Page 37 of Say You Remember Me
Would I even be able to graduate now? Or was my dad going to disown me and I’d be forced to drop out of school to get a job and raise my kid?
Yeah, he was going to be so mad when he found out.
Maybe I just wouldn’t tell him. Maybe I could convince Aunt Reese to help me keep the baby a secret and, I don’t know, she could help me figure things out?
Okay, probably not. She had already been way too nice to let a “troubled teen” move in with her family in order to get straightened out.
I pushed those thoughts away and headed for the drink table, licking my lips at the sight of the big jug of strawberry lemonade. I reached for a cup, ready to ladle some in. But just as I was about to pour it into my cup, I overheard one of the guys nearby saying, “Yeah, I added a little extra to it. Should be strong enough to get the party started.”
Which probably meant it was spiked with vodka or something.
I hesitated, still considering filling my cup since spiked lemonade was fun at parties. But then, the few brain cells I had left kicked in and I grabbed a water bottle instead.
Yep, even if I’d been stupid enough to open my legs for an older guy, I at least knew that alcohol and pregnancy were not a good mix.
I twisted off the cap and took a long sip, the cold water sliding down my throat as I tried to ignore the tightening in my chest. Pregnant at seventeen. What the hell was I supposed to do with a baby?
And if I did go back to Ridgewater and tell my dad, would Jaxon step up? Or was I going to be raising this baby on my own?
Why had I been so stupid? Sneaking around with him had been thrilling, fun even, but now? The regret was suffocating. Was it horrible that I’d been praying for a miscarriage, hoping that fate would spare me from this mess? I shuddered at the thought, guilt slamming into me. But at least it would be easierthan the other option I’d been toying with—stepping in front of a car and ending it all.
I shook my head, trying to push the darkness away. This was supposed to be a distraction. I’d figure out how to tell my dad later. That his grand plan to send me to Aunt Reese’s to keep me out of trouble had failed spectacularly since I’d gotten pregnant before I’d even come.
Blowing out a breath, I wandered away from the drink table, sipping my water and gazing out at the bonfire. The flames crackled, sending sparks spiraling into the cool spring air. It was a perfect night—not too cold, not too warm.
If only I was in the mood to enjoy it.
I spotted Izzy sitting on a log with her friends, laughing. For a second, I thought about joining her, but before I could move, a guy stepped up beside me. “You here for spring break, too?” he asked, his voice casual.
I glanced at him. He had a buzz cut, bleached blond hair, and dark eyebrows that didn’t quite match, making me guess his natural color was much darker. He was cute—really cute—but since looking at a cute guy for too long had already gotten me into trouble at a party before, I shifted my gaze back to the fire.
“Yep, I’m here for spring break,” I lied easily. No way was I telling this guy who looked like he was probably nineteen or twenty that I was a junior in high school.
“Same.” He smiled, and I could feel his eyes on me. “Which school do you go to?”
“SUNY Cortland,” I said automatically, spitting out the name of the college I’d been hoping to attend before everything went sideways. “What about you?”
“Yale.”
I raised an eyebrow, impressed. “Ivy League, huh?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“So, what are you studying at Yale?” I asked, wanting to keep the conversation on him and far away from my own life.
“Business,” he replied. “You?”
“Interior design,” I lied again. It was something I’d always dreamed of doing, but now…who knew if that would ever happen.
“That’s cool.”
I forced a smile, but my mind was already drifting back to the baby. What was I going to do? College seemed like a distant fantasy now.
Before I could get lost in my thoughts again, his phone buzzed, and I noticed him glance at the screen before groaning.
“Not someone you want to talk to?” I asked.
He sighed, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “It’s my ex.”
