“One of the students is sleeping with someone she’s not supposed to be sleeping with, now she’s pregnant, and she’s also got a boyfriend, but she’s in love with the someone she’s not supposed to be sleeping with.”
Elijah stared at me, his eyes widening.
“It’s not you, is it?” he whispered, darting a quick look toward my stomach.
“No, Eli! It’s not me!” I sighed with exasperation as he nodded.
“I’m going to hazard a guess here, but is the someone they shouldn’t be sleeping with in a position of authority?”
He pursed his lips as I nodded, swallowing hard.
“Then they need to speak to an adult, not you, Annabelle. Ideally, their parents. This is very serious and could affect so many lives.”
“What if they don’t tell anyone?”
Elijah wrinkled his nose up as he made a face.
“Then they are even stupider than I gave them credit for. But know this, it’snotyour problem. My advice is not to get involved. Honestly, you don’t want to meddle in affairs of the heart. Or the law, for that matter,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “Just tell them to speak to someone they trust that’s an adult.” His eyes darted to mine as he quickly added, “not the foolish adult they are involved with.”
That did make sense. I swung my legs thoughtfully as I finished my juice. Elena had gotten into this situation; how could I be worried about getting her out?
“Annabelle.” Elijah drawled before turning to walk back out of the kitchen, his eyes on me.
“Spend the next year picking colleges, not baby names. I don’t want to be an uncle just yet, capiche?” His tone was playful, but his eyes were serious as I waved him away.
“Eli, please.”
“I love you, sis.”
My heart warmed as he smiled at me, and I knew he would always be there for me no matter what. I hugged my arms to myself as I said I loved him too, earning myself a thumbs up from my older brother as he walked away. I slid off the counter and poured some water into a pan, tipping in a packet of noodles. While waiting for the water to boil, I gazed out of the window, suddenly aware of how beautiful the sky was. It was that perfect moment when the sun shared its final rays of the day with the sky, purple and pink hues highlighting the soft white clouds that littered the sky like cotton wool. I watched the clouds moving and realized that no matter what was happening in our lives, the world kept on moving no matter what. My phone rang in my pocket, making me jump as I grabbed it, tearing my eyes away from the palette of colors in the sky.
“Hello?” I breathed into the phone, hearing a deep voice in my ear.
“This is probably too much, but I fucking miss you.”
I felt a broad smile as I turned to stir the noodles in the pan.
“Hey, me too. I’m sorry I was a grump earlier. I just feel a little stressed with everything.”
I heard him sigh and voices in the background calling his name. I frowned until he hollered back. “Shut the fuck up; I can’t hear my future wife speak.” Which made me giggle.
“Fucking imbeciles, I swear to God. But, look, I’m just out with the guys; if you want, I can swing by after?”
Before I could even consider my answer, my mouth responded with “yes, please.” And he had chuckled, telling me he wouldn’t be long before hanging up.
Bailey Fenton. How I love thee.
Shit, who am I, Juliet?!
Thirty-Three
Romeo
BAILEY
I stared at Annabelle in disbelief, desperately trying not to laugh. Her slate-gray eyes narrowed at me, and I managed to stifle my laughter by biting down on my tongue.
“Are you laughing?” Annabelle demanded, her hands on her hips as she glared at me.
