Chapter 144

“You promised me you also wanted to keep the baby a secret, so why the hell does the entire Academy know about it now?” Joseph threw his hands up. “What happened?”

“I couldn’t complete the qualifying exam without endangering the baby, so I didn’t,” I said. “And then they wanted an explanation.”

“You didn’t have to tell them this.” He waved toward my growing stomach. “You could have made something up.”

“I couldn’t think of anything in moment. But it’s okay. It’s all on me. I haven’t told anyone that you are the father and I promise that I won’t.”

“That’s not good enough, Cynthia. Jesus. I’m just supposed to take your word for it?”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but he continued before I could say a word.

“And even if I could – which, doubt – thanks to that spectacle you and Asher performed a few months ago, the whole school knows we saw each other for a while, and when. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to piece it together and bring me into the equation.”

“I can’t help that, Joseph.”

“You could have, by never arranging that damned stunt.”

This was just like him, to pass off responsibility onto me. If he hadn’t cheated on so many girls at once, then no one would have shown up to the event Asher had arrange to confront Joseph. He had brought that on himself.

“It doesn’t matter now anyway,” I said, trying to be the bigger person. “We can’t change the past.”

“No, no, I don’t believe that.” His eyes were a little wild, as he frantically looked around the alley. “You just have to say you cheated on me with someone, and that someone is the father. If everyone knows you are a slut, they won’t so easily believe it’s mine.”

His use of slut made me wince. He was always so crude. Harsh language aside, I wasn’t even promiscuous! Asher had I had fooled around a little, but the only person I’d ever fully had sex with was Joseph. Outside of those two, there had never been anyone else.

Yet I knew, with Joseph, the harder I sought to defend myself, the worse the accusations would become. So I tried to let the purposeful slights slide.

“You are overreacting, Joseph,” I said instead. “If we don’t confirm it, they will never know for certain.”

“God, you are so naïve. You have no idea how this could ruin my life.”

“I don’t?” I motioned toward the baby, which was inside of me.

He only looked more disgusted. “Yes! I’ve been moving forward, and you want to keep holding onto the past. When girls find out I got you pregnant, I’ll never get laid.”

“That’s what you care about?” I’d heard enough. I turned to leave.

But he stepped quicker than me. He slammed his hand against the brick wall near my shoulder, blocking my path. “That’s only the first of many things I care about. The other is your intentions. Maybe you want the truth to come out, so you can try to gut my reputation to raise up your own.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“Like hell. Just tell me what you want, Cynthia? Money? Child support? You want me to marry you, so you can be attached to my family?” He spoke through clenched teeth, anger rising.

I shook my head again and again. His fury was beginning to frighten me. Maybe I shouldn’t have followed him down this alley, no matter how much I thought he deserved an explanation.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then promise me, right now, that you will help me spread the rumors that you slept around when you were with me.”

His arm might as well have been a steel cage. Until I agreed to his demands, I doubted he would let me go. Not without hurting me.

“Okay, fine,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. “Just let me go.”

“I’ll hold you to this. I swear to God I will.”

“Okay.” I would say anything to get him to let me leave.

He didn’t seem to realize that, or he didn’t care, because he pushed off the wall and gave me space to escape.

With the new opening, I fled, pushing my body just hard enough to get to the main sidewalk. Then with fear pounding my heart, I called Asher.

“Cynthia,” he said, never much for greetings.

“Asher. Are you free?”

“Are you hurt?” came his immediate reply. He must have been able to tell I was shaken up.

“No. Just a run-in with Joseph.”

“Meet at my dorm room. I’ll be there in five.”

I agreed and we hung up.

Ten minutes later, I stood inside of Asher’s dorm room as he walked in a circle around me, checking for injury. Once he was satisfying, he stopped in front of me and crossed his arms.

“That rat doesn’t deserve to be your baby’s father.”

We were in agreement on that.

I’d already told Asher what had happened in that alleyway, with the exception of one key detail.

“How did you get away?” Asher asked, shoulders tense and arms flexing.

“I agreed to his terms.”

“Which were?”

I was reluctant to tell him this part, not sure how he would react. “Joseph wants me to tell everyone that I cheated on him, so that the suspicion of paternity doesn’t fall on him.”

Asher’s deep-set frown ebbed slightly, and for a moment, he looked almost… pensive. This wasn’t the angry reaction I had been expecting. Usually Asher jumped to defend my honor.

“Fine. Then we can say you cheated with me,” Asher said. “We can spread the rumor that I’m the father.”

“What?” The words struck me like a blow, and I needed to sit down. I plopped onto the edge of the bed.

He came closer in concern but I waved him off. I only needed a few seconds to come to my senses.

“You can’t mean that…” I said.

“Why not? I don’t care who thinks I’m the father.” He glanced away. “In fact… I might prefer if people think the baby’s mine.”

My world tilted again. “You… would?”

Asher knelt before me and placed his hands on mine over my knees. He looked at me now, with a thinly-veiled kind of hope. Like he really did wish the baby was his.

Normally, this would have made my heart soar. But, my worries about Asher kept me tethered to the ground.

He expected me to drop out of school, rather than passing the transfer exam. Did he want to keep me as one of those stay-at-home always-pregnant types? There was nothing wrong with that, but that wasn’t the life I wanted for myself. Asher knew that.

Slowly, I inched my hands backwards, up my thighs, away from his touch. Surprised, he looked down, watching me, then let his hands drop to his own sides.

When his gaze found mine again, he looked confused. A dash of hurt flittered over his eyes but it quickly vanished. He stood.

I did, too. “Thank you, but I really don’t want to spread that lie. Neither of us deserve to be labeled as cheaters, when it was Joseph who cheated.”

“I understand,” Asher said, though his voice was lower than normal. He looked the same as ever, now, with his emotionless mask in place and his arms hanging loosely at his sides.

Turning from him, I went to grab my phone from my bag.

“What are you doing?” Asher asked.

“Texting Joseph, before he can start spreading the lies.”

I unlocked my phone and opened a message to Joseph. I typed, Plan is off. I’m no cheater, not even to pretend.

“There,” I said, clicking off my phone screen.

“You sure about this?” Asher asked me.

Any other day, I would have taken Asher’s question for concern. Now, I only saw it as one more instance of him treating me with skepticism. Had he always been this way, and I just never noticed?

Before I could truly consider it, my phone buzzed with a new text.

When I checked, Joseph had already replied.

The message sent a chill up my spine.

You will regret this.