Chapter 31
Marco's POV
Stepping past Noah and into his house felt like entering the lion's den. More people than I had expected where there. Sitting on the Flynn's large sofa. No one was talking, and everyone looked at me as I entered.
Racheal was the first to break the silence.
"What are you doing here?" She said with a clearly pissed off edge to her voice.
I wanted to just ignore her, but everyone was looking at me expectantly and I knew they were all wondering the same thing.
"I need to talk to Lee" I said in a small voice and looked Lee straight in the eye.
"Well, Lee is too busy to talk right now" Racheal answered for him and tried to take his hand. Lee pulled his hand away and Racheal looked hurt.
Lee stood up and gestured for me to come through to the kitchen. Both Elle and Racheal followed us.
"This is kind of private" I said, gesturing to the girls.
Racheal crossed her arms and Elle turned as if to leave before she spotted her and glared at her.
"Come on Racheal" Elle said snappily. I winced at the venom in her voice. She really hated Racheal and I didn't know if she was going to end up hating me as well.
"I'm not going anywhere. Marco is a liar and I know he's going to try and say something to Lee about me because he's jealous" Racheal said, leaning against a kitchen counter in a clear display that she wasn't budging.
Elle and Lee looked at each other, silently communicating like they usually did.
I felt angry at Racheal and I thought - if I am going to go down in flames I may as well do it in style.
"I'm not the liar Racheal, you are" I spat at her and before she could say anything else, I turned to Lee and Elle.
"Want to know how I know Racheal is a liar? Because we have been sleeping together. She lied about being on the pill and now she's pregnant" I said in a rush, more to Lee because I couldn't bare to look Elle in the eye.
To my astonishment Lee smiled widely. It was as if I had just told him the best news of his life.
"Don't listen to him Lee. I told you he was going to try and say something about me. The baby is yours" Racheal said starting to cry. She, like me could probably tell that Lee believed me instantly.
"Get out" Lee said to her, still smiling like a maniac.
"You can't kick me out Lee, I'm pregnant with your child!" Racheal screeched so loud that there was a sudden scramble from the living room and all of the adults who had been sat there in silence came into the kitchen.
Racheal's dad looked murderously at Lee. He was red in the face and looked ready to punch someone.
Noah stood in front of Elle and I frowned, because surely Lee was in the most danger here and needed protecting right now.
"You will not turn your back on my daughter and your child!" Racheal's dad spat in Lee's face.
"She's not pregnant with his child" I said confidently. Her dad rounded on me. "Are you calling my daughter a liar! She's pregnant! She's already proved that. He knocked her up, ruined her life. And now he doesn't want to take responsibility for it!" he roared with clenched fists. I flinched away from his anger.
"She has been sleeping with Marco" came Elle's small voice from behind Noah's back.
Racheal parents both looked at Racheal in astonishment.
"I have not" Racheal said in a small unconvincing voice as everyone in the room starred at her.
Finally, a woman I didn't know broke the shocked silence. "Molly, I can see you have a lot going on. Me and Daisy will get going and come back tomorrow is that OK?" she said to Lee's mum.
"Of course, I am so sorry for the eh disturbance. I'll see you and Daisy to the door" Lee's mum said quickly.
"I'll come too" Lee said quickly, making to follow his mum and the woman. Racheal's dad held out his arm to block him. "You are not going anywhere young man." He said threateningly to Lee.
Racheal's POV
Marco was going to ruin everything. All of my careful planning was going down the drain. I wasn't going to sit back and let him take everything from me like this. But I didn't know how to stop the current events unfolding like they were.
As everyone continued to argue and shout over each other. Calling me a liar and such. I was quiet and thoughtful, quickly thinking up a plan. Finally, it came to me and I hid my triumphant smile as I spoke up.
"Haven't you noticed that Marco hasn't been as obsessed with you lately like he usually is?" I said to Elle. She and Noah frowned at me. "It's because he's turned his obsessions to me instead. He said he was in love with me and was trying to break me and Lee up when we were together. Just like he did with you and Noah. But it didn't work and he's angry that he came second best again and is trying to take it out on me. He thinks if he convinces him the baby is actually his, then I will be all alone and have no one else to turn to" I finished. My mother, having heard what I said, put a comforting arm around me. Marco looked flabbergast. I avoided looking at him because I knew I would end up smiling in triumph.
I could almost see the cogs in Noah's head working. He had never liked Marco and he knew Marco had a thing for Elle.
Molly returned and she got everyone to return to the living room to sit down. Lee's dad, who was always the one with a clear head started the conversation again calmly.
"Right, we have established that Racheal is indeed pregnant and there are two potential fathers" he said and I opened my mouth to protest. But he held up a hand to silence me.
"Racheal claims that Lee is the only potential father, but Marco claims that he too could be the father of the child. So, it seems logical that the only thing left for us to do is to wait for a paternity test. That will tell us who the father is." Molly opened her mouth to speak but he silenced her with a look and she fell silent. "In the meantime, all of this shouting isn't good for the babies so I suggest that we all calm…" my dad stood up suddenly. "Babies? What do you mean babies? He looked at me in horror. It's not twins is it?" he demanded.
Lee's dad looked bashful as he realised what he had said and I shook my head vigorously at my father and wondered what he could possibly mean babies.
Elle's POV
I couldn't believe Racheal and the levels she had gone to, to manipulate Lee. I believed Marco 100%, it all made sense. Lee didn't get her pregnant, so she had got Marco, who was hurt that I had chosen Noah over him, to get her pregnant instead. This enabling her to worm her way back to Lee.
I listened to Noah's dad. As always, he was right. All we could do now was wait for the paternity test to prove Racheal was a liar. I wondered how long the test would take and if she could have it while pregnant. Because I wanted her out of our lives as soon as possible. When Noah's dad let slip the word babies, I went white and looked at Noah. Noah squeezed my hand and I prayed no one had noticed because I didn't think it was the right time for us to make our announcement. Unfortunately, Racheal's dad picked up on the world straight away.
The Flynn's all looked towards me and Noah. Noah's dad looked very apologetic. Noah gave my hand another reassuring squeeze and I looked at my dad and my brother, who was ignoring everything and playing a game on his phone.
I tried to find my voice but I couldn't, I looked at Noah desperately who seemed to understand that he was going to have to do it.
"I know this is unexpected. And we didn't expect the news to come out like this. But well, we may as well tell you. Me and Elle are expecting a baby." He said, looking straight at my dad.
My dad looked from Noah to me and I cringed, waiting for an outburst. To my surprise my dad smiled and got up to hug me and shake Noah's hand. There was a sigh of relief from the people who already knew and then.
"Pregnant! What the hell! You can't be pregnant!" Racheal screamed. Racheal's parents looked awkwardly around. I guessed they didn't really know what to say because it didn't involve them.
"I'm going to be a grandad" my dad beamed at us with a tear in his eye.
Everyone was ignoring Racheal's outburst. "I can't say I wish you two would have waited a few years. Got college out of the way first. But a baby is a blessing and you're getting married so I know you're committed to each other." My dad went on.
Marco looked like he was going to be sick and mumbled something and left the room. I watched him go with a sad frown, while I accepted hugs and gentle pats on the belly from everyone.
After Molly had insisted, we all have a celebratory drink and hinted that it was time for Racheal and her parents leave. But to no avail because Racheal said she wasn't going anywhere. I followed the direction that Marco had taken and found him smoking in the garden.
I stopped a few feet away from him and smiled a small approaching smile. He was first to break the silence. "Congratulations Elle" he said. Trying his best not to look miserable as he said it. "And to you too" I said, widening my smile. He looked shocked for a moment and then returned my smile. "You believe me then?" he said hopefully. "Of course, I do. I knew Racheal was a liar. And it makes sense." I said reassuringly. He smiled then jumped as Noah suddenly appeared beside me. "Elle what are you doing?" he said, eyeing Marco's joint accusingly. "Just talking to Marco. Letting him know that we believe him." I said and Noah looked sceptical. "We do believe him, don't we?" I said, raising an eyebrow at Noah. Noah didn't answer me. "Don't smoke that thing around pregnant women" He said to Marco pointedly, who stamped his joint on the floor.
"I better get back in there anyway. Plans to make" he said, with his eyes on the floor. I patted his shoulder reassuringly as he passed and said, "Hey it will all turn out ok in the end."
"I guess no one is going to Julliard" Marco said sadly before heading back inside.
