Page 21 of Accidental Baby With My Brother's Best Friend

“She’s not feeling too well.” Christie chirps in before I can reply. Good Lord, my response would have brought an abrupt end to this hellhole disguised as a sleepover if Christie hadn’t intervened. I can feel her touch on my arm. Her hand squeezes comfortingly as I finally meet her concerned gaze and give her a half smile.

Tanya frowns but doesn’t say anything further. Heaving a sigh, I lean forward and spin the bottle. It lands on Jess again who smirks and shakes her head. “What the hell? This isn’t funny. Why does it keep falling on just me?” She asks no one in particular.

“It’s not easy being the hottest in the room after all.” She says simply with a sly grin.

I roll my eyes again, for the umpteenth time already this evening.

“Truth or dare?” I ask after another beat of silence. My voice sounds hoarse and I feel as though my throat has been sandpapered dry.

“Truth.” Jessica says, shooting me a sideways glance as though daring me to ruin the night with my ill mood, and you can bet on me to take the bait.

“Y’all are gonna ruin the game soon if no one picks ‘Dare’.” Annabelle says, dropping her head in her hands and groaning.

“Again. Keep your cynical thoughts and ideas away from us,” Jess retorts with a laugh.

“Do you regret it?” I ask bluntly without beating around the bush, breaking their playful banter. Everyone’s eyes snap to me. I can practically feel them burning holes through my skull.

Jess stares at me confused for a second before narrowing her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“The night I caught you making out with my ex-boyfriend at his apartment. Do you regret it?” I repeat, staring at Jess as though daring her to deny it. The room falls silent, save for Christie's soft giggles which I ignore. There is a slight shift in the atmosphere. I notice that Tanya and Annabelle tense up.

“I do. I swear I do.” She mumbles, her face morphing into her best genuine expression. If I wasn’t so pissed at her and everyone else, I might actually believe her. But I know better than to trust anyone right now. Especially her. And especially when she’s got a fake look plastered all over her beautiful face.

“But you two still had sex after that night. Didn’t you?”

There is an awkward moment where everyone just stares at each other until Christie finally breaks it. “Lily—”

“Christie please. Don’t butt in.” I cut her off, shaking my head in disbelief.

“You’ve had your question. She’s not obliged to answer you anymore.” Annabelle states, her voice laced with annoyance.

My eyes stay fixed on Jess who’s looking more and more uncomfortable by the minute. After what seems like an eternity, she clears her throat uncomfortably and says, “Yes, we did. Once or twice but I swear I feel bad about everything. And I’m sorry about everything. I really wish I could go back in time and stop myself but—” she breaks off, swallowing hard, her eyes filling with tears.

“Hey it’s ok. I’m sorry I asked.” My own words almost sound hollow even to me. I want to reach across the coffee table to touch Jess but I don’t. If looks could kill, I would be six feet under already from Annabelle’s glares.

“I need a minute.” Jess says quietly, getting up abruptly before storming off towards the hallway. Annabelle jets off after her and I watch them leave together before turning back to Christie who’s watching me warily. Tanya doesn’t seem too concerned though, instead she’s staring contemplatively into space.

“Are you OK, Lily?” Christie asks gently.

“No,” I mutter. “Maybe being here was a bad idea.”

“Everything ok back home?” She asks, looking worried. For once, my family issues are not the cause of my sour mood. That’s nice for a change.

“Fine, fine. Just tired. Must be my hormones. I’m on my period after all.” I say lightly, trying my hardest to make it sound as convincing as possible.

“Not good enough for me I must say. That wasn’t necessary.” Tanya adds.

The look on my face must have given me away because Christie immediately places a comforting hand on my knee and smiles softly. She leans in towards me and whispers in my ear. “You should go see how Jess is doing, please.”

“Why? All I did was ask a simple question.”

“Do it for me please.”

“Fine.” Grumbling to myself, I get up from my spot on the sofa and walk towards the doorway. When I walk past the guest room, I notice the door is slightly open so I pause outside and listen to them talk inside.

Jessica’s sniffling and sobbing echoes from inside while Annabelle just sits there silently, rubbing her back. “It’s not fair. I mean I get it. I messed up but I apologized. We had gotten over it. Why did she have to bring it up again?” Jess’s voice cracks painfully on the last word as she continues to cry and I’m tempted to walk in and apologize. Maybe throw in a hug for good measure but I decide against it. I shouldn’t. Instead, I continue to listen.

“Don’t beat yourself up. It's not your fault. What’s her problem anyways? So you fucked her ex. So what? Everyone knows Matt was a proud dick. I’m pretty sure he was fucking other ladies while they were together and she knows it. So what’s the fuss about?” Annabelle replies firmly, the hate in her voice dripping from every single syllable.

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