Breaking Karma

by Charity Ferrell

  A tight hand wrapped around my arm, stopping me before I got the chance to turn the corner.

  “Please," Piper begged, tears running down her cheeks. "I've been trying to call him, but he won't answer my calls." I opened my mouth to tell her to go to hell, but her words rambled over mine. "I know it's his. I'm absolutely positive. He's the only person I've been with."

  I twisted hard to pull away from her. "Piper, it's been months since you two have been together, so unless they have delayed pregnancies now, you would've been sporting a pregnant belly by now," I said, signaling to her stomach.

  "The last time we had sex was at Lane's Christmas party, which was only a month ago."

  My heart dropped, and nausea burned into the pit of my stomach. He'd lied to me. He’d lied to me, and my stupid self believed him. God, I was just as naive as she was. I was the same as all of those other girls.

  I shook my head, keeping the tears that were trying to break through the barrier at bay. "I'll give him your message," I said, shoving through her and walking away.

  If she was pregnant with Keegan's baby, it wasn't my problem.

  Keegan Montgomery was no longer my problem.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Gabby: Where are you?

  I ignored her text and went to the next one.

  Gabby: Did Piper kill you? I asked her in class, and she said no, but we all know that bitch lies.

  I hit reply and started typing.

  Me: No, still alive. I didn't feel well, so I went to the nurse. Don’t tell Keegan. I'll fill you in later.

  I wasn't sure how I was going to explain to her what happened. I didn’t want to tell Keegan’s business. I was pissed at him, but I wasn’t going to turn into some vicious bitch wanting revenge. That wasn’t me.

  I settled down, making myself comfortable on the bed in the nurse’s room. I rubbed my temples with the edge of my thumbs as I counted the ceiling tiles above me.

  Damnit life, couldn’t you give a poor girl a break for a minute?

  ***

  We both jumped at the loud squeal of tires braking against the pavement directly behind us. I spun around in my seat to look out the rear window of Cora’s car. Rain poured over the very familiar black SUV parked behind us, blocking us from pulling out.

  Fanfreakingtastic.

  I'd managed to talk the nurse into letting me stay in her office for the rest of the day. My phone kept alerting me with messages from Keegan. I’d finally sent him one back telling him I was riding home with Cora. I’d sprinted out of the nurse’s office as soon as the bell rang and headed straight to her locker so we could get the hell out of dodge.

  “Would you listen to me if I told you to put the car in reverse and get us out of here before he makes a scene?” I asked Cora.

  “As much as I'd love to hurt his baby, my dad wouldn’t appreciate it too much,” she answered, glancing back at Keegan’s car from her rearview mirror.

  I lunged out of my seat at the sound of a loud bang at my window. I peeked over to find a fuming Keegan glaring at me, his face soaked, and nostrils flaring in and out as water droplets fell from the tip of his nose.

  “Get in my goddamn car, Daisy,” he roared, through the window, banging on it, which was annoying because he clearly had my attention, along with everyone else’s around us.

  Cora looked between the two of us. “Uhh …” She made a grab for her phone in the cup holder. “I’m going to call Lane and tell him to come handle this.”

  I pulled the phone from her hand and set it back in the cup holder. “Just give me a minute. I’ll handle it,” I said, rolling down the window about an inch.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked him, feigning confusion. "I'm going home with Cora to have a girl's night.” I needed to act as casual as possible.

  "Bullshit,” he said, through the glass, banging his fist against it again. “I fucking know Piper cornered you in the locker room, and then you bailed on classes the rest of the day.”

  Damn, couldn't the gossip mill at this school take a rain day?

  "Keegan, stop acting like some deranged lunatic, or I'm calling your aunt," Cora yelled, leaning across the center console.

  "I don't give a fuck," he said.

  The cold air hit my face when I rolled the window down farther. "You're not going to move your car, are you?" I grumbled, exasperated. I didn't know why I even wasted my breath asking him that question when I already knew the answer.

  “My car will move when your ass is planted in the passenger seat," he fired back, wiping the rain splatters from his face.

  "I'll call you later," I called over my shoulder to Cora, hopping out of the car. I bumped into his side and scurried to his car. A few seconds later, I watched the driver's side door open, and he jumped into his seat.

  "Are you going to tell me what the fuck happened with Piper that has you all pissed off at me?" he asked. “Because I don’t remember doing anything.”

  He hit a few buttons on the dashboard, and heat flooded out of the vents. I shook my head in response, turning my attention out the window and looking at the large, nosy crowd that had yet to disperse.

  "Daisy!" he screeched, pounding his palm against his steering wheel, causing the horn to roar to life.

  "I'll talk to you when you put this car in drive, and we aren't creating a public spectacle in front of the entire student body,” I replied.

  His foot immediately pushed down on the accelerator, and the car shot forward, causing people to stumble out of the way. "Try not to kill anyone," I mumbled under my breath.

  "Are you going to tell me now?" he asked, making a sharp turn into the street.

  "I really don't think it's my place to tell you."

  "Cut the shit," he warned, giving me a sharp look. “We're out of the parking lot, so fucking spill.”

  "Okay," I said, cautiously. "Congratulations, you're going to be a daddy." His eyes widened in confusion, and he cut the steering wheel swiftly to the right. I held onto the console as we swerved to the side of the road.

  "I'm sorry, but what the fuck did you just say? It sounded like you just told me you were pregnant when we haven't even had sex. I'm not sure if you know this or not, but you can't get pregnant from me eating your pussy."

  I groaned, slapping my forehead with the palm of my hand. "I know that, idiot. I'm not saying I'm pregnant.”

  "If you're not pregnant, then what the hell are you talking about?”

  “Piper is.”

  "Okay," he drawled out, furrowing his brows together. "And that pisses you off why?"

  "Because she's one hundred percent positive that you're the father," I screamed out, throwing my hands up and sounding like a bad Maury episode. "Oh,” I added, trying my best to sound disinterested, "she's positive the baby is yours because you had sex with her at Lane's Christmas party. You lied to me."

  "I never lied to you. I didn't touch her or any other fucking girl at that party." He ran his hands through his damp hair before snatching up his phone. "Meet me at my house in ten minutes," he seethed through the speaker. He ended the call and threw the phone against the dashboard.

  Without saying another word, he cranked the wheel and turned back onto the street. We sped through the heavy traffic until he pulled into the parking lot of a drug store.

  "What are we doing here?" I asked, when he shut the car off.

  "I'll be right back," is the only answer I got.

  I looked up when he came back a few minutes later. He slid inside the car holding a large, dark colored plastic bag and threw it in the backseat. The car was silent when he pulled back into traffic and stayed that way until we reached his driveway.

  A cherry red convertible was parked in front of his house. The driver's side door flew open as soon as Keegan put his SUV in park. A high-heeled boot popped out the side before I saw the driver. Her slender body emerged, and I rolled my eyes. Piper was clearly dressed to impress because it was raining outside and she was wearing a cocktail dress. She de
finitely didn't look the part of a teenage girl who'd just found out she was knocked up.

  "Call me later," I said, grabbing my bag from the floorboard. I wasn't going to be a witness to their shit show.

  "Daisy," he breathed out, reaching for me. My eyes hit his. His hair was rustled from his hands being run through them, and tiny droplets of water were still around his hairline. "Please stay, you have to stay. I don’t want her to lie about whatever is about to happen in there. She will, and then you'll get mad at me again for something I didn't even fucking do. You need to stay.”

  "Okay," I said, leaning forward to wipe away the water on his cheeks. "I'll stay."

  He gave me a forced smile when Piper's overly-made up face popped up next to him, and her bony fingers knocked on the window softly to get his attention. The window squeaked as Keegan rolled it down and looked at her.

  "I'm not having his conversation in front of her," she said, with a dismissive wave of her hand towards me.

  Keegan’s face went hard, his eyes turning dark. "A little too late for that. You already brought her into this bullshit by feeding her lies, so shut the hell up. You're not calling the shots here.”

  "I haven't lied about anything!" she agued back, sounding sure of herself.

  "Right Piper," he snarled in a voice to chill the bone. "Let's just get this over with. Move.” She scurried backwards when he threw open his door and grabbed the bag from the backseat.

  I followed his lead, trailing him to the front door with Piper on my heels. He didn't stop his rapid step until all three of us were in the kitchen. He tossed the bag onto the counter and pulled out a long, rectangular box from it. It made a small thump when he tossed it onto the counter in front of Piper. Her face went blank as her eyes took in the pregnancy test.

  "You know where the bathroom is," he told her, pointing down the hallway. "Now go, so we can get this shit over with.”

  "But I don't need to use the restroom," she said, crossing her arms in front of her, and the dozens of bracelets around her wrists dangled together.

  He went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and slammed it down in front of her. "Drink up," he ordered, unscrewing the cap for her.

  She scrunched her bright pink lips together. "Come on, Keegan. You can't be serious?”

  He leaned in against the counter, leveling his gaze on her. “Does it look like I'm joking? Am I smiling?" He pointed to his lips. "Take the test, or admit you're a lying bitch.” Piper's face dropped at the realization that she wasn't going to be able to flaunt herself out of this one. He opened up the box, dragged the test out, and handed it to her. “And while you’re at it, tell Daisy the truth about the Christmas party. Tell her I didn’t lay a fucking hand on you, with the exception of throwing you out of my bedroom, even when you were practically begging to suck my dick.” The muscles in his jaw ticked.

  She looked down at the floor. My mouth flew open at her silence. Would she really lie about something like that?

  "And I'll never touch you again," Keegan said, adding more force to his already painful punches.

  "Fuck you," Piper said nervously, snatching the stick from his hand. She stomped down the hallway and slammed the bathroom door shut.

  Keegan cleared his throat. "Baby," he whispered softly, stopping in front of me. Two fingers pressed under my chin, forcing my eyes up to meet his. "I swear to you on everything, I didn't do shit with her that night." His eyes searched mine for reassurance.

  I bit the inside of my cheek. "I honestly don't know what to believe anymore," I said, keeping our eye contact. "What if she comes back and the test is positive?" My heart wretched at my words.

  His shoulders tensed. "If that test comes back positive, it's not mine. I need you to trust me, baby. Please, just trust me."

  "Vomit," Piper's voice sneered as she came back into the room, and I backed away from him. Her high heels clicked across the hard floor, and she stopped in front of the island, tossing the stick down in front of Keegan. "Here you go. Now we have to wait for the results.”

  My hands ached to throw the test in the trashcan. I didn’t want to find out the truth. Keegan leaned into the stick after the timer on his phone went off before looking up at Piper with a snarl.

  “Well, look at that,” he said, angrily, and grabbed the stick in his hand. Gross, didn’t he know her urine was on that thing? "Negative, why am I not surprised?”

  "It's just one test,” Piper rushed out. “It doesn't mean anything. Tests depend on how strong the hormones are in the urine, and not all tests are accurate.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to hide their redness.

  Keegan grabbed the plastic bag and dumped the rest of the contents in front of her. My eyes opened at the pile of pregnancy tests. There had to be at least twenty there.

  "I'll sit here with you all night, and have you take every one of these tests until one comes up positive then.” The loud boom of his hand hitting the counter violently echoed through the room. "It's your call, Piper but the longer I have to wait, the more pissed I'll be."

  Fresh tears began to surface when she moved her hands away from her eyes. "I'm in love with you," she sobbed, almost pleading with him. "You know we'd be perfect together. Why her?" Her hands shot out my way. "What could she possibly have that I don't?"

  Keegan snarled. "For starters, she has me, which is something you'll never fucking have. I'm hers."

  Piper took a step back, staring at her feet, her breathing ragged. Tears of defeat blinded her eyes as she picked up the pregnancy test and launched it at him. I shuddered, wishing they’d both leave the damn urine stick alone. Keegan moved to the side, dodging the pee stick, and it fell on the floor in front of my feet.

  "Stupid bitch," Piper screeched at me, running her hand down the counter to scrape the rest of the tests on the floor before stomping out of the room and dismantling everything in her path.

  KEEGAN

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Do you believe me now?” I asked Daisy, falling down on a stool.

  When the words, "You're going to be a daddy," left her mouth in the car, a million emotions scrambled through my mind. If I ever became a father, I wouldn’t be like the piece of shit mine was. My kid would never be a bastard baby. I wasn’t certain if I’d be father of the year, but I’d be better than him, and I wouldn’t run away like a fucking pussy.

  "It wasn't that I didn't believe you,” she started to say, but I rudely cut her off.

  "Yeah, I thought we weren't going to lie to each other.”

  "We aren't.”

  "You just did."

  We both looked down at the floor as a jingling noise came down the hall. My eyes found Theo strolling into the kitchen, his furry paws stopping at Daisy’s feet before he jumped up at her ankles. She bent down at the waist, picked him up in her arms, and gave him a peck on the head.

  “I was only uncertain on what to believe,” she said. “Here I was, getting undressed for gym, and Piper comes in telling me you’re her baby daddy.”

  “Are you always going to think the worst of me?” I asked, laying my head down on the counter before promptly raising it back up. “Wait, what did you say you were doing when Piper came up to you?”

  Theo squirmed in her arms. "Changing my clothes?"

  "You said you were undressing," I corrected her, sliding off the stool and moving towards her.

  I was only inches away from reaching her when her phone started to ring. She fished it from her pocket.

  “Shit,” she said, dropping Theo back down to his feet, resulting in a whine from him. “I have to go.”

  “Nu uh,” I muttered, stopping her by wrapping my arms around her waist. “You’re not going anywhere.” I brushed my lips along her neck softly while running my arms over her stomach, stopping just under her breasts, and traced the edge of her bra.

  She stopped me, pulling away. “I have to babysit Sophia, remember?”

  I groaned. “Just awesome. A man finds out he’s not having a baby by a wo
man he despises, and in celebration he gets to go babysit five minutes later. Fuck my life.”

  "You love Sophia, plus you promised me dinner,” she reminded me, leading me out the front door.

  "If the little monster tries to make me wear a tutu again at one of her tea parties, I'm leaving.”

  "Yeah right, she has you wrapped around her tiny finger,” she said, laughing as we cut through my yard towards her house.

  ***

  I was an idiot. I cursed myself for what I was about to do.

  "We can't do this." The words struggled to make their way out of my mouth. Pressing my hands into the curve of her hips, I stopped her. "If Sophia comes in here, she'll start acting like her Barbies are us in a very compromising situation."

  Daisy chuckled, ignoring my protest, and swung her legs over to straddle my lap. “Lucky for us, Sophia is a deep sleeper,” she whispered, leaning forward and kissing me behind my ear. My weak spot.

  I dropped my head back against the headboard of her bed, groaning at the friction of her body grinding slowly against my cock. My hands crept forward, sliding down her back and inching underneath the hem of her shirt. Her skin felt like silk. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip when I flipped open the clasp of her bra. I skimmed the soft curve of her breast, causing her to grind into me harder.

  “Why do you love to torture me?" she rasped, trying to grab my hands to put them where she wanted, but I wouldn’t allow it. In spite, she grinded against me again, harder this time.

  "Fuck baby," I said. “I'm pretty sure you're the one doing the torturing here.”

  My finger curved around the edge of her shirt, pulling it up over her stomach. Her hands immediately flew up, allowing me to pull it over her head and toss it on the floor. The only thing that blocked me from having my mouth on her delicious nipples now was a lacy, red bra that hung loose on her shoulders.