Page 43 of Pieces

He does? Surely, I would’ve remembered that. But then…we didn’t talk about school.

“Daph?” Finn’s voice snaps me back to the moment once more, and I lift the phone to my face.

“I’ll call you back, Finn. I’m fine, I promise.”

Then I hang up without waiting for him to respond. Dick move, but I’ve just come face to face with a guy I never thought I’d see again.

“Did you transfer here?” I ask, shaking my head in bewilderment. My brain can’t seem to wrap around the fact that we’ve been on the same campus for the last few months.

“No, I’ve always been here.”

How the hell did I not see him? I sit under the oak tree in the quad, people watching almost every day and nothing.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I saw you, and then accidentally heard you talking to Finn and, well…”

“Wait,” I say, stomach plummeting into my ass. “You…heard the whole conversation?”

Hudson shifts his weight, his hands still raised slightly in surrender. “I didn’t mean to. I was just walking, and then…I froze.”

“Youfroze?” My voice pitches higher, cutting through the still air. “So you decided to just stand there and listen to a completely private conversation?”

“No, I—” He runs a hand through his hair, his face crumpling. “I didn’t know what to do, okay? It’s not like I planned this.”

I stare at him, heart pounding so hard I can hear it in my ears. Heat rises to my cheeks as the weight of what he heard sinks in. He knows. He knows I’m pregnant. He knows about…everything. “Oh my god, I’m going to throw up.”

Running over to the nearest bush, I throw myself forward, my stomach twisting violently as I empty everything I’ve got. The sharp tang of bile stings my throat, and by the time I’m done, I’m weak and trembling, praying the universe will take pity on me and make it rain tonight. Jesus, I need to start carrying sick bags if this doesn’t ease up.

“You okay?” Hudson’s voice is quiet, cautious, like he’s afraid I might fall apart entirely. Been there done that this week, buddy. Got the freaking t-shirt, mug, and non-refundable spawn.

I shake my head, too drained to lie. Pulling a tissue from my purse, I wipe my mouth, then get another tissue for my eyes, which are stinging with tears I don’t even remember crying. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“The puking?”

I nod.

“Daph,” he says with a light laugh. “I’ve seen all the guys on the team puke after one of your dad’s brutal practices. This is nothing.”

I frown, the tissue crumpling in my hand as another realization sinks in. “My…dad’s practices?”

Hudson hesitates and rubs the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah.”

“Wait…you’re on the football team,” I say slowly, looking at his gym bag, which saysCLU Wildcatson the side. It’s like the fog lifts. I’m such an idiot. “Of course you are, look at you.”

“Yeah,” he admits, his eyes darting away.

My chest tightens, and the pieces tumble into place too fast for me to catch. “So, did you know I was here this whole time? You know who my dad was, and you know I was on campus? Did you know the night we met?”

Hands going up defensively, he takes a step back. “I didn’t know at first. I swear. I didn’t realize it was you until I saw you at a practice.”

“At a practice,” I echo. “You saw me and just…decided to pretend I didn’t exist?” The thought hits me harder than I’d like, and I feel a tear fall down my cheek.

“It wasn’t like that,” Hudson tries to assure me, his voice rising slightly. “I panicked, okay? That day, your dad reamed out the team for looking at you. If your dad saw me talking to you, he’d want to know why. And then what? I’d have to tell him we met at a concert? That we…” He stops short, the weight of what he’s not saying hanging between us.

“That we slept together?” I finish for him, my voice flat. “Yeah, well, he’s definitely going to be mad now, considering…” I trail off, the meaning behind my words crystal clear, and the remaining color drains from Hudson’s face. He opens his mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. His gaze flickers to my stomach, then back to my face, his eyes wide and searching.

“Is it true, everything you said to Finn?”

“Yes,” I say simply. There’s no point in sugarcoating it; he heard everything. My fingers tighten around my sleeves as my stomach churns again, not from nausea, but from this situation I’m in.

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