Veronica pushes past me and helps herself inside my room. I’m too hungover for this right now.
“You need to leave,” I demand. My adrenaline spikes, and I want grab her by the hair and pull her out the fucking door, but when she turns around, tears are streaming down her cheeks. I don’t know what to think and I’m confused, but she has no business being here.
“Savannah, we need to talk,” she tells me matter-of-factly.
“I have nothing to say to you.” I cross my arms over my chest.
Glancing down, I look in her hand and see she’s holding a thin piece of paper or something. She notices me looking at it and wipes the tears streaming down her face before I realize what it is.
An ultrasound.
She sucks in a deep breath and hands it to me. Looking down at the printout, I see her full name on the top and notice it’s dated from two weeks ago. It even has the weeks and number of days pregnant. I look it over from top to bottom, trying to figure out if it’s a fake, but there’s not a doubtful bone in my body as I hold it. This is one-hundred percent real. Veronica is pregnant.
“I know we haven’t had the best friendship, Savannah. I know I was a total bitch to you growing up, most of the time for no reason. But right now, I have no one else to turn to but you because you’re the problem.”
My eyes narrow. Nothing like a back-handed admission to her being a douche.
“Hayden’s the father, but I haven’t told him yet. We’ve hooked up a few times the past couple of months, but we never made things exclusive. Last night I was going to give him the big news after our date, but he was too busy tending to you. And now today—” More tears begin to fall, harder this time. “He doesn’t want anything to do with me, and I know it’s because he thinks you’ll take him back because he never quite got over you.”
She’s always known how to twist the knife, and now is no different. I feel as if I’m falling into the abyss with no bottom in sight. Then realization hits me: Hayden and Veronica are having a baby together. My hand begins to shake, and I drop the photo and watch it float to the ground. I pick it up, and it feels like poison in my hand. Emotions bubble inside me, and I don’t know how to feel about any of this.
But the kiss last night…
I’m brought back to reality when she clears her throat.
“Do you understand now? Don’t be a homewrecker, Savannah. You’re a lot of things, but you’re not that. My baby needs a father, and now I feel like Hayden’s second-guessing everything, and I’m scared. I’m so fucking scared.”
She sits on the small couch that Hayden slept on last night, and I can tell she’s not bullshitting me. Veronica was a hateful, vile human being toward me, but as she sits here, she looks so broken and vulnerable that I can’t help but feel sorry for her. Guilt washes over me, and I try to replay each moment I had with Hayden last night. He was cautious with me, but was he too cautious? Because he was seeing Veronica? It’s not within his character to chase after one woman while being with another, but then again, I don’t really know Hayden anymore. Not like I used to. Plus, the ultrasound doesn’t lie. It’s clear as day that she’s pregnant.
“Okay,” I say, coming to terms that they’re going to be in each other’s life forever no matter what. It all makes sense why she was so protective of him last night, and I feel like a total bitch.
I walk over to her and hand over the photo.
“You’ll stay away from him?” she asks, meeting my eyes. A glimmer of hope flickers in them, and she’s right. I can’t be the woman who destroys a possible happy family. In a sick, fucked-up way, I feel as if I deserve this for what I did to him.
Now we’re even, I suppose.
I search her face and nod. Veronica stands and wraps her arms around my neck. “Thank you, Savannah. Thank you for understanding. I’m going to tell him the exciting news as soon as I leave here.”
No words form. She thanks me again and walks to the door and turns and looks at me without saying another word.
When Veronica leaves, I feel as if I can’t breathe because the weight of everything is sitting on my chest. I’m actually living in one of my nightmares. Sadness and loss courses through me, and for the first time since I broke up with Hayden, I’m feeling as if he’s really slipped through my fingers for good. My heart breaks into pieces as I hurry and grab my phone and head to Donny’s room.
Tears stream down my face as I take the elevator a few floors up. As soon as I make it to his room and knock, I try to suck in a deep breath and stop crying, though it feels damn near impossible. He opens the door and gives me one look before pulling me inside.
“What the hell?” He searches my face. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
He leads me over to the bed and tries to smooth out the rustled blanket and sheets. I sit and look up at the ceiling and try to find my words.
“I need to get the fuck out of here, Donny.”
He sits next to me. “Honey, tell me what’s going on.”
“Veronica just came to my room.”
His face contorts, and he narrows his eyes. He’s always hated her as much as I do.
“And she had an ultrasound with her and told me Hayden is the dad. I have to stay away from him, Donny. I can’t be the reason he ruins what he has going on with her.” I place my face in my hands, and he rubs my back. “I knew lying to him would eventually catch up to me, but this is so fucking cruel.”
He pulls me into his arms, and I cry on his shoulder. “The truth always comes out, Sav. Are you sure she wasn’t just fucking with you? It’s Veronica. She’s a bitch.”
I push away from him. “I saw the ultrasound. I saw her name on the corner. I saw the date. It was real, Donny. As real as me sitting here in front of you right now. But she hasn’t told him yet, and she’s afraid me being here is going to mess with what they have.”
He tucks loose strands behind my ear. “We’re only here for a couple more days. Maybe you should go visit your parents for a little while? Take a drive. Clear your head. Schedule a massage, pedi and mani, and then the next thing you know, we’ll be on our flight home, and you can forget about this damn town.”
Donny shoots me a smile, and I hear the water in the bathroom turn on.
My eyes widen. “You’re not alone?”
With a laugh, he shrugs. “What can I say?”
I slap his arm. “Who’s in there?” I whisper. “The bartender?”
“Guilty!” He snickers.
“Oh my God. I should’ve known.” I chuckle lightly. “I wish I had your love life. A new hottie every weekend.”
“Girl, it’s exhausting.” He flashes an amused smile as I stand, and he stands too. “Are you going to be okay?”
Donny gives me a look of concern, and my head begins to pound harder. As if he reads my mind, he hands me the complimentary bottle of water and some travel Tylenol. “You need this more than me right now.”
I swallow the pills down. “I told him I’d go to lunch. He’ll be at my room in thirty minutes. I’ve got to get the hell out of here ASAP.”
He nods. “Take the rental car. I’ll be occupied for the better half of the morning.”
I shake my head at him as he hands me the keys. “Thank you,” I tell him, giving him a big hug.
“I’m always here for you, Sav.”
“I know. That’s why I love you.” I grin.
The water in the shower turns off. “I’m calling valet to pull the car around for you. Call me later, okay?”
I nod and walk out the door. I go to the elevator and take it down to the lobby, and by the time I make it to the bottom floor and walk outside, the car is waiting for me. I climb inside and drive around for a while before I go to my parents’ house. As soon as I park, I flip the mirror down and see how swollen my eyes are. My mother is going to ask what’s wrong, and I don’t want to open that can of worms. Finding the courage, I grab my phone and go to the door and knock.
Within the minute, my mother is opening the door and pulling me into her arms. “What’s wrong?”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Nothing, Mom. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, okay. Your dad isn’t home from work yet but should be in a few hours. I was just making a late lunch. Are you hungry?”
I grin, feeling the hangover settle in. “Starving.”
The smell of chicken fills the house, and on the counter, she’s arranged a beautiful salad with baby tomatoes and cucumbers. She pulls the head of lettuce from the fridge and makes me a bowl before she flips the chicken over.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come home. I know how busy you are trying to catch up with everyone while you’re here,” she says over her shoulder.
Tears start to well again.
“What is it?” she softly asks.
“Veronica Miller,” I tell her, pouting.
“Savannah. Don’t you dare let that bully work you up again,” she demands, her tone completely changing, and I feel like I’m sixteen all over again, sitting at the table crying over something stupid.
“Her and Hayden…” I can’t even finish the words. Mom pulls the chicken from the pan and sets it on a plate, then walks over to me.
“Oh, sweetie. You didn’t expect him to wait for you all this time, did you?”
I suck in a deep breath. “No. I didn’t.”
Our parents are best friends, and I made a strict rule for her not to talk about Hayden to me while I was in New York because it hurt too much, though I can’t deny I was curious. I think Mom knows I never really got over him, and my parents were more shocked than anyone when they found out we broke up. But they didn’t get involved because it was easier that way.
“It’s going to be okay, honey. You’ll be in New York soon. Rehearsals and auditions will fill your time, and everything will be back to normal.” She smiles, then goes back to the chicken, pulls a knife from the drawer, and chops it into chunks before throwing it on both of our salads. After handing me a fork and passing the ranch, she sits across from me.
She’s right, like always.
“I thought Donny would be with you. I miss him.”
I take a bite and the chicken practically melts in my mouth. I chuckle. “He’s currently preoccupied.” I make sure to keep it general, not daring to tell my mother he’s holed up with some guy in his hotel room.
“How’d the wedding go?” she asks.
“Lena was a beautiful bride. It was absolutely perfect. She got her fairy-tale wedding, and I’m so happy I was there.” I shuffle my food around, my hunger disappearing. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get married, Mom. I think I’m meant to be single for the rest of my life.”
My phone vibrates, grabbing my attention. I look down and see it’s Hayden calling. My heart drops, and it goes to voicemail, but then he immediately calls back, and I reject it. Flipping my phone over, I ignore it and am grateful my mom doesn’t say anything.
It vibrates again, and I know he either left a voicemail or sent me a text, which I plan to ignore. It’s better this way.
She smiles. “What did I used to tell you when you were younger?”
I think back to all the life lessons my parents gave me. “Life’s not fair?”
A laugh escapes her. “Well that’s true. But no, not that one. The one about love.”
“Not all love is meant to last forever,” I say. “Your lessons were kinda ruthless now that I think about it.”
She finishes chewing. “If by ruthless, you mean truthful, then yes.”
We empty our bowls, then I grab them and rinse them in the sink. I let out a yawn and realize how tired my eyes are when I blink, probably from crying. “I think I’m going to go upstairs and lie down for a little while,” I tell her. Grabbing my phone, I notice I have a text message from Hayden. I swallow hard, knowing I need to read it when I’m alone.
She gives me nod and follows me into the living room.
“I wanna wait for Dad to come before I leave,” I tell her, heading toward the stairs.
“Alright, sweetheart. I’ll wake up you up when he gets here.” She grabs a book off the side table and sits in her reading chair.
I go up to my old room that’s been transformed into a guest room. I sit on the edge of the bed and open the text message Hayden sent, but the end is what destroys me.
…I’ve endured worse pain than that before from you.
I’m so mad at myself for agreeing to see him again, but I thought things would be different. He doesn’t know the truth from ten years ago, and he doesn’t know why I had to ditch him today.
I lie back on the bed and reminisce about being a teenager. I lived without a fucking worry in the world. Life was easy. Love was easy. Being an adult isn’t all that it’s cut out to be.
As I stare at the ceiling, I remember my old yearbooks and photo albums are stuffed in a box in the top of the closet. I grab it from the shelf and set it down. Taking my time, I gently pull out the pictures and look at them. I laugh at photos of me and Donny in the school’s production of The Wizard of Oz. I played Dorothy, and he was the cutest Toto in the world. Toward the end of the photo album are pictures of Hayden and me after the production of Little Shop of Horrors I did my senior year. He’s looking at me like I’m his everything, the same way he looked at me this morning. I get emotional as I travel down memory lane, but I force myself to continue anyway. The what-ifs and might-have-beens rip through me along with the regret of what I did to him.
My phone vibrates, and I look down and see it’s another text from Hayden. Though I’d rather not know what he has to say, I unlock my phone and read the message.
Hayden: We need to talk.
I throw my phone toward the end of the bed, not sure what I’d say. Talking to him is out the question, and I don’t think I could even look him in the eyes knowing what I now know. Maybe Veronica being pregnant with his baby is fate’s way of telling me it’s time to finally move on.
I pick up my phone and decide to block his number once and for all, in case he tries to contact me again. It’s better this way—or at least, that’s what I’m telling myself.