So Typical

by Martha Greenwood

  "It's all right. Everything's going to be just fine," Tristan tried to soothe her, but he wasn't sure if he was doing a very good job of it.

  "How?"

  "You just need to tell Christian. It'll be hard, but I can come with you. And, you know, his parents would do anything for the mother of their grandchild. I'm sure they'd persuade the board of the school to let you continue going here."

  "You think so?"

  "Definitely."

  * * *

  Scarlett's breath caught in her throat as she stifled a gasp. She couldn't believe her eyes. Had she missed something when Tristan had first met her new friends? Had there been some subliminal chemistry between Tristan and Millie? Why hadn't she noticed it before?

  Damn, she felt guilty. She couldn't believe she had fallen into his trap. Christian's trap. She had slept with him. And that was, after all, what he had wanted from the beginning. Sure, he had pretended to be her friend. Sure, he had been kind and generous to her. But that was his plan, wasn't it? Isn't that what he had wanted from her? Sex? But he wasn't the only one to blame. She had done the deed as well. She was the one who had wanted to get back at Tristan for calling her a slut. And how had she done that? By doing exactly what a slut would do. Fucking the first male she saw next.

  Scarlett shook her head. She shouldn't be jealous. She shouldn't even care. Tristan wasn't hooked to her side anymore. They were broken up, right? Well, were they? Scarlett thought back on that awful night. Neither one of them had said the word. She had simply said she wanted him to go away, but neither she nor he had officially said they were broken up. This was just a fight. Fights were good for relationships, weren't they?

  Still, Tristan and Millie were hugging each other for a rather long time. Scarlett turned around and started retracing her steps, walking back to where she had come from. She was torturing herself by watching Tristan touch another girl. Even if that other girl was Scarlett's friend, she didn't want to see it.

  As she walked, she was thinking hard about her feelings. About how she needed to get over them. About how she missed Tristan's touch. About how she wished she could take back that night. She almost ran right into…Austin. She remembered him instantly. She remembered him from the yearbook she had looked through in the hospital after she had first woken up from her coma. She remembered him from her recollections on the plane ride home. She remembered him and two other dark figures cornering her that awful day at school and beating the shit out of her.

  Suddenly her mind went blank. She didn't think about Tristan and Millie hugging. She didn't think about having sex with Christian. She didn't think about Chloe's party. She just didn't think.

  "Oh, look who it is," Austin said tauntingly. "The little bitch who thinks she can back-talk me without any punishment."

  "Austin, I remember it was you who did it to me, but I haven't told anybody, and if I told the school, you'd be expelled, so watch your tongue," Scarlett threatened.

  "You think you scare me?"

  "Just leave me alone," Scarlett whispered. "I don't want a repeat of last time."

  "Sometimes," Austin replied, seeming not to have heard Scarlett, "I lay in bed at night," Lie in bed, Scarlett corrected in her head, "thinking maybe one more punch would have killed you, and then I wouldn't have to worry about you anymore."

  Scarlett smiled, Perfect.

  "So you're admitting that you did beat me into unconsciousness?"

  "Of course, I am. Nobody else has the strength or the nerve to do that. But it doesn't matter; no one's around to hear."

  "Well, then it's a good thing technology was invented, moron."

  "What are you talking about?"

  Scarlett pulled her cell phone, which was recording every word that was spoken, from her back pocket.

  "I turned this on when you called me a 'little bitch,'" Scarlett explained to Austin's confused expression.

  "You slutty whore."

  "That's kind of redundant, don't you think? Oh, wait, I forgot…you don't think, do you?"

  "Give me that." Austin grabbed for her hand.

  Scarlett had a firm grip on her phone as Austin's right hand squeezed her wrist; with his left hand, he tried to pry the phone out of her hand, but she wouldn't let go. Austin growled and dug his nails into her wrist while twisting her arm around. Scarlett clenched her teeth together, fighting the urge to scream, but finally, when it began to feel like he might break her arm again, she let out a loud cry that echoed off the walls.

  * * *

  Tristan felt awkward. He wasn't sure how long these types of hugs were supposed to last. Suddenly, a sharp, loud scream broke their embrace apart. At first, Tristan was only worried for the person who had made that shriek, but then his mind registered whom the voice belonged to. Millie and Tristan both gave each other a quick glance with wide eyes before they sprinted off in the direction of Scarlett's scream.

  It didn't take long for the pair to reach Scarlett. When Tristan saw the fiasco in front of him, an angry rage gurgled in the pit of his stomach. Millie let out a surprised gasp and skidded to a stop. Tristan did the exact opposite. He let out a loud snarl and rumbled towards the boy twisting Scarlett's wrist.

  The offending boy noticed Tristan right before Tristan ran straight into him. Both of the boys fell onto the ground, rolling as each tried to punch as much of the other as they possibly could. Both girls screamed from shock.

  "Austin, stop it!" Scarlett yelled.

  "Stop, Tristan, stop it!" Millie cried.

  Scarlett felt a short, sporadic pang of jealousy that Millie had been the one to say Tristan's name.

  Scarlett glanced at Millie and saw the same exact expression that she was sure was on her own face. Absolute, confused horror. She didn't think she could stand much more of this. There was already a little bit of blood on the pavement. She cautiously approached them. She knew that you weren't supposed to get in the middle of fights, but she didn't want Tristan to end up how she had.

  She carefully and slowly reached down trying to grab some limb to pull away from the ball of fighting. She grabbed Tristan's right arm, but because Tristan's mind wasn't thinking properly, his left arm swung out, intending to hit Austin, but instead, he punched Scarlett right in the eye.

  Scarlett cried out, staggering backwards away from the boys. Everyone seemed to stop. Millie gasped and stared at Scarlett with wide eyes. Tristan held his breath and looked up at Scarlett worriedly. Austin, also surprised by what had just happened, simply sat there, looking up at Scarlett, on the verge of laughter.

  "What is going on here?"

  All four teenagers turned and looked at the vice principal walking their way.

  "Mr. Holden!" Millie explained; the first to thaw out, "Austin, he did it. He beat Scarlett up that day! He was the one who put her into a coma and he was hurting her today. He was twisting her arm! If it hadn't been for Tristan—he's Christian Cox's cousin—Austin might have seriously hurt Scarlett again."

  Mr. Holden seemed to be taking this all in.

  "And who hurt Scarlett's eye?" he asked calmly.

  Austin glanced at Millie. Millie glanced at Scarlett. Scarlett glanced at Tristan. Tristan glanced at the ground.

  "Well?" Mr. Holden prompted.

  "Scarlett's eye was punched by—" Austin started with a sadistic smile.

  "Austin, of course," Scarlett interrupted.

  "What the hell? No, I didn't. I didn't even touch you!"

  "Really? You didn't break my wrist? You didn't punch the crap out of me? You didn't give me a bloody nose? You didn't give me a black eye?"

  "That wasn't today!"

  "Then you didn't do this to my arm?" Scarlett asked, raising her hand to show everybody the nail marks she had received from Austin's digging of his nails into her arm.

  "That doesn't prove anything!"

  "Well, then this should…" Scarlett flipped her phone open and played what she had recorded. 'Sometimes,' Austin's voice said, 'I lay in bed at night, thinking maybe one m
ore punch would have killed you, and then I wouldn't have to worry about you anymore.'

  'So you're admitting that you did beat me into unconsciousness?' Scarlett's voice asked.

  'Of course, I am. Nobody else has the strength or the nerve to do that. But it doesn't matter; no one's around to hear.'

  "Is that enough to prove that Austin is the only one who inflicted all of the pain on me?" Scarlett asked, looking at Mr. Holden.

  Mr. Holden grabbed Scarlett's phone and looked at the date and time the recording was taken. And then he nodded. "Yes, I'd say this is proof enough to get this young man expelled from school."

  Millie and Scarlett both smiled brightly as Mr. Holden led Austin to his office. Millie squealed and gave Scarlett a great, big hug.

  "I've wanted that kid expelled since freshman year, and you did it!"

  "Yeah, I only had to go through a coma, amnesia, a broken wrist, a bloody nose, and two black eyes," Scarlett said with a small smile.

  "Oh, let me look at it," Millie said, pulling back and examining the bulging, black eye.

  "Scarlett," Tristan said slowly.

  Millie moved away, and Scarlett looked at him with her good eye. She felt a sudden surge of guilt when she met his gaze. She still couldn't believe that she had slept with his cousin.

  "Scarlett, I'm sorry for punching you. I wasn't thinking properly. I wasn't in my right mind."

  "I know. It's okay."

  "And I want to thank you for telling Mr. Holden that Austin did it."

  "No problem. Look, I need to go."

  "Wait—"

  "Charles is waiting on me."

  "Scarlett, you can't go yet," Millie said. "I have to tell you something."

  Tristan and Scarlett both looked at Millie.

  She took a deep breath and said, "I'm pregnant."

  "What?" Scarlett asked.

  "I found out just the other day," Millie said. "And I have to tell someone. I can't keep it a secret."

  Tristan thought about how fickle Millie's mind was. Only a few moments ago, she had told Tristan she didn't want to tell anyone; none of her friends, not even the father. And now here she was blurting it out to the first person she came in contact with.

  "Shh…It's okay," Scarlett soothed as she hugged Millie again. "It's going to be okay. We'll figure everything out together. We can put the baby up for adoption. It'll live with a good, happy family. And you'll be fine. We'll make sure you can stay in school. I'm sure I can get Melody to come by and persuade the school board to let you stay. All of the teachers loved her because she was the top in her grade and got the school a bunch of publicity, so they'll listen to what she has to say. You're going to be just fine," Scarlett said.

  Tristan wished he could have been that soothing when he was comforting Millie.

  Scarlett stayed a few more minutes to make sure Millie was good and then she left to see Charles. The entire ride to the hospital she was only thinking of one thing. Tristan had apologized for giving her a black eye, but he hadn't apologized for calling her those degrading names. Maybe it really was over for them both. Maybe they were officially broken up.

  And then another thought occurred to her as she read 'Frankenstein' to Charles. Tristan hadn't been shocked when Millie had told her she was pregnant. Tristan had earlier been hugging Millie as she sobbed into his chest. She obviously had told Tristan she was pregnant. She had told someone she barely knew she was pregnant before she had told her best friend. She would only do that if…if Tristan was the father.

  Scarlett raked her mind. When could this have happened? Maybe the same time Christian and she had had sex. After Tristan had left Scarlett alone in the room at Chloe's house, where had he gone? Maybe he had bumped into Millie and, just like what Scarlett had done, got his anger out by screwing around with Millie.

  Suddenly everything seemed surreal. Millie was pregnant with Tristan's baby. The simple thought caused Scarlett to choke as she sobbed into Charles's bed sheets.

  * * *

  Scarlett smiled on the outside as she held the bouquet of flowers during her mother and Timothy's wedding. She was the maid of honor and dressed in a long, velvety blue dress with a thin, gossamer shawl draped around her arms. Her deep red hair was straightened with some of it braided in a crown around her head. And Melody was even able to cover up her black eye with a full layer of foundation. She looked amazing on the outside, but on the inside, she was weighted down with dread and guilt.

  She knew that she should feel angry with Tristan because he had slept with one of her best friends, but she had done the exact same thing. She had slept with his cousin, hence her guilt.

  Scarlett glanced in Melody's direction. She looked absolutely stunning in the same dress as Scarlett. Her hair was curled and placed in a low side ponytail. Melody smiled at her encouragingly. She knew everything. Scarlett had filled her in on all of the details about what was going on with her life. Next, Scarlett's eyes slowly shifted through the crowd and found him. His blonde hair couldn't be missed. His brown eyes sparkled in the light of the sun. His flawless skin was impeccable. His body looked amazing in his black suit.

  Suddenly his eyes locked with hers, and he smiled. Scarlett bit her lip. She hated the way he made her heart flutter. She didn't want to like him right now. And she definitely didn't want him to be her go to guy, nor did she want him to be her rebound guy. She pried her eyes away from Christian and looked back at Melody.

  Melody cocked her eyebrow and gave Scarlett a side smile. Scarlett rolled her eyes and tried to ignore her new stepsister. Just then, her eyes were pulled over to another brown-eyed, blonde-haired boy. Tristan. Again, her heart fluttered. This time it was harder and hurt more. Her heart seemed to want to burst out of her ribcage and go to him. She missed him so much, but she couldn't. She knew that he had to be with Millie. He had to take care of her and their unborn child.

  She sighed, glad the wedding ceremony was over as Rosa and Timothy started walking back down the aisle towards the building where the reception would take place. Scarlett met up with one of Timothy's nephews who escorted her down the aisle towards the same building. It was time for pictures of the wedding crew.

  After they were done, Melody took Scarlett off to the side to talk to her. "You have got to choose one of them."

  "What are you talking about?" Scarlett asked her.

  "Christian. Or. Tristan," Melody said slowly.

  "I don't even like Christian; he's just a friend."

  Melody snorted, "Yeah, right."

  Scarlett ignored her. "And Tristan and I are over. Besides, Millie's pregnant with his baby."

  "Are you sure?" Melody asked disbelievingly, still uncertain about this whole situation. "If you ask me, it just doesn't fit."

  "I'm positive. She told Tristan she was pregnant before she told me. Who else would she tell before her best friend besides the father?"

  Melody stared into Scarlett's eyes. "But you still love him."

  "I never really knew him though, did I? Yes, he swept me off my feet and made me popular, but then I moved away, and he went into a coma. We never really knew each other, so how can we love each other? It was just a façade. It was all fake."

  "I can see it in your eyes, honey. You love him," Melody replied, sure of herself. "Now, I have to go. Ashton is here."

  "Ashton?"

  "He's just a friend," Melody moved her eyebrows suggestively, "with benefits."

  "Scarlett!" Zoey called. "Scarlett, over here!"

  Scarlett smiled and started heading over to Chloe, Zoey, and Millie.

  "You look beautiful!" Chloe said.

  "You look sober," Scarlett replied with a joking smile.

  "Nice," Chloe said, acting offended.

  Scarlett glanced at Millie. Millie looked at the ground. When Millie finally looked up and locked eyes with Scarlett, Scarlett gave her a look that meant she had to tell Chloe and Zoey soon. Millie nodded.

  "Um…hey, can I tell you guys something?" she asked.

/>   "I'll be right back," Scarlett said, giving Millie as much privacy as she could.

  Scarlett headed over to the drinks' table and poured herself a cup of punch.

  "You look beautiful," a voice said behind Scarlett.

  She turned around and locked eyes with Tristan. Her breath caught in her throat. Her hands became clammy. Her heart pounded loudly.

  "Thanks," Scarlett replied, turning around again, not wanting to see him. She always felt guilty when she looked into his eyes.

  "Scar, I'm really sorry," Tristan said, grabbing her wrist and turning her around so she was looking up into his eyes. "I'm sorry for saying all of those things about you. I didn't mean them. I was just angry that you were getting along so well up here without me. I was angry that you hadn't had a better time in Florida with me. Somewhere deep down, I thought you would hate it up here and want to come back home with me, but I was wrong. And I was wrong to have wanted you to feel bad. I should have been happy for you. And, now I do. I've realized my mistake. And I am so sorry. I only hope you can forgive me," Tristan said all in one breath.

  Scarlett searched his face for any sign of insincerity, but found none. She swallowed, trying to clear her dry throat.

  And then she smiled a sad smile. "You've been forgiven of that in my book for weeks now. Oh, Tristan, I've missed you so much, but that doesn't change anything."

  "What do you mean? Scarlett, I love you."

  It took a long time for her to answer, but finally, Scarlett said, "I love you too, Tristan, but we can never be together."

  "Why? Because we live in two separate states? We can work through that—"

  "Tristan, I can't believe you would just ditch Millie like that."

  "I'm not ditching Millie. Scarlett, what are you talking about?" Tristan asked urgently.

  "She's the mother of your baby, Tristan!" Scarlett yelled.

  Heads turned in their direction. Scarlett's eyes widened as Christian looked over at them.

  "Scarlett, where the hell did you hear that?"

  "YOU WERE HUGGING HER AND COMFORTING HER!"