BEST FRIEND'S BABY (Book Two)

by Layla Wilde

  I chuckled. “I got it. Don’t worry about it.” Seeing that he wouldn’t leave without some persuasion, I started pushing him out of the room. At the doorway, he looked at me with longing, as if he wanted to say something, but he just gave me a small kiss and was on his way.

  I sighed, locking the door behind him. I plopped onto my bed, exhausted after a long day of unpacking. Even though my body was tired, my mind couldn’t rest. From Hunter to the school year that would start in a few days, my thoughts were scattered. I groaned and rolled off my bed, grabbed everything I needed for a shower, and headed for the bathroom.

  To my relief, it was empty. Considering it was a co-ed dorm bathroom, it was relatively clean. I bobbed my head to the rhythm of the music emitting from my phone, undressing slowly. I turned on the shower, frowning as I discovered there was no hot water. I braced myself for the cold jet flowing down my body, and my nipples instantly hardened as a result. I did everything I could to quicken my pace because I didn’t want to stay under the cold water any longer than I had to.

  By the time I finished bathing, I was shivering. With chattering teeth, I hurried back to my room, changed quickly into pajamas, and got under the covers. Tomorrow was a new day, and if I wanted to be functional, I needed some sleep. It was only nine, but I had nothing better to do.

  I tossed and turned on the hard mattress. The springs dug into my back, and the hours crawled slowly by. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Finally, I got out of bed. Obviously, I wasn’t going to sleep. I grabbed my jacket, left my room, and headed out the front door. The campus was eerily deserted as I meandered through. The lampposts flickered ominously, and I kept looking into the alleyways as if something would jump out at me at any moment.

  I tried to suppress the fear slowly crawling under my skin and threatening to paralyze me. I just had to focus on getting to Hunter’s house. I bit my lip, focusing on remembering how to get there. I thought I had made a wrong turn a few times, doubling back just to take the same route again, but I eventually made it. I sighed in relief as I walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

  After a few minutes, Hunter opened the door wearing baggy pajama bottoms and a black t-shirt. His hair was disheveled as if he had just woken up, but he smiled at me nonetheless. “I knew you’d give in.” He grinned, pulling me in.

  “I didn’t give in,” I said. “I just couldn’t sleep,” I huffed, my arms crossing over my chest in an attempt to look confident.

  “Sure.” He chuckled, unconvinced.

  “So, what are you up to?” I asked, attempting to steer the conversation in another direction.

  “I was just watching a movie. Care to join me?” He kissed the top of my head and grabbed my hand, leading me toward the spacious living room. The TV played some movie from the nineties, its outdated special effects quickly revealing its age.

  “Sure,” I said. The movie itself didn’t look all that interesting, but I wanted to cuddle with Hunter. Together, we lay on the couch. I couldn’t believe it was softer and more comfortable than the bed in my room. The movie dragged on, and Hunter started to play with my hair, spinning strands on his finger, his eyes glued to the screen.

  “Do you remember when we were kids and you used to braid my hair? My mom didn’t know how to and I really wanted to be like the other girls, so you stayed up all night, learning how to do it.” I reminisced happily, smiling brightly at the thought. His fingers had been so small back then, easily weaving my hair together into a perfect braid. I could still remember how gentle he had been, always careful not to pull my hair too hard.

  “I can still do it, you know,” he boasted.

  “Oh yeah? Even after all these years? Have you been practicing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

  “Oh, totally. I go to cosmetology school in my spare time,” he said, rolling his eyes at me. “But seriously, come here.” We sat up, and I got comfortable between his legs as he took my soft hair into his hands.

  He stared at it for a moment as if uncertain. I started to guide him when he parted my hair in three strands. The sensation sent a shiver down my spine, making me shudder. When someone played with my hair, it always made me ticklish.

  “I’m not even doing anything yet.” He laughed. “Stop squirming.”

  I tried my best as I bit my lip, feeling the soft tugs on my skull as he tightened the braid, making sure it would last. In that moment, I felt incredibly cared for. It was one of the most romantic and thoughtful experiences I had ever shared with someone.

  Once he finished, he grabbed the hair tie I always wore around my wrist and secured it. He leaned forward, kissing my cheek. “You look beautiful,” he whispered, his arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me close to his body. I felt his lips pressing against my neck, right below my ear. “But if you tell anyone that I braid your hair, I’ll have to kill you, even though I love you.” His voice sounded calm and collected. My eyes grew to the size of the moon. Hunter said he loved me.

  Hunter

  I tensed up, realizing what I had just said. My eyes grew wide, and I held my breath, waiting to see if Victoria would respond. I couldn’t believe I had blurted those words. Then again, it had escaped my lips so naturally, maybe I was meant to say it all along.

  “You… you love me?” Victoria stammered, turning to face me, her eyes big with wonder. “Like, really love me?” she asked, her voice both breathless and rushed.

  I stared at her, lost for words for a moment before nodding slowly. Her eyes widened even more, looking like they would pop out of her head. Suddenly, she lunged at me, hugging me tight. “I love you, too…” she whispered, a bright smile on her face. I let out a sigh of relief. I don’t know why I was worried about expressing my feelings. I felt silly for thinking she would run away once she knew the truth. I hugged her tightly and rubbed her back.

  The smile stuck on her face as she fell asleep, completely content to lie in my arms. My heart beat a mile a minute. I could hardly believe I had said “I love you.” I hadn’t even thought about it. My mind raced, and I felt like I was ready to run a marathon with all the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

  I got up, making sure to not wake Victoria in the process. Gently, I scooped her up, carrying her to my bedroom. I laid her down and tucked her in, settling a strand of her hair behind her ear before I kissed her forehead and walked away. I grabbed some jeans from the laundry basket, put them on, and made my way outside.

  The nighttime air was cool and crisp. I took a deep breath, letting my lungs enjoy the fresh air for a minute before I walked toward the center of campus. Even though it was well past two in the morning, people were still up, hanging around street corners or sitting on porches with red solo cups in hand.

  A few girls hollered at me, asking me to join their party, but I refused. I needed a walk to clear my head. I didn’t regret telling Victoria I loved her, yet I couldn’t quite get rid of the sinking feeling developing in my stomach. Had I said it too soon? What would this mean for our relationship? Would things change? All these questions buzzed around my mind, making me feel numb.

  Eventually, I made it to the main quad, which was completely empty. A soft breeze rolled through, making the grass sway to and fro. Benches lined the area, all of them empty, but I didn’t dare sit down. It felt like an audience of ghosts resided there, watching me, trying to figure out what my next move would be.

  I stepped forward to sit down on the grass when a voice made me stop. “I didn’t think I’d see you out here on the first day. Rumor has it you have your own house this semester.” I turned around at the sound of the familiar voice, my lips curling into a smile as I recognized one of my closest friends.

  “Jesse, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked, walking up to him and giving him a forceful hug that ended with us laughing together.

  “I was just on one of my rounds.”

  I looked at him. His torso was bare, except for the classic leather jacket he always wore, more to make a statement rather
than fend off the cold. A new tattoo of an old-school parchment map was on his chest, peeking out from behind the jacket. “New ink?”

  “Yeah, just got it done last week.” He opened his jacket. I chuckled. It was a rendition of the Marauders’ Map from Harry Potter. Sometimes, I couldn’t fathom how Jessie, who looked like the typical “bad boy” with his leather jacket, vinyl pants, and wild hair could also be one of biggest geeks on campus, loving his twenty-sided dice and fantasy books. “Don’t tell the guys what it really is. They think it’s some cool pirate’s map,” he said, walking along with me.

  Even though Jesse was well-known for being the school’s dealer, he didn’t actually smoke anything he sold. Amazingly, he maintained a straight-edged lifestyle. I had never even seen a beer in his hand. The only reason he sold weed was to fund his education. He had grown up in a rough neighborhood, and his record had been tarnished early on, making it hard for him to get a job anywhere.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked.

  “Nowhere in particular,” I answered. “I’m just trying to get some fresh air and clear my head, you know?”

  “Something bothering you?” He ran his fingers through his greased hair. His ear-piercing shined in the moonlight.

  “Well, you remember me talking about a girl named Victoria?”

  “Yeah. The girl you grew up with, right?”

  “That’s the one.” I paused to gather my thoughts. I could trust Jesse, but expressing my emotions to other people was difficult. “Well, she just transferred here.”

  “That’s great!” He smiled. “She must be very smart.”

  “Yeah, she is. But that’s beside the point.”

  “Go on,” Jesse urged.

  “So she transferred here, and during the summer, we got pretty into it. I would sneak over to her house almost every night and what not.” Jesse smirked. “Anyway, tonight, she couldn’t sleep, so she came over. We watched a movie together, and without thinking, I just blurted out that I loved her.”

  Silence settled between us when I stopped talking. We were on the main street. The sidewalks were littered with trash, and there were barely any cars left on the road. A few late night mini-marts were still open, but other than that, the street was deserted.

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” Jesse said finally. “From what I understood, you’ve had a huge crush on this girl for as long as you can remember. What’s so wrong about telling her you love her? If it were me, I’d be happy and stay with her, especially if she loves you back,” Jesse advised, obviously trying to cheer me up.

  I had done nothing wrong, yet there was something holding me back. Why couldn’t I just be happy? I sighed and opened my mouth to speak, but a car rolled slowly down the street, approaching us. I eyed it suspiciously but continued walking with Jesse, thinking it would pass us by. But it stopped. Jesse and I looked at each other. Three large men wearing black hoodies got out of the car and quickly surrounded us, destroying any chance we had of escaping.

  “Give us everything you got!” the largest one bellowed, flashing a knife in our direction. My heart kick-started in an instant, knowing immediately this wasn’t a joke. Jesse was just as tense as I was, his hands clenched into fists by his side and his jaw locked.

  “No way,” he spat as he straightened his jacket, trying to look smug. He moved his hand toward his pocket, faking a threat. I knew he wasn’t packing. His dark eyes burned with venom.

  “I said give us everything you got before someone gets hurt!” The men moved closer, trying to intimidate us. Jesse subtly threw a look in my direction, and I caught his glance, nodding slightly in response, hoping they wouldn’t notice.

  “Alright, but we don’t want any trouble,” I said, reaching into my pocket as if to empty them.

  “Everything,” the man growled. They were obviously desperate. All three of them looked at me, eager to see what I had. While they were distracted, Jesse crashed his fist into the nearest offender, knocking him to the ground.

  The other two jumped back, surprised by our boldness. I quickly stepped in, trying to disarm the man with the knife. The group realized what was going on and started to fight back, the other two guys going after Jesse and piling on top of him. He wasn’t the tallest of guys at five foot ten, but he was still rather sturdy with packed muscles and a clear center of gravity. He was putting up quite a fight when a few bags of weed fell out of his jacket. Our attackers noticed, snatched them, and rushed back to the car.

  “Let’s go!” they yelled at the guy I still grappled with.

  His eyes flashed with a killer glare, and before I knew what was happening, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I screamed, collapsing to the ground and clutching my abdomen as he made his getaway, the tires screeching against the asphalt.

  “Hunter!” Jesse yelled. He was a little roughed up, with a few bruises here and there, but nothing serious. He grabbed me to help me up when I grunted.

  “No! Don’t touch me!” I groaned, my breathing shallow and irregular. I pulled my hand away and saw it dripping with blood.

  “Oh, fuck. They stabbed you?” Jesse’s already pale face turned even more ghastly as he saw the blood on my clothes. He looked down, seeing it pooling on the ground. “We got to get you some help, man.”

  “No,” I said firmly. “I’m fine. It’s just a flesh wound. He didn’t cut deep.” I groaned, feeling the stinging pain radiating through my body. “I’m fine.” I repeated, desperate. “Really. Now, just get me home. If coach finds out I’ve been injured, he won’t let me on the field. If I don’t get to play this year, I’ll never get into the NFL.”

  Jesse bit his lip, trying to process my outrageous request. “What if you die?”

  “I’m not going to fucking die,” I growled, irritated. “Just do it.” I ground my teeth, struggling hard to breathe. Every time my chest expanded, a white hot pain radiated through my whole body, leaving me gasping.

  Finally, Jesse relented and helped me up slowly. I was a little shaky on my feet due to blood loss, but I tried not to think about it. I applied pressure to the wound, hoping I could make it back to the house before passing out. I felt light-headed. Maybe I really should have let Jesse call an ambulance or something.

  My mind swam with a million different thoughts, but we managed to get back. Little droplets of my blood marked our path, like the breadcrumbs Hansel and Gretel had left behind to make their way back home. But I never wanted to go back to that godforsaken sidewalk where someone had tried to kill me for the crumpled dollar bill in my pocket.

  “What now?” Jesse asked, looking worried.

  “Ring the doorbell,” I said irritably. I had been cut, yet Jesse was acting like a complete idiot. “Now I know why you gave up on premed,” I mocked him, thinking the forced humor would ease my mind and pain. It didn’t.

  Victoria

  I jumped at the sound of the doorbell, nearly falling off the couch. I looked around, disoriented for a moment before I realized where I was. The living room was dark, and Hunter was nowhere to be found. The doorbell rang again.

  “Coming!” I called out, wondering who it could be and why Hunter wasn’t answering his own door. I shuffled toward the entrance, getting on my tip toes to look through the peephole, but without my step stool, it was pointless. I sighed and opened the door, my heart thumping, fearing the worst and praying for the best.

  My eyes nearly popped out of my head, and my whole body went cold. “H-Hunter…” I murmured, my voice barely audible as I stared at him, wide-eyed. His shirt was completely soaked with blood, and he looked like he was in pain—a lot of pain. Beside him was a man in a leather jacket, supporting his weight. I couldn’t quite believe my eyes. “What… what happened to you?”

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” he said, wincing as he urged his friend to help him inside. The man, whose face was as white as death, carried Hunter and set him down gently on a kitchen chair.

  “Hunter! We have to call an ambulance!” I exclaimed, the full
extent of what I saw suddenly dawning on me.

  “No!” he shouted, freezing me in place. My hand hovered in midair over my phone.

  “Why the hell not?” I snapped as I watched the blossoming of red all over his black shirt, making it look wet. The smell of copper lingered in the air. How much blood had he lost? I couldn’t believe how calm he was.

  “Because if we call an ambulance, the hospital will have to inform the school and I’ll never get to play. You have to do me this one favor. Didn’t you take that first aid class or something? You can stitch me up, can’t you?” He sounded desperate, his voice ragged as he tried to take shallow breaths without actually expanding his diaphragm. “Please… Victoria, I’m begging you. Don’t call for help. I’ll be fine.” He stressed the last word, but I could see the agony in his eyes. He was in a lot of pain, but he was willing to risk his life and well-being just to get a shot at his dream. I couldn’t take that away from him.