by Leigh Allen
I had been on cloud nine as I had driven to the coffee shop, hoping to spend a little bit of Seth’s break with him. Instead, I had my entire world rocked as I watched him a hug a pregnant woman who called him her baby daddy.
Just the sight of them made me want to vomit. I swear, it felt as though someone reached into my chest and ripped my heart right out of me. How could Seth do this to me? How could I have been so stupid to believe he loved me? Why hadn’t I listened to Grace when she warned me about him?
I never gave Seth a chance to say anything, once I saw the look on his face, we both knew he was caught. That was all I needed to know that everything I had thought could happen with Seth, was over now. Any future I thought we could have, was now a distant memory.
I tore through the parking lot and jumped back inside my Range Rover. I drove like a wild woman through town as I tried to wipe all of the tears out of my eyes. My vision was blurry and my breathing was rapid.
I could hear my phone buzzing from incoming calls, but I refused to take it out of my pocket. If it was Seth, I didn’t need to hear anything he had to say.
Pulling into my driveway, I spotted Isaac’s truck already there. Great, now he would see me a disaster.
I parked my car and ran inside the house. Hoping to elude him, I found no such luck as he was walking into the living room as I entered. Seeing me, concern flashed across his face.
“Mia, what is wrong?” he asked, running over to me.
“Nothing,” I lied, trying to wipe the tears off my face.
Grabbing me, Isaac held me at arm's length. “You are lying to me. Tell me what is wrong,” he demanded again.
Sighing, I knew I might as well tell him now. “Seth and I were seeing one another. I just found out he apparently has another girlfriend,” I added.
I left out the part where I was madly in love with him, how he was about to be a teenage father, and the fact he had just crushed my heart. That could come later, this was embarrassing enough telling my brother about my heartache.
“You and Seth?” Isaac asked.
“Yeah, but it’s over now,” I sniffed. “Look, I am not ready to talk about it right now. Can I just please go to my room?” I asked.
“Sure,” Isaac agreed. I knew this was way out of his comfort zone and he was probably relieved to be able to walk away from this crisis.
I rushed up to my room and closed the door behind me. I took out my phone and ignored all of the texts and calls from Seth. Instead, I dialed Grace’s number and prayed she picked up.
“Hey girl, want to see a movie?” Grace asked, as she answered. No hello, just straight to the point.
“Grace,” I cried out.
My emotions took over and I started bawling like a baby.
“Mia! What’s wrong?” she yelled.
“Seth...baby...hurts…” I was crying so hard, I couldn’t form coherent words.
“I will be there in five minutes,” Grace said, before the line went dead.
I lay back on my bed and cried as I held my arms around my stomach. I felt so stupid and exposed right now.
Finally, Grace barged through my bedroom door and crawled into bed next to me.
She began to soothe me as she held me in her arms and ran her fingers gently through my hair, just like my mother used to do when I was a little girl.
“Tell me what happened?” Grace calmly asked.
I took a deep breath and explained to her how I had decided to surprise Seth, but instead, he had surprised me. Grace listened intently and nodded along until I was finished.
Once I stopped talking, Grace looked at me with pity. “Oh, Mia. I am so sorry. I hate to tell you I told you so, but…” she paused, knowing this was going to be hard for me. “I had heard a rumor that Seth was about to take care of a baby. I didn’t realize it was true until just now. Maybe this was all for the best. Before you get too involved,” she stated.
“Too late,” I cried out. “I love him and slept with him,” I sobbed.
“Oh, Mia,” Grace said, as she continued to hold me as I cried.
Eventually, I cried myself to sleep and just like the best friend she is, Grace stayed with me all night.
29
Seth
With one look, my entire world was shattered.
Seeing Mia look so upset killed me. Add to that idea Britley standing there with a satisfied grin on her face, I felt like I could rage out of control right now.
All I wanted to do was make Mia happy, and now, everything was ruined. I had planned on telling her about Britley tonight, but now, I wasn’t sure if she would ever talk to me again.
“Mia, wait,” I called out, but it was too late.
She ran like a jaguar through the parking lot and was in her Range Rover before I could round the corner of the shop. I threw my hands up in the air in frustration as I made my way back to where an impatient Britley was waiting.
“Oh no, trouble in paradise?” she asked.
“You just ruined everything,” I seethed.
“Now, don’t blame me because you failed to tell your little girlfriend about us,” she said, pointing to her stomach.
I sighed, because she was right. This was all my fault. I was nothing more than a screw-up and I was once again proving to everyone I was incapable of changing.
“Look, I will get you your money soon. Please just leave me alone,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose as I felt a headache forming.
Britley sauntered off and I pulled out my phone, desperate to talk to Mia, but each call and text I sent, went unanswered.
I thought about driving to her house, but when I spotted Isaac’s car there, I knew he would never let me in to see his sister. Besides, I wasn’t sure if she had told him about us or not.
I drove to the one place where I could get my anger and frustration out. The Raven’s Boys Clubhouse. Even though I knew I wasn’t a member, I needed family and I needed to drink. I needed to paint and forget about the cruel world around me.
30
Mia
On Monday morning, I walked through the halls of Hollow Cove High School with all eyes glued to me.
News had spread that Seth and I were together and just as fast as people began to gossip, another, more exciting story featured as everyone learned Seth had a much older baby mama. As I walked down the halls, I heard the whispers that made me want to vomit.
“I heard he was sleeping with his brother’s wife. That’s why he killed himself,” one guy said wildly.
“No, she and Seth secretly were together. She’s like nineteen. She might even go to jail,” a girl argued back.
All of the stories circled around my mind as I held my books tightly to my chest. I felt shame knowing I had been so foolish as to believe everything Seth had told me. Isaac had tried to talk to me again this morning, but I still refused to talk to him. I wasn’t ready to share everything with my brother just yet. Grace, however, stayed with me Sunday night and drove to school with me today. She was refusing to leave my side and I was forever grateful for her friendship. She had gone to her first hour, after I had promised her, I would be fine attending my class alone. I wasn’t expected to have a class with Seth until the third hour. I had a feeling that I would be getting sick and needing to see the nurse in the third hour today.
“Mia,” a familiar voice called out to me, from down the hall.
Knowing it was Seth, I began to panic. I was not ready to see him yet. Everyone standing in the hall grew silent as they watched the drama unfold. I glanced around, trying to find an escape route. Finally, I spotted the girls restroom and darted inside.
There were two girls inside applying make-up in front of the mirror. They barely looked my way as I entered. Taking a deep breath, I casually walked into the stall and locked it behind me.
Great, now I was hiding out in the bathroom. Gross!
I listened to the girls snicker as they finished up their conversation about a party they had attended. It didn’t go unnotic
ed as they whispered my name too. I knew they must be talking about me. It seemed everyone was today.
After the girls left, I sighed in relief as I was now alone. I would just stay here until class started. Then I would make up an excuse to leave school. I shouldn’t have come today. I knew better, but I thought I could handle myself. Clearly, I was wrong.
I heard the bathroom door open again and I heard footsteps on the tile floor. Only, these footsteps seemed too heavy. A pair of black boots stood in front of the stall door and I gulped as I knew who belonged in those boots.
Seth.
“Mia, I know you are in here. You need to talk to me,” he begged, from outside the stall door.
I remained silent. Maybe if I didn’t respond, he would go away. My eyes filled with tears and I struggled to keep my sobs quiet. This was all too much. Who knew heartbreak would be this difficult?
After another minute, Seth knocked on the stall door. “Mia, please talk to me,” he pleaded again.
Even though he couldn’t see me, I shook my head no in response.
Suddenly, the bathroom door burst open and a loud bang echoed through the space as the door hit the wall.
“Get out of here, Seth,” I heard Grace scream.
A small smile crept over my face as I realized she had come to my rescue.
“I have to talk to Mia,” Seth argued.
“No. You have done enough damage. Now, get out or I will scream for help. The last thing you need is to get into any more trouble,” Grace roared.
I heard Seth begin to walk toward the exit and I felt myself relax a little. “This isn’t over. Tell Mia I need to explain everything to her. Tell her I love her, please?” Seth pleaded, his voice sounding broken and sad.
“Fine,” Grace snapped.
I waited a few more minutes to ensure Seth had left.
“He’s gone now,” Grace whispered.
Slowly, I exited my hiding spot and emerged to fall into Grace’s awaiting arms.
“How did you know?” I asked, between sobs.
“Everyone was talking about how you ran into the bathroom to elude Seth. As soon as I heard, I rushed in here,” she said.
“This is all so messed up,” I whimpered. “We had been seeing one another for a while and then this weekend he told me he loved me. How could I have been so stupid?” I asked
Still holding me, Grace tried to calm me down. “You weren’t stupid, you just fell in love with a bad boy. I will say though, he did look pretty distraught when he was in here. I don’t know, maybe you should talk to him?” Grace offered.
Was she crazy! Grace had been against me and Seth from the beginning, and now she was saying I should talk to him?
“Are you serious?” I asked, moving out of her arms to look at her head on.
“Yeah, I mean, maybe things aren’t what they seem,” she shrugged.
“So, the pregnant girl?” I began.
“Yeah, that looks bad,” Grace agreed.
I looked over her shoulder and took in my distraught appearance. My eyes were red and swollen and I had black streaks running down my face from where my mascara had run.
“I just need to get out of here,” I stated.
“Ok,” Grace replied, throwing her arms around my shoulder and leading me out of the bathroom.
Once back in the hall, I was happy to see that it was empty. Everyone was in class and I could make my way to the office to get an excuse to go home without everyone adding more to the already fuming gossip.
I got my note and left school, only to discover Seth’s bike sitting in my driveway. Slamming my fists against the steering wheel, I screamed out in frustration. Why couldn’t he just leave me alone? He had caused enough damage now.
I jumped out of the car. I was going to try to outrun him and make it to the front door before he could stop me.
Too bad Seth is much faster than he looks. As soon as he saw me open the car door, he was off his bike in a flash. I began to run, but Seth grabbed me around my waist and pulled me to him.
“Mia, stop,” he yelled.
“Get off of me,” I screamed, as I tried to wiggle out of his grip.
“Not until you talk to me,” Seth barked back.
“Fine, you want to talk? Talk!” I yelled.
Seth loosened his hold enough to turn me around so that we were eye to eye. I could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly as his breath came out heavy.
“What you saw the other day, it’s not what it seems,” he began.
Rage filled me and I felt like I was going to explode. “Not what it seems! That girl said she was having your baby!”
“It’s my brother’s baby,” Seth cried out. I stared deep into his eyes and all I saw was emotion.
“That doesn’t make sense,” I yelled. “He died,” I said, before I heard what was coming out of my mouth.
I watched his eyes grow wide with hurt as my words struck him with force.
“Yeah, but his baby didn’t die,” Seth said, tears filling his eyes.
I wanted to reach out and hug him, but I was still so angry with him.
“I don’t believe you. I should have listened to everyone when they said to stay away from you,” I said, trying to look away.
Without warning, Seth scooped me up and threw me over his shoulder. I began to kick and scream, beating his back with my fists, but it was no use. He was much stronger than me.
Seth threw me into the passenger seat of my Range Rover and then crawled over me to the driver's seat. He hit the lock so I couldn’t escape.
“Are you kidnapping me?” I asked, my mind totally blown. I knew Seth was a liar, but was he dangerous too?
“Yes. If you won’t listen to me, then you will just have to see for yourself,” Seth said, as he began to drive.
I had no idea where he was taking me, but I decided to be quiet anyway. I was afraid for my life. I reached into my pocket for my phone but didn’t feel it. Oh no! It must have fallen out when Seth grabbed me.
We drove to a part of town I had never been to before. There were closed down stores, and buildings in great need of repair. Was he going to kill me and then drop my body off in some abandoned place?
Finally, Seth slowed down in front of an old apartment building.
“Get out,” Seth ordered.
Normally, I would be upset and smart off after someone talked to me like that, but right now I was at the mercy of Seth. I had no idea where I was and with no phone to call for help, I was stranded here with him.
Seth got out of the car and I reluctantly followed behind him. A few people loitered outside of the building and watched me with disdain as I strutted across the sidewalk in my khaki pants and light pink polo shirt. I was totally out of my element here.
Seth walked up to an apartment building and knocked. He turned to me and he looked nervous. I’m not sure why though, because he isn’t the one being kidnapped right now.
We heard a commotion inside and laughter before the door swung open.
“Took you long enough, no tip for being late,” a woman said as the door widened.
Both Seth and I glanced at one another in shock as standing before us was the girl I had seen hugging Seth earlier. Only this time, she wasn’t pregnant.
31
Seth
This can’t be happening right now.
She wouldn’t have conned me this bad. Could she have?
“What the hell!” I shouted, as I took in Britley in front of me.
Realizing it was me and not who I was expecting, Britley’s smile fell from her face and worry took over. She had been caught.
“What are you doing here?” Britley asked.
It was then I also saw she was holding a beer can. I can’t believe she would do this. My eyes traveled back down to her flat stomach.
“Seriously? I just caught you in the evilest and vicious lie ever and all you can do is ask me why I’m here?” I shouted
Britley was stunned and there was noth
ing she could say now.
“I can explain,” she argued.
I cut her off before she could spew any more lies. “Don’t even try to lie to me. I have been giving you money for months now, believing it was for my brother’s kid. Instead, you lied about being pregnant? My mom even bought a crib. Connor was going to raise this kid almost full time, and I was going to help, too. You fooled us all. Why?” I yelled, as tears began to fall. I couldn’t control my anger and hatred any longer.
To my astonishment, Mia leaned over took my hand in hers. Even though she was furious with me for kidnapping her and bringing her here, she was still trying to comfort me. Mia was too good for me.
“I needed the money. I was going to tell you, eventually,” Britley said.
I knew that was a lie too. This girl was absolute scum and she had taken me and my family on a wild ride for nothing. My brother’s memory was tarnished and his death hurt all over again.
“Stop!” I screamed, throwing my arms up in disgust. “Just stop lying for one minute in your life,” I scolded her.
“She’s not worth it,” Mia whispered to me, as she continued to hold my hand.
“No, she’s not. But I deserve to know what is going on,” I stated.
“Fine,” Britley said, her body slumping as she realized she was caught. “Your brother found out I was pregnant, but it wasn’t his. That’s why he went out that night drinking. He was so angry with me and he was looking for a fight. When he died, I realized I had no way of making any money. I was eighteen when I married your brother. College wasn’t an option for me and I don’t have any skills for working. I thought I could get money out of you for a while then skip town and start over fresh somewhere else.”
It all made sense to me now. She had led me to believe there was a baby coming, and I had shifted my entire life to help raise it. Now, all of that is over now. At that moment, I didn’t care what Britley had done. She was going to have to tell my mom and brother what she had done to all of us. For now, my only concern was that Mia forgave me.
Forgetting Britley, I turned to face Mia who was still by my side. With tears in her eyes, she reached out and hugged me.
