when the party's over, hockstetter 𝜗𝜚

xiii. what to expect when you're expecting

❨ WHEN THE PARTY'S OVER ❩
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN
YOU'RE EXPECTING

‧ : *: ‧ °✧

"patrick?" evelyn's voice calls from outside the door, followed by a knock. both he and (y/n) jump up from their sleep.

the long haired boy curses under his breath, covering his girlfriend's bare body with the comforter as he gets up and throws on a t-shirt and shorts.

he opens the door gently, one hand rubbing his tired eyes.

"yes?" he raises an eyebrow expectantly, wanting nothing more than to go back to his slumber.

it had only been a week since he received the harrowing news, and every night since, he struggled to get a full night's sleep.

mr. hockstetter's fiancée furrows her eyebrows, noticing the disheveled hair and dark bags under her stepson's eyes.

"have you been sleeping?" she asks, voice dripping with concern. she reaches out to caress his face but the boy swats her away.

"if you don't need anything i'm going back to sle—"

"right. butch's kid is at the door along with those two other kids you hang with. they said it was important."

he nods, forcing the conversation to an end as he closes and locks the door. he stumbles back to bed, letting his body fall face-first into the mattress.

(y/n), who had been lying quietly listening to the conversation, sits up and smiles softly.

"good morning." she crinkles her nose.

patrick rolls onto his back, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his head on her lap.

"yeah." he hums, "the gang's downstairs. get dressed and come down."

he makes a move to stand up but the smaller female grips his arm, her eyes wide with sudden fear.

"we're not telling them." she whispers, "not yet, please. we—i can't. let's just wait until we know for sure."

patrick chuckles, leaning down and pecking her lips, "i know, baby."

he shoos her away, watching as she very groggily picks an outfit out of the many she left in his closet, before going to the bathroom.

once he hears the shower water running, he walks out.

he forces himself to stop smiling as he saunters down the hall and to the living room, immediately hearing the loud banter of the gang.

"hey." patrick mumbles, gaining their attention.

"man, it feels like it's been forever since we seen you, cockstetter!" henry grins, punching the taller boy in the arm.

"yeah, i've been busy."

victor snorts, "busy with (n/n)."

the pale skinned boy shrugs, trying his best to hide the blush that creeps up his neck.

"speaking of (y/n), she hasn't been home in a while. butch has been on my ass about it. i know she's here with you so can you try and convince her to at least stay for a day or two?"

just as patrick is about to speak, they hear the sound of footsteps descending the stairs.

all four boys glance in their direction, eyes a bit wide as they take in the female's appearance.

the woman appears weary, with dark circles under her eyes and a pallor that spoke of many sleepless nights.

her shoulders are slumped, as if burdened by invisible weights, and her movements are slow and deliberate. her eyes, though heavy-lidded, hold a glimmer of resilience, betraying a spirit not yet entirely subdued by exhaustion.