I know a few of you want me to bring Yael into the story, so I'll do that in a couple of chapters! I actually have a pretty good idea of where the story is going now. Thank you once again for your feedback! xx

Strings Attached

A couple of weeks later, Miles walked into the theater for rehearsal. He had grown to really hate the play- it was weird for him to act out being in love with Coma Boy still when all he really cared about was Hope. But the play was opening that weekend and it was important for Grace and Jonah's university applications, so he had to just suck it up.

He'd been spending a lot of his time reading up on baby stuff. Lola was three months along now and he'd learned that their baby already had arms, fingers, and toes. He'd also found some cribs online that he thought Lola might like.

He still had yet to tell either of his parents- Frankie hadn't ratted him out, surprisingly. He and Frankie of weren't really speaking, though. She was still angry at him for messing around with her best friend behind her back. Miles could tell she didn't think he was good enough for Lola.

Miles and Lola had kept things strictly platonic since their hallway conversation. It killed him to act like he wasn't in love with her when he was, but he knew he had to respect her wishes. He'd also seen her hanging out with Saad quite a bit lately, which only made him feel worse. He couldn't stomach the thought of her with anyone else.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her walk in. She was wearing baggier clothing lately- she was just barely beginning to show, so if she wore her usual tight clothes, it would be difficult to hide it. Her skin looked clearer and her hair shinier. She was beautiful, Miles thought as he watched her.

She tapped him on the shoulder after rehearsal. "Hey," she said hurriedly. "Can we talk? We need to touch base on some stuff."

"Yeah, sure," Miles said. He eyed her worriedly. "Everything okay?"

Lola laughed. "As okay as anything can be these days." She fastened her hair into a pony tail. "Yeah, I'm- we're- it and I are fine," she said. She let out a deep breath. "But we need to talk money. I mean, I've got some savings from the restaurant, but it's not going to be enough."

Miles sighed. "You haven't told your dad yet?"

Lola shook her head. "I can't," she said, sounding anxious all of a sudden. "I know I'll have to do it soon, but just... not yet." She looked away from him.

"He wouldn't like, kick you out or anything, though," Miles said nervously. "...right?"

Lola shrugged. "I don't know," she said quietly. "I mean, I don't think so, but... we have to be prepared for anything, you know?"

Miles sighed. "Okay, okay, here's what we'll do," he said, trying to keep both of them calm. "Worse case scenario, you can crash at my place. Mom's always liked you, I'm sure I could convince her to let you stay for a bit if you need it." He took a deep breath. "And I'm going to ask my dad for the money."

Lola looked at him worriedly. "But," she said. "your dad is- didn't he-"

Miles shook his head. "Yeah, he's pretty awful," he muttered. "But he's got money and we really need some help right now. So, I'm going to talk to him."

"Miles, are you sure?" Lola asked, putting her hand on his shoulder.

It sent shivers down his spine when she touched him. "Yeah," he murmured. "You're my family now, Lola. And I need to protect us."

Lola hugged him tightly. As he held her, he felt her tiny bump between them. It was strange, knowing their baby was right there. They smiled at each other.

"Want a ride home?" Miles asked.

Lola's smile suddenly faded. "Um, actually, Saad's supposed to meet me at the Dot," she said, looking down at the floor. "We've got this chem project, so..."

Miles nodded sadly, looking away too. "Yeah," he muttered. "I get it."

"Miles, come on, it's not like that-"

"Do you- do you have feelings for him?" Miles asked, still not looking her in the eye. He'd seen them in the halls together. He saw the way they looked at each other. She had the same look on her face with Saad that she used to have with him.

Lola just stared at him for a second, not saying anything. "He doesn't know," she said, biting her lip. "About the baby."

Miles laughed under his breath. "That's kinda screwed up, Lola," he muttered. "Don't you think? To lead him on like that."

Lola rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk about leading people on."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miles said, his face turning sour.

Lola shook her head. "Forget it," she muttered, walking towards the door. "I'll see you this weekend for the play, okay?" She turned around for a second. "And by the way," she said. "You owe me an apology card for how swollen my feet are. They're never going to fit into my size six heels again." She slammed the door behind her.

Dammit, Miles sighed. Once again, he kept screwing things up.

That evening, Miles drove over to his dad's apartment, bracing himself. He didn't think he'd ever go back there voluntarily. But he couldn't think about only himself anymore- he had to put Lola and the baby first.

He rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. He rang it again. Still no answer. He was just about to turn around and go home when his dad opened the door.

"Miles," his father said, startled. "I didn't know you were coming by."

Miles felt his heart pound. "I won't be long," he said shakily.

"Well, come in, come in," his dad said, ushering him into the living room. "Tell me, how's school? The play?"

Miles shook his head. He was really going to try and play father now, after all that he'd done. "Actually, to be honest, I'm not hear to chat," Miles said frankly, taking a seat on the sofa. "I- I sort of need a favor."

His dad sat down. "What do you need?" he asked, his voice less warm now.

"I really hate to ask," Miles said. "But I don't know where else to turn to. I- I need to borrow some money." He paused nervously. "A.. a couple grand."

His dad looked at him in disbelief. "A couple grand?" he said. "What'd you get yourself into... you wreck the car? Owe someone for drugs?"

Miles shook his head. "Forget it," he said, getting up.

His dad grabbed his shoulder. "Sit back down," he barked. Miles shivered slightly- it still made him anxious to have his dad lay a hand on him. "Now, you're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on."

Miles laughed under his breath. "Fine," he said, tossing his hands up. "You really wanna know? I got a girl pregnant!"

His dad stared at him. "Seriously?" he said, his angry. "Do you know how bad this makes me look as mayor? You having a kid?" He shook his head. "Who is the girl, anyway?"

Miles bit his lip. "Lola," he said quietly. "You know. Frankie's friend."

His dad just shook his head. "This is your mess," he said. "I'm not going to fix it for you."

Crap. "No, Dad, look, I just need-"

"No!" his dad snapped. "This is your problem. Get the money yourself." He groaned. "Your mother's going to love this."

Miles walked towards the door. "Forget it," he grumbled. "I'm out of here."

His dad looked at him. "I'm just so disappointed," he said coldly.

Miles slammed the door behind him. He ran to his car, his face hot and tears building in his eyes. He pulled out his phone and dialed.

"Hey, Esme? Do you still have those pills?"