“I don’t even remember. Did I know I was pregnant but never told Jayson about it? Or was I as clueless as he was?”
“I know you Elizabeth. You didn’t know. If you did, you would have told all of us. You would have shouted it out to the world. Even though you were eighteen, you never would have been ashamed or worried. I know you would have loved your little girl with everything in you.”
The tears that were barely clinging behind my eyes spill over.
“I wish I could findHim. I wish I could huntHimdown. I want to kill him, Ryder, for what he did. For what he took. I hateHimso much.” The venom in my voice comes out strong. “I hateHim.”
The bed dips on either side of us. Jayson, Julien, and Elijah must have heard everything I said. Ryder lifts up and brings me with him. The four boys surround me on all sides, and we embrace as one, our heads tipped forward so our foreheads meet in the middle of our family circle. We stay like that for several minutes. Our unit strong and united.
“I love you guys,” I tell them. “Now, let’s go eat pancakes.”
Chapter 27
Elizabeth
Around a quarter ‘til nine, I finally boot up my phone and am not surprised to see my voicemail inbox is full and about a hundred text messages are waiting. I don’t listen to or read any of them. Meredith is like me and arrives early to class, so she should be arriving or already in English Lit right now. I hit the green call button.
“Holy shit! You’re alive!” she answers. “What the hell, Elizabeth!”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m a horrible friend.”
“Where are you? You haven’t shown up to class or study group all week.”
“Don’t freak out.”
“Okay,” she drawls out in skepticism.
“I fainted and was in the hospital Tuesday night. I’ve been recouping at the guys’ place since.”
Me telling Meredith not to freak out is like trying to tell a room full of people not to panic when someone yells fire.
“What! You passed out? Where are you? I’m coming to you right now. When I get my hands on you I’m going to smack you first then hug you, or hug you first then smack you.”
I hear someone in the background say, “What do you mean she passed out?”
“Is that Trevor?”
“Yes, it’s Trevor. You know, the other friend of yours who has also been worried sick about you.”
I hear some scraping noises and then, “Elizabeth?”
“Hey, Trevor. Before you start yelling at me too, could you please make sure she doesn’t leave class to hunt me down. I’m fine. Honest.”
“You weren’t fine Tuesday evening.”
“Trevor, give me my phone back,” Meredith says in the background.
I hear some more shuffling noises and can only imagine Meredith trying to take her phone away from him. He’s over a foot taller than she is so could easily keep it out of her reach. “Trevor!”
“Firecracker here is about to lose her shit. When are you coming back?”
“Monday,” I tell him. “Pizza and a movie with me and the guys later tonight at their place. You’re invited. Bring Meredith.”
“Yeah, I can do that.”
“Do what? Let me talk to her,” Meredith demands. More shuffling.
“Do what?” she asks me when she gets back on the phone.
