Page 123 of It's One of Us

The argument was at fever pitch; they’d clearly been fighting for a while.

“You’re a whore. There’s no chance in hell it’s mine, and you know it.”

“You’re the only one I’ve slept with, and don’t you dare call me a whore. What kind of horrible person are you? I’m in trouble and all you can do is accuse me of sleeping around?”

“You’ve been with at least three people I know of, including my roommate. So just leave, will you?”

“You can’t be serious. That’s not true. I can’t belie—”

The voice was cut off with a scream and a gurgle. There was a huge thump, and then the sound of banging, but soft thuds, like small fists against stronger arms. Or feet hammering the floor.

Olivia tried to imagine what was happening, but she couldn’t. Everything had gone deadly quiet inside the apartment.

Then there were cries, and Park snarled again, “Get out.”

Steps came closer, and Olivia took off running, ducking behind the fire extinguisher, hoping against all hope the girl went the other way.

She didn’t. The girl stormed out of Park’s apartment, crying noisily, a hand to her neck, ran right past Olivia without even noticing she was there.

She heard Park growl “good riddance” and slam the door.

This was not how things were supposed to go. She felt sick.

This girl was pregnant? By Park?

Oh, the irony.

She saw the girl sprint from the stairwell, then draw up by a tree, wiping her eyes and pulling herself together.

Olivia set the cookies on the carpet carefully, then went down the stairs. The girl was still there, arms around her own waist, comforting herself.

As she watched, the girl started toward the edge of the parking lot. There must be a path there that led back to campus.

Olivia followed.

The girl hurried down the path through the arboretum, then kept going, onto the street, down toward a coffee shop. Toward Olivia’s car. Olivia waited until she passed, then jumped behind the wheel. It would be much easier to follow in the car, especially not knowing the area.

Olivia just wanted to talk to her. To find out the truth. If Park was screwing around with her, or if he was telling the truth and the baby wasn’t his.

She was still raw from her own experience. Trying so hard to forget. It was impossible.

Maybe she could reason with this girl. Make her understand that she might regret her actions going forward forever. Maybe she just wanted to let jealousy take the reins and lash out. She didn’t know.

The girl was in good shape, moved quickly. She finally slowed by a small overpass bridge, then took a seat on the stone, feet dangling.

That looked so dangerous. It wasn’t a huge drop, but enough that the girl could hurt herself if she fell.

Olivia pulled the car into the lot nearby and debated. She hated her, if only because she’d been with Park. But Olivia had a newfound compassion for those suffering the burning fires of desire and desertion.

While she debated, the weather turned. The skies grew dark, and fat drops of rain began to fall. The girl turned her tear-stained face to the sky and got to her feet.

Olivia put the window down on the car. “Need a lift back to campus? You’re going to get soaked.”

The girl got into the car.

A confluence of events.

Desire made real. A surprise trip. The timing of her arrival. Another five minutes and she would never have known. Instead, Olivia was stuck in an overheated car parked by a lake, listening to a besotted and wet girl crying about her perfect boyfriend blowing her off.