My stomach dropped. “Uh…”
“O.M.G. You are!”
Jessie’s hand dropped from my arm like I’d caught fire as she turned to her friend. “The rate my performance posters?” Then she faced me. “That’syou?!”
“No,” I said quickly. “I mean, yes, technically, that was my picture, but it was just some stupid prank. I’m not?—”
“If I wanted to be disappointed in bed, I would’ve stayed with my ex. Life’s too short for mediocre sex,” Jessie cut me off, grabbing Megan’s arm. “Come on, Megan. Let’s go. This party is for losers.”
And just like that, they were gone, leaving me standing there like an idiot while Liam stared after them.
“Well, that didn’t turn out like I’d expected,” Liam said, then took another swig of his beer.
“You should go pick up some girls without me.”
“Come on, man. Surely someone will realize it was a stupid joke.”
“Apparently not any time soon.” I looked around and noticed more people staring. Some with pity, some with barely concealed amusement. “You know what? Fuck this. I’m done.”
“Done with what?”
“This. The party.” I gestured at the chaos around us. “I’m going to bed.”
Liam’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you serious? It’s barely midnight.”
“Dead serious. I’ve got that psychology project meeting tomorrow with Tinsley, and I need to be sharp if I’m going to survive three hours with her without committing murder.”
“Come on, man. Don’t let some stupid site?—”
“I’m just not in the mood tonight.”
He held up his hands. “Alright, alright. I get it.”
I pushed through the crowd toward the stairs, ignoring the whispers that followed. Someone had definitely been talking, because I could feel eyes on me from every direction.
By the time I reached my room, the music from downstairs was just a dull thump through the floorboards. I closed the door and finally felt like I could breathe.
I guess it’s true what they say—the higher you rise, the harder you fall. Because this fall was fucking brutal.
With a heavy sigh, I gripped the back of my CFU hockey T-shirt, about to pull it over my head when I heard an unfamiliar sound.
It was like a whimper almost or a weird squeaky hiccup.
I froze, one hand still gripping my shirt, and listened. Music from downstairs, muffled voices, someone shouting about beer pong…
There it was again.
I spun around, scanning my room. My desk, dresser, hockey gear in the corner.
And that’s when I saw it.
Between my desk and window, sitting on the floor, was a baby carrier. Pink and white with little butterflies.
I stared at it, my brain struggling to process what I was seeing. The whimpering came again, definitely from the carrier.
Holy shit. Was there a fucking baby in my room?
I approached it slowly as if it was a bomb about to explode. If this was another prank, this was the most fucked-up prank of all.
