The two pink lines stared back at him like twin ghosts.

Positive.

Parks froze in the half-light of her dorm, his pulse roaring in his ears. The test sat at the bottom of her tiny trash can, buried under a crumpled receipt and a half-empty chip bag — but not hidden enough.

His throat went dry.

What the fuck.

It felt like every breath scraped against glass. He glanced toward the bed, half-expecting her to be there, curled up in her blanket, hair spilling across the pillow. But she wasn’t — and maybe that made it worse. The silence pressed against his ribs, heavy, accusing.

He pressed a hand over his mouth. Then both. Then dragged them down his face with a rough groan.

No, no, no—fuck. This can’t—fuck.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want this. God, he did. He wanted everything that came with her — her sleepy voice, her warmth, the way she looked at him like he was more than just number seven. But this? This was real. Irrevocable. Two lines that changed the trajectory of both their lives.

He sank down onto the edge of her bed, elbows on knees, staring at the floor like it might give him answers. The room still smelled like her — vanilla, notebooks, and that faint lavender shampoo she used.

He wanted to be happy. A small, traitorous part of him was happy — but fear crawled up his spine, cold and mean. He had the Championship coming up. Scouts watching. Expectations breathing down his neck. And she… she was sitting somewhere right now, probably terrified and alone.

He ran both hands through his hair, tugging hard enough to sting.

Christ. Christ, fuck. I can’t do this. I can’t leave her. But I can’t stay.

Parks stood, pacing the small space, muscles tight beneath his shirt. Every nerve screamed at him to fix it—but he didn’t even know what “it” was.

Fuck, fucking fuck shit.

He wanted to punch something. Or cry. Or run back to her and tell her it’d be fine, that he’d figure it out. Because that’s what he did — he figured things out. But right now, he just felt like a scared kid with too much to lose and a heartbeat that wouldn’t slow down.