Page 20 of Anatomy Lessons

No. I can’t believe it.

I don’t want to believe it.

But then I hear my mother’s words in the back of my mind, warning me about men and how they just want to get some and get out. How I have to be absolutely sure about the one I pick. But I didn’t do that, did I? I just fell head over heels for Professor Clark like a lovesick puppy. I didn’t listen to Mom, and I didn’t listen to Sasha either. I just dove straight into the deep end. And when I look down at that baby in Karen’s arms, all I can think about is how I let him come in me…

I don’t want to be another number on a checklist. And I don’t want to raise a baby alone.

“The cops are on their way,” Clark growls. He tries to slip a hand around my waist, but my body reacts out of reflex, causing me to jump. I slip around Karen, grab my shoes and purse, and head for the door.

“I…I have to go home now,” I whimper, my voice trembling from my lips.

“Maisy, wait!”

My face is scorching hot. The blissful thoughts I was having before are being pushed away by an invasion of terrible ones. My breath is coming in short, tense gasps. I’m on the verge of having a panic attack.

“I’ll call you!” I shout back over my shoulder as I pick up the pace. I’m nearly running now, barefoot, holding my heels in my hand. “Good night!”

I should call Sasha or order a ride to pick me up, but there’s too much adrenaline spiking through me for that. All I can do is put one foot in front of the other and run. And not look back.

I know if I look back, I’ll stop. And if I stop, he’ll have control of me.

“Maisy!” Clark shouts after me, causing my heart to pang in my chest.

Tears spill from my eyes. This is all too much to process. Right now, I just need to get home and think. I need to clear my mind and calm down.

It can’t be true…please don’t let it be true.

13

MAISY

“I knew it was too good to be true.”

The words fall from my mouth like acid as I lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling, trying to calm my heart as it pounds like a fist in my chest trying to shatter my ribs. Sasha sits in my desk chair, looking down at me. I feel tiny. Small. Naïve.

She doesn’t say anything for a while. I guess she knows I need a moment. It’s the middle of the night. I’ve been ignoring Clark’s calls since I left. Half an hour ago, I just turned my phone off completely.

“And you really let him…come in you?” she finally asks slowly. Of course, she already knows the answer. I already told her everything when I burst through the door sobbing, but I guess I’m not the only one still processing tonight’s events.

All I can do is nod, brushing away more tears with my blanket. I feel terrible. I can’t hide the fact that I’m absolutely terrified that what Karen said about Clark was true—that I’m just going to be discarded by him and end up a single mother while I try to finish school. Or will I have to drop out? But at the same time, I just can’t shake the feeling of how good it was when he and I made love. And that’s still how it feels to me—making love.

I gave Clark my virginity. He talked me through everything and made me more comfortable than I ever thought I could be. We came together, and I can still feel his release inside me.

Just thinking about him now turns me on. Makes me want more. But thinking about that woman at his door, and that baby in her arms, terrifies me.

“You can say it,” I say with a heavy sigh. “I’m an idiot. I didn’t listen to you, and now I’m screwed.”

Sasha places a caring hand on my knee. “We don’t know that for sure.”

“Oh, so you think that woman was just acting?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. “She found some random baby and showed up at his house in the middle of the night to screw with him?”

“There are crazy people out there.” She shrugs. “You never know.”

“Yeah, but be honest with me,” I plead, trying not to let any more tears fall down my cheeks. She’s just trying to be a good friend, and I appreciate that, but what I really need to hear now is the truth. I need to know what to expect, where to put my thoughts. Because right now, they’re running wild on me.

Sasha looks at me like she wants to say something to cheer me up but then lets out a sigh and slumps forward. She puts another hand on my knee and squeezes. “From what you told me, it sounds like he knows her…”

Here come the tears.