Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, just my own characters!
[T/W: Details pertaining to abortions]
Nahuel
Two things were confirmed in this moment.
Joham was still busy impregnating humans and sentencing them to death.
We had a new brother.
But there was only one major question I kept asking myself which was: Why now? Why do we only find out about him now?
After specifically requesting and repeatedly imploring Joham to stop spawning hybrids with innocent human girls, he does this? Did he have more secret children that we didn't know about?
Jennifer seemed to have taken to Léon rather quickly but I was still cautious around him.
Who was he?
Why was he here?
Why now does he show up?
What did he want?
Why did Maysun bring him here?
Why did Serena send him to us?
Where did he come from?
So many questions.
"Well, come on in guys!" Jennifer pushed me aside to welcome Maysun and the new guy.
Léon chuckled as he looked at me briefly before walking past me and entering the house. I watched him get dragged into the house by the arm as Jennifer started rambling on about random stuff as she gave him a tour of the house.
Maysun gave me a distinct look.
I shrugged my shoulders. "What?"
She rolled her eyes. "Be nice," She warned.
I sighed. "Where did you even find him?"
"I told you, Serena sent him to me." She explained –barely.
"So he just showed up at your doorstep unannounced with no warning at all? Claiming to be our brother sent by our older sister? You don't find that suspicious?" I asked her.
She glared at me. "Nahuel, you sound ridiculous! Look at him! He looks just like father –"
"Joham," I corrected.
She ignored me. "He also looks an awful lot like you too."
"He does not!" I whispered.
Maysun laughed at me as she walked into the house. I sighed as I closed the door behind me and joined my family.
"So this is our living room!" She stated, waving her hands around the room.
I smiled when she said that.
Our…
Does that mean she wanted to come back to move in with me again?
Léon looked around the room in admiration. "¡Es marvilloso! Ay! Una muy bonita casa la que tienes." He remarked with a laugh as he looked around, admiring the house.
Jennifer blinked with a blank smile before glancing back at Maysun and me for assistance.
Although Jennifer was quite fluent in Spanish, she didn't always speak it regularly and she only knew a specific dialect of the language which was slightly different from the one Léon spoke.
"Does he only speak Spanish?" Jennifer asked Maysun.
As Maysun was about to respond, Léon quickly interjected.
"I do speak English, but I prefer to speak Española," He spoke fluently although he had a thick accent.
"Have a seat," I told him. "So where are you from, Léon?" I enquired as I gestured for him to have a seat on the mahogany-tan leather couch.
Léon gladly took a seat whilst my sisters followed soon after, taking up their seat on the bigger couch opposite the room over the big, granite, jungle inspired coffee table.
"I was born in Costa Rica but I moved to Puerto Rico after I turned three and have been living there ever since." He responded, shrugging off his leather jacket and tossing it over the arm.
"Oh, Costa Rica you say?" Jennifer hummed before shooting up and sauntering over to him. "Oh! Lemme get that for you," She gestured to his jacket.
"Ah! Muchas gracias," He said, handing the jacket to her.
"Would you like anything to eat or drink? I can make us all some snacks." She suggested.
I looked at her briefly before gaiting around the room.
"Um…Do you have a packet of Takis? I love the Fuegos." Léon requested.
Jennifer gasped. "Omigosh! That's so weird. So do I! They're my favorite." She replied with enthused excitement as she looked back at Maysun –both of them wriggling their eyebrows and grinning like idiots.
I rolled my eyes as I went around the room to grab a glass of scotch.
"And something to drink?" She asked, turning her attention back to Léon.
He shrugged his shoulders. "I am fine with anything, thank you ma'am." He expressed.
Jennifer cooed whilst Maysun laughed. "You are so cute and polite!" She squealed, pinching his cheeks which caused him to blush. "Don't call me ma'am again, little bro!"
He chuckled.
"Do you drink scotch?" I asked him in Spanish.
He looked at me and shook his head. "No. I do not drink alcohol." He responded.
I nodded. Interesting.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I am just over six years old – I will be turning seven in December. But for all intents and purposes I am seventeen years old." He responded, adlibbing with a mixture of English and Spanish words –probably because he can't find the right word in English.
"Oh! You're a Sagittarius right?" Jennifer pointed out.
I looked at her with a cocked eyebrow.
Léon looked confused. "I think so?"
Jennifer chuckled. "That makes you a fire sign. I'm a Cancer! Serena is a Scorpio! Maysun is an Aries! And Nahuel's a Gemini –which is so on brand for my brother." Jennifer teased, glancing back at me.
I rolled my eyes. "Hopefully it's a good thing."
"It's not," Maysun responded quickly.
Jennifer giggled with Léon smiling warmly in return. "Well, as you probably now know, I am obsessed with star signs, horoscopes and astrology. I believe that my future husband has to have a zodiac sign that is compatible to mine or else we won't ever work out."
"Is that so?" I questioned.
"Mhmm," Jennifer nodded her head. "Anyway, I'm going to get you those Fuegos." She replied.
"Thank you, ma'am."
Jennifer grumbled and eyed him warningly.
"Oh! My apologies, Jennifer." He corrected himself.
She smiled back at Léon before disappearing out of the room.
After I was done pouring a few glasses of scotch, I handed Maysun a glass of her own.
"Thank you, Nahuel." She replied to me. "Serena gave me a call about our new brother a few days ago and so we decided to meet up at some point in Miami, Florida."
"Was Serena there?" I asked.
Maysun shook her head.
"How did Serena find you?" I asked our guest.
"Serena knew my mother from long before I was born. Apparently they were really close friends and so she met my father – our father after that and then I was born soon after I think. Joham raised me until he disappeared about three years ago, leaving me off to fend for myself out there alone in Puerto Rico. Serena found me a few months ago." He recited, but all in Spanish. He seemed much more comfortable in the language, despite being fluent in English.
I guess that was one thing I could relate to him with.
Maysun and I shared a look with each other.
Joham was still using similar tactics he used when he pursued our biological birth mothers. And it was so unfortunate but unsurprising that Jennifer still went along with it.
"Well, we are very glad to have met you, young brother." Maysun expressed. "Aren't we, Nahuel?"
I didn't respond though.
I was still very cautious about him.
Even though I would admit, I felt bad for him. To hear that he had to fend for himself for three years of his life.
Joham was a pathetic excuse of a father.
I simply mustered up a small smile.
"Joham likes to disappear on us a lot. He's done it before. So don't take it too personally," I told him.
"But I don't think he disappeared one me though. He and I had an incredible relationship. I don't know what happened to him but I do believe I'm determined to find out."
I frowned.
Joham was good to him?
That doesn't sound believable.
Surely that's not true!
"You think he was abducted?"
Léon shrugged. "I do not know. Maybe." The young, teenage boy stated.
Maysun and I shared another brief look with each other, exchanging one of the many silent conversations we had with one another.
Jennifer then reappeared into the room after a minute of silence.
"Okay! Got them!" She giggled as she carried three packets of Takis and two cans of Dr. Pepper.
She handed one can and packet to Léon and another to packet to Maysun.
"Muchas gracias, mi hermana," Léon expressed.
"Is this your first time in the states?" Jennifer asked.
Léon nodded his head after taking a sip of his drink. "Yes, it is. I haven't…what's the English word? Traveled much outside of Puerto Rico and Costa Rica."
"So you've never traveled outside your home?" Jennifer asked.
"No money," Léon replied with a sheepish smile and shrug. "Also, Joham didn't want me to travel too far from home."
Maysun and I shared a knowing look with each other. Joham was a wealthy man because over the many centuries he's been alive, he accumulated a lot of money from property and other pursuits like shady investments, questionable business agreements and even the black market. Joham was a very materialistic man.
Even with all the wealth, he didn't like to travel too far from his base. If he traveled across country he made sure it was more of a permanent thing than a vacation or temporary stay.
He lived a very reclusive lifestyle. It had more to do with the fact that he was likely afraid of the Volturi than it having to do with his personality.
"That sucks to hear," Jennifer pouted as she looked over at our younger brother in sympathy. "You know what, we should take him out! Today! Let's get you out to see the town and let you experience the slice of the American Dream life!"
Léon beamed in a kindred and spirited way as he looked back at Maysun who smiled back at him.
"The American Dream…" He stated, smiling widely.
"What were you planning on doing?" Maysun asked Jennifer.
"We're gonna have to explore all of California together. Maybe take a roadtrip with Léon to LA. How long are you guys here for?" Jennifer asked excitedly a she quickly turned to Maysun beside her and gripped her hands.
"Please tell me you're here for a while!" Jennifer begged.
Maysun glanced back at Léon then to our younger sister and exhaled a sigh.
"We were planning to stop by for a little while but I can't see why we can't stay a little longer."
Jennifer squealed. "Yes! Thank you! Thank you!" She clamored energetically before enthusiastically tossing her arms around her.
"Léon!" Jennifer squealed as she jumped up in her seat and ran over to hug the young boy.
Léon laughed as he returned the embrace.
"We're going out to celebrate! Today! There's this Presidents Day parade happening at the Town Council House. We should all go." Jennifer stated, her arm over his shoulder as she looked between all of us.
I groaned. "I don't know, Jennie. Big crowds. Not my thing." I told her.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure Renesmee is gonna be there," She announced, sort of sweetening the deal.
"Renesmee?" Maysun quipped, looking at me.
I blushed.
"Is that the hybrid girl?" Maysun asked.
Jennifer giggled. "Mhmm."
"Hybrid girl?" Léon asked.
"So there's a vampire family that also lives in this town with us and they have hybrids like us." Jennifer informed him.
Léon looked intrigued and surprised. "A vampire family?"
Jennifer nodded. "They're rare to find but yes they do exist. It's a very large family. They are bigger than ours. Nahuel has a crush on the daughter."
I rolled my eyes at her. "I don't care about Renesmee, Jennifer!" I grumbled. She giggled. "But…I do think a little time outside the house would be fun though."
Jennifer cocked her eyebrows. "And it has nothing to do with her?"
I growled. "No!"
Although, I don't know how convincing I sounded.
She decided to move on from the topic though.
Thankfully.
"Oh, Léon!" She squealed, going in to kiss his cheek. "So glad I have a little brother now!"
… …
Presidents' Day Parade
We arrived at the Presidents' Day Parade with Léon. The place was brimming with people; old, young, adults and children alike.
All of them. Human.
I could smell the scent of every human, each of them unique to the other and almost every one of them were appetizing to my taste buds.
This is one major reason why I hated big crowds.
It made it so hard to quench my thirst when blood was streaming down the veins of several thousand human beings in one controlled space.
That leads to another reason I hated big crowds.
Claustrophobia.
It all just made me uncomfortable.
I almost can't physically breathe in overcrowded spaces and yet I could breathe just fine in a tight space alone.
Maybe I sounded irrational –Jennifer seemed to think so.
"This is what an American parade looks like?" Léon asked me in Spanish.
I looked at him. "Si," I responded.
He chuckled softly as he looked in awe at some of the food people were eating as they watched the military procession. He bobbed his head and waved his arms and stomped his feet at the trumpet, French horn, tuba, sousaphone, bass drum and trombone marching band music –his body moving at each beat.
He was so…childlike.
I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised.
He was only about six years old.
"Oh! You totally should try the corndogs! They're delightful." Jennifer whispered to our brother as she draped an arm around his, pointing at one of the food vendors.
As all four of us walked through the crowds, my eyes then found the familiarly heartbreakingly gorgeous sight of the dark copper haired girl who has been the constant subject of my innermost thoughts, feelings and dreams. All my dreams.
No! Stop it!
You are over her, Nahuel!
You have moved on.
Yeah.
That's it.
I shook my head.
As soon as her eyes noticed me, both of our eyes met in a brief lock.
I heard her gasp and whisper my name over the shoulder of her friend. "Nahuel," Her eyes blinked before she skirted her eyes over to my siblings.
She pulled away from the embrace of her friend to turn her head around to look at a different direction whilst her friend –Felicity – spun her head around to look at us.
The blonde young girl's breath hitched when she caught the sight of me.
Yeah…
It was still awkward on that front too.
But I would be lying if I said I cared about her.
My attention was fully on Renesmee.
"Are you just going to gawk at her or are you going to introduce us to her?" Maysun nudged my arm.
I looked back at her then back at the copper haired girl before clearing my throat.
"I would like you all to meet someone," I announced to the family.
Maysun, Jennifer, Léon and I made our way over to Renesmee who looked like she would rather be anywhere else the closer I came towards her. I suppose I couldn't blame her.
"Nahuel," She greeted warmly, despite hating my guts.
"Good day, mi carina – I mean, Renesmee," I quickly corrected myself.
I could sense Jennifer giggling slightly behind me.
I ignored her. I turned my attention over to Felicity who avoided my gaze and looked deeply uncomfortable.
"Hello, Felicity," I stated.
She smiled slightly at the corner of her lips but didn't acknowledge me. She then leaned into her friend Renesmee and clutched her hands.
"Listen, I'm going to get something to drink." She informed her.
Renesmee nodded in reply. "I'll meet you there soon, okay?"
Felicity smiled back before shooting up from her seat and beginning to walk away. Léon's eyes followed her body as she walked away, mesmerized.
"Who is that?" He asked in Spanish. "What a beautiful creature,"
I cleared my throat and ignored him. "How are you doing?" I nervously asked Renesmee.
She shrugged. "I'm good, and how are you?" She said in such a formal tone, polite but still extremely formal.
As if I was a stranger she just met.
I nodded. "I'm good," I replied awkwardly.
She coughed and smiled, tossing and twirling her long hair over her shoulder as her eyes moved from me over to Maysun, Jennifer and Léon.
Oh right!
Introductions!
"Um…Renesmee, I would like you to meet a few people." I began as I took a step back to bring my siblings into view. "This is Maysun, my older sister I told you about."
Renesmee's eyes bulged in pure shock as she looked at my sisblings once again before quickly scurrying up to meet us at eye level again and extended her hand out to Maysun first.
"Sister? Oh!" She gasped. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Nessie." She introduced.
Maysun grinned back as she took her hand and shook it. "Nessie?"
"Oh! That's what I go by. Renesmee tends to be a mouthful for a lot of people so I just stick with my nickname," Renesmee giggled sweetly.
"Ah! Well, it is nice to meet you Nessie. My name is Maysun." She replied.
Renesmee grinned back widely.
"You are so beautiful! I just have to say that," She laughed as she admired my older sister's beauty.
Maysun smiled proudly. "I appreciate that. You're very immaculate looking yourself,"
"Immaculate? Me?" She giggled clumsily, moving a piece of hair behind her ear as she blushed. "Thank you so much. Very high praise!"
Maysun giggled back as she gave Renesmee a quick once over.
Renesmee's smile was still firmly plastered on her face.
My goodness, what a smile that was.
I felt my stomach churn at the sight of her earth shatteringly beautiful smile.
Focus, Nahuel!
"Obviously you know Jennifer," I told her. Jennifer zoned out from the conversation. "And uh, this is Léon." I introduced, pointing towards him.
Do I introduce him as my brother?
I don't know.
I was still finding it hard to accept that newfound fact.
"He's our younger brother," Maysun added.
Renesmee looked confused as she glimpsed back at me then over to the young boy again.
"Brother?" She probed.
I sighed. "It's a long story." I simply responded.
Renesmee decided to accept that response and extended her hand out to Léon who looked absolutely mesmerized and infatuated by her immense beauty.
"Ay dios mio," He remarked as he barely could keep his eyes away from her.
Renesmee giggled as she blushed slightly. "Buenos dias, Léon. Mi llamo es Nessie. Encantado de conocerte. ¿Cόmo estas?" She asked in her perfect Spanish diction.
He was shocked at her fluency.
"Ay! Muy Bueno! Estoy bien! E tu?" He asked as he took her hand and planted a soft kiss at the back of her hand.
I growled lowly at the exchange.
Renesmee giggled. "Thank you very much for asking. Eres dulce." She replied.
"Yeah, he's a little too sweet." I snarled with gritted teeth as I gave him a warning look.
He noticed my stern look and immediately dropped her hand and looked down.
"Well, it's nice to see you all. I hope you all enjoy the parade. I think I'm going to go check up on my friends." She announced her farewell.
"Goodbye, Nessie." Maysun stated.
As I watched Renesmee walk away, I could hear Maysun and Jennifer giggling, teasing and chatting about me and my facial conotortions and actions throughout the day whole exchange with her.
"What a beautiful creature she is, " Léon pointed out in Spanish.
"Yes, you've made it very clear. Thank you." I replied gruffly.
He chuckled at my reaction.
"Very charming lady," Maysun stated. "She seems very nice,"
"I don't know about nice, " Jennifer chuckled with an eye roll.
"You don't like her?" Maysun asked.
Jennifer sighed. "It's complicated."
"They don't like each other," I told her. "They hate each other,"
"Hate is a strong word," Jennifer defended.
I decided to leave the conversation right then as I caught Renesmee hugging one of her friends at the bar.
I inhaled a deep breath.
She could either give me the time of day or cuss me out.
So I had high chances, right?
Right?
I cleared my throat as I moseyed my way up to her.
"Hey, Renesmee." I affifmed my presence, grazing her arm gently with my hand.
Her head darted towards me. "Yes, Nahuel?" She sighed.
"Can we talk?" I asked, then glanced over her shoulder to greet her friend. "Hi,"
The black haired girl smiled back. "I'll leave you two."
"Wait, Gina! No –" Renesmee whispered back but stopped when she watched her friend walk over to Felicity who was flirting with one of the waiters.
"What is it, Nahuel?" Renesmee reluctantly questioned, seemingly wanting to get this over and done with.
She looked like she'd rather be anywhere else than be around me.
Again... Fully understood.
I've disappointed her far too many times.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how many times I need to apologize for you to know how deeply I regret hurting you." I told her.
"You didn't hurt me, Nahuel. You hurt my friend." She stated.
"I know. I know. And I regret that." I said. "I don't want to ever get you mad,"
She chuckled. "Nahuel, you're not my boyfriend."
"I know that,"
"I don't keep tabs on you. I don't think of you. You're not a fixture in my life, despite what you might think." She said. "And that's not me being rude, by the way. I'm just being honest."
"I understand that. I'm very aware that you won't ever see me that way and I'm okay with that. I know I've been very persistent but I'm over that now. I just want to be your friend. That's all I ask." I assured her.
"You just want to be my friend?" She scoffed.
I placed my hand on my chest.
"Honest to God, that's all I want." I emphasized. "If you could forgive me for my past actions we can hopefully move forward towards rebuilding that friendship."
She looked into my eyes as she deliberated in thought.
"That's honestly what you want?"
I nodded my head.
She exhaled. "I'll think about it." She said. "But I do appreciate and accept your apology though. I don't like to hold grudges so I do agree we should move past it if we do indeed continue this friendship."
I grinned brightly. "That's great to hear,"
She smiled back slightly. "So, a brother huh?"
I rolled my eyes. "An unfortunately annoying little brother, yes."
She giggled. "He looks a lot like you."
"Everyone keeps saying that and I don't see it, truly." I responded.
"Well he does. He looks like a younger, teenage version of you. He seems to look up to you already." She said. "He's just as charming as you,"
I smirked. "So, you think I'm charming?"
She eyed me carefully, warningly. "Don't push it,"
I laughed.
"I guess congratulations are in order." I brought up.
She frowned at me but soon realized what I was referring to.
"Oh," She sighed, glancing down at her engagement ring on her finger.
Hmm.
The wolf chose well.
That ring looked good on her, I'll admit – begrudgingly.
"Thank you. Uh, I didn't know news traveled fast. How did you even hear about it? You know what – Don't even tell me." She stated.
"Are you keeping the engagement hush-hush for a particular reason?" I quizzed.
She shook her head. "No, not really. I just don't think it's something I need to necessarily announce to everyone. Especially to people who'll judge our relationship or whatever."
"Why would they judge? Besides getting engaged to a sweaty dog of course,"
She ignored my joke. "You know, me being eighteen and all. It's not worth all nasty rumors that teenagers love to spread. I don't care otherwise since I'm graduating soon anyway but, I'd rather not have any negative energy around me in this happy moment in my life you know."
I nodded. "Well, just for the record, I am happy for you."
"Don't lie," She laughed.
"Contrary to what you might think, I want you to be happy." I stated. "If you're happy then that's all that matters."
"Thanks. I am. I really am." She said with a sheepish smile.
I didn't wanna rain on her parade. She seemed genuinely happy, despite it leaving a pang in my chest coming to that realization.
"How long has it been since you got engaged?" I asked.
"About two or three weeks." She responded truthfully.
"And where's your fiancé today? Shouldn't he be here with you?" I asked.
She sighed. "I'm just here with my friends,"
I frowned. "Did something happen?"
"No!" She quickly replied. "He's busy."
I nodded my head.
"Look, I know Jake isn't too thrilled about our friendship." She added.
"Did he mention something to you too?" I asked.
"No. Did he mention something to you?"
Oh. I guess she didn't know about our altercation a couple of months ago.
"Nope. Nothing worth repeating, mi carina."
She sighed. "You really should stop with the flirty little comments like calling me your sweetheart or your love. Don't give me pet names in Spanish or in Portuguese or in any language, really. And you need to stop doing that annoying half smirk that you do."
"What annoying half smirk are you talking about?"
She flipped her hair over her shoulders and sighed as she looked at me with slight irritation and frustration.
I flashed her a grin.
"There! You just did it!" She said, motioning to my lips. "Stop that!"
I chuckled.
She cocked an eyebrow at me. "We're rebuilding a friendship here. Remember? Strictly friends and I call the shots. What I say goes…Okay?"
"Okay! Fine!" I conceded.
"Don't make me regret this," She said, poking my finger on my chest.
"I won't," I assured her. "Would be okay for me to ask as a friend if we can have a drink together?"
"Sure," She said as she looked back at her friends. "Suddenly my girlfriends are a little bit occupied at the moment so why not?"
Renesmee called the waiter/bartender and asked for a two drinks.
… …
Seth Clearwater
I was going to see Alex today.
But she doesn't know it.
The whole pregnancy debacle has had Jacob and I on edge for days.
I don't know what came of his dinner with Nessie last night. I don't know if she was indeed pregnant or not. I didn't think to ask Jacob nor did he think to tell me.
Honestly, I'm glad he didn't.
I would rather get my confirmation from Alex's firsthand account than anyone else.
She hasn't been talking to me much ever since she came back from the camping trip which leads me to believe my suspicions are likely correct.
She more than likely was pregnant.
And I don't exactly yet know how I feel about it.
I don't know if I was ready to be a dad but I know I wanted to be one day. And if that day comes sooner then I expected then I'd gladly shoulder that responsibility.
I would be ready.
For her.
For the baby.
Two of the most important people in my life could be with my mate right now.
Anything that was born from my love for Alex is extremely important to me so this baby (if she is pregnant) would be one of my top priorities in life.
I just hope Alex didn't beat herself too much about it.
I desperately needed to have her close to me right now.
She was attending the Presidents' Day Parade with her friends.
Perfect.
I stopped by the bakery on my way to the parade to get Alex her favorite bagels and then I made my way to the event.
The second I got there, I could hear and see the whole place buzzing. Everyone was feeling particularly patriotic.
I would normally find it difficult to find someone in these large crowds but because of my great senses, I could lock a scent instantly and because Alex was my imprint I had a powerful lock on her scent. It would be easy to spot her.
I was wearing a baseball cap. Attempting to go incognito, knowing that there are students I teach roaming around here.
I wasn't here to do anything but to see Alex.
I caught Nessie talking to some of her friends, Gina, Felicity and Rea, by the bar but then I noticed Nahuel approaching her from behind.
What the hell was he doing here?
And what was he doing going near Nessie?
I attempted confronting him but decided against it because that wasn't the purpose of my being here.
I was here to see Alex and Alex only.
Nessie and Jake will just have to sort out their own issues.
Why wouldn't Alex be with Nessie and the other girls?
I followed her scent to guide me to where she was and it lead me to one of the secluded fountains near the outside dining hall.
Alex was sitting on one of those fancy lawn benches near the large fish pond. I only saw the back of her head but somehow I could feel and see her emotions.
She looked to be in deep thought.
I sauntered my way over to her.
"I figured you'd be out here. " I made my presence known.
The sound of my voice caused her to jolt up in fright as she darted her head at me, clutched her chest and gasped.
"Jesus, Seth!" She scolded. "Don't ever sneak up on me like that,"
"I'm sorry I scared you," I told her.
She stood up from her seat to face me. Her eyes lingered and scanned around our surroundings. There were not many people here.
Perhaps just a few passersby here and there but otherwise, mostly quiet and isolated.
"What are you doing here?" She asked apprehensively as she crossed her arms against her chest.
"I'm here to see you. You've been avoiding my calls," I told her.
She sighed, looking down. "Yeah, I've just been… busy."
I call bullshit.
"You don't have to be here. Don't you have work?" She accused.
I looked at her funny. Did she not want me here?
"It's a national holiday, Alex. I had a day off." I reminded her.
She didn't answer.
"Look, please tell me what's going on." I pleaded.
"What do you mean? Nothing is going on. I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me, Alex!" I said in frustration.
"I'm not lying to you!" She retorted back. "It's best if you just go, Seth."
"I know, Alex!" I cut straight to the chase.
She frowned. "Know what?"
"I know about the pregnancy test," I uttered –thinking it would be better if I just mentioned the test by name that way we don't beat around the bush and also solve the mystery quickly.
Her eyes bulged in shock and her mouth agape as she tried to catch her breath, her voice breathless in speechlessness.
Oh…
That's not good.
"Are you pregnant?" I asked after a long stretch of silence.
Her eyes welled up in her hazel-brown eyes as she looked at me. Her rich, latte colored olive toned skin began to pale and flush.
"How did you hear about that?" She asked as she looked away from my eyes.
"Are you?" I ignored her initial question.
She cleared her throat and looked down for a while before lifting her head up to look at me.
"Yes," She confirmed.
My heart dropped in that moment.
She was pregnant.
Alex was actually pregnant.
"When did you find out?" I asked her calmly.
She blinked. "About a week ago. A little over a week ago." She stated.
My eyes widened. She's been sitting on this for over a week?
"Wow." I simply mused. "How far along are you?" I quizzed gingerly again.
She looked down. "Almost 8 weeks,"
Eight weeks?
What stage of development did that put the baby?
Did we need to start getting her on prenatal vitamins?
Did we need to start visiting the doctor?
Did we need to start planning how we would navigate the whole pregnancy?
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" I asked.
She grumbled. "I didn't want to involve you in this,"
I glared at her with narrowed eyes. "You didn't want to involve me? Alex, I am involved! That's my kid too!"
"Shh!" She shushed me, waving her hands around.
"What did you think you were gonna do? Hide the pregnancy for nine months and then pop up with a baby like a stork?" I demanded.
She looked down. "No! There will be no pregnancy much longer so I thought I wouldn't need to tell you."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I'm not keeping the baby." She told me.
"You're not?" I questioned.
She scoffed. "Come on, Seth. Did you you honestly think there would be any other choice? Given our situation."
"I don't know. We could've made it work!"
"Seth, you do realize what we're doing is illegal right? You could end up in prison! Not only that but we're not even ready to have a kid. I'm not even in college yet." She explained.
"I'll quit my job," I told her. "I'll get a better job somewhere else."
She looked at me as if I was a lunatic.
Maybe I was a madman.
"Do you hear yourself right now? Do you actually think we're capable of raising a kid right now?" She demanded.
I shrugged. "I don't know but we can at least try to figure it out."
She groaned. "Seth, I'm not keeping the baby, okay?"
I sighed, pressing my lips together in a thin line and slipping my fingers into my Jean pockets.
"Can we talk about this?"
"There is nothing to talk about, okay? It's my body! It's what I want." She said angrily.
"I hear you, Alex. But–"
"I don't even want kids, Seth! Okay! I don't want them." She stated with finality.
My stomach sank as I heard the cutting words escape her lips.
She didn't want kids with me?
"As in ever?" I clarified.
She looked at my hurt expression and softened slightly.
"I don't know how I might feel in the future but right now, no I don't want them at all." She added. "So I'm going through with this, with or without your support."
And with that, she left.
I sighed.
… …
Felicity Stone
"Who's he?" Gina inquired as we stood at the bar together, gesturing to the man Nessie was talking to.
I followed her eyes to glance back at Nessie conversing with Nahuel.
I rolled my eyes. "He's… I actually don't even know what he is." I chuckled.
Gina furrowed her eyebrows. "He seems enamored with Nessie."
"Infatuated would be the operative word I guess," I told her.
I didn't know why Nessie was even entertaining him after what he did to her.
What he did to me.
I also don't think Jacob would appreciate seeing his fiancée chumming it up with the man who wanted to take her away from him.
Fiancée.
I still couldn't believe Nessie was engaged.
And she didn't even tell me about it.
I mean we sorted things out earlier today but still…
We always talked about being involved in each other's lives on these big milestones. Especially this!
How did Alex know about the engagement before me?
She didn't even care about weddings for Pete's sake!
I had opinions about the engagement though.
I was worried that she was rushing it.
I knew she loved Jacob and I knew he loved her but were they really endgame? Were they really ready for that commitment? I mean she's still in high school?
What did any of us know about marriage at this age?
I knew when I would get married.
I knew that I wanted to go to college for three years, work towards my masters soon after and be done by the time I was 25 and I would at least live independently for three years before I even consider getting married at 28.
Plan my wedding at 29 and be married by the time I was 30.
And then at least be married by for a year and a half before having a kid by 32.
That's the perfect timeline, right? The ideal timeline.
And I always imagined I would be doing all of this with my best friends.
I had visions of having children with Nessie and Alex around the same time and our kids would all grow up together.
Why did Nessie need to get married straight out of high school?
Why did she have to disrupt the vision?
But I guess I should be happy for her right? If she's happy then I was happy.
"Where's Alex?" Rea asked us as she looked around.
I shrugged. "Who the hell knows. You know Alex likes to disappear on us a lot,"
Rea sighed. "True. But she's been looking a little off lately,"
"Off?"
"Homegirl's been looking a little pumpkin like and it's not because of the tan in the can. She looks like she wants to hurl every chance she gets," Rea remarked.
I frowned. "Maybe it's the bug going around. I heard Typhus is all the rage right now,"
"Maybe it's that," Rea said.
"She better get better before the Debutante Ball." I warned.
Rea rolled her eyes. "Only you would care about that right now,"
"I mean of course I hope she gets better for herself. It's just that the Debutante Ball is extremely important to me – uh to all of us."
Gina and Rea chuckled.
"Good day, ladies!" We heard a nice voice of the bartender who took over from another's shift.
I tilted my head to see a tall drink of water standing before me with a charming grin.
"Hello, kind sir." I greeted flirtatiously with a giggle and batted eyes.
He smiled back politely. "You must be Gina's new friends, "
"Tom! Go away!" Gina moaned.
"I work here dufus!" He teased.
"Who's this?" I asked Gina. "Is this your brother?"
Gina sighed. "Unfortunately,"
I gasped. "You didn't tell us you had a gorgeous brother, Gina Chung."
She moaned. "There's a reason why I didn't," She said.
"Felicity, meet my older brother Tom, Tom, meet Felicity and Rea." She reluctantly introduced.
I smirked at her with a wink then I displayed a flirtatious demeanor back at her older brother.
"Enchanté," I extended my hand out to him to shake.
He gladly took it and gave it a shake. "Nice to meet you too."
"Didn't you have a friend with you? Perhaps a guy with tattoos?" I asked him.
He smiled. "Oh, you're talking about Lloyd."
Ah! So I wasn't imagining it.
He was here!
"Yes, Lloyd." I giggled. "Where is he?"
"He's out back grabbing the glass crates." Tom replied, gesturing behind him.
I gnawed my lip as I nodded my head and took a swig of my drink before slipping off my stool.
"I'll be right back," I told my girlfriends before walking off.
I went around the bar to see Lloyd hoisting some crates off his truck. He looked so hot dressed in all black and white. His white buttoned up shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing his many arm tattoos and his bottom half dressed in dark black slim fit pants and an apron.
His platinum silver-gray hair was so deliciously disheveled in a man bun and tendrils framing his pierced face and ears.
Goddamn he looked so fine!
He was so tall and handsome as hell.
He's so bad but he does it so well.
Taylor Swift, you are a visionary!
A lyrical masterpiece genius!
"We shouldn't keep meeting up like this," I began.
His attention diverted onto me as he held a crate in his grasp.
He smirked devilishly when he realized it was me.
"Felicity," He stated, before dropping his grin. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he hauled the crate over another.
"I'm enjoying the town parade, what are you doing here?" I asked.
"What does it look like I'm doing. I'm working." He scoffed gruffly.
Ooh. So brooding and moody.
So hot.
"I see that," I giggled. "You're not following me, are you?"
He gave me a look. "Excuse me?"
"This is the third time we've run into each other in two weeks. Either it's a crazy coincidence or you've been keeping tabs of my whereabouts," I teased.
He laughed. "Don't flatter yourself, blondie. Some of us have to work for a living, y'know. Not all of us can be daddy's little princess and get everything we want on a silver platter."
I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips.
"Is that supposed to be a dig at me?" I groaned.
He shrugged. "I mean, if the shoe fits." He stated.
I looked down as I felt a small lump grow in my throat.
"You don't know anything about my life. Nothing!" I told him.
"Huh. I guess I don't," He remarked. "What do you want? I'm kinda busy here."
"Why are you such an asshole?" I demanded.
"Asshole is my middle name, sunshine." He replied with a crooked grin.
"Why did you save my life back there in the woods? It's pretty obvious you regret it."
"Why are you so insecure?" He laughed at me. "I don't even know you, blondie."
"Well, I'm trying to change that!"
He sighed as he held his hands on either side of the crates and dropped his head in frustration.
"Listen, sunshine." He began. "I saved you because you needed saving, that doesn't mean I have to be your friend because of that. You're cute, I'll admit but I'm just not the kinda guy you wanna be around. I know you're here to get my number or something but I don't want that either. We should just both move on with our lives, okay?"
My heart broke.
I don't know why it did.
But it did.
His words shattered me to my very core.
I sucked my lips into my mouth as I tried to stop myself from crying as my voice broke.
Why did this man have this effect on me?
I barely knew him.
"I'm sorry," I said with a cracked, high pitched voice before twirling on my heels.
I have better game than this! Why are you crying?
I heard him grumble behind me and suddenly I felt my arm being tugged and pulled so I spun around to face him.
The second our eyes locked, he pulled me in and slammed me against the large tower of crates which caused a thudding sound and rested his hands on my hips.
I almost lost my ability to breathe in that moment.
He dipped his face down and leaned in closer to my face, his lips inches away from mine till he swerved so that his lips were centimeters away from my ears.
"I don't regret saving you, blondie," He whispered to me as his hot breath pressed against my skin. "I just don't wish to know you in any emotional capacity,"
The way he emphasized the word "emotional" suggested an even deeper meaning.
"D-Do you w-wanna get to know me in another capacity?" I nervously asked as my heart began to race like crazy.
He just continued to breathe against my skin.
He pulled his face away from my ear to stare me right in the eyes, gazing deep into my soul with his piercing, gunmetal turquoise eyes.
The energy radiating off both of our bodies was strong.
We had a connection.
But it wasn't a romantic connection.
No.
It was…
Physical.
It was purely physical.
And our bodies were aching to explore that connection.
His eyes moved from mine to look down at chest, looking down through the little lining between my dress and bra.
He then brought his eyes back onto mine, focusing on training his attention on me again.
"How's your leg and arm?" He asked me.
My breath picked up again. "Fine. Getting better," I whispered in a moan.
He grunted at the sound that escaped my lips as he gnawed his lip, his eyes still staring deep into to mine.
I needed him so bad.
God. I needed him so freaking bad.
Lloyd suddenly drifted his burning body away from me with quick force and swiftness as if nothing happened.
"You should get out of here," He seethed before continuing with his work.
My heart was still thudding at an intense heart rate as my chest heaved up and down.
I didn't say anything.
I just walked away.
As I walked away, I looked back to see Lloyd looking back at me as I walked along.
I blushed as I looked away to gasp and chuckle as I adjusted my handbag on my shoulder and bit my lip.
What a rush.
… …
Renesmee Cullen
Nahuel and I were still chatting by the bar as we watched the entire crowd of humans, eavesdropping on some conversations we found interesting and commenting on stuff people were saying and doing.
My girlfriends were not too far but they decided to leave the bar to mingle elsewhere.
I didn't know where Alex was though.
She has been gone for over forty minutes. I hope she was okay.
"I definitely think the husband is having an affair with the nanny," Nahuel mentioned, pointing to the family on one of the rides lines.
"You think so?" I asked.
He nodded. "Mhmm. Just look at the nanny's body language around the husband and vice versa. She's being extra attentive to the kids around him to show him that she's capable of being the stepmommy if the time ever came."
I laughed. "And the husband looks to be enjoying it," I added as I watched the unfaithful man stare down at the nanny's backside as she bent down at the children's level.
The wife didn't seem to notice these flirtatious exchanges.
"I do believe the wife knows though. She's probably waiting for the right time to expose her cheating husband or she's got a side guy herself."
"Maybe it's both," Nahuel laughed.
I giggled.
My eyes then caught the sight of Alex walking through the crowds with tears trickling down her face as she sobbed profusely.
"Um… Excuse me, I'll be right back." I informed Nahuel as I set my drink onto the bar counter and began hastily following Alex's tail.
"Pardon me," I whispered as I navigated my way through the crowds. "Excuse me. Coming through. Sorry."
As I thought I got through most of the bundled crowds, I found myself colliding into a particularly hardened individual.
"Ow!" I exclaimed as I looked to see the sight of a figure in a hoodie.
He or she didn't acknowledge me though. They simply walked past me and didn't look back. It's because their attention was elsewhere.
On Alex.
I quickly ran speedily to Alex and grabbed her arm as soon as I reached her.
"Alex!" I called, spinning her body around to face me.
She glared at me through welled up tears in her eyes.
"Did you tell him?!" She wept accusingly.
I frowned. "What?"
"Did you tell Seth? Why would you tell Seth!? I told you not to tell anybody, Ness!" She yelped.
"No, Alex! Of course I wouldn't. I promise." I assured her.
"This was exactly what I was afraid of!" She cried as she began shaking her hands uncontrollably, her sobs getting louder.
"Alex..." I rubbed her arm.
She immediately flew into my embrace as she sobbed onto my shoulder. I immediately soothed and consoled her.
"It's okay. It's okay." I whispered into her hair.
… …
I got back home from the parade after dropping Alex off at her house. She was still distraught after her conversation with Seth. Apparently he confronted her about the pregnancy at the parade and they got into a big argument about it.
He wants to keep the baby.
She doesn't.
Alex doesn't think he'll support her going through with it.
It made this whole situation that more complicated and uncomfortable to be a part of.
They weren't on the same page with each other and I had great sympathy for that.
The important thing is, at least Seth knows and they've both accepted the pregnancy. I didn't have to lie. They didn't have to lie to each other anymore.
I stopped by my house on the way back from the parade to get some of my stuff that I'd be taking over to Jacob since I was staying at his place for the foreseeable future until I cooled off from my fight with my mother.
I just needed some time.
I walked into the house to the sound of my parents talking in the living room. I bumped into my mother as she appeared in the hallway.
Our eyes locked for a brief second before my mother rolled her eyes and walked past me into the other room..
I rolled my eyes as well and began descending the stairs up to my room.
"Nessie!" My father called.
I glanced down to see him looking up at me on the stairs.
"You don't greet?" He asked.
I sighed. "Sorry, dad. Hi," I waved. "I'm just here to grab a few things and I'll be out of your hair."
"Nessie–"
"Dad, I'm really not in the mood right now. I hope you understand. Can we talk later? Please?" I pleaded.
He looked at me for a while before conceding in a resigned sigh and nod.
"I'm taking the cat with," I informed him.
"Why?" He asked.
My dad has grown very fond of my cat over the past year or so since I first got him. He wasn't a cat person before but he and Sir McFurball got along well with each other and Edward genuinely enjoyed having the cat in his company.
"I miss him and I don't know how long I'll be away from him," I replied.
"Nessie, you don't have to do all of this. We can talk…"
I grumbled in an exasperated sigh as I proceeded to climb the stairs and ignored my dad's further words.
"I'm also going to take the coffee and espresso machine if that's okay? Jacob doesn't have one." I informed my dad.
"Okay," Dad replied.
I took a duffel bag of extra clothes and two hangars with a few dresses and other outfits on it.
I took my cat's bed, his toys, scratchy post and food and loaded everything into my car and then I came back to the kitchen to retrieve the coffee machine and a few snacks from the kitchen cabinet.
My cat meowed when he saw me, exuberant feline excitement in his step and he whirled and swerved around my feet as he rubbed up against my legs.
I smiled as I bent down to scoop him up in my arms and brought his head to my lips.
"Hey, buddy." I cooed.
I placed my cat into his little breathable cat backpack carrier and tossed it over my shoulder before making my way out of the house with my dad looking on.
"I'll call you when I get home," I told him after placing my cat in the front seat and shutting the door.
Referring to Jacob's place as my home probably bothered my dad a bit and I will admit, it should sound wrong but Jake was my home, wherever he was.
It came natural to me.
It didn't matter to me if it was at his apartment or out in the wild. My home was wherever his heart was.
"I love you, peanut. We both do." He emphasized as he kissed my forehead goodbye.
I smiled back. "I love you too, dad."
I don't know why I was so forgiving and forgetful about this whole situation when it came to my dad.
He was apart of it after all and he did keep this from me too for all these years.
Maybe I related to how he must have felt all those years ago.
Maybe I felt sympathy for him because he had to endure it when my mother had this ' relationship' with Jacob?
I don't really know.
I may still be angry at my mom but was I still angry at Jacob? Was I even capable of being angry at him?
I don't wanna fight with him about this. It wasn't worth it.
But…
I still needed to talk to him about it.
And I've been avoiding talking to him about this because I just knew it would lead to a fight and I was not ready for that.
Once my dad and I exchanged our final salutations, I drove off and made my way back to the apartment.
I met up with Mike on my way in and he helped me carry some of my stuff up the elevator and through the apartment building.
"Don't get shocked when you see Jacob in pain, by the way." He informed me.
My eyes widened as panic struck. "What do you mean in pain?" I demanded frantically.
He laughed. "It's nothing too crazy it's just… you'll know when you see it."
I frowned as I looked at him funny before turning my attention onto the apartment door as soon as we reached it.
I flung the door open, after unlocking it, to find Jake sprawled across the couch watching TV.
He was shirtless; in nothing but his gray sweatpants and a bandaged up right arm and right pec.
I gasped. "What the hell happened?" I demanded as I dropped my stuff and shrugged my cat carrier and placed it on the floor.
"Oh, hey, Ness!" He greeted me.
I scoffed as I ran towards him and knelt down to his level, immediately planting a kiss on his forehead.
I scanned and assessed his injury.
"Jake, what happened?" I asked.
"Nothing!" He stated.
"You look like you just came back from war, Jake." I stated firmly.
Mike chuckled behind me.
"Just tell her, dude." He chuckled.
Jake looked at me with apprehensive eyes and I frowned at him in return.
"Don't freak out," He began before grunting in pain as he hoisted himself up from the couch and sat back.
I watched as his muscles clenched at the action, his dark russet body glistening from some perspiration.
"So…Embry, Mike and I spent the day getting tattoos." He confirmed.
My eyes widened and my mouth dropped slightly.
"You what?" I exclaimed.
He smiled. "Surprise?"
I snorted, shaking my head in shock at my crazy, insane wolf.
"I don't understand. Why?" I said, looking back at Mike.
"We've been talking about it for a while now and just decided to screw it and just go for it. I have one here on my calf and one on my rib." Mike said, pointing to his leg.
I then noticed he had a bandage around his left calf.
"That sounds like it hurt," I told him.
"Oh – Uh, it stings a little but it's nothing as crazy as the ones Embry and Jake have, they can at least take the pain." He laughed. "Embry's crashed in his room taking a nap right now,"
I turned my attention back to Jacob who was looking at me with a smile.
"And what about you? What did you get?" I asked.
"I can't exactly show it to you now but I've got a picture," He said, reaching for his phone and scrolling through his photos before handing it to me.
It was photos of Jacob on the tattoo chair with some new ink on his entire right pec and part of his right arm.
His arm tattoo ran from his right shoulder down to his bicep and the entire tattoo itself wound with the large tattoo that encapsulated his right pec, covering almost his whole right side of his body like armor.
The arm tattoo ended right above his elbow and forearm. The ink contrasted wonderfully with his dark russet skin. The tattoos suited him well.
It looked like an intricate pattern, with very interesting and detailed motifs. It looked like many Native American tribal tattoos that I see on some people I met on the rez, very traditional.
"It's a tribal tattoo. We went to this Native American tattoo parlor and I got one. Basically tribal tattoos feature elements and symbols that hold significant meaning to the Quileute culture so these symbols and patterns represent renewal, fertility, protection, courage, love, peace, fortitude and strength." He explained as he pointed to the various symbols.
"It does look very beautiful," I remarked.
The tattoo itself looked very visually appealing to the eye. It wasn't vulgar or weird, but it told a story in the way it was designed. It looked very meaningful.
I liked it a lot.
I was still shocked though.
"The Sun symbol on my chest represents life, energy, and vitality. The waves around it represent growth, renewal and transformation. The rest of the symbols on my arm and shoulder represent various things that have to with life but this little whirl shape that looks like an eternity band and heart represent my love for you." He stated.
I looked at him with welled up eyes.
"Aww, Jacob!" I murmured with a cracked voice as I clutched my chest.
That was so sweet and romantic!
"I also got a rib tattoo with Quileute words inscribed which basically translate to "Mate for mate. Life for life. Forever and always, my Nessie."" He informed me as he scrolled to the next photo to show me the tattoo on his left ribcage.
That's when I bawled my eyes out.
This is the second tattoo Jacob got in honor of our relationship and his love for me. The first tattoo was one of my name on his left pec, right where his heart was and the new tattoo was literally right underneath his heart on his ribcage.
"I don't know what to say," I wept.
That's too sweet.
"Do you like it?" He asked, his hand caressing my cheek ever so delicately.
"I love it, baby. Thank you." I expressed, throwing my arms around him to plant multiple kisses on his lips.
He hummed as he pulled me closer as the kiss deepened but wince in pain suddenly.
"Ah!" He wailed.
I pulled away suddenly.
"Sorry, still stings a bit." He said, although I can't help but wonder if he was playing it up slightly to convince Mike he was actually still in pain.
Even though I was pretty sure he was healing rapidly by the second.
"Well, I think I'm gonna head out. Probably order in food for tonight. You guys wanna all eat together tonight or you'd rather be alone?" Mike asked.
Jake and I shared a look with each other and shrugged.
"I suppose we can join you guys tonight, there's not much I can do right now anyway." Jake responded.
Mike chuckled. "Cool! See you later." He saluted before walking out of the apartment.
I sighed as I got up and sauntered my way to retrieve my things from the floor and ran to the bedroom and dropped them before heading back to take my cat out of his carrier and bringing him over to Jacob.
"Hey! You brought my favorite pussycat," Jake said jokingly.
"I hope you don't mind that I brought him," I said, sitting on the couch with legs crossed as I cuddled with my Persian/Ginger mix cat.
"Nah, it's all good. He's an indoor cat anyway so it's not like he'll roam free." Jake said.
I giggled as I planted kisses on Sir McFurball's fluffy orange and white furry head.
"You heard from Seth?" I asked.
He sighed. "Yup,"
"How'd it go?"
"He's a bit shaken up but all things considered he's taking it calmly. He needed some time to cool off and gather his thoughts so he's out," He stated.
I nodded my head. "I can't imagine what they're both going through right now. It's a difficult situation to both be in as a couple,"
He nodded as he rested his hand on my thigh and began rubbing it soothingly.
"The best thing we can do is be there for them."
I nodded.
Agreed.
… …
Alex Mazzola
Today was the day.
I woke up on a Wednesday morning with a distressed disposition.
I don't know how I was supposed to feel about today. I certainly can't be happy but I can't bring myself to be sad about it either.
The closest emotion I can liken this feeling to is… indifference.
I never thought I'd be one of those girls on TV who got pregnant in high school and yet here I was, pregnant in high school.
What a fall from grace I'm currently living.
Not like my life prior was graceful in the slightest though.
I got ready for the day and hopped into my car and drove to school. It was a slow day but I was glad I had multiple free periods.
During my first free period, Nessie, Rea, Felicity and I (and a few other debutantes) drove to our ballroom class at the studio in preparation for the Debutante Ball.
Our escorts would arrive a bit later so in the meantime we did our dress fittings as we waited.
"Suck it in, Alex!" Felicity groaned as she tried to zip and tie up my corset.
"I'm trying!" I shouted in frustration.
"I think this corset is small," Felicity mentioned.
"Or I gained weight. You can say that." I replied with a chuckle.
She shut me down. "Don't be ridiculous, your body is fantastic. I think the corset was just extremely small,"
If only she knew.
I heard a series of giggles from the other room and I darted my head to see Melissa and her minions laughing at us.
I thought of saying some smart, insulting remark but she wasn't worth it. I didn't care what she thought.
"Aww! Corset too tight for you, sweetie? " Melissa mocked as she and her minions walked up to us wearing her pink corset, with her cinched waist ever prominent.
"Maybe she's preggers," Lissa teased, giggling along with Stacy.
"Go away, Melissa." Rea snarled.
Melissa ignored her as she looked me up and down with a nasty, bitchy smirk.
"Hopefully you'll be able to fit into your dress for the ball in two weeks. I suggest you should take laxatives, they'll do wonders for you if you want a quick fix. Or maybe you can channel your inner bulimic like Felicity here. She can give you tips." Melissa laughed deviously which ignited a chorus of giggles from her minions.
Felicity looked away from Melissa but I could tell her words bothered her.
"Oops!" Melissa fake gasped, covering her mouth with her fingers and giggling.
Felicity had been silently battling an eating disorder in her freshmen through to her junior year of high school and it only got revealed a few months ago through the gossip rumor mill school website/blog that was like Gossip Girl and Perez Hilton where anonymous blind items get sent about students from different schools in Oak Woods and beyond.
Ever since then, a bunch of picks in the school made fun of Felicity for it. It was a touchy subject for her because she recently recovered from it.
I was the only one who was privy to it prior to the breakdown of our friendship in freshmen year but I never once exposed her secret.
Even when we were fighting, I still cared for her enough to keep that secret and help her in anyway I could.
"Melissa, don't you ever get tired of being a bitch?" Nessie probed as she appeared our of the blue.
I glanced back at her in shock.
Nessie just called someone a bitch?
And not just anybody but to the biggest bitch of the school.
Well I be damned.
Melissa felt personally offended by this remark, especially from Nessie –who she admired and sought approval from because she was so beloved by the school that everything she did made her enviable to Melissa but it also made her a big threat.
Nessie had soft diplomacy about her to the point where any rumor made about her didn't affect the way people felt about her.
She was still seen as the perfect student and ideal teenage girl who everyone wished to be and be around.
She had beauty. She had brains. She had charm. She was humble. She was kind. She was fashionable. She was rich. She was respected. She lived a seemingly perfect lifestyle.
A storybook life.
That made her an asset and liability to Melissa and her reign in the school.
"What did you say to me?" Melissa asked.
Nessie nodded. "You heard me."
"Are you jealous that I'm a debutante and you're not?" Melissa asked.
"She and everyone else don't give a hot wet monkey's ass about being a debutante. We're all doing this because we have to. And you're only a debutante because your self-righteous family forced it's way into it because your granddaddy is the mayor. And he'll be dead not too long so your family will be a little more insignificant," I stated.
Melissa growled at me but I could see her visibly becoming humiliated.
"So please get the hell out of our faces and take your clowns with you, okay? We're trying to get this shit over with so we can move on with our lives! We have lives, Melissa unlike you who constantly spends her days trying to make everyone's lives a misery.
So you do that, but we'll continue having meaningful lives after we leave this school in a few months whilst you will peak in high school and live an insignificant life when you realize nobody outside of this town gives a crap who you are." I retorted.
Melissa pressed her lips as she tried to bite her tongue, swallowing her words.
"Do some self-reflection, Melissa. Do you wanna be remembered as the bitch in high school who peaked by wasting her worthless time picking fights with girls she was threatened by or do you wanna spend these last few months actually doing something meaningful?" Nessie questioned.
"The choice is yours," Rea added.
Melissa looked between each one of us, holding a indignant look on her face before she rolled her eyes and spun around on her heel.
"Girls!" She called her minions before stomping out of the room.
Nessie looked at all of us with impressed looks.
"Well done, girls." She laughed.
I didn't laugh along with her as I adjusted my corset.
"Don't listen to her," Felicity looked up at me from adjusting the hem of my dress. "You look absolutely gorgeous in that dress and you don't need laxatives or anything. You're perfect, Alex." She reassured me –although I also feel like she was reassuring herself too.
I smiled at her. "Thank you," I said, reaching out for her hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Brr! What's going on here? It reeks of nervous feminine energy and increased wrathful hormones." Justin remarked as he and Luke entered the room.
"Get out!" I shrieked at my brother.
"Come on, Lexie!" He raised his hands. "Hi," He whispered and waved when he saw Gina in the corner of the room helping Rea with her dress.
Gina blushed in response and sheepishly waved back.
"Alex in a corset? Somebody call the police because I think my eyes are being assaulted! Ah!" Luke's idiotic smart-ass joked, mockingly clawing his eyes.
Justin chuckled.
I wasn't as amused.
"Justin," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to let you guys know that dance practice is in five minutes. All the other escorts are waiting." He told us.
Felicity squealed. "Okay! Let's finish up, ladies!" She shot up in her puffy dress and cinched my corset shut with a pin.
Hopefully that holds.
I sighed.
I couldn't think about this whole charade. My mind was racing with dread about today and where my relationship with Seth stood because of the decision I would make.
Seth saw me on Monday but he talked to me ever since our talk and he didn't go to school today so it was pretty obvious he was avoiding me.
I don't know if I can say I could blame him though but I wish he saw my reasoning for going through with this.
It was frustrating that he didn't.
I couldn't have his baby!
I didn't want this baby.
We were both on two completely different wavelengths when it came to this pregnancy.
He saw it as our child.
I saw it as our mistake.
Would my choice affect how he saw me moving forward?
Would he ever see me the same again?
Would he still support me?
Would he still love me?
Or would he resent me forever?
I don't think so.
And that terrified me.
And it broke me.
I would never recover from that.
… …
Later That Day
(Medical Health Center)
Nessie drove me to a medical health center in Huntington Park way outside of the region of the smallish town of Oak Woods where anyone could spot us.
"Ready?" She asked me as she parked the car and stopped the car.
I inhaled a shaky breath, chuckling nervously and nodding my head.
"Ready as I'll ever be," I replied truthfully, running my hands up and down my thighs.
She smiled sympathetically, grabbing my hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.
"It's gonna be okay, Alex." She assured me. "You've made a decision you feel was right for you and only you. That's all that matters."
I nodded.
It was my body.
I felt comfortable with my decision.
"Still feel very anxious though," I said. "What if I regret it in the future? I mean I don't think I will now but…what if I do regret it when it's all said and done?"
"That's perfectly normal I think," She responded. "But maybe you feel this way because you're thinking about Seth more than yourself. You're worried about how this might affect how he feels about you, right?"
I looked at her and nodded my head.
"I don't want him to hate me." I told him. "He's gonna hate me though."
"He won't," She said, shaking her head.
"He will." I countered. "And maybe he's right to hate me? Maybe I am not the right girl for him! He deserves the kind of girl who would gladly give him everything he wants. He wants the picture perfect family with a nice house and kids running around. I can't give him that!"
She shook her head. "No. He wants you, Alex. That's all he ever wants. Trust me, he loves you more than all of that."
"Yeah but that's not right, don't you think? He should have autonomy over his feelings. It sometimes feels like the imprint we share has stripped him in particular of any freedom of thought and feelings. He's allowed to feel the way he does. I just… I just wish he understood how I felt though,"
Ness didn't respond to me, maybe because she agreed with me. It's probably how she felt with Jacob too.
Our men do everything in their power to make us happy that they often don't consider their own feelings and desires.
They literally live their lives to make us happy and that often gave me anxiety just thinking about it.
"We should probably head inside," She changed the subject almost instantly.
I exhaled a breath and nodded my head before unbuckling my seatbelt.
When we slipped out of the car, I felt the cool breeze of the wind hit my skin and blowing my hair with it.
I tousled my hood over my head and slipped my hands into my oversized gray hoodie, glancing down at my black leggings and sneakers as I began walking around the car.
Nessie comfortingly draped her arm around me as we sauntered into the health center together for my appointment.
Nessie would be doing the talking for me thankfully.
"Huntington Park Health Center, how may I help you." The medical receptionist greeted with a smile.
"Hi," Nessie warmly greeted back. "Um…we're here for an appointment with the gynecologist? For my friend here."
The receptionist looked at me and smiled sympathetically, as if she knew exactly what I was here for just by looking at my disposition and demeanor.
"Of course. Name please?" The receptionist began typing on her computer.
"Alexandra Emilia Lucia Mazzola," Nessie stated.
"Alexandra…" Marie, the receptionist, whispered as she typed.
I fiddled with my fingers inside of my hoodie pockets.
"Ah! Appointment for 14:30pm. In about ten minutes, your gynecologist will see you shortly." She stated with a smile.
I nodded my head but still dropped my head low.
"Um… are you paying with private insurance or with a card?" She asked me.
I looked over to Nessie for assistance.
"Um, card." She responded as she pulled her card out of her purse.
"That'll be $750." The receptionist told me.
Nessie smiled as she gladly handed the card to her.
My eyes bulged.
I still couldn't believe abortions cost that much.
And I would always be extremely indebted to Nessie that she was doing me this one solid.
I didn't know how I could ever repay her for this.
And she was the type to not expect or ask for anything in return.
She truly was my best friend.
"This is refundable by the way," Receptionist Marie mentioned as she handed the card back to Nessie.
"I won't need that, but thanks." I assured her.
Nessie looked at me briefly before turning back to the receptionist.
"Thank you so much for your help." She sweetly replied.
"Pleasure. You may take a seat. We have cooled and distilled water bottles and magazines on the tables on either side of the chairs."
"Thanks," Nessie and I replied before walking away and taking our places on the comfortable cream chairs.
"I am so grateful for all of this again, Ness." I expressed.
"Oh, don't mention it," She shook me off as she crossed her leg over her other. "I'm just happy to support you in anyway that I can,"
I nodded.
She handed me a bottle of water and grabbed one for herself.
"This is a nice medical center." She remarked. "Great AC cooling. Some of the ones I've been too have horrible air conditioning."
"How many medical centers have you been to in your life?" I chuckled.
She didn't need to go to the hospital or any health care practitioners because she never got sick.
"Well, my dad was a practicing psychologist in Forks for a minute and did some work in New Hampshire when we lived there for a year. I often visited him at work,"
I nodded my head.
That made sense.
"I finally got to see Jacob's tattoos today after they fully healed up and omigosh they're so beautiful and meaningful but also… he looks so goddamn hot! I didn't think it was possible but the tattoos just increased his attractiveness tenfold." She giggled.
"Did they turn you on?" I teased with a chuckle.
She gave me a wide eyed look. "Girl...You have no idea,"
I laughed.
"And I never thought of myself as a tattoo girlie but Jacob rocks them well." She added.
"I suppose you're finding it harder to jump his bones now instead of waiting for the wedding night like you planned," I teased.
She blushed. "It's proven to be exponentially more difficult lately, yes." She giggled.
I hummed as I took a sip of water. "So, he's fully healed now?" I asked, twisting the lid of the water bottle closed.
"Yup. He's still a bit numb on his shoulder but otherwise he's all fully healed up. But he's still leaving the bandages on when he's around his work mates and Mike." She told me.
"How long does it normally take for a normal human to heal from tattoos?" I asked.
"Jake tells me it takes a human an average of 2-3 weeks. Basically about a month to fully heal from the tattoo wounds but in some cases, large tattoos like Jacob's can time from 3-6 months to fully heal." She replied.
I nodded.
It must be nice to be a shapeshifter.
Nessie grabbed a pop culture magazine and began flipping through it.
"Ugh! Leonardo DiCaprio is dating another 20-something year old again." Nessie stated.
"Let's hope she isn't turning 25 anytime soon because that's the cutoff age before he moves on to the next one," I said.
She giggled. "Once a girl reaches a quarter of a century, Leo starts to think she's geriatric and dying age." Nessie joked.
I smiled slightly.
I could tell she was trying to cheer me up and get my mind off the whole thing.
And I was grateful at her efforts.
But I couldn't help but still think about Seth.
Maybe…
Maybe I did wish he was here with me.
I really couldn't do this without him no matter how I tried convincing myself I could.
"Alexandra Mazzola!" My doctor called as soon as she entered the room.
I looked up to see the gynecologist.
She locked eyes with me and gave me a reassuring smile.
"I'm ready for you now," She said as she waved to me.
I nodded and then looked at Nessie. She nodded her hand and grabbed my hand as we both stood up in unison.
"You have your support system with you?" She asked me.
I nodded, gesturing to Nessie.
"Okay. You'll have to drive her back home and be with her at all times tonight, okay?" She said to my friend.
"Okay. I plan to," She said.
The GYN smiled. "It's good to have friends who stick beside each other. Is the father not in the picture?"
I contemplated whether or not to say anything but as I opened my mouth, I got stopped by the door flinging open and someone calling my name.
"Alex!" A deep voice exclaimed with bated breath.
I spun around to see Seth standing by the door, breathing and exhaling and panting heavily as he looked at me.
"Seth?"
"I can't let you go through with this!" He said, walking up to me.
I rolled my eyes.
I didn't need this right now.
"Seth –I'm going through with this and if you can't support me then maybe you should just go –"
"… I can't let you go through with this alone," He explained as he reached me.
Seth took my hands in his and looked me deep in the eye.
"I should've called you. I should've been here with you. I should've been there for you from the beginning. I'm sorry. I never wanted to make you feel like I didn't support whatever decision you chose to make. I wish I told you this sooner but I just needed some time to think but I'm here now. I'm here to support you through this. For better or worse, I'm here for you. I'm always gonna be here for you." He expressed.
My eyes glistened as tears brimmed up. I instantaneously threw my arms around his neck and embraced him in a tight, warm embrace. He gladly returned the tight, strong and comforting embrace.
I wanted his arms around me.
A heavy weight was lifted off my shoulders having Seth be here with me for this.
We drifted away from each other after a long while to smile up at each other. He planted a kiss on my forehead and then turned to Nessie.
"Thanks for being here," He simply said to his niece.
Nessie smiled back. "No problem. Thanks for coming,"
"You told him?" I looked at her.
She shrugged. "I knew you needed each other."
Goodness, she was the best.
"Shall we?" The gynecologist called.
I nodded as I spun around and took Seth's hand in mine.
"I'll be out here," Ness told us.
I smiled back before we walked into the room.
"You can lie down over there," My doctor mentioned, pointing to the medical bed. "Can you remove you leggings please?"
I began stripping down and folded my leggings and handed them to Seth. I hopped onto the medical bed.
Seth took a seat on the chair beside me and took my hand in his.
"I take it you are the father?" the doctor pointed to Seth as she slipped her medical gloves on.
Seth and I shared a look.
Father.
Something turned in me as she said that.
Seth would have been a father to this baby growing inside of me.
He…was the father.
"Uh, yeah," He replied.
"Okay. So… I'm going to need your help throughout the procedure. She's gonna need you to support her during and post procedure. We're going to perform a suction aspiration abortion today otherwise known as a surgical abortion. Firstly, I'm required to discuss with you the various pregnancy options just so you have leeway to ever rethink your choice if need be. So we have adoption if you wish to carry the pregnancy full term but not carry the responsibility–"
"I don't want that." I stated. I looked back at Seth, realizing I didn't include him.
"I mean… we don't want that right? This is what we want." I asked.
He nodded. "This is what we want," He confirmed.
I exhaled a sigh of relief.
We were on the same page.
Thank God.
"Well okay… So we can move on. The surgical abortion procedure goes as follows: It can be performed in a one-day procedure if less than 14 weeks have passed since the first day of your last menstrual period. The procedure is done by me in office with local anesthesia and oral pain-relieving medications. This will take around three hours since you are less than 12 weeks pregnant. 8 weeks pregnant I believe?" She confirmed.
I nodded my head.
"After the procedure is done, you will need to arrange for someone to drive you home." She added.
I looked back at Seth who nodded in reply and whispered "I got you" as he squeezed my hand tightly.
I plastered a grin at the doctor and nodded my head as if to signal that she can go ahead with the procedure.
"Well, without further ado, let's get to it shall we." She began.
Whew. I exhaled.
This was it.
A/N: I am back! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This was very difficult for me to write for various reasons but particularly Alex's POV. I hope it wasn't triggering to any people but I really wanted to showcase the raw side of what many girls go through everyday.
Overall, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Things are moving full speed ahead! I hope you're noticing all the Easter eggs I've been planting.
REVIEW! FOLLOW! FAVORITE!