Rose's POV

One week later, we're sitting inside the waiting room of the clinic. Ava absentmindedly picks at the hem of her shirt that clings to her body. I have got to take her clothes shopping after this.

"Miss Edwards? The doctor will see you now," the nurse says. I follow Ava into the room, where a woman rearranges her papers.

"Nice to see you again Ava, and…"

She trails off when she looks up and sees me. My God, it IS her.

"Mom?"

"R-rosemary?"

We stand in silence for a while.

"So...uh, how are things?"

"They're...um...fine. Ok, Ava, let's get you checked out."

She checks the vitals of Ava and the babies while I stare at the wall. She's been here this whole time...why didn't she reach out before?

"They started moving last week," Ava says. "Feels like little goldfish swimming around in me."

"Well, that's normal for 7 months. Make sure to keep eating the food I recommended to you."

Ava nods and exits the door, leaving me with my mom.

"...all these years, not a single phone call…"

"Rose, I would if I could have...and I'm sorry I didn't watch you better."

"What am I supposed to do now? I thought you were never coming back…and now you're here, when I'm gonna graduate in June and go off to college."

"I made a mistake."

"What, having me?"

I couldn't stop the words from slipping out of my mouth, but I was so hurt, lost and confused that I didn't know what to think. My mom looks shocked.

"I admit it was a bit of a surprise to me, but I loved you from the minute I gave birth to you."

"I cried so much that day. I thought you didn't want me anymore."

"I know, and I'm so sorry for that."

"This is a lot to process, mom," I mutter awkwardly.

"Take your time. If you'd like we can get together and have a little brunch later on?" she offers eagerly. I shrug. What am I supposed to say?

"I guess that would be nice."

"Great. I'll see you there."

"I guess…"

I meet Ava outside of the parking lot near my motorcycle.

"How did it go?"

"Sooooo awkward. I mean, she's my mom and everything, but I haven't even seen her for longer than I've seen Roscoe."

"I guess it was too much to expect for a tearful happy reunion."

"I think I was too cold towards her."

"Trust me, I'd respond the same way if I were in your shoes. I know you definitely don't want to be in my shoes, though."

We laugh a little. It's nice to see Ava happy for once.

"Speaking of which, we need to go shopping!"

"Oh, God no."

"Yes, if you're going to make the most out of this situation, you're gonna look great doing it. It will be a huge middle finger to your attacker to see you enjoying yourself and not being knocked down."

"Ugh, fine."

Nicole's POV

I didn't go to school today. I highly doubt Ava went either. I don't blame her. Turns out, Nick was livid that I took the car and demanded I bring it back after school. Something about wanting to take his future boyfriend out for the night. Whatever that means.

I'm browsing through some clothes at the mall when I hear a shriek followed by some giggling.

"It's so hideous, Rose!"

"It's a great look on you."

"So...horizontal stripes across my belly is a great look?"

"Just showing off that maternal glow!"

The two girls dissolve into giggles. I peek around the corner and see Ava and a black girl with pink hair trying on clothes. Ava was right. Those horizontal stripes are not a good look on her.

"Hey, Nicole," Ava greets when she sees me. "This is my best friend Rose. Rose, this is Nicole, the girl I was talking to you about."

This makes me blush a little that she even remembered my name.

"Y-you can call m-me Nicki...or Nicole. Whichever one you want to call me," I stammer. Rose smiles and shakes my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Nicole," she chirps. "What's your opinion of Ava's ensemble?"

I pretend to look Ava up and down, appraising every detail. I see her start to blush under my gaze. I feel my cheeks heating up as well. But I bet Ava's not in a place to date anyone right now. Oh well. A girl can dream.

"The outfit is ugly, but you look beautiful, Ava," I say. Ava blushes as red as her curly hair. Rose laughs and rolls her eyes.

"While I agree Ava looks stunning, I think the dress looks lovely," Rose says.

"Yeah, on you," Ava snickers. Rose pulls something else out.

"Wow...that one's perfect for her." I gasp. Ava goes into the changing room. She emerges minutes later. She's wearing a black one sleeve maternity dress that reaches her knees with black see through stockings with black pumps. Shoot, she can probably hear how fast my heart is beating at the sight of her. Please tell me I'm not crushing on this girl.

"You're right, Nicole! Let's get it!" Rose exclaims excitedly. She goes to the cash register to pay. Ava lingers for a bit, twiddling her thumbs.

"You really think I look beautiful?" She asks shyly. "You're not just saying so to make me feel better?"

"No...I mean it...I think you're really pretty," I whisper. My fingertips are just barely touching hers. I blush bright red and look down. Ava smiles wistfully.

"That's so sweet...you kind of remind me of my ex-girlfriend."

"What happened?"

"She...she was shot...and I never saw her again...I miss her sometimes."

"I'm so sorry…"

"It's fine. I think Rose is done buying the clothes. Let's catch up to her before another store captures her eyes."

Aiden's POV

"You can't ignore me forever. You said we'd talk about this in the morning," Jason says from behind me as I put my books away in my locker. I say nothing and keep walking. I really hate doing this to Jay but...I can't put him in danger again because of something I did. He walks in front of me, forcing me to look at him.

"Hmph…" I grumble.

"Babe, my competition is tonight, so can we please put this little spat behind us for the time being?" he asks, holding one of my hands and looking at me with those electric blue eyes of his.

"Of course," I mutter under my breath. "I would absolutely hate if your performance was hindered because of me being mad at you."

"What?"

"Nothing. I know you'll do great," I say, giving him a tight smile.

"Awesome. Thanks, babe," he says, giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. I sigh and head to class.

"Happy day before our anniversary to you too," I mutter.

My phone continuously vibrates in class with texts from Karma'sComing123. I'd put my phone on silent but I'm worried he (or she) might be watching me. They found out what exactly Jessica did to me. The gaslighting, the possessiveness, the strangling...They threatened to make me relive everything all over again if I didn't keep supplying them with secrets. I've told so many of my own that my life is an open book to any one who bothers to read my texts. I don't know how long I can endure this for.

"Mr. Zhou, are you listening?" I hear the teacher call out. Crap, must've zoned out again.

"Y-yes sir," I stammer.

"Ok then, tell me why the function x over x minus 3 is discontinuous at the value x=3?"

"I...uh…" I scan the board, trying to see where the class was. Some students start snickering. The teacher rolls his eyes.

"Sir, my friend here isn't feeling too hot so I'm just gonna take him to the nurse," Ace says quickly. He gets up and practically drags me outside.

"I wasn't on my phone this time, I swear!"

"Not important. Do you know why Rose and I rarely have any fights, much less about something serious?"

"No."

"Because we actually talk through our problems instead of walking away and waiting for things to blow over."

I sigh, "I guess I've been falling back into old habits again."

"You still think about her, don't you?" he asks. I look away, my face somber.

"Almost every night I dream that she came back and hurt everyone I cared about...then she'd always blame me for what happened. Like maybe Uma would still be here if I hadn't gone through with the trial...I thought after a few months I would get over it but I guess not."

"Does Jason know about any of this?"

"As far as he knows, my night terrors come only occasionally. I know it's stupid, but I'm scared of getting my heart broken again. I don't want him to leave again."

"It's completely normal for you to feel this way considering what you've been through, but if you and Jay could get some alone time to fix things before they get out of hand, that won't happen."

"Try doing that without one of his friends flanking him," I scoff. "I swear, Katie's attached to him almost all the time at school."

"Maybe you can find him at lunch. He's usually the only one in the auditorium during lunch. Talk to him then. And I mean really talk to him, not beating around the bush."

"But what if-"

"You keep thinking about what if and nothing's ever gonna change. Just go do it."

He squeezes my shoulder ad gives me and encouraging smile. Swallowing the hard lump in my throat, I nod.

"Thanks, Ace."

"Now, why is x=3 continuous?" he jokes, nudging my ribs

"Oh God, Ace."

Jason's POV

"I'm sure Aiden will come around, Nick," I say as he leans on the wall in the dressing room. "He always does eventually."

"How do you know he will this time?" Nick says. "You said he seemed pretty upset with you recently."

"I know...I messed up...again. But I'm worried about him. He got these weird texts from someone named Karma'sComing123-"

"No offense," Nick says suddenly. "But with a nickname like that, I have to suspect he's lying."

"He's not!" I snap. "He wouldn't lie to me, not about something like this! Not if it's making him too terrified to tell me!"

"Whoa, Jace. Calm down, love. I'm just saying maybe you're being a little too overprotective of that guy. If he refuses to show you who he's texting, then who's to say that-"

"Hello?" I hear Aiden's voice outside of the changing room. "Jace, are you in there?"

He opens the door, immediately rushing into my arms.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Aiden says, a slight edge in his voice when he notices Nick in the changing room with me. Nick flushes.

"Nope, I was just leaving," Nick mutters quickly as he heads out. Aiden buries his head in the crook of my neck.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Look, I've been a huge jerk to you lately, and I'm really sorry for that."

"I told you you can't stay mad at me forever," I say, pressing my forehead against his.

"About those texts I've been getting...I think someone is stalking me."

I knew it.

"Do you know who it is?"

"No...I don't."

"Can I...can I see?"

Reluctantly, Aiden hands his phone over to me. Each message gets me more angry. This person's been harassing Aiden for over a week and blackmailing him. Details about his personal life are all over the place. There's even one where he thinks I've changed my mind about proposing to him, and the asshole has the nerve to agree with him. Aiden looks away from me.

"Babe, you know none if those things are true, right?" I ask, nudging his shoulder. "They're just trying to make you feel bad."

"I know, I should've told you earlier when it started. I guess old habits die hard," he says sadly. The physical wounds may have faded away but he still has the emotional scars. I remember how he told me that whenever he and Jessica had a disagreement, they'd just not talk to each other until she blows up at him to stop ignoring her. I guess he was waiting for the same to happen here.

"Sweetheart, you know I'd never intentionally hurt you," I tell him, caressing his cheek. I sigh, remembering the day I lashed out at him and almost lost him. "I promised I'd never let anyone hurt him as much as I did, and I'm going to keep that promise."

Aiden doesn't say anything, but he nods silently as he pulls me into a deep kiss before walking away.

Katie's POV

Jason seems to be in a much better mood now. He has that pep in his step back. He's started humming to himself

"Glad to see you back to normal, Jay," I say, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, Aiden's not mad at me anymore, so that's great," he replies, beaming. Of course it was too good to be true. I was sure he and Nick would've hooked up after last week. "I'm totally ready for the competition tonight."

"Awesome. We're gonna kill it," I say, giving him a fist bump.

"We're gonna run the number from the top one more time, then go home and rest for tonight," Jason commands. "Everyone get in your positions! 5,6,7,8!"

Nick seems awfully quiet today. I go talk to him after practice.

"Hey, Nick," I say. "You excited for tonight's competition?"

He looks up at me and gives me a sad smile.

"Yeah, totally stoked for that," he replies weakly.

"Is something wrong?" I ask in concern.

"It's just...this thing that's been bugging be since we went out last week with Jason. You know he was, like, really drunk when I took him home? Well...I was helping Jason out of the car, when he tried to kiss me."

"Aww, I'm sure Jason's just embarrassed he let his true feelings slip out," I console him.

"You...you really think he likes me?"

"Trust me. The only reason he's still holding out for Aiden is because he doesn't want to hurt his feelings," I assure him. "From the day I met him at our first glee club practice, he's always been this low-key hopeless romantic, dreaming that one day he'd find his Prince Charming as his soulmate. And now, he thinks he's found 'the one.' Give me a break."

Nick laughs a little.

"Well, allow me to defy the odds and fate herself," he chuckles, picking up his bag.

"I hope you do," I say. Nick turns away and I take out my phone.

KitKat: OK, I have something big! Turns out, Jay drunkenly tried to kiss Nick last week and tried to deny it to spare Aiden's feelings

Karma'sComing123:...Are you serious? Jason could easily blame this on being intoxicated. Do you have any photographical proof of this?

KitKat: Well, no.

Karma'sComing123: Never mind. I swear, you're fucking hopeless

KitKat: Hey! It's not my fault! I want Aiden out of the picture as much as you do! I won't let him steal my best friend from me!

Karma'sComing123: Ok then… You should keep an eye on Jason. Try to find certain weak spots

Nick's POV

"Everyone has their uniforms, correct?" Jason asks all the members as we board the bus.

Everyone says yes. "Do I need to do any last-minute readjusting?"

A chorus of no's answers back at him. He sighs in relief and slumps over his duffel bag in the front of the bus. He takes out his phone and starts texting, a small smile and blush growing on his freckled face. I narrow my eyes at this. I bet he was texting his stupid boyfriend as usual.

A group of girls start randomly singing songs from High School Musical, much to Jason's chagrin.

"For fuck's sake, guys! Out of all the songs you could sing, you choose that one?" he groans, taking out a set of headphones to drown them out. The girls giggle apologetically and choose another song. This prompts some of the guys to try to outshine them by rapping obnoxiously.

"All the chickenheads...be quiet!" I hear one of the boys holler, arousing a wave of boisterous laughter. Katie sits next to me on the bus, clutching her dark blue duffel bag. I have to admit her company is quite nice when you get past her clear obsession with Jason's love life.

"This your first singing competition?" she inquires.

"In a team, yeah," I answer quietly. "I'm surprised Jason let me join with a competition this close."

"Well, we had a replacement for the graduated member, but the replacement got too busy and left. So we were pretty lucky when you showed up."

"Yes, lucky indeed," I say. "Does Jason always sit by himself when we travel?"

"For the most part, yeah. He likes to psych himself up so he's at 110% when we perform. He doesn't like to be disturbed, though."

"I see."

The rest of the bus ride is smooth, with only a few loud outbursts from the kids in the back.

We stop by a restaurant near the venue.

"Remember: lead vocalists no eating ice cream or any dairy products in excess. That would be, Allison, Marvel, Victoria, Nick, Katie and myself. Try to eat light because we're #3 in the queue and I don't want anyone to get sick," Jason says.

"When do we change?" A freshman asks.

"As soon as you're done eating," he answers. "I'm gonna go check out the venue. You guys can start without me."

"Dude, do you even eat before performances?" Someone calls out. Jay freezes.

"The adrenaline usually gets me through," is all he says before disappearing.

"That dude's gonna pass out one of these days from that," a guy says. "But what can we say? Jason's as stubborn as a mule. "

"What does he do by himself all the time?" I ask. Katie shrugs.

"Who knows. Jason isn't necessarily an open book with certain things."

"Aren't you curious?"

"Well, yeah?"

"Let's follow him."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. He's kinda sensitive about people getting in his business, especially since he was outed last year."

"But what if he's doing something he shouldn't be?"

"Why would he be?"

"He seemed very determined to win this competition."

"Well, that's because he wants some fancy ring to propose to-"

Katie tries to cover her mouth but the damage is done.

So it was true…

"Well, if that's the case, then we should probably stop him before he does something to jeopardize the competition."

"I guess…" she says with some uncertainty. We grab our food to go and follow where Jason left.

We stare in awe at the venue where the competition is supposed to take place. We see Jason sitting on the stage with his boyfriend while two adults that look like Aiden sit in the seats in front of them. The two of us get close enough for us to hear what they're saying.

"You're gonna do great, Jay," Aiden gushes, leaning his head on Jason's shoulder, to which the latter plants a kiss on his forehead and his cheeks.

"I know, I have my good luck charm with me," Jay chuckles, wrapping an arm around Aiden's waist. There's a weird muffled noise, and Jason flushes.

"Someone sounds hungry. You should go and eat something, Jason. I'm not going anywhere," Aiden assures him, squeezing his hand. Jay shakes his head.

"It's probably just nerves," Jay remarks casually, rubbing his stomach.

"Well, maybe you'd feel less nervous on a full stomach."

"Babe, that's just asking for me to end up puking on the stage."

"Not even a little snack?" Aiden asks, causing Jason to snicker. He ruffles Aiden's hair.

"I suppose a small fruit or something wouldn't hurt," he relents. Aiden takes an orange slice and hands it to him. "You, uh, want me to eat it now?"

Aiden nods expectantly.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions," Katie whispers to me. "But I think Jason might be starving himself.."

"Are you sure?" I whisper back. "He looks pretty fit."

"Yeah, but I don't think I've ever seen Jason eat anything at school or before competitions, always opting to go practice more. I think that might be why he fell during practice last week."

"Ok. one slice, that's all," Aiden tries to coax Jay. Jason crosses his arms defiantly.

"I'm not really hungry at the moment, A," Jay says weakly. Aiden frowns, but puts the orange slice back in his bag. "Look, I gotta get back with the other members. I'll see you after the show, K?"

"Of course," Aiden agrees. Jay kisses him on the mouth (albeit modestly since his parents were there) and heads to the changing room.

"I guess we better get changed too," Katie says. When I get into the changing room, Jason's talking to someone on the phone. His back is to me, but he sounds nervous from the way some man is screaming at him on the phone.

"I-It was at 145 last time I checked...I did exersise this morning...yes...I know...I couldn't help it, I was starving for some actual food...I know...no, please don't make me go back...I know...yes, I deserve it...I know...Bye...Dad…"

Jason hangs up, and I pretend I was just walking in when he turns around.

"That was uh...your dad?" I ask awkwardly. He scowls.

"Yeah, what about it?" he snaps.

"Do you need to talk about it or-"

"There's nothing to talk about, Nick. We need to get changed."

I try to say something, but more of the guys are piling in now. Jason grabs his clothes out of his bag and heads out to a more secluded bathroom.

10 minutes later, we're all sitting in the front rows, watching the competition. I admit it, they're good. We've got groups from Statton, Kepler, Athena, Apollo ...even some from Twin Branches.

Hell, I bet the whole district is here.

"Jason, hi!" I hear a girl screech. A girl with pink hair rushes over to give Jason a hug. His smile does not reach his eyes.

"Next up, from Lakeside High School, we have #StepUp!" the judge announces. The other members excitedly clamber up the step and take their positions.

The crowds chants of, "Let's go, step up!" make Jason beam with pure pride, as if he wasn't just in a pit of self-loathing before. The lights go out, and the music starts.

Jason: "You ain't going nowhere long as he's the driver. You can ride with him but he'll never be the same."

(Boys Chorus: Same, same, same, same)

The way his eyes gaze upon the audience sends people into a craze.

Me: "One look at ya tells me that you wanna be taken higher. See the problem is you wish he could make you feel the way I do"

At this, everyone gets into their respective groups and starts the step up, jump, and spin routine. Jay's really getting into it, rolling his hips and smiling at the audience. If only his attention weren't so focused on one particular member...

All: "Why waste time when you know I got it. C'mon girl you know you want it. You know it's impossible to get what you're looking for from him he can't do it like me I'm goin' prove it

Jason: "I got a question can you help me out?"

Here, he breaks into the dance he's apparently been working on for months. It's a complicated set of steps that you'd have to be really good at rhythm to understand the moves. But Jason? He's like a machine, and the crowd absolutely loves it.

Jason: "How many people can do it like me?" Guys: "ZERO!"

Me: "Keep it so cool like me?"

Girls: "ZERO!"

Jason and Me: "Girl you know there ain't nobody nobody

Jason: "Else that can make it so hot like me?"

Guys: "ZERO!"

Me: "Take it to the top like me."

Girls: "ZERO!"

All: "Girl you know there ain't nobody nobody... ZERO!"

Jason: "It ain't a good look without me in your corner. You can rock with him but he'll never fill my space."

Boys Chorus: Space, space space, space

I look directly at Jason for the next line.

Me: "One look at him tells me that he ain't the right one for you.I don't understand why you settle being here in second pla-a-a-ace."

All: "Why waste time when you know I got it

C'mon girl you know you want it. You know it's impossible to get what you're looking for from him he can't do it like me I'm goin' prove it."

Jason: "I got a question can you help me out?"

He does the same dance again with more flair, arousing a louder response from the crowd.

Jason: "How many people can do it like me?" Guys: "ZERO!"

Me: "Keep it so cool like me?"

Girls: "ZERO!"

Jason and Me: "Girl you know there ain't nobody nobody

Jason: "Else that can make it so hot like me?"

Guys: "ZERO!"

Me: "Take it to the top like me."

Girls: "ZERO!"

All: "Girl you know there ain't nobody nobody... ZERO!"

Me: "There's only one guy that can make you feel right that's me, myself and I. So why even try to make it work with him only you know I'm the original-nal-nal-nal-nal-nal.

Jason: "How many people can do it like me?"

Guys: "ZERO!"

Me: "Keep it so cool like me?"

Girls: "ZERO!"

Jason and Me: "Girl you know there ain't nobody nobody."

We get into groups of 5 and launch on person in the air. Jason flips, spins a few times, and sticks the landing with a split.

Jason: "Else that can make it so hot like me?"

Guys: "ZERO!"

Me: "Take it to the top like me."

Girls: "ZERO!"

All: "Girl you know there ain't nobody nobody... ZERO!"

The group poses dramatically as the who area is surrounded by deafening applause and cheering.

Katie catches up with Jason after we head off the stage.

"That was epic, Jace! How are you feeling?"

"A little lightheaded, but I'll be fine," he replies, leaning on the wall for support. His legs are slightly shaking. He leans on one of the members to help him get back to his seat. We sit through the rest of the performances. Finally, the judge announces the results.

"In third place for 5 thousand dollars...is Athena Academy and Estrogen Overload! In second place for 15 thousand dollars...is Statton Academy and the Guild. In first place for 25 thousand dollars...is Lakeside High School with #StepUp!"

Around me, teammates are jumping up and squealing loudly. Jason smiles weakly but stays in his seat. Aiden runs over to him and pulls him in for a deep kiss. Jealousy runs through me. I knew that those should be my lips pressed to Jason's, and my hands caressing his hair. Jay grins at his boyfriend, blushing madly. The color suddenly fades from his cheeks.

"Jace are you ok?' Aiden asks worriedly.

"I don't feel so...nggh…"

His eyes roll back as he suddenly faints.

Everyone rushes to where he collapsed. People tell us to give him some room. Aiden manages to push through and kneel at Jay's side.

"Oh, Jay," he sighs. "I knew this would happen. I'll take him to a doctor if necessary."

With that, he hoists Jay up on his back and carries him towards his parents. So Katie was right after all.