"No. No, no, no. God, this can't be happening."
tears were on the verge of spilling from sixteen year old Caroline Forbes' bright blue orbs. The test was positive. "I can't be– I can't be preg–" she was cut off by her mother's voice. "Caroline I'm home!" Her eyes shot to the bathroom doorknob. Frantically her hand bolted to the lock turning it into place, pregnancy test in the other.
Without thinking she placed the test back into the box and shoved the box into her book bag, being careful not to leave any evidence behind. "Caroline? Are you home?" With her hands still shaking, she wiped a tear from her face. "I'm right here, Mom! I'll be out in a second!" Gathering her composure she unlocked the door and closed it behind her.
"Oh, hey sweetie, how was school?" her mom's voice echoed in her ears. "Caroline?" a concerned look crossed Liz's face. She was sure her mom could hear her heart beating out of her chest. "Um, it was good.. I guess." A million thoughts were racing through her mind, finally landing on one. How was she going to tell Tyler?
"Are you okay, sweetheart? You look like you've seen a ghost." Liz looked her up and down. "Yeah, I'm fine Mom. Just.. stressing about midterms." She perked up, thankful she'd thought of an excuse to be anywhere but here. "Speaking of– I have to go, actually. I have a study date with Elena." Still holding her book bag, she pulled the second strap over her shoulder. She pulled her Liz into a hug "I'll be back by 8:00 pm." Caroline grabbed her keys off of the counter, "Love you!" Liz exclaimed. She could hear a faint "Love you too." come from her daughter as she bolted out the front door.
Caroline took a deep breath as she pulled up to her best friends home. She had no idea what she was going to say to Elena yet, but she knew she had to tell someone. It was killing her. She ran her fingers through her hair before turning off the ignition and getting out of the car. She picked at her shirt waiting for Elena to answer the door. She always did that when she was nervous.
"Oh, hey Care. Did we have plans and I forg—"
Elena was cut off mid sentence when Caroline embraced her in a hug. She hesitated at first but then hugged her back. "Caroline.. are you okay? You know I'm all for hugs but you're worrying me." Elena giggled nervously. "Not exactly." Caroline said pulling out of the hug. "I need to tell you something."
—
"Promise me you won't freak out." Caroline reached into her book bag, hesitating to pull out the test. The two were now sitting on Elena's bed. "I promise." Her voice was sincere. She knew she meant it. Caroline looked down at her hand, still inside of her bag. "Come on Caroline, it can't be that b—" Caroline closed her eyes and pulled out the test, still in the box. Elena went silent, she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. Caroline opened one eye, scared to see her reaction. "Does this mean you're..." Caroline nodded. "And it's Tyler's?" She nodded again. Tears started to form in her eyes and her breath hitched. Elena grabbed her hand. "Hey, Caroline look at me." She lifted Caroline's chin, looking into her eyes. "I want you to know that you aren't alone. No matter what you decide to do. Okay? I'll be here with you– every step of the way." Caroline let out a deep breath that she didn't realize she was holding, letting her tears stream down her porcelain skin. Elena wiped them away and pulled her into a hug. "Shh, it's okay. Have you told anyone yet? Besides me?" She stroked Caroline's blonde locks. "No. Not even my Mom." she sniffled. "I'm so scared, Elena. Tyler's going to hate me... I'm only sixteen! How am I supposed to raise a baby? How am I gonna afford everything? Do you know how much money I have right now? I have thirty five dollars, Elena. Thirty five! What if I forget to feed it? I can't even remember to do my own homework! Oh my god. School. How am I going to—" "Caroline." She kept rambling. "Caroline, stop!" She looked up at Elena. "Just breathe. I know you're scared, but everything is going to work out. I promise. Just... trust me."
"When are you going to tell Tyler?" Elena rubbed circles on Caroline's back, hoping to calm her down. "Is never an option?" A bitter laugh escaped Caroline's lips. "Caroline be serious, you have to tell him." She brushed a strand of hair out of Caroline's face. "I know, I know... I just—I don't know how he's going to react. He's not good with surprises, you know?" Elena nodded with a sympathetic look on her face. It was relationships. That's what he wasn't good at, not surprises. At least not with his relationship with Caroline. Elena knew that, but Caroline on the other hand, was blind to the subject.
Caroline wasn't the only one worried about what would happen when she tells him the news. "I'll come with you." Elena squeezed Caroline's hand. "Really? You would do that?" Elena nodded "Care, you're my best friend." She wiped another tear from Caroline's cheek. "I would do anything for you."
—
"I'll be right in there, okay?" Elena pointed to the back entrance to the school. Caroline nodded. Tyler was supposed to meet her after football practice.
There were a couple of guys way out on the field but other than that the school was empty.
"Caroline." Tyler's voice brought her out of her trance. "Look, can you make this quick? I have somewhere to be." He held the football up, shaking it. "But... practice is already over?" Caroline's voice was small.
"Just say whatever you wanted to tell me. I'm sure it's not that important. It never is..." he mumbled the last part, rolling his eyes. Caroline was too distracted to notice.
Her eyes shifted over to Elena who was giving her a 'go on, tell him' signal through the window. "You might want to sit down." she told Tyler gesturing toward the picnic tables. They both took a seat on opposite sides of each other. "There's really no way to sugarcoat this." She had been avoiding his glare before. "Just don't freakout and go all football on me okay?" She laughed nervously.
"I'm— I'm pregnant."