Page 26 of Broken

“Lisa’s pregnant.”

Annie sucked in a breath, her head whipping to face mine. It only took half a second of reading the look in my eyes for her to believe it. “Holy shit. Damn. Crap. Fuck, how’s Tucker?” She went back and forth between watching the road and me.

“In shock. Denial. I don’t know. I was overwhelmed.” I sighed. I was a completely shitty, awful girlfriend. “I shouldn’t have left him.”

“You needed to process,” Annie offered, but I could tell through her tone she agreed with me.

“Should we head back?”

Her face scrunched for a minute before she shook her head. We were already pulling into the lot of the dance studio. “You have work, and youneedto dance. I know you. Text him. Apologize. Y’all can talk tonight. He needs to deal with Lisa first, anyway.”

I nodded, shooting Tucker a text before getting out of the Mustang.

Annie rolled down the window before I went inside, sticking her head out. “Hey, sis. Couldn’t she just be lying? I mean, it’s Lisa.”

God, how I wished she was. “Didn’t sound like it.”

I pushed through the door and went down the hall to mine and Leo’s regular studio, ducking into the bathroom to change. When I came out, I found Leo coming in, his own dance bag tossed over his shoulder.

“Shit. You look like hell,” he greeted.

“Thanks. And no, I don’t want to talk about it.”

He nodded, pressing a button on the stereo remote. “Then we won’t.”

TUCKER

I watched Izzy walk away, but I was still too stunned to move. It wasn’t until Jet came up that I seemed to snap back to reality.

“Dude, what’s going on?”

“Lisa.”

This bullshit she was pulling wasn’t going to fly. I took off for the parking lot, making it just in time to watch the twins pull out in Jet’s Mustang. My eyes swept the area, spotting Lisa with Phoenix and Larissa as they headed to her car.

“Lisa! What the hell?!” I called out, getting her attention as I crossed the parking lot. I was putting an end to this now.

“What a wonderful way to speak to the mother of your child,” she sassed back, a hand on her cocked hip. Larissa and Phoenix flanked her sides.

“You are not the mother of my child,” I grated, trying to keep my voice down as others stopped to watch. “What the hell are you trying to pull?”

“Nothing. I’m not pulling anything. Weslepttogether, Tucker. Shit happens. So, like it or not, I’m pregnant. Congratulations, Daddy.”

She spun around and opened her door, the three of them disappearing inside her car while I was still trying to processthatcomment. That word. Because I didn’t believe her for a fucking minute. But fuck if it didn’t still scare me shitless.

My heart was racing, blood pumping through my veins so fast it was like I could feel it. I’d doneeverythingI could for years to keep from something like this happening. All aside from abstaining. Which I’d done up until fucking spring break whenthat harpy had cornered me at my worst moment. Something she’d somehow pulled offtwice.

“What are the chances?” Jet asked from my side, ready to have my back as always. He was already weighing everything, picking it apart in his head. The voice of reason.

“Really fucking slim,” I answered, shooting a warning glare at all the people still staring, phones already in some of their hands while they texted.Fuck, it’s going to be all over school by morning at this rate.My own damn fault for trying to deal with Lisa like I had.

Jet nodded. “Well, at least there’s that. Look, I really don’t want to ditch you, but I’ve got to head to practice.”

“I know.” I sighed. “Do what you can about some of this rumor mill?”

“On it.” He took off, and I headed to my truck, needing my own outlet to process before I did anything else stupid.

I ended up at the park, grabbing my basketball and gym bag from the back seat. I ran drills at the court, shooting baskets and running plays until I didn’t have to think. Until it was all nothing but white noise in the back of my head, my thoughts finally just a faint buzzing in the background. I ran home for a quick shower, scarfing down a bowl of some of last night’s leftovers, and was out the door again in less than fifteen minutes.

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