Page 98 of Adrift

I hug her before pulling back and admiring her hair. She’s changed her box braids for dark micro braids with blonde highlights, which she put up in a ponytail. “You look beautiful.”

“You do too, boo. Not being single suits you.” She giggles, elbowing me.

“Where’s Bella?” I look around the beach. There are so many participants arriving already, dressed in similar attire, it’s hard to find anyone without searching. I lean to see if maybe Bella is near one of the vendor booths.

Melody squeezes my forearm, bringing my gaze back on her. “I think she went to the restroom but, queenie, I think you need to talk to her. Something is up with her.”

I can feel the wrinkle between my forehead. “What do you mean? I just FaceTimed her a week ago, and she seemed fine. Did something happen recently?”

“She wouldn’t say. I asked her several times last night on our drive here, but I’ve never seen her act so distant. I honestly felt like I drove alone because of how quiet she was through the entire drive.”

“That’s really strange.” An apprehensive knot twists inside my stomach. While I’ve always thought my cousin tried too hard to solve her own problems and not share her burdens, I wouldn’t say she’s ever been reserved. She doesn’t necessarily volunteer information about her life, but she’s always been honest with me and Melody whenever we’ve asked her.

I see Bella walking back from the Truckee Sports building and just from her stiff gait, I can tell something is wrong, like really wrong. She passes by a couple of women rubbing sunscreen on each other, watching them, but I can tell she’s not even paying attention. I run to meet her in the middle. “Hey, Bells.”

“Hey!” She forces a smile, letting me pull her into a hug. “I just chatted with Darian in there.” She throws a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the building behind her. “He was talking to Felix and a few other people, but he was very sweet to break away from them and come say hello to me.”

That makes me smile. Darian and I got here at five AM this morning. He wanted me to stay in bed and come in later, but knowing what a big day it would be for him, I just couldn’t. We left Arman at Karine and Marvin’s place. Thankfully, he only jostled awake for a few minutes but was able to go back to sleep during the drive there.

I also brought my camera along to document the entire event for my photojournalism project. I only have a week left to turn it in, so I need to make sure I get as many good shots as possible, but with the overcast weather we have today, I’ll likely have to do some post-editing to the pictures.

“He was excited to formally meet both you and Mel,” I respond. “Hey, you look really tired. Is everything okay? Melody said you didn’t talk much on the drive here.”

Bella waits until Melody joins us in the middle of all the commotion. We really ought to find a quieter spot, but my stomach is still churning uneasily and I’m having a hard time moving from the spot. Her bottom lip trembles, but she quickly pulls it into her mouth. “I fucked up . . ..”

Both Melody and I reel back at the same time. Bella isn’t the type to curse, but more than that, she’s also not the type to fuck up. She’s always been intentional and focused about her goals and decisions–having graduated from high school early and knowing exactly what she was going to major in. She’ll be graduating with honors soon.

“What do you mean, you fucked up?” I ask, wrapping my hands around her arms instinctively when I see her tremble. My eyes pool, seeing the tears in my cousin’s eyes. “Oh, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

“Bella, tell us. We’re always here for you, boo,” Melody urges. “Always.”

Bella’s face drops and she looks at the sand at our feet. “I’m pregnant.”

Cue the music screeching to an abrupt halt.

“What?” I don’t know if it was me or Melody who said it, but I feel the wind leave my lungs.

A tear runs down Bella’s cheek and she quickly dabs at it. “I fucked up, Rani. I didn’t know.” At the look of confusion on both mine and Melody’s face, she continues, “I met this guy at a conference I went to in Boston a few weeks ago–”

“The hardware engineering summit or whatever it was called?” I don’t know why I interrupt. I think it’s my mind’s way of trying to get a few extra seconds to process what I’m hearing–that my straight-laced cousin, who’s been more like a sister to me than my own sister was, made a decision without thinking through the consequences.

She nods. “We were there for four days, and I don’t know . . . it was instant-lust I guess. The night before we were leaving, he showed up at my hotel room and . . . I let him in.” She puts her fingers on her trembling mouth. “He wore a condom but . . ..”

“Oh, shit.” Melody gawks at Bella. “Did you get his number? Have you told him?”

Bella blubbers out a sob. “Well, you’d think me being pregnant, less than two months into my first internship was bad enough, but that’s not even the worst part. I called him last week to tell him–I had to go through all these hoops to find his number since he came there on behalf of another company.”

“And?” I blurt out. My heart is beating so fast, I feel like I need to sit down. “What did he say?”

She shakes her head, closing her eyes as if in shame. “He’s married.”

Both Melody and I gasp. “What?”

“I had no idea, of course. I was just a dumb girl wanting to do something off the cuff, without really thinking too much about it, you know. I just wanted to have fun for a night without all the pressure to be perfect.” She laughs without mirth. “But look where that got me. He said he didn’t care what I did with it, but he wanted no part in it.”

“You are perfect,” I assert. “You’re beautiful, generous, and the kindest person I’ve ever met.” I pull her into a hug, and Melody wraps her arms around both of us so we’re huddled together. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

She sniffles. “I’m keeping it. I know I’m young and it’s not ideal, but I’m graduating at the end of the year so at least I’ll be done with school. Beam Systems offered me a permanent job after graduation, so I’ll work until the baby is born and then go back after maternity leave. I still have to figure out childcare afterward, but I can’t think about all that right now.”

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