Victory at Prescott High (The Havoc Boys #5) - C.M. Stunich Page 0,24

in early pregnancy.

I hang up the phone on her.

When I set the receiver down, I see that my knuckles are as white as virgin snow.

I choke out a laugh and stand up, my chair scraping across the floor with a loud sound.

“Everything okay?” Vic asks, like he’s a fucking mind reader. Frankly, I wouldn’t put that skill past him. He very well might be able to. I hardly know what to say, so I just stare at the wolf painting for a moment. It’s in mid-howl which is funny, considering the whole Cry Havoc trend I started.

I bite my lower lip.

Another cramp makes me close my eyes and clench my hands into fists.

Shit.

No, no, this is a situation for the word fuck. I don’t care if I’ve used it a hundred and sixty times today. There are just certain times in life when that word is the only appropriate thing to say.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Motherfucker, cocksucking, son of a bitch!

“Excuse me,” I say, heading for the stairs and pounding up them as fast as I can. I shove my way into the bathroom and then kick the door closed behind me, putting my hands on the counter and letting my head hang down.

The pills that Oscar got me, they were real. I’ve been taking them like I’m supposed to. Maybe not at the same time every day, but every day, nonetheless. This is bullshit. This is complete and utter bullshit is what this is.

Oh, come on, you know that birth control pills are only ninety-nine percent effective. That means that out of every hundred people, somebody gets knocked up. And not taking them at the same time each day … that makes the percentage of failure even higher.

I lift my gaze to my reflection and stare at myself for a minute.

If I was pregnant when I stepped into the halls of Prescott High yesterday, I’m not anymore. I just know it. I know it because I’m bleeding again and there’s red all down my thighs. My belly cramps as if in response to that thought.

A soft knock at the door makes me jump just before Aaron cracks it open to peer in at me.

“You okay, Bernie?” he asks, and the genuine concern in his voice stabs me right through the heart. He looks down at the floor beneath my feet, spattered with red. He lifts those gold-green eyes up to mine as I clench my jaw against the rush of feeling that spirals through me. Am I relieved? Pissed-off? Am I upset? All of those things?

“I think …” I start, but the words just don’t seem to want to come out. Aaron slips in the door and closes it behind him, leaning against it with his massive body. When did he get so big? When did he outgrow that gangly teenage form and get muscles in his upper arms like that?

I turn back toward the mirror and find my green eyes again. I have dark circles, too, just like Aaron. Drawn, pale, tired. Determined. My eyes shine with conviction in a way they never have before, even if the rest of me looks like a corpse.

“You think what?” he asks carefully, voice low and neutral. Gentle but not patronizing. I’m just glad it’s him in here and not Victor. I cannot deal with Vic’s reaction to this right now. He’s going to fucking explode.

With shaking hands, I shove my pants to the floor and tear off my shirt, climbing into the shower and turning the water on cold. A gasp of surprise escapes my throat when the cool water cascades over my skin, sending crimson swirls down the drain. Fuck, shit, bitch. How am I supposed to bring this up today of all days?! And while Callum is still missing?

I’m not a religious woman, but if I were, I’d curse out whatever god or goddess is in charge of my existence. This is … well, it’s bullshit is what it is. I close my eyes and lean my head back against the wall. When did this happen? I wonder, because there’s no way I’m that far along. Likely, this is a chemical pregnancy—meaning it’s five weeks or less along. If that’s the case, then I don’t need medical treatment but … holy fuck.

I open my eyes again to find him watching me.

“Do you need a moment to yourself?” Aaron asks, raising a brow at me. He taps tattooed fingers against the door behind him and then comes to stand beside the