Page 23 of In the Air Tonight

“Not without Denise’s consent, and her concern is that it would be her word against his. It happened weeks ago.”

“So there’s no evidence.”

“There may be one piece of evidence.” She looks to me to confirm that.

He pulls back so he can see my face. “What evidence?”

“I’m pregnant.”

For the rest of my life, I’ll never forget the expression on his face when that sentence registers. It’s a look of complete shock I’ve never seen before or since.

“Pregnant.”

“Yes,” the doctor says, “and the baby’s DNA could be used to confirm Denise’s claim from about nine to twelve weeks of pregnancy onward.”

Dad drops his head into his hands.

“I’m so sorry, Daddy.”

He pulls himself together and looks at me with a fierce expression. “I don’t want you to be sorry. This was done to you, and I’ll take care of it.”

“How?”

“That’s not for you to worry about.”

“Yes, it is! This is my life. You can’t just go rogue and cut me out of it.”

“I’ll have a talk with Ryder’s father to start with.”

“If I may…”

He looks up at the doctor.

“I’d suggest you talk to the police first, but only if Denise agrees with that plan.”

They both look to me.

Here it is. Another moment of truth. If I go public with these accusations, I’ll be vilified like I’ve never been before.

But how will that be different than how they treat me now? It won’t be. Houston is the only true friend I’ve made here, and he just graduated from college and got a job as a police officer outside of Boston. He won’t be around to help me navigate my last year of high school or anything else after this blows up.

It’s up to me.

Do I want Ryder to pay for what he did to me?

Hell yes.

Do I care about the consequences?

Not as much as I probably should.

“I think I’d like to report it to the police.”

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Dad says.

Chapter 5

Blaise

---