Guys Our Age (Wattys2017) (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)

Chapter 39: Just Hold On, I'm Going Home (Hannah)

I was just finishing the last of my pizza on the way home when I got a call from Sophia.

"Hannah." my best friend's voice sounded strained. As if she'd been crying for hours on end and had just now decided to call me. Somehow, even before she said anything, I knew what was going on.

Pregnancy scare.

She hadn't said a word about her and Coach to me for the last two months, but I hadn't wanted to push at it either. If she really wanted to tell me she would, even if it had to be in a bad way.

"Soph, I'm driving and you're on speakerphone." I responded. She hated being on it, but had agreed to it as long as I let her know any time I put it on.

"Is anyone else in the car?" she asked.

"Nope. Just left Walt's and I'm heading back home now." I plucked a piece of pepperoni from my pizza at a red light and tossed it in my mouth.

"Can you stop by on the way? I. . . I want to talk and I'm sure you'd do anything to escape Justin right now."

"You could say that." I muttered, hitting my turn signal so I could take the long way home and stop by Sophia's.

She said a quick goodbye before the line went dead and my music went back on, momentarily distracting me from my chaotic mess of thoughts.

I frowned when I saw that Ms. Cruz's KIA wasn't parked in its usual spot in the driveway, which meant that Sophia was home alone.

"Sophia!" I rapped at the door, shifting on my feet. My best friend didn't live in a bad part of town, really, but I didn't exactly feel comfortable standing on her front porch at night by myself.

"That was quick. You were closer than I thought." my best friend's face was partially illuminated by the porch light; enough to allow me to see her tear stained cheeks.

"Can I come in? It's kind of chilly." she nodded and moved aside, outstretching her arm in a gesture to let me in.

Once I was in the recliner, she hit the lights, nearly blinded me for a second. Her quiet sniffles were all I could hear as I tried to regain my sight.

"Han, I. . . I have something to confess." She sat on the edge of the leather couch, her lips pursed as she stared at the ground beneath her fuzzy pink bunny slippers.

"Yeah?" I knew exactly what I was about to hear, but I needed to hear the words coming out of her mouth.

"I've been seeing Coach Fuller." she avoided my eyes, "As in, after school kind of seeing him. Late night visits to my house kind of visits." I tried to push away the disgusted feeling settling in my stomach, but it lingered as I nodded.

"And he. . . he has a wife." She kept her eyes trained on a portrait of her father hung above the fireplace, "So I'm pretty much just a mistress, you know." she laughed emotionlessly, her head shaking from one side to the other.

"You made that decision, Soph." I responded, knowing that it was what she wanted to hear, "You're the only one that can stop it from continuing."

"I don't want to." she breathed out, "I like him, Han. He's sweet, and he cares about me and-"

"How does he care about you? In a boyfriend kind of way or a Dad kind of way?" My disgust got the better of me then. She recoiled, wrapping her arms around her frail frame.

"I don't know, Han. He's trying to finalize the divorce with his wife so we can be together after graduation without all the bullshit. I think his wife already knew he was cheating anyway." Like that makes it any better.