It's Complicated
Miles sat down at his desk in creative writing, barely awake. He had hardly slept last night. A million things were running through his mind-- the baby, Lola, how to tell his mom, and worst of all, how to tell Tristan. He'd been avoiding the hospital since Lola told him the news. Still, he knew he had to face Tristan eventually.
Zoe plopped down next to him. "Sleep much?" she said, tsking.
"Just great," Miles grumbled.
"I visited Tristan yesterday," Zoe said, unzipping her backpack. "Noticed you weren't there..."
"I was busy, alright?" Miles snapped. He didn't have the energy to deal with another guilt-trip right now.
Zoe raised her eyebrows. "With Lola?" she said accusingly, locking eyes with him.
Miles squirmed in his seat, suddenly feeling woozy. "What-- what do you mean?" he sputtered.
Zoe shook her head. "I heard your little convo in the hall yesterday." She paused, surveying the look of horror and guilt on Miles' face. "You know you're screwed if she keeps it," she whispered, using her old "mean girl" voice that was normally reserved for jerks like Vijay or Baaz. "If you were going to cheat on Tris, I thought you'd at least be smart enough to not knock the girl up. I mean come on, even we used protection that one summer."
Miles slammed his textbook shut. "Look, I'm an idiot-- we all know that, don't we?" he said, gritting his teeth. "But for the record, it was just one time. I thought Tristan was never going to wake up. God, it was like... Like being with a corpse." He shook his head angrily. "And yeah," he muttered, not making eye contact. "She's keeping it."
Zoe sighed. "Look, Miles," she said, her voice slightly gentler now. "You're my friend. But life is hard for Tris right now. There's already talk about you and Lola and people are going to start finding out about the baby. And if you won't tell him the truth--" she bit her lip hestitantly. "Then I'll have to tell him for you."
Miles shook his head in disbelief. "No," he stammered. "No, please, Zoe, you can't do that to me. Or to Tris."
Mr. Mitchell cleared his throat. "Ahem!" he said, annoyed. "Miles, Zoe, class has started. Finish your conversation later."
Zoe pulled out her binder, pretending to take notes. "Go see him, Miles," she sighed quietly. "You can't hide out forever."