voice goes neutral on the word
blonde.
“What do you mean?” I start the car and begin backing out of our parking spot.
“I mean she can’t play tennis much longer.”
I turn my head to stare at Emily. “What are you talking about?
A second later, I slam on my brakes, throwing both of us forward, and just avoid sideswiping another car. The driver blasts his horn at me, but I barely hear him.
“
What
did you just say?”
Her eyes round with surprise from my reaction, she repeats the terrible piece of news as if it’s nothing.
“Didn’t you know?” she says. “That girl’s pregnant.”
• • •
I pull my car into an empty spot and sit there gripping the steering wheel. We’ve travelled a whole fifty yards or so in the tennis club parking lot.
“Ryan, what is it?” Emily’s shoulder touches mine as she leans into me. Worry clouds her face.
“How do you know she’s pregnant?”
“She was feeling sick in the bathroom, and she told me. Why? What does it matter?”
“The night of your party, Michael told me he slept with Chrissie. Once. At the tennis club.” I’m staring straight ahead, my eyes burning.
I can’t believe this.
“What are you saying? That the baby’s
his
?” Emily’s voice hits the high end of the register.
I nod. “It could be.”
“But he only slept with her once!” she says. “I mean, it could happen, I guess. But it just seems like …
that girl
? She could have a lot of boyfriends.”
And she probably does,
her tone implies.
“You don’t like her, do you?”
“Well, it’s just that….” Emily looks sideways at me, “She flirts a lot.”
I can’t deny it. “She flirts with everybody.”
“Exactly. So she’s got lots of men around.”
“The thing is, Michael was worried about something that night. He said he had something bad to tell me, and I had to keep it secret. But he didn’t get a chance to tell me.” Guilt stabs at me.
He tried to tell me, and I wouldn’t listen.
“Really?” Emily sits very still, her hands folded in her lap, as she takes in this new information. “But you said he was slipping back into drugs, so it could have been that, too. And if it
were
his, wouldn’t Chrissie have gotten in touch with his parents, you know, after he ...?” She doesn’t finish her sentence. “She could have found them through the tennis club.”
“I guess so.” My hands loosen on the steering wheel, and I sink back in my seat, drawing in a big breath.
“Or she might even choose not to have the baby,” Emily says. She puts her hand on my arm.
“Yeah.” As always happens when I’m with Emily, a calm creeps over me. The tension drains out of my neck and shoulders, and my head clears.
“It shouldn’t be my problem, but it feels like it is. Michael was like my brother, you know?”
“Well, I bet it’s not even Michael’s.”
She’s probably right. I relax even more. We sit in silence for a few seconds.
Then, “How does that happen, anyway?” Emily’s studying the can of tennis balls in her lap. “To just sleep with someone
once
?”
A beat. The conversation has taken an interesting turn. “I don’t know, Emily,” I tease her. “How
does
it happen?”
I say it very suavely, as if I know all about it, when in fact I have not exactly had sex with a girl yet. It’s on my list of things to do, but I haven’t quite made it there.
She’s turning pink now. “I mean, usually when you have sex with someone, you really like them, right? You plan to do it more than once.”
A
really
interesting turn. But I can’t be with Emily now. Not after what I did to Michael.
“He said it was in the Pro Shop. At the club.”
“You mean, the
store?
Don’t people come in?”
I give her a dry look. “I didn’t discuss the logistics with Michael.” A pause. “But knowing him, well…. He didn’t exactly plan things out, you know? Especially not something like this.”
“I guess.”
I start the car again, then turn to
blonde.
“What do you mean?” I start the car and begin backing out of our parking spot.
“I mean she can’t play tennis much longer.”
I turn my head to stare at Emily. “What are you talking about?
A second later, I slam on my brakes, throwing both of us forward, and just avoid sideswiping another car. The driver blasts his horn at me, but I barely hear him.
“
What
did you just say?”
Her eyes round with surprise from my reaction, she repeats the terrible piece of news as if it’s nothing.
“Didn’t you know?” she says. “That girl’s pregnant.”
• • •
I pull my car into an empty spot and sit there gripping the steering wheel. We’ve travelled a whole fifty yards or so in the tennis club parking lot.
“Ryan, what is it?” Emily’s shoulder touches mine as she leans into me. Worry clouds her face.
“How do you know she’s pregnant?”
“She was feeling sick in the bathroom, and she told me. Why? What does it matter?”
“The night of your party, Michael told me he slept with Chrissie. Once. At the tennis club.” I’m staring straight ahead, my eyes burning.
I can’t believe this.
“What are you saying? That the baby’s
his
?” Emily’s voice hits the high end of the register.
I nod. “It could be.”
“But he only slept with her once!” she says. “I mean, it could happen, I guess. But it just seems like …
that girl
? She could have a lot of boyfriends.”
And she probably does,
her tone implies.
“You don’t like her, do you?”
“Well, it’s just that….” Emily looks sideways at me, “She flirts a lot.”
I can’t deny it. “She flirts with everybody.”
“Exactly. So she’s got lots of men around.”
“The thing is, Michael was worried about something that night. He said he had something bad to tell me, and I had to keep it secret. But he didn’t get a chance to tell me.” Guilt stabs at me.
He tried to tell me, and I wouldn’t listen.
“Really?” Emily sits very still, her hands folded in her lap, as she takes in this new information. “But you said he was slipping back into drugs, so it could have been that, too. And if it
were
his, wouldn’t Chrissie have gotten in touch with his parents, you know, after he ...?” She doesn’t finish her sentence. “She could have found them through the tennis club.”
“I guess so.” My hands loosen on the steering wheel, and I sink back in my seat, drawing in a big breath.
“Or she might even choose not to have the baby,” Emily says. She puts her hand on my arm.
“Yeah.” As always happens when I’m with Emily, a calm creeps over me. The tension drains out of my neck and shoulders, and my head clears.
“It shouldn’t be my problem, but it feels like it is. Michael was like my brother, you know?”
“Well, I bet it’s not even Michael’s.”
She’s probably right. I relax even more. We sit in silence for a few seconds.
Then, “How does that happen, anyway?” Emily’s studying the can of tennis balls in her lap. “To just sleep with someone
once
?”
A beat. The conversation has taken an interesting turn. “I don’t know, Emily,” I tease her. “How
does
it happen?”
I say it very suavely, as if I know all about it, when in fact I have not exactly had sex with a girl yet. It’s on my list of things to do, but I haven’t quite made it there.
She’s turning pink now. “I mean, usually when you have sex with someone, you really like them, right? You plan to do it more than once.”
A
really
interesting turn. But I can’t be with Emily now. Not after what I did to Michael.
“He said it was in the Pro Shop. At the club.”
“You mean, the
store?
Don’t people come in?”
I give her a dry look. “I didn’t discuss the logistics with Michael.” A pause. “But knowing him, well…. He didn’t exactly plan things out, you know? Especially not something like this.”
“I guess.”
I start the car again, then turn to
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