by Zara Rivas
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Pale green eyes studied the sallow, exhausted reflection staring back at her in the mirror. She had finally mustered the courage to see a doctor to confirm that she was indeed pregnant, and hearing it a second time was even worse than the first... Two months. She was exactly two months pregnant and in this instance she was fighting a lone battle on what to do with the unwanted foetus growing within.
Lifting a hand she placed it on her flat stomach, releasing a shaky sigh. Although there was no sign of a bump yet, she knew the baby inside her was going to grow and in a matter of weeks the bulge was sure to show sooner. And when the lump did start showing, she'd only be able to hide her pregnancy for a few more weeks before the girls started to notice...
It had crossed the blonde's mind to have an abortion, but right now she was too overwhelmed to make any considerations. She knew she was scared – afraid of making a rash decision which would scar her for the remainder of her life – but bottom line was: Cassandra was frightened to endure all this alone.
She had approached the guy that had knocked her up once and within a matter of moments she knew he wasn't going to take responsibility for what he had done. That night after-all had been a moment of "lust" and "fun" with no strings attached – so they both had thought. But now that she was left with the burden to carry, the blonde was completely freaking out. The one time she had made a slip up with birth control was the one moment where her life turned the opposite direction to hell.
She hadn't uttered a single word to anyone – neither her family nor friends – about her dirty little secret, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to hide it any longer. The hormonal change as well as the physical alterations to her body was sure to catch the attention of her parents. As tears started swelling, pouring over her pallid skin, the restroom doors opened revealing a pregnant older woman.
Swiping at the crystal tears, Cassandra managed a smile at the overwhelmingly pregnant lady before leaving. These kind of things only happened to other females – not a rich daddy's little girl that had her whole life ahead of her...
Grasping her phone from her pocket, Cassandra punched in the familiar digits that belonged to the one person she knew would be able to help her through everything. It was one thing to endure the pregnancy and family, but there was no way the blonde knew she'd be able to tolerate the whispers and judging eyes of her peers alone. She was a person that was filled with pride, and it was this pride that wouldn't allow herself to appear to be a fool before classmates which she had grown with throughout the years.
Studying the ten digits on her phone screen, she hesitated for a moment. She knew it was selfish of her to be doing such a thing, but right now she was desperate. Desperate times called for desperate measures – Cassandra only hoped things would go according to plan...
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Masculine hands played with the long, wavy jet-black hair that belonged to Essa Evans. He couldn't help but marvel at how well they fitted together, her body pressed into his left side, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared intently at the plasma screen with her soft gaze. They were huddle on the couch, watching one of the movies she had chosen from the shelf.
For the past few hours they had been absorbed in studying and now it was their time for a break. Chris had said he'd be joining them later on in the day along with Trisha and Soph.
"It's rude to stare Montgomery," came the feminine tone of Essa as she lifted her head from its resting place. "And you're supposed to be watching the movie!"
Placing his hand on her head, he guided it back to the warmth of his shoulder, satisfied as she reluctantly leaned back into his warmth. He still had a lock of her dark, soft hair in his grasp and he was quite fascinated with it.
"I am watching," he replied, "And you're not the boss of me, I can do whatever I want."
Applying pressure to her head so that she couldn't move from her position, Creston smirked when he heard a resigned sigh escape her lips. If anything he liked it when she was close, especially when they were at her home, on the couch with nobody at home.
Shifting a little, Essa found herself frustrated with the way the idiot she called her boyfriend held her head in place. With her skull on his shoulder she couldn't see him, and right now she could practically feel the smirk that was lingering on his lips and she wanted nothing more than to wipe that expression off his face. Feeling the soft rumbling of Creston chuckle lightly as if to say 'good girl' for obeying, she turned her face so that her lips were now making contact with his neck.
At first her gesture had started off with soft, warm kisses, but soon she found that she couldn't hold back as she started sucking on the supple skin there, the stubbles on Creston's chin tickling her forehead. Noticing that the male figure was no longer laughing at her, a devious grin danced across Essa's lips as she ran her tongue on the tender skin of Creston's neck.
Immobile for a few moments, the brown haired figure of Spencer savoured the feel of Essa's lips on his neck. As seconds lapsed, some sense returning to him, he realised she was sucking a specific area and knew exactly what the devil was up to. Breaking the contacting and moving away from her, he turned to see her laugh playfully at him.
"Gotcha Montgomery!" She half-shouted, sitting up from her position on the couch.
Touching the moist area on his neck he hoped with all his might there wasn't a 'love-bite' forming. It was bad enough to that he was allowing her to have her way with him at school, arguing with him at every moment in front of his mates, practically "wearing the pants" in their relationship, but there was no way he was allowing her to mark him as her property when in reality she belonged to him.
Inching closer to her now alert form, Creston could only stare at her with his now dark-grey eyes. He had to admit, he had quite enjoyed what she had done with those lips of hers, and now it was his turn to get revenge. As if she had read his mind, Essa shot to her feet shaking her head.
"Nuh-uh!" She exclaimed, sprinting for the nearest exit, however it was too late because he had caught her around the waist. He was the soccer captain for a reason...
Standing with his arms enveloping her around the waist, her arms trapped between their bodies, a slow grin overtook his lips. Meeting her blue-green gaze which were gazing at him defiantly, although there was a hint of amusement on her face, Creston couldn't help but beam evilly in reply as he lowered his chin to her neck. Cheerful laughter and half squeals reverberated off the walls as the he commenced rubbing the short stubbles on his chin on her neck. He had learnt that the formidable, man-hater Essa Evans, was weak when it came facial growth...
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Cassandra Wilkins paced around in her room, she had spent the entire afternoon pondering about the pregnancy and the first person she should tell. Holding her phone before her eyes, she scrolled down her long list of contacts and then selected his number. Bringing the device to her ear, she listened intently to the dial tones. Holding her breath, half of her wanted to hang up, and yet another part of her wanted to carry out her plan.
Deep down, Cassandra knew that what she was about to do was morally wrong, but she was scared and the one person that she wanted and needed right now was Creston... She didn't know why she was turning to him for comfort and support out of all people but she knew that she had to have him. As the phone reached its fifth ring, the blonde was about to hang up until she heard the recognizable masculine voice of Creston's.
"Hello," he greeted in that smooth, deep tone of his.
Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, pale green eyes darted over to the photo of her and Creston resting on her study table. Staring back at her was two smiling figure, and Cassandra knew she had been so happy then. Who would have thought she'd be in such a rut now?
As Creston's voice rang through the receiver again, she knew she should speak before he hung up. Releasing her pent up breath, she revelle
d in the sudden rush of adrenaline that overtook her. It had been a while since she had spoken to Spencer, but to hear his familiar voice again had brought her some comfort. Clearing her through, she started speaking.
"Creston it's me Cassandra," she began awkwardly and noticed the deafening silence on Creston's end. Feeling her heart thunder under her hand that was currently resting on her chest, Cassandra willed herself to continue. It was now or never... "Listen, I know this is a bit of a surprise to hear from me but I need to talk to you,"
She waited for his reply and it seemed like forever before a response came. "What is it Cassandra?"
Settling down on her bed, the blonde tried to relax a little however she could only sit with her spine straightened. Her mind was reeling with thoughts, unsure of how she should deliver the news. Shaking her head but knowing that he couldn't see her gesture, Cassandra sucked in a deep breath.
"Can we talk face-to-face?" She asked, "I think it's better that we speak in person. Meet me at the cafe where we used to go every Saturdays," with that final statement she hung up.
Frowning at his phone, Creston placed his mobile back into his jean pockets. He never thought he'd ever hear from Cassandra again, so it had completely caught him off-guard. However though her call had stunned him, he couldn't seem to shake off the odd feeling that accompanied the call. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, grey-blue eyes met azure ones.
"You alright Cres?" Tynan queried.
Shifting to stare over his shoulder into the kitchen, Creston noticed Essa, Trish and Soph were busy cooking dinner. They were busy giggling and chattering, his stormy orbs lingering on Essa for just a second longer. Turning his attention back to his best mate, Creston feigned nonchalance.
"Yeah everything's good, just have to pop back home for a moment. Can you tell Ess for me? I'll try and be back before dessert." He informed and noticed the unconvinced expression on the blonde's face. "Seriously Chris, it's all good," he reassured a small grin on his lips.
Patting his mate on the back, Chris escorted Creston to the door before slipping into the kitchen to inform Essa whose large grin altered to a tight smile.
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Shaky hands held the large mug of warm English tea in her hands, eyes fixated to the entrance of the coffee shop. She had been sitting her and waiting for the thirty minutes, mentally creating a speech which would hopefully deliver her message loud and clear but in a gentle blow. Her nerves were playing up and a part of her felt like getting up and just running from the rendezvous.
Breathing in in an attempt to calm herself, Cassandra went back to the reason why she was doing this in the first place. Although she knew that she was to blame for the unwanted pregnancy, a part of her felt as though Creston was responsible too. If he hadn't dumped her in such a cold manner, she wouldn't have gotten drunk that night and shared someone else's bed. And now that he was so happy with the goth, she was fighting an inner battle between being scared and alone to having Creston around and not be afraid anymore.
"Been here long?" came the recognizable voice of Creston's.
Averting her green orbs to meet his, the blonde managed to smile as she offered the vacant seat across from her. Placing her mug onto the table, she motioned for the waiter to come.
Reacting with the shake of her head, Cassandra faced the brunette waiter standing before her. "Hot chocolate?" She asked Creston and received a nod.
Silence engulfed the two of them once the waiter had disappeared, and yet again Cassandra was fiddling with her fingertips.
"You alright? I never remembered you ever being so quiet."
Biting her lip, she released a quaky sigh. "Creston I don't know how to tell you this," she began and noticed the way his expression altered to a more solemn one.
Although her heart was pounding loudly at the lie she was to tell, Cassandra knew that she had to be a little selfish to be kind. Besides, she knew that Creston was renowned for his short attention span to any girl, so what made Essa any different from the rest of the girls? If anything, Cassandra was saving Essa.
Seeing the way Creston's features change caused Cassandra to fall into silence, her mind completely blank. She had prepared half a speech and now it was all gone. Swallowing hard, a lump started forming in her throat, her breathing shallow as Creston leaned in a little.
"I-I'm..." She drifted, "C-Cres-ston," she stumbled. Running a hand through her long, straight blonde hair, she inhaled deeply before blurting out the words: "I'm pregnant."
A deafening tranquillity coursed through the cafe. Cassandra couldn't bring herself to meet Creston's stormy gaze as a nauseating sensation filled her veins as she fully digested the enormity of the lie she had told - well, it wasn't really a lie, she was indeed pregnant...
As his voice came back to him, Creston spoke after a few minutes of silence. "H-how long?" He croaked, and was hit with a mixture of emotions at her reply.
"Two months,"
Millions of images flashed before his eyes at the impact of Cassandra's words which was having its toll on him. The first thing feeling Creston comprehended was disbelief, the next was concern and just as he was about to make sense of the third emotion, his body went numb.
Taking a large gulp of his hot chocolate, he winced as the scalding hot liquid oozed down his throat. Although he wasn't sure how things with Cassandra and him had gotten this way, Creston Spencer was sure he'd get the details within a matter of hours...
Chapter Fifteen
The slender figure of Essa Evans exhaled slowly as she pulled her cell phone away from her ear. Yet again she had reached Creston's voicemail, and for the fiftieth time that day she was hit with another wave of anguish. She hadn't heard from him for a while now – to be exact it had been over thirty-six hours since she last saw him in the flesh or had spoken to him over the phone. He hadn't come back for dessert last night and he had failed to show up at Chris' to hang out for the day – that was the major tip-off that something had gone wrong.
Ever since she had started dating Creston, she never had to call him twice – he would always answer her calls on her first attempt to reach him. If she sent him a message, he would usually reply to her text messages within a five to twenty minute span once it was received. However, after bombarding his cell phone with numerous messages and a long list of missed calls and there still wasn't any sign of him, Essa was sure that something terrible had occurred.
"Still can't reach him Ginger Ale?" Chris queried his voice gentle.
Essa lifted her gaze from the blank piece of canvas before her. They were at her place in the basement and she was supposed to be conjuring up another painting of something mythical, though she hadn't painted one single stroke for the past hour. Meeting Chris' cerulean orbs, she blinked dumbfounded for a moment, as if she just noticed his presence.
As she regained the mental strength to jumble up a coherent sentence, she finally spoke. "Chris where could he be?"
There was silence for a moment as the blonde took his time to answer. In all honesty he wanted to know what was going on with his best friend too, but he knew that to try and search for Creston when he didn't want to be found was futile. Chris had learnt a long time ago that when Creston was ready to talk he would.
Approaching Essa, he placed an arm around her shoulders in what he hoped was a comforting manner. He was surprised when she had patted his hand to reassure him that she was coping – after all in his head things would never be the same between them, not after the things he had confessed. He had appreciated the fact that Essa hadn't shared his confession with Creston because Chris was sure that if Creston did know the truth about how deeply his emotions ran for his childhood friend, the two of them would become rivals.
"I'm sure we'll see him at school tomorrow Ale," he breathed and removed his arm due to the odd tingling sensation running through him.
Although Tynan had verbally come to an agreement with Essa about what he had said and what he had created b
etween them by revealing the truth, he was scared that he might do something rash right now and ruin everything. He was frightened of being there too often for Essa which would reinforce his feelings towards her. He was afraid that he might end up doing more than hugging her in her times of need when she needed a shoulder to cry on or a warm hug just to make her feel at ease.
All in all, Tynan Christopher Welling was terrified that he might cross the line of "friends" and make a fool of himself – ruining both his friendship with Essa and Creston. He had endured too much with Essa as an infant and now as a man to lose her companionship. Chris had also shared too much with Creston to become sworn enemies with him...
"Chris?"
Snapping out of his reverie, the blonde gazed at the now silent figure beside him. She was observing him with a concerned expression, her lips pursed and her hair flowing around her shoulders.
"Sorry, just trying to think." He half lied and was relieved at the look of conviction on her face.