"Aria, Hanna is on the phone for you." My mom said, as she stood in my door way holding her hand over the phone. "I'll tell you, you seventeen year old girls are always talking.." she said handing me the phone. I kinda rolled my eyes and took the phone. I wish I could talk to my mom more, but she's always too busy. I have two brothers, and three sisters. So I have no choice but to talk to my friends constantly. "Hey girl!" Hanna said when I answered the phone. "Movie and pizza night after school tomorrow?" she asked. "As always." I said. The girls and I usual did something like this. Well, not really. What we really do is try and keep our heads from going under in the sea of lies around us. We don't start them. We usually don't lie. We never jump in the sea of lies, we're pushed in. by Jenna Marshalls. When you're drowning, and you know how to swim, just SWIM to the edge and try and get out of the water. Right? Well what we do is thrash are legs trying to keep from going under. Not the way to do It, but when you panic, you forget how to swim, and until someone comes in and saves you, you think your going to drown and die. And some people do. My best friend Alison did. Not metaphorically. Literately. Jenna Marshalls pushed her in, knowing she couldn't swim. And she drowned last year. But Jenna has secrets over us, so we have never told anyone that we know who pushed Alison in. Ali is dead. She's gone. Telling the truth will never bring her back. So we sit in the sea of lies, waiting for someone to pull us out before Jenna pushed are heads down. Not metaphorically. Literately.

"Jill, out of the car." I commanded my 13 year old sister Jillian.
"Ok fine." She grouched. She hated school on days when she had a bad morning. I had the job of dropping my siblings off this week. My mom COULD, but she's home with my nine month old baby brother, Liam. And I mean hey, I can drive, why not just drop them off right? So I do. My youngest sister, Lilia, is in preschool. So I drop her off, and then Jillian (who's in her first year of high school), Mike, and I, luckily all go to the same high school. Usually Skylar, my older sister, takes Lilia since her preschool is right next to her collage campus, but she's away on a missions trip this week. So being on time to school isn't gonna happen.
"Love you" I yelled to Jillian before she slammed the door and walked up to her school, dragging her backpack on the ground. 'whatever' I thought to myself and gathered my stuff. Mike gets out of the car with just a simple "See ya!" and leaves. I sat in the car, exhausted. How the heck was I gonna make it through the whole day? I got out my cell phone and called Ezra.
"Hey, You here yet?" He asks.
"Yeah Mike just left, so I called to say good morning, since I may not see you much at school today." I said leaning back and closing my eyes. He pauses for a few second.
"You feel okay? You sound tired..."
"Yeah." I say. "I'm fine."
"Aria…" he started. "You need to do something about this Toby thing. I know he's gone to college, but he WILL be back. And it's depressing you having this over your head."
"It's fine. He's gone. It was just a summer thing you know that. Toby's gone and we don't have to worry about it anymore. I know it bother's you that I'd been sleeping with another guy before I met you, But Ezra, that was like, 6 or so months ago. I've gotten over it. It's just been a bad morning. That's all. It's not about Toby."
"It sure was about Toby when you called me in the middle of the night last night, sobbing about a nightmare where Toby rapped you again."
"It was a nightmare. Let it go..."
"But Aria, Toby needs to be punished for blackmailing you into having sex with him."
"Ezra drop it. It's over. I gotta go Mikes back, I think he forgot something." I hung up on Ezra and slammed my phone shut. It's true, I wanted it to stop. But with the secrets Jenna and Toby - Jenna's brother - have over us, I couldn't risk telling anyone what he was doing to me. Anyone but Ezra. But that's because Toby left for collage in another state right before I met Ezra. So it wasn't like I was cheating on Ezra. But Ezra was right. What will happen when he comes back next summer? Will I have to get into bed with him yet again? Probably, unless I tell someone. But for now I'm not. Mike got back into the car. He stopped and sat very still for a second, then picked up the drug store bag that laid on the floor.
"what's this?" he asked. I snatched it out of his hands.
"Butter, for baking brownies tonight. Thought I'd surprise you guys." I said. Mike took it out of my hands, and I let him knowing he'd find out sooner or later.
"Yeah, this is butter." He said taking the pregnancy test out of the bag.
"Mike." I said. "You cant say anything to mom and dad. Or to ANYONE. Not even to Jessica." Jessica is Mike's girlfriend.
"What are you planning to do about this?" He asked. "Do you really think you're pregnant?"
"No..." I say. "No, not really. I haven't slept with Ezra... so I haven't had sex since -"
"Ew, Aria!"
"Sorry." I say. "But really, If I got pregnant, it would've been in August. And That's nine months ago." I laugh and point to my stomach. "I doubt I'm nine months pregnant."
"So you have the test because...?"
"Because... Well... Toby came to visit last month and..."
"And you haven't told Ezra or me, or anyone. And you're making sure you're not pregnant because if you're not, Ezra never has to know." "Exactly."
"Well, whatever." He says taking the lunch bag he forgot. "If you are pregnant, don't you dare abort it."
"I won't. But why?"
"Because." He says opening the door. "You don't punish a baby for it's parents mistakes."

The rain is pouring now, but I never really mind getting wet. I put my backpack over my head and run into the school. I was in 12th grade, and it was the middle of April. Only three more weeks of school until I graduate. I mean, school was almost out. For good! that's an AWESOME feeling. I start to walk to my locker, but I'm stopped by a voice. "Hello Aria." I stopped walking and looked up.
"Hi Jenna." I said.
"Mr. Hunter said you had my history homework." she said.
"Yeah he asked me to bring it over to your house. I did, but you weren't home and I was gonna stick it in your mail box, but I figured I'd just bring it to you today." I say, digging through my backpack for it. I hand it to her, and she winks at me. It was already filled out. Of course, I didn't always do her homework from her, but sometimes she asked me to. So, I do. It's a small price to pay for her to keep quiet about some of the things she knows about me. I went to my locker and started to shove books into them.
"You look awesome this morning." I heard Hanna say.
"Hey Han." I said. Emily and Spencer came up to my locker too.
"You're here early!" Spencer said. "I thought with the four kids in toe you'd be late."
"Four?" I asked.
"Three, sorry. It's still early." I bit my lip and nodded, feeling kinda sick from that fast food breakfast. Or maybe the thought of 'kid #4' wasn't WITH me, but INSIDE of me. Emily starting telling us about how some snake was in the building yesterday after school during her swim practice. But I couldn't listen. I didn't feel well suddenly, and wondered if I should just go home now. Spencer finally noticed, and interrupted Emily.
"Aria are you ok?" Emily stopped talking, and starred at me like Spencer and Hanna.
"Hold on" I answered her. I ran into the bathroom which, thank God, was only a couple feet away. I dropped my backpack the second I was in the bathroom and ran into a stall, hoping no one was in the bathroom, and hoping none of the girls followed me in, and I had to spill my secret to them. You know, after I was done puking my guts out. When I was done, I sat there for a second, unsure of what to do. I wanted to cry so bad, but I had to keep it together incase one of the girls came in. Finally I stood up and got out of the stall. I left my bag on the floor knowing no one else was in here, and started to rinse my mouth out in the sink. "Aria?" I heard a voice say behind me, and it made me jump. The sink was running so I didn't hear the door open. I looked up in the mirror, even though I already knew who it was. Jenna was standing behind me. I turned around and looked at her, expecting her to talk. "A pregnancy test?" she asked. I gasped when I saw the test her in hand that had fallen out of my backpack. I stood there for a second with my mouth wide open, just looking at her. She handed it back to me and got a devious smile. "I can't wait to tell your parents this one." She said. "cause I know you wont do it by yourself."
"Go ahead." I said getting close to her face. "It will be easier than doing it myself."
"well when I tell them that your pregnant, I'll have to tell them who's it is, now won't I?" at this my heart sunk. "Unless you want to get Mr. Fitz to give me an A on my next assignment." she said.
"That was one time Jenna. I agreed to talk to him about your grade ONE time. Never again will he change your grade." I said. She laughed.
"why would you take the test at school anyway? That's a little stupid. Why not at home?"
"I think you know why not at home. I wasn't even going to take it here, I'm going to Hanna's after school. I was gonna take it there so I didn't have to find out alone." Jenna shrugged.
"I don't think you even need to now. I think you know you're pregnant. So shall I tell Ezra he's gonna be a dad, or will you?" I didn't say anything. I turned around with my back facing her to pick up my bag and said
"Don't tell Ezra. Tell Toby." she pauses and stares at me. "Ready to be an Aunt, Jenna?" I gave her one last look and opened the door.
"Your breath stinks really bad by the way. You should really bring gum or something if your planning on puking everyday from now on." She said. I stopped the door with my foot and turned around.
"Yeah, and your brother should really bring some condoms to his neighboors house if he plans on rapping her." Jenna went into a stall and slammed it. I left the bathroom, slightly satisfied with the stressed look in Jenna's eyes when she found out the baby was probably her own brothers. I was looking down at my shoes as I walked into the hall, to avoid eye contact with the girls. But I bump into someone, and look up to see who it was. And of course, it just HAD to be Ezra. Or, Mr. Fitz, as I have to call him at school.
"Hey.." I said to him. Hanna, Emily and Spencer were all waiting in the exact same place they were a minute ago.
"Listen, can I talk to you in my class room before the bell rings?" he asked. I looked to the girls and then nodded, walking with him to the class room. "I'm sorry about what I said.." He started.
"No don't be. You didn't do anything wrong. I just didn't want to talk about it." I said. Ezra stares at me for a minute.
"I really really wish I could hug you right now."
"I could sure use one that's for sure.." I told him. He got closer to my face and sniffed. I rolled my eyes. He backed away and opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off and said
"Yes it is puke you smell in my breath, And yes it is just the flu I caught from Mike. He had it a few days ago, remember?" I answered before he asked. He nods, but I know he's not convinced, and the truth is, neither am I. but the bells rings, and we backed up from each other and he went behind his desk. I started digging through my backpack for my English homework and I walk up to his desk.
"So, are you leaving then?" He asked.
"Well yeah I guess if I have the flu I kinda have to." I said setting my assignment on his desk. He leaned in a little and whispered
"Do you want my keys?"
"You mean.. the apartment?" I asked. He nodded.
"Uh, thanks if you don't mind, sure."
"I have a meeting after school, I won't see you until five ish." he said. I set my backpack, wide open on the floor and he slid the keys into them as kids started to walk in. I took my backpack and he gave me the work for the weekend, and I ventured over to find the girls who were still in the hall way. "Hey, Aria, you ok?" Emily asked. I nodded.
"Sure. But I'm going home.. Well not home. I'm going to the apartment." I told them.
"Whoa, hold it. Did you say THE apartment? Since when is it THE apartment not HIS apartment?" Spencer asked. I rolled my eyes.
"You know what I meant okay?" I turned around and walked over to my locker and the girls followed.
"I'm sorry you're not feeling well." Emily said. "Guys, do you think one, two or all of you can come over after school? You know unless I get too sick. Oh and I may need one of you to bring Mike with you. If my mom can't."
"Yeah sure. And I had the flu last week so I should be good." Hanna said.
"Great. Thanks." I said. I smiled at them and went outside, ran through the rain and got into my car to drive to HIS apartment.