Willa and I look at each other when another familiar face shows on the video. "Is that Vi?" I ask, trying to get a better view.
"Shh. I need to hear this."
I can see Willa's heart palpitating through the thick fabric of her hoodie and while she should have expected this kind of public attention, I don't think she did.
Vi continues with her statement, "It wouldn't surprise me if Willa and Josh just ran away together. If I had to guess, he made it look like he was a victim by pushing his car off the cliff and he was buying time so that him and Willa could run away together. It's not really my place to say this, but Willa is pregnant. Three months pregnant to be exact, and it’s possible that the baby is Josh’s. It wasn't until shortly after Josh left that Willa came to me and asked me to buy her a pregnancy test. I just hope that wherever they are, they are safe and the baby is safe."
"What the actual fuck," I spit out. It's all I can say. I'm speechless. I feel like I was just slapped in the face with a gust of wind. A tornado swirls around inside my head while I try to grasp any sort of thought or reaction. "Did you and Josh—” I can’t even say it. I shift into drive and peel out on the paved road. The tires spin relentlessly until they gain traction and a trail of smoke spits up behind us. Whipping the SUV around, I do a U-turn in the middle of the road.
"Lars, she's lying. I swear to God, she's lying." She cries out. “She’s grasping for straws because her brother is missing. I hardly even knew Josh.”
"What was all this for? Money? You wanted my money so you could leave town and raise your and Josh's baby?"
"It's not Josh's baby." She screams so loud that it echoes through my brain. Rattling shit up that was just starting to settle.
I need to get the fuck out of this vehicle. I feel like I’m suffocating in here. Willa and Josh? No fucking way. Vi has to be making this shit up. Like Willa said, she’s grasping at straws. I should believe Willa over her. Willa has no reason to lie to me. Vi, on the other hand, is grieving the loss of her brother and hoping he’s out there somewhere, alive. She has no idea that he’s dead.
It’s apparent in her behavior lately that Vi is having a hard time dealing with her brother’s disappearance. She’s done a one-eighty from a quiet girl to this goth chick who dyed her hair black and pierced her face.
Pulling down the two-track, I stop and shift into park then jump out and slam the door shut.
It’s not long before Willa’s door opens and closes. Dirt kicks up from my feet as I pace back and forth on the side of the SUV. “Lars, don’t listen to her. She’s not thinking clearly. Yes, she bought me the test. Yes, we sat together at lunch and we’ve talked, but I’ve never once even mentioned her brother during that time and neither did she. She probably just assumes because of the timing.”
I throw my arms in the air. “Well, the whole world knows you're pregnant now, so I'm sure they’ll be doing the math and making other guesses soon.”
“Ok.” Her shoulders shrug. “Let them. It doesn’t matter because I’m leaving.”
I wasn’t planning to tell Willa about the paternity test, but it’s already done so no matter what the result is, I’ll know soon. “The truth will come out. Don’t you worry about that,” I say, before pulling the handle of the door and getting back in.
Her body slides between the door and the seat, stopping me from closing it. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that in about forty-eight hours, I’ll know for sure if it’s my baby. That blood draw you did was also a paternity test.”
With pinched eyebrows, she takes a step back. “No?” she says the word like it’s a question. “It was just early pregnancy blood work.”
“That’s what I told you. In case you’ve forgotten, my family has pull. One call and a stack of cash and our DNA was ran.”
“You can’t do that. That’s illegal. You wouldn't do that.” Her head shakes like not believing it might make it true.
“You obviously don’t know me at all, Willa. Now get in, unless you wanna walk.”
Three seconds later, she’s back inside, and we continue to drive in complete silence. Willa stares out the window while I keep my eyes on the road.
"It's not your baby.”
I look over and question what she just said. “What?”
“It’s not Josh’s. But it’s not yours either.”
Not mine?
It's not my baby?
She doesn’t even look at me. She’s too much of a coward. She didn’t grow a backbone. She just learned how to manipulate.
I should feel a sense of relief. I should be happy. So why do I feel like I was just kicked in the stomach? Like I just lost something that wasn't mine to begin with. Why do I feel like Colby is dying all over again?
At least I feel. It's a start.
I don’t even raise my voice. "It was all a lie? All of it. Just a lie. Who the hell are you?”
“Who am I?” she shouts. “I’m the remnants of a winning bet. That’s who I am.” She continues, raising her voice with each word, “I’m the girl who was a stepping stool for everyone at Redwood High. The girl in the back row of the choir who was only up there to begin with because her stepdad was the boss.” She stops shouting and looks back out the window. “I’m the girl who was called a slut because a video of my most vulnerable moment in existence went viral. Once I saw how you
