Page 94 of Wicked Brutal

“I—“

“Can it hear me?”

“Tobias, give me a second!”

“Can I touch it?”

“Please stop asking questions.”

“Does Mom know?”

“No.”

“Does Dad?”

“No!”

“Does Victor?”

“No.”

His forehead wrinkles, and then his face clears like he’s figured something out. “Is it Victor’s?”

“No!” Ally’s scream cracks through the room. Tobias jerks backward, his marker falling from his hand. “No.” She’s already on her feet. “It is not Victor’s! Don’t ever fucking say that!”

“Ally,” I say quietly. She doesn’t hear me.

“It has nothing to do with Victor. Nothing! Do you understand me?”

Tobias’s eyes go wide. “I just thought—“

“It’s Ryan’s. It is Ryan’s baby, and you cannot tell anyone about it!”

“I won’t.”

“No, Toby, listen to me. You cannot tell Dad. You cannot tell Victor. You can’t say anything to Mom unless I tell you it’s okay. You can’t tell your friends at school. You can’t tell your teacher. You cannot tell anybody.”

“I won’t!”

“You can’t talk about it at home either. You can’t ask me questions about the baby. You can’t draw pictures and leave them somewhere. You can’t say anything about me being sick or eating more or—“

“I said I won’t!”

“I know what you said, but you don’t understand how careful you have to be!”

His face starts to fall.

I sit forward. “Ally.”

She keeps going. “If Dad asks what you did today, you don’t mention this house! You don’t mention Ryan! You don’t say anything about a baby!”

“I know!”

“And if Victor comes over, you don’t say anything to him. Nothing, Toby! You cannot forget.”

“I won’t!”

“You forget things all the time!”