Page 49 of Finding Fate

14

Confirmation

Annie was seething on her way back to the table, thoughts of disbelief running through her head as she considered all the things she wanted to do and say to her sister’s stupid boyfriend.

“This can’t be happening! What were they thinking? Izzy knows better! I’m going to kill Tucker if it’s true!” She hoped for his sake that Izzy was wrong because her imagination was already getting creative…

Jet was still shoving nachos into his mouth, but Tucker was staring when she stormed up, his brow crinkled with worry and confusion, but his compassion did nothing to help his case.

“How could he be so stupid?!” Annie fumed when she reached him. Her hand flew up and whacked him against his upper arm. “Are you an idiot?!”

Jet’s eyes widened, and he dropped the nacho he was holding.

“Ow! Hey! What was that for?” Tucker asked, leaning away from her.

“It’s not li’e he could ‘ave gone in ‘ere wit’ ‘er,” Jet argued for Tucker, his mouth still overflowing with food.

Tables nearby started to stare, and not wanting or needing an audience, she forced herself to lower her voice, but none could miss the anger still seeping through. “I need to talk to you outside.”

“Annie, what’s the matter? Is Izzy okay?” Tucker pressed, refusing to move.

“Outside, Tucker…now…” she said through her teeth. “Doesn’t he know how close I am to blowing up in his face in front of all these people?!”

Knowing from experience when to not mess with Annie, Tucker stood. They weaved between tables and pushed past a couple coming through the door to follow the path around the building. Annie was determined to find a place with little to no audience before she stopped. Tucker followed, not saying anything, still looking irritatingly confused when she turned to glare at him, her hands clenching into fists at her sides.

“Annie, will you please tell me what’s going on?” he finally asked.

“I can’t believe you!”

“What? What did I do?”

“What did you do?!” she screamed. Her hand flew up and whacked him hard in the arm repeatedly as she yelled, “You had sex with my sister! Unprotected sex with her, you idiot!”

Tucker faltered, rubbing his arm. “She told you? Crap, no wonder she didn’t want you to know we were having sex already. She must have known you would freak out,” he said half to her and half to himself.

“That’s not what I’m freaking out about, Tucker! Fine, okay, have sex with my sister. I don’t care as long as you love her…and use protection!” she added, whacking his arm again.

Tucker set his jaw, his patience starting to ebb. “Annie, unless you can give me a good reason why you’re this mad, you need to stop hitting me. My sex life with Izzy is our business. We were careless once. That’s it. Do I need to swear to never have unprotected sex ever again or something?”

“It would be a start, but that won’t help the situation you’re in now.” She hoped he would figure it out without her having to say it. Sure enough, it didn’t take long before he started to pale.

“No, you’re just messing with me, right? She’s not…”

Annie nodded, her eyebrows raised with a silent ‘yep.’ “She just figured it out in the bathroom after she finished puking her guts out.”

“But that was only one time,” he said shakily. “She probably just ate some bad nachos.”

“Oh, come on, Tucker! We were all eating the same nachos, and she’s the only one of us who got remotely sick. Think about it. She’s been saying she’s been feeling bad for weeks now, she’s tired a lot, she’s been getting dizzy spells, and now she’s throwing up!”

His head shook vehemently, hands grasping at the back of his neck as he fought the connections trying to form. “She caught that cold from Leo…”

“She hasn’t had a normal period since that time.”

Her words sealing his fate, Tucker’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, yet he couldn’t form any words as his eyes stared blankly ahead. Annie felt her first twinge of concern as her friend fell into his state of shock.

Jet came around the corner then, holding the folder of forgotten brochures and Izzy’s purse. “Hey, I guessed that y’all weren’t going to eat anymore, so I went ahead and paid. Is Izzy going to come meet us outside when she’s done?”

Tucker still stared blankly ahead, unhearing, and motionless when Jet made it to Annie’s side. “What’s the matter? Is Izzy okay?” he asked, his concern flaring at his friend’s abnormal stance.

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