Stacey’s POV
I’d settled into the couch with a mug of tea and a rare moment of peace, scrolling aimlessly on my phone. My sweatshirt hung off one shoulder, my hair was a mess and the world could go on without me for a while. That was the plan at leastuntil the knock came.
"Seriously?"
When I opened the door I saw Brent. . He looked like he’d been hit by a truck. And my first instinct was to shut the door again.
"Brent.." I said, leaning against the doorframe and eyebrow raised. "What do I owe ?"
He hesitated, his shoulders slumping slightly. His voice was rough when he finally spoke. "I need someone to talk to."
I blinked. “Talk to me? Of all people? That much is obvious."
Brent always looked so put together, like nothing could rattle him. Seeing him like this—disheveled, distracted—was almost unsettling.
I plopped back onto the couch and tucking my legs underneath me. He hovered near the edge of the room like he wasn’t sure if he should stay. "Sit and Spill."
He sat stiffly, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. For a moment, I thought he might bolt.
"So...What’s got you looking like a kicked puppy?"
He exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through his hair. "It’s Megan
Megan. I til "The girl from immersion camp?"
"Yeah.." he said. "She, uh..." His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. "She’s pregnant."
I blinked, my mug halfway to my lips. I set it down slowly, leaning back. "Wow!Didn’t see that coming."
"It wasn’t supposed to happen," he muttered, his hands clenching into fists. "It was.."
"It was!" he snapped, his voice cracking. "She has a boyfriend. I didn’t think this would happen."
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, watching him squirm. You said she’s got a boyfriend. What’s to say it’s not his?"
That stopped him. His shoulders slumped and for a moment he just sat there staring at the floor.
"I don’t know anything anymore."
His tone caught me off guard. Brent was usually so sure of himself so confident. Seeing him like this was... strange. I sighed setting my mug down and softening my voicejust a little.
"Okay. At first calm down. Stressing yourself out isn’t going to help."
"I can’t calm down," he snapped, his head snapping up to glare at me. "This is a baby, Stacey! A human life. What if it's mine?"
"Then you deal with it," I said simply, shrugging. "But not by running around like a headless chicken."
"I don’t know what to do."
For a second, I just stared at him. Then, before I could think better of it I reached out resting a hand on his arm. "I’ll help you figure it out," I said, surprising even myself. "But you need to be honest with people. Starting with Betty."
At her name, he flinched like I’d slapped him. "Betty? What does she have to do with this?"
"Seriously?" I said, giving him a look. "You think she won’t find out eventually? She’s not an idiot, Brent. And if you care about her at all, you’ll tell her before someone else does."
He didn’t say anything for a long time, his jaw clenching and unclenching like he was waging some internal war. "You really think I should tell her?"
"Yeah," I said, leaning back and crossing my arms. " Right now you need to stop spiraling. We’ll take it one step at a time."
"Thanks, Stacey."
"Don’t mention it." My hand was still on his arm and when I looked at him, there was something in his eyes I couldn’t quite read. Vulnerability..? Whatever it was, it made my chest tighten in a way I didn’t like.
"Stacey, I.."
The door swung open suddenly and I jerked back like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
Betty stood in the doorway. Her gaze flicking between Brent and me. Her expression was unreadable and her silence deafening.
"Betty..." Brent said, his voice cracking.
She didn’t respond. She stepped inside closing the door behind her with an unsettling calm.
"Am I interrupting something?" she asked coolly, her eyes locking on my hand still resting on Brent’s arm.
I froze. My mind scrambling for an answer. For once, I didn’t have one.