Page 29 of Broken

“Holy, hell, Tucker, that was awesome. A DNA test.Andyou’re gonna make her pee again. Love it.”

I looked at Annie, surprised to see Izzy and Jet standing beside her. I could tell from Jet’s face that he approved like Annie, but Izzy? One look at her expression and I knew she saw what I did. Lisa still wasn’t backing down.

ANNIE

“Oh, my God, did you hear?”

“About Tucker and Lisa? Pretty much almost everyone has now.”

“I can’t believe what an asshole he’s being.”

“I can’t believe she got knocked up.”

“Serves Tucker right with how much he was getting around.”

“I don’t know about that, but it’s gotta be just a matter of time until he and Izzy break up if it’s true.”

I spun around to glare at the idiot girls behind me and hissed, “Will you twoshut up?”

Their eyes went wide, looking back and forth between me and Izzy as if they’d completely forgotten my sister was in this class.

“Sorry,”they mouthed, but I was too pissed to care.

Throwing them one last threatening glare, I turned back around to check on Izzy. She had her head propped against her hand on her desk as she doodled on her notebook. To most others, she’d look fine, but I saw the pain she was holding back. Felt it even. She was worried. I really couldn’t blame her, but hell, it had been amazing watching Tucker demolish Lisa this morning.

“You okay?”I mouthed, and Izzy nodded, both of us knowing she wasn’t. But at least I knew she’d make it through class.

Mr. Soliz stood up, a cue that the bell was about to ring, and I pulled out my Chromebook, ready to work. It was halfway through class that I realized the gossip hadn’t stopped, and the longer the morning went, the more the news about Lisa and Tucker was spreading like wildfire.

Every class I had past that, it was all I heard, but if I thought that was bad, it was rampant in the halls. Tucker was pissed while Jet and I were busy trying to shut it down. Izzy just looked sick.

I passed her on her way to dance class, giving her an encouraging squeeze, and headed off to my last class before lunch. We were starting group projects, and halfway through–with the Lisa bullshit being the only thing anyone wanted to talk about–I was ready to scream.

Feeling a couple of buzzes in my cropped sweater pocket, I slipped my phone out to peek at the screen.

Izzy: I’m out. I just can’t anymore. Meet up in the football stands for lunch?

Tucker: Yes. Please.

Jet: Sounds good.

Me: I’m game.

Jet: Text what y’all want, and I’ll pick up food.

Izzy: Bless you.

Quickly texting for him to grab me a burger, I Cash App’d Jet a few dollars, even though I knew he’d likely just send it back, and slipped my phone back into my pocket just as the teacher turned down my aisle. Giving my best innocent face, I continued with my notes, my stomach now grumbling for food.

As soon as the bell rang, I darted out of class, deciding at the last minute to stop by the bathrooms if we were heading way out to the stands for lunch. I’d just flushed and was about to unlatch the stall when the door pushed open, and I heard several sets of footsteps come in.

“Is it clear?” I heard Lisa’s voice. Like a cat, I quickly stepped up onto the toilet so they wouldn’t see my feet and then pulled out my phone, scrolling the camera to video. Something in my gut screaming shit was up. I could just feel it. My BS radar had been going nuts when she’d tried to talk to Tucker this morning.

I heard some movement, watching the shadow of their feet as they passed by each of the stalls, and then Larissa declared, “Clear.”

“Phoenix, lock the door.”

The lock clicked, and then Larissa gushed, “Oh, my God. What are you going to do? I can’t believe Tucker’s making you take a pregnancy test.”

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