Page 204 of Wicked Brutal

I shake my head. “You guys are actually insane.”

“And you’re going to prom,” Cat says.

“I might not even be here.” That kills some of the humor. Switzerland settles over the table. Penny’s mouth tightens.

Becca reaches for her coffee. “You’ll be here.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No.” Her voice is calm. “I don’t.” That’s why I believe her when she adds, “But we’re planning like you will be.”

Something in my chest squeezes. I look away. Bad idea. Because Penny’s phone is still on the table. A girl in a silver dress fills the screen. Tiny waist. Bare stomach. Skin everywhere. My hand moves beneath the table. Over mine.

By prom—

I haven’t even thought about it. Not really. I’ve thought about tomorrow. Next week. The intake date. Getting Tobias out. Getting myself out. Court. Victor. My father. Ryan. Every fucking day is its own problem to survive. But prom is months away. Months. I count automatically. And then count again because I don’t like the answer the first time.

“Oh my God.”

Cat looks at me. “What?”

I stare at the dress. “I’ll be…” I stop. We’re in the library. People are scattered around us. Not close enough to hear if we keep our voices down. Probably. Still.

Becca understands first. Her eyes drop briefly toward my stomach. Then come back up. “Yeah.”

Penny sits straighter. “Oh.”

Cat’s eyes widen. “Oh.”

“Exactly.”

Penny grabs her phone. “No, okay, that’s fine.” She starts scrolling again. “What are you doing?”

“Adjusting.”

“To what?” She gives me a pointed look. I lower my voice. “Penny.”

“What?”

“I’m going to be huge.”

Becca’s face changes immediately. “No.”

I look at her. “No?”

“You will not be huge.”

“I’ll be—“

“You’ll be pregnant.” My throat tightens. I glance around again. Becca leans closer, lowering her voice too. “Those are not the same fucking thing, Ally.”

I look down at my stomach. There’s still almost nothing there. Not enough for anyone who doesn’t know to notice. But I know. Ryan knows. Tobias knows. Our families know. And every day, there’s a little more of the baby and a little less room to hide them.

“Okay,” Penny says quietly. “So nothing structured.”

Cat nods. “Right, and definitely nothing we’d have to order in a fixed size now. Something flowy?”

Becca makes a face. “Absolutely not.”