Too Much Clickbait - Sequel to Clickbait

71

For the following week and a half, I consumed all of my energy into making sure Katie didn't figure out that I was melting on the inside. She kept asking repeatedly if there was something that was going on, however, I dodged the questions like I was in The Matrix. My stamina had been running low, however, and I was hoping this trip to Wyoming would smooth everything out for me.
As I was finishing laying out the outfits I wanted in my bag, I heard a knock at my bedroom door. Kam was leaning against the door frame with a singular white envelope fiddling in between his middle and pointer fingers. "Surprise, surprise! Right on time."
"Don't remind me." I grumbled, retrieving the letter from him. He straightened up, sighing, and I knew where he was about to direct the conversation. "Look, I told you because I need you to know to be safe. That's all. The last letter mentioned how the 'light danced on the skin of the blonde male' and that sure as shit isn't Zane."
Kam laughed, folding his arms across his chest. "Do you think you should tell Katie? I mean, not for nothing, but I think she understands how this shit works."
"If she's entitled to her secrets, than so am I." Kam's face fell, not understanding the depth of what I meant. I threw the letter on my bed, running a hand through my hair as I spoke. "I went to the doctors with her the other day and long story short, I think she had an abortion."
Kam raised an eyebrow, shifting the weight between his feet. "Have you asked her about it?"
"Of course I haven't!" I threw my hands out to the sides, slapping my hips as they came down. "I have barely said shit to her, period! I don't... I don't know the full story and I'm not sure if I want to."
Kam took in a deep breathe, exhaling as he spoke. "I know my opinion is of no value to you right now, but I'm going to give it to you anyway. It's her body, her choice." Kam's arms dropped to his side as he leaned his right shoulder on my doorframe. "If she felt it necessary to have one, than that's that. She's not entitled to tell you shit or beg you for permission."
"I don't even know if she got it with me. For all I know, it could be Brennen or Za-." My heart caved into my chest, the same feeling I used to get when I would get knocked in the chest in high school football. I looked up to meet Kam's look of horror before barreling past him. Much to his objections, I headed straight towards Zane's room. "Zane! Zane, you son of a fucking bitch!" I ripped the door open, reveling Zane editing in a loose, grey tank top and black boxers on his bed. He pulled the earphones out of his ears and placed his laptop beside him as I got into his face, pulling him forward by the thin fabric of the tank top's shoulder straps. He gripped onto my wrists for dear life as I began to blur my vision from screaming. "You son of a bitch! Like you haven't caused enough damage?"
"I swear I only used the baby wipes once! I'm sorry! I was out and I had an itchy booty! I didn't-"
"Not that, asshole!" I cut him off, his expression becoming confused once again. "Katie had a fucking abortion and you... You son of a bitch!"
"Do you think it was because of me?" Zane screamed back, pushing me backwards. I stumbled back as he stood up, putting his hands across his chest. "I had nothing to do with it, Heath! I didn't find out until after it was done!"
"She fucking told you?" I roared, feeling something pop in my neck as I did so.
"I found out on my own!" He calmed down, his arms falling to his sides as he saw me attempting to steady my breathing. "Look, I didn't delve too much into it because it's not my place. But I-"
"How is it not your place when you were the one that got her pregnant?" I scoffed, his attitude shocking me, even for it being Zane.
"You think it was me?" Zane's face dropped to sympathy as he took a few steps closer to me, reaching out to hug me. "Baby, no. It was-"
"Brennen's?" My throat cracked as Zane stepped closer, pulling me into a tight hug. "It was Brennen's, right?"
Zane rubbed my back as I felt my legs giving out. I attempted to hide the fact I began to bawl, to no avail however, as I felt Zane point at Kam in the doorway. "Coffee, stat! My baby needs some TLC!"

*****

We had been sitting on the living room balcony for the rest of the afternoon. And four hours, two and a half packs of cigarettes, and seven cups of coffee later I still felt like I was in the same place as before except I had dragged my two best friends down with me. Quite frankly, I'm not sure if that makes any of this better or worse.
"You know she had to of had a reason, Heath." Zane shook his head, though I could tell he had known more than he wanted to let on the entire time. I looked up at him after having my eyes adjusted to the street view, tilting my head. He knew what I was asking and sighed. "I know she didn't want to have it because it wasn't the right time. I also know that she was very scared because of her drinking and smoking... The PSOC or whatever doesn't help it, either."
"PCOS." I shook my head, smiling slightly. I took a drag of my cigarette, exhaling as I spoke. "I get why she did it, I guess. Kind of? I don't know. I think I do, but I think I'm just... I would have liked to know."
"She probably figured your ass would have went all conservative on her." Kam shrugged, finishing off his cup of coffee before continuing. "I've seen when you two get into political battles, it isn't cute. She probably wanted to save y'all the trouble of slitting each other's throats."
"The truth is all of us can come up with a thousand and one excuses as to why she kept this from you, but that's all they'll be... Excuses. Only she knows the truth, Heath." Zane shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "You got to talk to her. Maybe you can save it for when you're not six thousand and forty feet up in elevation, but to each is own."
"Look at my baby reading up on Flaming Gorge!" I joked, rubbing his shoulder proudly. I dropped my face, becoming serious again. "Don't mean you can go with us, bitch."
"But it's not fair! I want to go on an adventure too, baby!" Zane whined.
"If I don't throw myself off the side of the mountain first, we can all go to Vegas for a boys night when I get back." I laughed, rolling my eyes as I took a final swig of my coffee.