How is someone supposed to react to that?
No. No. No. No. No. No. This cannot be happening
Adam stood to my right waving his hand in front of my face, "Helllllo, Earth to Ellie?"
I blinked rapidly then shook my head, "I'm sorry, did you say Whitney was pregnant?" I asked.
He put his hands in his blazer pockets again, "Yeah…Look, I'm really sorry. When you said that Teddy told you about Whitney, I just assumed you knew about the baby… she said she told him like a month ago."
I shook my head, "There has to be some kind of misunderstanding, couldn't she just be lying?" I asked. Some girls at the homes I lived in "got pregnant" just for the attention. What really is all that different about being rich or poor, a teenage girl is still just a teenage girl at the end of the day.
I rubbed his chin pulling at the skin, "She had a meeting this morning with her parents and the Headmaster, you know, to smooth out the details…It's not exactly Ivy League material to have a pregnant teenage girl at the school."
My whole body froze. Not one muscle moved or flinched. The blonde with her parents this morning….The girl leave Charlton's office was Teddy's pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Oh. My. God.
I began to see small black spots and made my way over to a small bench in the hallway and sat down. I put my head in my hands and tried to breath.
Adam must have followed because his voice was right over my head, "Hey are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" he asked.
"N—no, just give me a minute," I said.
After what felt like eternity, I looked up to see students beginning to shuffle to their next classes with chatting in the hallways covering up the sound of me hyperventilating I tried to focus on the clock that was mounted on the wall.
Inhale, 1 2 3, exhale, 1 2 3. I repeated that mantra until I heard him.
"Ellie!" It was Teddy. He walked over to us and eyed Adam up and down, "H—hey man… what are you doing with Ellie?" he asked skeptically.
Adam looked over at Teddy, "I'm her student ambassador, Grey. What's up?" the tension could be cut by a knife with the silent aggressive stares between the two boys.
I looked down at my stupid penny loafers and willed myself not to cry.
Teddy must have seen my concentration and anger because I felt his fingers brush through my hair as he spoke, "Hey, babe, is there something wrong?" he asked, in what seemed a genuinely worried tone.
I stood up and shoved his hand away, "Don't fucking touch me." I growled as I took my schedule back from Adam and practically ran from them.
As I took off I could faintly hear, "Dude, what the fuck did you do to her?" from what could only be described as Teddy's about-to-snap voice.
Looking down at the schedule it said that at 9:15 I had Bio-Chemistry with Dr. Wilson in room 405.
Quickly scanning the door numbers I realized that I was at 326, and went in search of the closets staircase. As I rounded a corner, I felt myself walk into something, or rather someone, and dropped my paper.
"I'm so sorry," I sputtered, as I looked up to see a young girl my age with blue eyes and black hair. She had glasses and was curvy with a pair of very worn in loafers accompanied by knee high socks.
She smiled at me, "Oh no, you're fine. I was too busy looking at my phone. Hey, you're the new girl right?" she asked.
"Yeah," I sighed.
Her glasses moved up and her cheeks pushed them when she laughed, "Don't worry, we're not all bitches, there are a few good apples here. I'm Cassidy Langdin, you must be Eleanor Pembrooke."
I nodded, "Must be…. Nice to meet you, Cassidy. I know that this is so embarrassing, but do you know the fastest way to room 405, Dr. Wilson?" I asked.
She nodded, "Take a left, up the stairs two flights, go right at the top and should be the third door on your right."
"Thank you so much, Cassidy." I said.
Tapping at her phone she turned it over to me, "Here put your number in and you can sit with us at lunch... That is if you want to."
I gladly accepted the extended invitation, "Oh God yes." I typed in my number and we waved bye.
When I made it to the door the teacher, I'm assuming Dr. Wilson, was already at the front of the room talking.
I took a deep breath and knocked lightly on the door, "And you are?" he asked.
Dr. Wilson was an older man, late fifties early sixties, with a white beard and hair and glasses. He was tall with a slight southern drawl and very well dressed.
I took out my slip that was to be signed, "I'm Ellie Pembrooke, sorry I'm late—I uh, got lost."
He eyed me and gruffly took the slip signing it with a flourish, "Well where is your student ambassador?" he asked.
"He got distracted," I mumbled back, taking the slip from his hand.
He sighed, "Just take a seat at that table in the back with Jack."
As he resumed talking, I made my way to the back of the classroom passing at the staring eyes that seemed to be glued to me since I got out of Teddy's car.
Once I was safely to the back, I sat down at the only empty black-topped table next to a skinny Indian kid with dark hair. He was wearing glasses and had a black watch on that I felt was standard issue with the smarter kids here.
"Hello, Ellie was it?" He said.
I noted his British accent and smiled, maybe he wont be like the purebred blue blood kids that seem to only go here.
I turned over to him, "Yeah, you're Jack?" I asked.
He nodded smiling, "I was the new kid a few years ago, it's not too bad, the fascination passes quickly—at least if you're a boy it does."
I laughed lightly, my heart still hurting from Teddy, "Oh I'm sure you get all the girls, Jack. So what are we doing today?" I asked as I pulled out my notebook and a stray pen from my backpack.
He placed his hands on the table, "Well today he's going to do a fifty/fifty. That mean he will lecture half the class, the lab half the class. We are almost done with the lecture, then he sets us loose for a skills lab based on the notes from his lecture."
I nodded my head and began taking notes as the teacher spoke. Jack did the same but also seemed to not pay attention as much as I had been….oh no, not a deadbeat lab partner….
Once we were dismissed to start our skills lab I turned to Jack, "Okay, what now?"
When he began to talk about what to do next, he spoke in a way that lead me to believe that science was his domain. He told me how to prepare for the labs and what to do with how the charts and graphs.
After we finished and class was out, I headed to my next class: French.
I felt a pang of hurt as I watched a couple hold hands on the way to class. They were so happy and smiling—I bet he didn't have a baby on the way with the class slut that he was keeping secret from you.
Making to my class before the bell rand I handed the teacher the slip and she told me to take a seat wherever I liked. Choosing the mid back, I slipped into the empty desk only to hear a familiar voice come up to me.
"What's going on with you and Teddy?" Ava asked me. She was wearing and identical uniform, plus a navy blue sweater, with her hair half up half down and flawless makeup.
I glared towards her, "Nothing, Ava."
She looked a bit shocked at my cutting her off and looked down a moment, "He said you were talking to Adam and were upset…"
I turned to my backpack pulling out some blank notebook paper and a pencil, "Ava, I need to pay attention in class."
Turning my body to face the front she let a flash of pain come across her face then recovered. She turned forward as well and quickly typed something out on her phone.
Once class was over, it was lunch. Something kept telling me to not go and just skip; go home and crying into my pillow all afternoon seemed to be the most appealing idea but then I remember I lived with the Grey's—there was no escaping Teddy.
I made my way to the cafeteria grabbing a bottle of water and turning to see where Cassidy was.
My phone buzzed and I didn't recognize the number: Hey Ellie it's Cassidy! We are in the quad by the benches
My heart sank… Teddy sat in the quad too. Breathing deep I decided to hold my head high and just pass him; maybe I would get lucky and he wouldn't be there yet.
Lucky wasn't so much my thing because the second my eye landed where Cassidy was, someone pulled my arm and I stumbled into them.
Looking up I noticed that it was Teddy looking down at me, "Ellie what's going on? Why wont you talk to me? Did something happen?" he asked pleading me to answer.
I stared him cold in the eye wrenching my arm back from his grasp, "Yeah, the other shoe dropped."
Making my way over to Cassidy, I sat down next to her and began to be introduced to her friends, mostly nerdy girls and guys. I smiled back not remembering anyone's names and looked down at my phone when it buzzed in my skirt pocket: Please talk to me, El.
It was from Teddy. I sighed and slumped my back against the seat back. I didn't respond and for the rest of my classes I kept to myself.
Phoebe was in my P. E. class, which made it difficult to get around keeping to myself, but I just told her I wanted to be alone. Hopefully she would just take it at face value and do it; she did, which I was thankful for.
Once our last classes of the day ended, I headed towards the office to give Mrs. Sterns my slip. I opened the glass doors only to find Teddy sitting in one of the waiting chairs, his leg bouncing up and down non stop.
"Ellie, please, come on, this isn't funny—this isn't like me being and ass in the coffee shop. Talk to me." He begged.
I looked down and turned to the desk, "Here you go, thank you." I said to Mrs. Sterns and she gave me a small smile. I think she knew.
Teddy followed me as I made my way to his car, my arms crossed over my chest, as I didn't look up to see him—I would only crack.
Getting into my seat I looked out the window and noted that phoebe didn't call playing DJ, instead she slipped her headphones in her ears and looked sad. The car ride was silent except for the occasional plea from Teddy to talk to him.
As we pulled up to the Grey's house, the gate opened only to reveal a shiny red Mercedes SUV in the driveway.
"This can't be fucking happening," Teddy bit out.
I was confused as he parked the car and gave Phoebe a don't-you-dare-say-a-thing look. She quickly flew up the stairs and I heard her door shut.
Walking into the kitchen I reached for a bottle of water and was planning to retire to my room for the night, but when I turned around I wasn't greeted with Ms. Jones, Taylor, or Teddy. But was in facet greeted with the root of my problems: Whitney.
She was perched on the kitchen stool with a half eaten sandwich and a glass of lemonade in front of her.
She dusted off her hands and smiled at me, "You must be Ellie, I'm Whitney Clark."
Her hair was now fixed into a side braid and the makeup that had been streaked this morning was now immaculate and fixed into place.
I nodded to her, "Yeah I'm Ellie."
She showed her pearly white smile, "I hope I'm not bothering you, I seem to only be able to keep food down in the late afternoons." She absentmindedly stroked her stomach and I frowned.
Since Teddy had told me about Whitney, I hated her. Wasn't that a natural thing to do? You hate your boyfriend's ex's? I thought so until I met Whitney. I couldn't hate her—which makes me hate her.
Her actions seemed real and not some teen mom front.
"No, no you're fine, I was just headed up to my room to rest and do some homework anyways." My excuse seemed to work as I turned to leave I was face to face with Teddy.
His eyes widened as he realized whom I had been conversing with, "What are you doing here, Whitney?" he asked hostilely.
She looked at him confused, "My parents brought me here, they're in with your mom and dad right now in the study." She explained sipping her lemonade.
His eyes bugged out of his head for a moment before he looked down at me in the eye. I saw him slowly breaking apart.
I was about to say something when I heard Mr. Grey cut me off, "Theodore Raymond Grey, get in my office. Now." He was using the intercom that was wired throughout the house and extensions of the property.
His eye winced shut as he looked down at me once more, "I am so, so, sorry, Ellie." He said turning towards Christian's voice.
I ran up the stairs to my room and locked the door. Dropping my backpack to the ground I hurled myself into the pillows on my bed crying.
This was my entire fault. I had let myself be happy—I didn't think about the consequences of putting all my eggs in one basket. I didn't wait for the other shoe to drop like I was supposed to. I didn't stop to think about the realness of what was going on. You don't go from homeless to living in a billionaire's mansion overnight without some type or trouble; life isn't a nice enough thing for that.
Crying had apparently tired me out and I realized that I had fallen asleep after my fitful hours of crying. I rolled over to see the clock reading 3:36 AM flashing on my alarm clock.
I sighed stripping out of my uniform and heading to the bathroom. I stepped under the steam of the shower and rinse my face off trying to remove the tear-stains on my skin.
Stepping out I wrapped myself in a towel and padded into the closet. I opened my drawer for my pajamas and almost started crying again; over the past month that I had been living at the Grey's, I had amassed a collection of Teddy's old t-shirt that I loved to sleep in.
Digging under them I finally found one that was mine from before and slipped it on, it wasn't the same but I would have to make due with that.
My throat was drying from all that crying I had been doing and I had already finished my bottle of water. I sighed, I would have to go downstairs and get one.
Turning to the door, I opened it and as I exited the doorway my foot caught on something and I tripped falling down.
I heard a groan and the light from my room cast across their face. Teddy had been sleeping on the floor outside my door…
I looked wide eyes with my back against the wall and drew my knees up to my chest, "What are you doing?" I asked.
He sat up and tugged the roots of his hair, "I need to explain everything to you. Please, Ellie, I am so sorry about this. Please, Jesus Christ, please let me fix this." His eyes had been puffy and he looked haggard.
"Fix what, Teddy?" I snapped. Tears began to well in my eyes as I looked at him. I hadn't known it then, but now looking at him, the way it was affecting my emotions, and me I realized I was in love with him. I was in love with Teddy Grey and he broke my heart.
His face sank and he looked down, "Can we please talk about this?" he asked.
My eyes narrowed, we were squared off, "Tell me one thing, Teddy."
His face met mine, "Of course, El."
"Is the baby yours?" I asked. My voice wavered a moment and I felt myself let out a rugged breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
A single tear fell down Teddy's cheek and his head hung limp, "Yes."
