The Story of Us

by Rebecca Harner

  Chad came back in the room and started clapping his hands to get our attention. “Listen up, guys! We have three more hours of this event and then you all can do whatever you want. So let’s move!” Everyone started making their way toward the door and headed down the back hallways.

  I managed to be my usual cheerful self and greeted all the fans who wanted to meet me. There were always those snotty girls who skipped over Tess, Lacey, and me, but we didn’t mind. We knew who the true fans were because they supported and loved everybody.

  After the event all of the guys wanted to make a YouTube video, so it was just the four of us girls. Lacey wanted to make another rant video on why it sucked to be a short person and she invited me to be in it. We short girls needed to stick together, right?

  Once that was finished it was only one in the morning. I was used to staying up until like six, but tonight I really wanted to get some sleep.

  The rest of us had the same idea and were all ready to call it a day.

  Nash

  The sound of loud banging woke up not only me but Cam as well.

  “What the hell!” Cam yelled as he rolled out of bed and stomped his way over to the door. “What do you want? Whoa . . .”

  “Nash! Wake up!” I saw someone short make her way over to my side of the bed. “What?” I mumbled with my eyes half-open.

  “It’s Violet, she hasn’t stopped throwing up,” Lacey explained really quick. I jolted out of bed and ran out of the room wearing only my boxers. Let’s hope nobody saw me.

  I banged on her door a couple of times before Tess finally opened it.

  “It’s gonna be okay. Just let it out.” I heard Sierra’s voice coming from the bathroom. She was on the floor with Violet, rubbing her back. Once she saw me, she gave me a sad look and left me with Violet.

  I ran over to her side and brushed the hair out of her face. She looked up at me with sad eyes, and tears were falling down her face. “It’s probably just a small bug or something,” I assured her.

  She just shook her head and looked back down at the ground. “I don’t think it’s that,” she whispered. She started examining her hands before covering her face with them.

  I could hear her loud crying and it broke my heart to pieces. I held her in my arms and rocked her back and forth. “Shh . . . it’s okay,” I whispered to her as I ran my fingers through her hair.

  She pulled away after a couple of minutes and finally stood up. “I’m two weeks late,” she said quietly.

  It took me a moment to realize what she was talking about, and then it finally hit me. No, no, no, no. We were too young, this couldn’t be happening to us.

  “We don’t know for sure if that’s what it is,” I suggested, hoping there could be any other reason why she was sick. She started prancing back and forth in the tiny bathroom. I knew she was freaking out inside.

  “What am I going to do? Hayden, my parents, your family, they’re going to murder me.” Her bottom lip started to quiver before she fell onto her knees.

  I ran over to her and pulled her up into my arms again. “Nobody is going to kill you, Violet. Whatever happens will be all right. I promise.” I pecked her lips really quick, which calmed her down.

  “I need to brush my teeth.” She giggled as she walked over to the sink.

  “Oh, your breath smells fantastic.” I gave her a thumbs-up before walking back out into the room. All of the girls were in there, as well as Cameron.

  He was trying to hide his smirk but it wasn’t working too well. “Shut up, Cameron. It’s not funny,” I hissed at him.

  He stood up and patted me on the back, on his way to the door. “Congrats, bro.”

  Once he left, Sierra and the rest of the girls bombarded me with questions. “Is she all right?”

  By now Violet had walked out and passed everyone without saying a single word. I can’t imagine how she must’ve been feeling.

  She crawled back into her bed and under the cover’s safety. “I’m not going today,” she said to all of us.

  “Neither am I,” I stated.

  “No! Nash, you are going! Your fans would be so hurt,” she snapped at me. She usually didn’t yell at me like that. Everyone else was just as shocked as I was and they all left the room.

  “I’m staying here. You are far more important right now.” I sat on the bed next to her and grabbed her hand.

  “Nash, please go. I’ll be fine.”

  “Nope.” I climbed under the covers with her and wrapped my arms around her waist. “You smell better,” I joked with her.

  “Thanks.” She playfully hit me before snuggling into my chest. “What are we going to do?” She looked up at me with sad eyes and stared into mine.

  “Well, we aren’t one hundred percent positive right now, but we’ll just work through it, day by day.” Her small head nodded and her arms wrapped herself around my body.

  “I’m sorry. I ruined your reputation.”

  “No, you didn’t. And my reputation doesn’t mean anything to me. I couldn’t care less what people think.” I rested my head on top of hers and let out a deep sigh.

  We’d make it through this, we always had.

  Violet

  I walked out of the bathroom with my eyes closed. I was terrified to read what it was going to say.

  Nash sat up when I came out and took it away from me. He looked down at it with no expression whatsoever. He held it up to me and I saw two lines appear. “I’m pregnant,” I whispered.

  Don’t cry. Don’t cry, I kept telling myself. Be strong, Violet. Be strong.

  “It’s okay. We can do this,” he assured me as he wrapped his arms around me.

  So many things were flashing through my mind. What would my family think? His family? Our friends? The fans? I would be labeled as a huge slut who ruined Nash’s life. We were so stupid. No, you were stupid, Violet. This is all your fault.

  Cameron

  As soon as the girls told everyone that Violet was throwing up, I knew what was going on. Everyone else thought she was just sick, but I knew the truth.

  Nash and Violet were going to get so much hate. I would devote myself to standing up for them and sticking by them. I would be there for whatever they needed.

  Not only was Nash my best friend, but Violet was like my sister. They wouldn’t be able to push through this by themselves.

  Violet

  After the New York event, Nash and I decided to go back home. Everyone was confused. Well, except for Cameron, because he was all-knowing.

  We told everyone that we needed a break from everything because it was all becoming too stressful. Besides, I needed to visit a doctor to see if everything was okay.

  I wasn’t ready to tell our families, but we had to. It wasn’t like we could hide something like this from them.

  “Do you want to do it tonight?” he asked me while we were driving to the hospital. It was my first checkup and I honestly had no idea what they were going to do.

  “I’m scared, Nash. What are they going to think of me?” I propped my elbow up on the door and stared out the window.

  “My family will not judge you, because I did this to you. It’s Hayden and your dad I’m worried about.” His grip on the steering wheel tightened and his knuckles were turning white.

  “When am I going to tell my mom? It’s not something I can break to her over the phone.”

  “Let’s just take it step-by-step. We’ll be okay.” He gave me a reassuring look before turning his attention back to the road.

  We arrived at the hospital a few minutes later only to spend an hour in the waiting room.

  There were five other pregnant women sitting in the chairs, looking Nash and me over. They all gave us sympathetic looks.

  Once I was called into the room, I was instantly relaxed when I found out the doctor was a woman.


  “So, Violet, is this your first time being here?” she asked me with a happy smile on her face. “I’m Dr. Harper, by the way. And I’m guessing you’re the father.” She held her hand out to Nash and he shook it.

  “Yes. This is our first time,” I responded to her.

  “And how old are you two?” she asked quietly.

  “We are both sixteen,” Nash said quietly, looking down at his hands.

  The doctor sighed and scooted closer to us. “I know this is really scary for you two, but you’ll survive. I’m guessing you haven’t broken the news to your parents either.” We both shook our heads. “Listen to me, if you are scared about what they are going to think, don’t worry. You are their children and they will not abandon you. Would you want to leave your child when they are struggling? No. Now, let’s see that baby.”

  She brought me over to the table and had me lie down. “Now, this is going to feel cool but it’s nothing to worry about.” She applied some gel to this odd tool and placed it on my stomach.

  “That is cold.” I giggled a little bit while squeezing Nash’s hand tight.

  The doctor examined the screen a few times before her smile dropped. “Well, they are looking perfectly healthy at the moment. Nothing unusual to worry about yet.”

  “Wait. They?” Nash asked.

  “Congratulations, you are having twins!” she exclaimed with a bright smile on her too-cheerful face.

  Nash

  “I already knew we were going to struggle with one child while still being in high school, but twins! We won’t be able to support them!” Violet was freaking out in the car on the ride back to my house.

  “I have a lot of money saved up from everything we’ve been doing lately. I can get a job and maybe my family will help us a little bit,” I suggested.

  “Nash, that money was for you to go to college. I can’t ask you to change your future for me.” I pulled alongside the road and turned off the engine.

  “Violet, listen to me.” I grabbed her small hand and made her look me in the eye. “We are in this together. They are my kids too. We are going to be a family, together. This is our future.” I made sure to emphasize the “our” so she would understand.

  A few tears fell down her face before she kissed my cheek. “To infinity and beyond, baby,” she whispered. We both laughed and I started the car and pulled back onto the road.

  For the rest of the car ride, I kept glancing over at her and thinking how lucky I was to have such an amazing girlfriend. Everything about her was perfect and I wouldn’t change anything about her. I was in love with Violet Burns.

  Violet

  Everyone was sitting at my table, staring at me. Our parents, Will, Hayden, and even Skylynn were waiting patiently for one of us to speak.

  “So . . . umm . . .” I started to say, but I lowered my head and started fumbling with my fingers.

  “We have something to tell you,” Nash stated for like the fifth time.

  “You’re not breaking up, are you?” Skylynn asked us, a sad look on her face.

  “No, sweetie. It’s not that.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. I could see a sense of relief wash over her tiny face. “Umm . . .” I looked back down at my hand and a few tears fell from my face.

  All of a sudden Hayden stood up out of his chair and slammed Nash against the wall. “You piece of shit! I should’ve known not to trust you!” he screamed into Nash’s face. I saw his fist start to raise but luckily Will pulled him off in time.

  “Hayden! Sit back down,” my dad yelled at him. Nash’s parents looked flustered and Will was pissed. Skylynn was hopelessly confused and Nash looked like he’d pooped his pants.

  “I’m sorry. It was an accident. We didn’t mean to,” Nash exclaimed.

  There was a gasp and Nash’s mom clapped her hand across her mouth. “Nash, you didn’t.”

  “I’m sorry. There was a beach party in LA and there was some alcohol and, well . . .” A few tears were rolling down Nash’s face, which made me cry even harder.

  “Oh my God.” Will set his head in his hands, which were propped up on the table.

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?!” my dad yelled at him.

  “Robert, they’re just kids.” Nash’s dad tried to calm him down.

  “That’s right—they are just kids, and now my daughter is pregnant because of your son!” I’d never seen him so angry before.

  “Dad, it’s not his fault. I was drunk and had no clue what I was doing.” I stood up and walked over to Nash, who looked scared to death.

  He saw how upset I looked and held me in his arms. I could hear our parents fighting but I tried to block it out the best I could. Nash’s shoulder couldn’t protect me from much, though.

  “Get away from her.” Hayden had a tight grip on my arm that was very painful. He tried to pull me off Nash but we wouldn’t budge. “Let go of her!” Hayden yelled at Nash again.

  “No! I will not. I will never leave her side! Mr. Burns, I am in love with your daughter. Yes, we made a mistake, but I would never ditch her. We are in this together and there is nothing in the world that would stop me from being with her! I want to be with her forever and just her. You have to trust me that I can take care of her.” Nash confronted my dad and Hayden. He pulled me behind him but still held on to my hand.

  Everyone else stood in shock because Nash had never done anything like that before. Skylynn ran over to my side with tears running down her face. I grabbed her little hand and held it tight.

  “You know what, if you’ll take care of her, then do it. Violet, get out of my house. Leave, all of you!”

  I was frozen. Never in my entire life would I think my father would kick me out. And it didn’t even faze him, what he’d just said.

  “Dad, you can’t do—” Hayden tried to talk him down but it was no use.

  “Shut up, Hayden, or I’ll kick you out too! Now, everyone else, get out of my house.” He started walking over to me and I could see the anger in his eyes. The eyes that once were so sweet to me when I was little had now turned into something evil and cruel.

  “And don’t come back,” he said as he walked past me.

  I choked back sobs and felt my body walking backward until it slammed into the wall. I slid myself all the way to the ground and buried my head in my knees, then pulled them to my chest.

  With everything my family had been through, I never would have thought my own father would be so cold. I forgave him for all of his mistakes, but he couldn’t accept one that I made. It really showed how selfish people could actually be.

  I must’ve been crying really hard because I hadn’t noticed Hayden and Nash on either side of me. On my left was someone with whom I’d had the best relationship; he’d always been there for me. On my right was the blue-eyed boy I was in love with. We had been through so much and it had definitely been one hell of a ride.

  “Violet.” Elizabeth’s soft voice broke the unbearable silence—aside from my crying. I looked up and saw her making her way over to me. “Sweetie, you can stay with us. I won’t ever judge you, honey.”

  I stood up and buried my head into her shoulder. Right now I needed my mother and she was the only person who could fill that position.

  “Why don’t you and Nash get your things while I set up a room for you.” She squeezed me tight once more before letting go.

  It only took a few seconds before everyone cleared out and it was just Hayden, Nash, and me.

  “Violet, go upstairs. I want to talk to Nash,” Hayden commanded. I glared at him and refused to move. He wasn’t going to scare Nash away from me. “It’s fine, Violet. Trust me!”

  “Just go. I’ll be up in a little bit.” Nash definitely was being a lot kinder to me than Hayden was.

  I made my way across the hall and dragged myself up the stairs into my room. Well, soon it was
n’t going to be my room anymore.

  Nash

  “Look, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t pissed at you right now.” He didn’t have to tell me. I could see it in his eyes and the way his body was standing.

  “But I know Violet really loves you and you obviously love her, too. I’m not going to push her out of my life like my dad is right now because I care about her too much. Whatever happens, I want you to take care of her. Make sure you do anything for her because she really needs you right now. Can you do that for me?” His angry eyes started to soften and I only saw the caring and loving brother Violet constantly talked about.

  “I promise I’ll take care of her, Hayden. Whatever she needs, I’ll be the first one to give it to her. Thank you for trusting me.” I held out my hand and he gladly shook it. Damn, his grip was strong.

  “Go help her pack. I’ll see you guys later tonight.” I nodded and left him alone in the kitchen. I was glad that he had faith in me. We never really had the time to actually get to know each other, but he could tell I really loved Violet. If only his dad could’ve seen that too.

  Violet

  More tears were falling down my face as I packed every single piece of clothing I had.

  How could this happen to me? I was only sixteen, I wasn’t qualified to be a mother yet! Shut up, Violet, this is your own fault. You led him on that night. Gosh, why was I so stupid?

  “Violet?” Someone quietly knocked at the door and came in.

  “Hi, Nash.” I wiped my tears and zipped my suitcase shut. “I just need to get a few things from my bathroom and some of my other things. Can you pack up my laptop for me?” He nodded and made his way over to my desk.

  I walked into the bathroom and pulled out everything that I would need to use on a daily basis. After that I grabbed a few personal items from my childhood and a couple of pairs of shoes. I could always ask Hayden to get me some other things later when I needed them.

  An hour later, I was sitting by myself in the Griers’ only guest room. I refused to unpack my clothes because I didn’t want it to seem like I was going to live with them forever. Well, I sure hoped not.