Disclaimer: I don't own these characters – Brenda Hampton does. No profit is being made from this fic.

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Chapter Two

Ashley's POV

'I think we should talk about it,' I suggested. 'About whatever is making you so cranky all of a sudden.'

Amy and I were in the kitchen, dealing with the dishes after dinner. I knew exactly what had caused her bad mood, but I was trying to be tactful by letting her reveal what was wrong. This wasn't one of her 'I'm a teenager mother and I'm generally tired' moods. No, she had tried to be happier since her declaration two weeks ago that 'she couldn't go on like this'.

This was about Ben. Ben and the rumor of the day.

Sometimes I likened gossip to a dinner menu. You could take your pick. There were the usual options, the stories that were generally the same but had an update now and again. And then there were the special pieces of gossip, like 'today's special'. They weren't offered that often but when they were, you'd be best to order it before everyone else found out how good it was.

Most people would balk at the idea of being the last to know. Gossip leftovers.

Amy hadn't been the last to know in this case. Maybe she had been the first. She'd had her suspicions since Ben was in Italy.

I needed to get Amy to open up before she had a breakdown over this. I'd told Griffin during sixth period that I probably wouldn't be able to hang out tonight and I was right. I had to stay and try to broker some calm. Dinner had been a tense affair for all us. The parentals were sleep deprived and if I didn't know any better, I'd say they'd been arguing about something. They'd been too distracted to even notice that Amy was on edge.

'I'm not cranky,' Amy said defensively.

'Sure you're not,' I said with dry sarcasm. 'And I'm trying out for the cheerleading squad. Now spill.'

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she snapped.

She rolled up the sleeves of her green cardigan in agitation and turned on the tap so we could rinse the plates. We were standing side by side, but I could still see the stress on her face. Her jaw was clenched; she was probably trying to hold back a tirade about how Ben wasn't answering his cell phone, or at the very least she was biting back a bunch of swear words.

'Turning up the water won't drown out the sound of my voice,' I remarked, picking up some cutlery.

'I don't need to drown out the sound of your voice because we're not having a conversation,' was her defiant comeback.

'Look, I know why you're upset.'

'No, you don't. Now if you don't mind, why don't we both be quiet and concentrate on loading the dishwasher?'

'The dishwasher doesn't need silence to operate. It runs on electricity.'

She had the audacity to glare at me as if I were the crazy one. I wasn't deterred.

'Amy,' I insisted. 'Can we stop pretending like the issue doesn't exist? It's like the elephant in the room right now.'

'There's no room for an elephant in here,' she shot back, accidentally banging a dinner plate onto the side of the sink. 'There's you, me, John, mom, dad, Robbie and Moose. And Ricky is coming over in about half an hour to see John. It's a full house.'

'Exactly. Let's get rid of the elephant then. What's going on with Ben?' I said, getting a bit frustrated myself. 'Okay, so he's not picking up his phone. But you'll see him at school tomorrow anyway. What's your plan? Are you going to ask Adrian about it?'

Amy was silent for a long moment. Maybe I had overstepped the line. I tried to backpedal.

'The rumor broke late in the school day,' I said gently. 'So not everyone heard, you know. If that's any consolation at all?'

She turned the tap off and turned to face me. Her bottom lip was quivering and her eyes were welling up. But she wasn't going to cry. She was probably too proud to cry. No doubt it was confusing being angry and hurt at the same time. The way she was leaning on the counter with one hand…it was a sign of both strength and weakness. She was still standing, but she was tired of the drama.

'Before he turned his phone off, all I got was a text saying that he was suddenly unwell and needed to go home instead of going to work. I think he's hiding from me. I guess I'm just going to keep trying to call him,' she admitted, exasperated. 'I called his house too but no one picked up there either…'

And then the anger started to kick in.

'…and I'm not going to go next door and ask Adrian about what she knows because it's not like I can trust a slut. Sluts are unreliable.'

'Well, they are reliable when it comes to one thing,' I added, trying to make her laugh.

She did laugh, but it was a bitter laugh.

'Yeah and Ricky knows it,' she said snidely. 'Anyway, I guess I have to sign up for a showdown in the hallway. Maybe I could go over to Ben's house when Ricky gets here.'

Her fists were half-clenched. I had to be a voice of reason – angry people tended to make rash decisions. Like crashing their cars or cutting off all their hair.

'I doubt that either mom or dad would agree to drive you right now. They're in the nursery with the two babies. Well, at least I know mom is. Dad said something about making a few phone calls.'

'Maybe I could get Ricky to drive me.'

'Yeah, Ben would really love that. Hi Ben. I've come to confront you about a rumor. Apparently you don't love me anymore. Did you cheat on me this summer? Could you hurry up and explain? Ricky's waiting in the car. '

'Ugh, I hate the waiting,' she vented. She pushed off the kitchen counter and started to pace around. She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. 'Something must've happened in Italy. I knew something was wrong! And to think he told Adrian, of all people!'

'Do we even know that Adrian actually knew something and let it slip? The rumor could be completely false. Maybe I could go next door and ask her about it?' I offered.

'No, don't go near her.'

'Being a slut isn't contagious, if that's what you're worried about.'

Amy came to a halt. She stood on the spot and folded her arms. The look in her eyes was frighteningly sad all of a sudden.

'I can't believe I actually thought that he and I would end up married. Legally married, I mean. And that we would love each other forever. What was I thinking, suggesting we should get engaged again? Guess I'm a textbook case when it comes to being naïve, huh? First the pregnancy and then this? What's next?'

I didn't get a chance to respond because there was a knock on the door. Ricky had arrived early. Amy looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. It wasn't really anything to be mad about in the current circumstances. She took a moment to compose herself and then she went over to let Ricky in.

The first thing I noticed when Amy opened the door was how angry Ricky looked.

The second thing I noticed was that one of his cheeks was red, like he had been slapped.

'Sorry I'm early,' he said gruffly to Amy.

Amy made no move to step aside to let Ricky in. She was giving him a suspicious look.

'Er, Amy?' I prompted.

She then shook her head quickly, as if she were dispelling a few thoughts, and then stepped aside. Amy was about to ask what had happened but Ricky spoke first.

'Don't ask.'

***

Ricky's POV

I was being serious. I didn't want Amy to ask any questions.

I stepped into the kitchen and tried to ignore the fact that both girls were staring at the left side of my face. Funnily enough, it was easier for me to ignore people staring at me at school. At least there you could go on with your business, walk to your next class, talk to people you actually want to talk to. I couldn't exactly zone out and ignore Ashley and Amy at the present moment. I was in their house.

'What happened to your face?' Ashley asked.

I sighed. Of course Ashley would ask. She was really direct sometimes.

'No comment,' I replied.

Usually I would have straight out lied or turned the tables on the questioner, but it was pretty freakin' obvious that my cheek was red. I pretended to be busy assessing the state of the kitchen, casually walking around so as to appear unfazed. It was then that I noticed that they must've been loading the dishwasher when I knocked on the door. There was an assortment of haphazardly placed plates and cutlery in the sink.

'Right,' Ashley nodded, clearly mocking me. 'Maybe you're half embarrassed about something and therefore blushing only on one side of your face.'

Amy was unusually quiet. That could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. She was giving me a onceover, probably trying to figure out whether I'd been in a fight or something.

'Did you get into a fight with Ben?' she asked. Almost hopefully.

'Amy, seriously?' I queried, trying to play it cool. 'You think Ben would be stupid enough to fight me? I could pummel that guy in my sleep.'

'Well, you look like you've just been slapped,' Ashley observed. 'Did Ben slap you?'

I chuckled. 'Is that his signature move?'

I doubted my attempt at humor was making Amy feel any better. I was just trying to diffuse the tension I had walked in with.

'So is John in the nursery?' I asked, smiling in earnest.

When everything else is going bad in our lives, at least we've got him. My own words.

I desperately wanted to see my son. But I also desperately needed to change the subject. Before Amy got stuck into a line of questioning. Then I would be screwed because I wasn't sure what my plan of action was or whether I could even lie to Amy.

'What happened, Ricky?' Amy asked, sounding half-bemused and half-concerned.

She's only concerned because I'm John's father.

Crap, I was stuck now. Would she get angry if I used the 'no comment' line again?

'We can talk in the living room,' Amy suggested. The hope in her voice practically screamed that she wanted to get information on Ben. I hadn't directly answered her text about the rumor; I had just texted her with the time I was going to show up tonight to see John.

'I really just want to see John,' I answered slowly, trying not to upset her.

I needed to avoid questions about Ben. And I especially wanted to avoid Amy's living room. The last thing I needed was Adrian spying on us from her kitchen window.

Amy stepped forward and I immediately sensed she was channeling the anger she felt towards Ben. She gave me a steely glare.

'I don't want you being around John if you're in a bad mood from being in a fight,' she announced.

Ashley sent me a warning glare. Don't point out that Amy herself is in a bad mood.

I concentrated on biting my tongue. I didn't like it when Amy got all high and mighty about being John's custodian. John wasn't a bargaining chip. He was our son.

'Who slapped you?' Amy demanded to know.

I looked her straight in the eye this time. Maybe then she would understand that I wasn't in the mood to talk.

'Adrian,' I reluctantly admitted.

Her facial expression still showed she was annoyed, but I wondered whether she was happy I had gotten into an argument with Adrian. She almost appeared guilty for getting me to admit something I hadn't wanted to reveal.

'What were you fighting about?'

Now probably wasn't the best time to be telling her to mind her own business. In fact, it kind of was her business considering what Adrian and I had fought about.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Ashley was slowly backing out of the kitchen, meaning I would now be left alone with Amy. And with her questions. I couldn't blame Ashley for wanting to step out.

'Amy, please,' I pleaded. 'I know you've had a rough day. But I've had a long day as well and I really just want to see our son. Okay?'

She nodded in defeat. I saw her resolve weaken enough so that her eyes glazed over with tears. Those tears weren't caused by me, but I felt bad nonetheless. She just wanted answers about what Adrian had heard from Ben. Admittedly, I had those answers. I just didn't want to give them to her.

I needed to talk to Ben. I would have to track him down tomorrow. I couldn't have him breaking up with Amy. As much as I wanted to kill him, I still wanted him to stay with her.

Best not to ask too many questions about why I feel so strongly about it…

'My mom is in the nursery looking after Robbie as well. I'll walk you up,' Amy said softly.

'Thanks.'

I gingerly touched my cheek when Amy wasn't looking. Adrian had been so goddamned furious when she slapped me. Which made no sense whatsoever because if anyone had the right to be angry here, it certainly wasn't Adrian.

Ben, you cheating jerk. I'm going to find you tomorrow.