle.

“I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t been to the doctor yet,” I admit, cringing because I know my best friend is not going to behappy to hear I was neglecting my health. “I missed two periods before I realized and it’s been like…a month since then?”

Valencia does some quick mental math. “So like, twelve-ish weeks?”

“That sounds about right,” I say with a sigh, clutching the hospital blanket to me as guilt starts creeping in.

Someone comes in at that moment to examine me and Matteo steps out into the hallway to give me privacy.

Once they’re gone, Valencia turns back to me and gives me that look, the one that says she’s going to make me spill everything.

“Start from the beginning,” she orders.

I take a breath, trying to think about how to explain this. I haven’t been telling her about everything with the boys because I didn’t want to burden her, and because her boyfriend is a Sigma and I didn’t want to cause a rift between them.

“You know how you suggested I fool around with all three of the guys, Alec, Jace, and Devin?” I ask. Val nods and I swallow. “The thing is, I haven’t been totally honest with you. I didn’t just fool around one time. It kept happening over and over.”

Valencia smirks. “Get it, girl,” she says, giving me a gentle nudge to the leg. “So it’s one of theirs?”

“Yeah,” I say, my voice soft. “But there’s more to the story. Things haven’t been great between us. At least not until recently.”

Her brow furrows. “What’s been going on?”

“A lot,” I admit, my fingers nervously toying with the edges of the blanket. “They thought I was messing around with them to get close and find a way to shut down Sigma Theta. I get why they didn’t trust me but instead of talking to me, they ended up trying to make my life hell for a while.”

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