Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 41~

~Raelyn~

~April 12th~

The morning sun snuck through the trap house curtains like it knew it wasn't welcome. I stood in front of the mirror, squinting at myself as I tried to make my blouse look less "hello, pregnancy hormones" and more "just ate a big breakfast."

"Does this scream 'I'm totally not pregnant, please don't ask questions'?" I called over my shoulder.

Colby walked in, half-awake, shirtless, and holding a protein shake like it was a sacred object. He leaned in the doorway with that lazy, crooked smirk. "Nah, it just screams 'hot girl with secrets.'"

I sighed, hands fluttering over my stomach. "Colby, I'm literally two months in. My organs are rearranging themselves."

He set his shake down and walked over, placing his hands gently on my shoulders. "You look great. Glowy. Like you've been blessed by Mother Nature and cursed by Finals Week at the same time."

"That's because I have. And I'm about to walk into Dean Harris' office and lie through my hormonal little teeth."

"Hey," he said, squeezing my shoulders, "you're not lying. You're just... withholding selective medical information."

"Which is lying."

He blinked. "Okay, technically. But you've got valid reasons. You're not flaking, you're adapting. Big difference."

I stared at him through the mirror, brows raised. "Did you just quote a TED Talk?"

He shrugged. "Might've been a YouTube comment section. Either way, Dean Harris is gonna get it. You've got this."

I turned, anxiety still bubbling in my gut. "What if I freeze up? What if he calls me out and I just... burst into tears and tell him I'm growing a human like a science experiment?"

Colby smiled. "Then we name the baby 'Academic Probation' and move on."

I smacked his chest lightly. "You're no help."

He leaned down and kissed my forehead. "You're gonna be fine. I'm here, remember?"

"Yeah." I took a deep breath. "Let's go before I change my mind and hide under the couch with Blake's Nerf arsenal."

~

We crept through the kitchen like spies, but everyone was already up because this house has zero respect for sleep.

"There they are!" Devyn shouted, mid-toast. "You missed Jake spilling an entire jar of salsa down his pants."

"Why was he holding salsa at 8 AM?" I asked, baffled.

"Because he's an agent of chaos," Tara said, sipping matcha like it was vodka.

Jake walked past with pajama pants that looked like crime scenes. "Don't worry, the pants are in the washing machine. Along with my dignity."

Colby grabbed his keys. "Wish us luck."

"You'll crush it!" Katrina called. "Go full girlboss, Rae!"

"Lie like the wind!" Sam added. "But, like, honorably."

~

The drive to campus was weirdly quiet, aside from Colby's playlist—half 90s R\&B, half trap music, all vibes. I stared out the window, rehearsing my speech in my head, fingers twisting in my lap.

"What's your opener again?" Colby asked.

"'Good morning Dean Harris, I'd like to switch to online classes so I can keep up with my coursework while managing... stuff.'" I paused. "Too vague?"