The following school day had been filled with whispered rumors. Serenity was proud she was at the center of it; instead of being ashamed of her actions or even showing an ounce of regret for the people she hurt on route to her goal, she walked around the schoolyard that morning with a proud bounce to her step and a sway to her hips. A smile painted on her lips at finally being successful at something. Eva and Kaitlyn followed her as if they were loyal handmaids to their mistress. Both seemed oblivious to the truth or the investigation and consequences looming in the shadows.
"What's going on?" asked Kaitlyn upon noticing Vicky leading the majority of the friend group away. Oddly, not one of them protested. Instead, they followed along while immersed in conversation, as if they were aware they weren't in trouble or knew wherever they were going would somehow benefit them. Eva soon turned her attention to the larger group being led away by Vicky, as did Serenity mere moments later. Not surprisingly, the scheming brunette had disgust written across her features, even more at the thought of losing some of her loyal dogs. After all, she had planned for them to be a part of her bigger picture. With Vicky's intervention, it would be much harder to drag them into the boiling mess of drama she was personally creating.
"Roman," called Serenity upon seeing the taller Samoan walking past. Although neglecting to notice, he had earbuds in, bobbing away to the music playing. "Roman," she called again, this time attempting to run in her heeled sandals to catch up with him. When she did, she expected to see happiness and delight. Instead, she was met with unnerving coldness, almost hatred shining in his pale eyes. "Where are you going? What are you doing? We're supposed to be a team now," softly spoke Serenity as a hand instinctively found her stomach; a gentle grin appeared on her lips mere moments later as her eyes shone with a light that hadn't previously been there.
"To be with my friends, where I belong," coldly responded Roman, almost as if he was blaming her for everything he considered to have gone wrong since the senior year had begun. After all, everything had gone so well until she glided into his life. "We're not a team, we never were, and I'm sure as hell not that father of that baby. I feel sorry for the bastard that is," commented the Samoan, looking around in time to see Dean, Seth, and Renee making their way up the path leading to the main entrance of the school. Renee held her phone out, suggesting there was an ongoing phone call with someone else or perhaps the remaining members of their found family.
"On the contrary, Roman, you and these three ladies are coming with me," spoke Shane, almost repeating his actions from the day before, although this time, he wouldn't be questioning anyone; instead, he would simply be delivering the four to the room near Stephanie's office. He'd already collared Daniel, Bobby, and Jinder, but neither of the three put up an argument, almost as if they realized why and accepted it would be the new normal for a little while or until everything was dealt with.
"Where are the others going?" asked Eva, a tone similar to jealousy flooding her voice, a sprinkle of fear too. After all, Vicky had led the rest of her social group toward one of the side entrances, whereas Shane was leading the four of them through the reception again, just like he'd done the day before. The bottle redhead had believed it was just a preference but soon began to realize otherwise upon turning right at the top of the metal carpeted stairs toward the headmistress's office and the staff room.
"The rest of your social group will be elsewhere, as will the miss-matched lot," answered Shane, although he'd admit he was unsure if the Darklings would be separated from the larger group or if they'd be allowed to join the rest. Instantly, Shane recognized the curiosity shining in Roman's eyes; he was a part of the mismatched group; why wasn't he with them? It was clear the Samoan wanted to voice the question but didn't know how to word it without making it seem like he was trying to get out of whatever he was chin-deep in now.
"You're here, Roman until we figure out your role in this mess," came Stephanie's voice as if she could read his teenage mind. "The mix-and-match family is aware you won't be joining them until this is dealt with. As to why you're here, I've determined you six have more knowledge about what's going on than the rest. As the wrestling team wasn't here yesterday, I will be doing the same with them as I did with all of you; if one of them is deemed to have more knowledge of the goings on, they will be joining you in here" explained Stephanie, noticing the fear to appear in the eyes of Serenity, as if it dawned on her how much trouble they were in now, or her plans were in jeopardy.
"What about class, breaks, and study periods?" asked Kaitlyn, at least displaying the constant drama that didn't take precedence over her education and planning for her future. "I was supposed to be in Mr. Cole's study class later on and Mr. King's free period to catch up with missed work," explained the two-toned teenager, retrieving her school organizer to show she was telling the truth if only to display she had understood the lack of trust and the trouble she now found herself in.
"A member of staff will be escorting you to your classes and any other place you're scheduled to be. Lunch breaks and free periods will be spent here until this mess is resolved. Lunch will be brought up to you every day until then," replied Stephanie, clearly demonstrating everything had been thought of in advance. "There's a bathroom across the way as well; if your parents have complaints, they are free to contact me directly," she explained, taking note of Serenity pulling out her phone, no doubt to text her mother about the recent events and with claims of being locked in a room for something she was innocent of.
"My mother will hear about this!" almost yelled Serenity, a threatening tone ringing through the silky voice as if she believed it was no big deal to act in such a way to get what she wanted. Stephanie, on the other hand, didn't seem all that phased, as if she expected such a reaction from a dramatic teenager.
"Your mother is already aware and has consented to you taking a pregnancy test," replied Stephanie, witnessing as Serenity seemed to grow smaller as her previous confidence faded; her mother had always been her biggest weapon and supporter, yet this time, she had sided with the school. Maybe it was because she wasn't interested in the drama this time or because it was the quickest solution. Or maybe it was her mother's way of forcing her to stand on her own two feet. After all, her normally supportive mother hadn't been thrilled when Serenity had confided in her about the possibility of being pregnant. "Come along," calmly added Stephanie, not speaking of the alternative reasons for taking Serenity along. She knew if Serenity was indeed expecting, then the majority of Roman's story would fall apart.
"What's gonna happen if I am?" quietly asked Serenity, almost fearful of what waited in the future. She had always wanted to be a mother and dreamed of it since she was a little girl playing with her dolls, but she had also imagined the support of a good man and a comfortable life. She was a schoolgirl, nowhere near the luxurious life she imagined, and the father was as cold as ice on a winter's morning.
"We will support you on the journey; whatever you decide, someone will be there to help you through," replied Stephanie, holding out the small paper bag to the senior girl. "But first, we need to confirm if you are indeed with child. Once we know, we can go from there," she added with a motherly tone. She knew what Serenity needed right now was support rather than harsh punishment, although the headmistress would also admit the brunette deserved that, too.
Without protest, Serenity headed into the small bathroom, encouraging herself to go through with what was asked of her while trying to bury her growing fear. What if she were pregnant? Her whole life would change, and Roman would probably avoid her more than he already does while at school. Outside the school perimeter, he was the sweetest, so devoted and caring. But inside the school grounds, it was like he was a different person, cold and ashamed to be seen with her. It was like she was his dirty little secret he didn't want anyone to know about. She began to question what would happen if she was pregnant. Would he continue to ignore her and claim he wasn't the father? Would he become more distant? Or would he be more open to their relationship being more public? After all, he'd told her they had to hide it as his friends wouldn't be accepting of her. They still wanted him to be with Summer.
"Mrs McMahon," called Serenity, suddenly finding herself terrified by the prospect of being not only alone but also a mom. It was as if reality had hit her like a ton of bricks, and she felt as if she was a scared little girl again. Stephanie carefully opened the door, poking her head through, to see Serenity near the sinks, as if she was trying to hide away from the world outside the bathroom. "Can you stay with me, please?" she almost whimpered, finally admitting she didn't have what it took to find out the life-changing results on her own. Just as if she was trying to muddle through her feelings. What would she do if it was positive? What would she do if it was negative? Was she ready to be a mom? Would she be good at it? Would Roman be more accepting? Did he want a child? Did he want her?
"We'll get you through this, Serenity," calmly spoke the headmistress, recalling her own experiences with motherhood; it wasn't easy, nor would she tell a teenager it was. It was difficult and full of sacrifices, but it also came with so much love and discovery. "If need be, adjustments will be made, allowing you to continue your schooling until a certain time and then from home thereafter," added Stephanie, trying to offer comfort to the almost terrified teenager. At the same time, she began to wonder if all of the drama and other misbehavior had been Serenity's attempt to shout out for help, to call out in an attempt for someone to notice she needed something.
Soon enough, the minutes had passed, and Serenity reached out for the test with a shakey hand, unsure of what she wanted and hoped for now. The cunning brunette paled when she laid eyes on the result, positive.
"Who is the father?" asked Stephanie. Deep down, she already knew the answer; everyone in the school likely did, but still, she asked if only to confirm her suspicions.
"Roman," whispered Serenity, trying to wipe the tears staining her cheeks, finding herself with a mix of emotions now her own suspicions had been proven true. "He's the only one I've been with since transferring here. But he won't admit it; he said we had to keep our relationship secret because his friends would disapprove. They want him to get back with Summer?" she cried, trying hard to stop the flow of tears but failing miserably. "I brought my laptop; it has all the messages from his secret accounts and second phone," she added, willingly giving the information over as she tried to fight against the truth she wished wasn't a possibility.
"Sweet girl," called Stephanie as she wiped away Serenity's tears and prepared herself to shine a light on the building web of lies surrounding the teenager. "Summer doesn't want anything to do with Roman after what happened. Most of the mismatched family believe he is more involved with you than he says or acts. To the point, they were not surprised by suspicion of his involvement in this mess," informed the headmistress, unknowingly tearing down the walls built around Serenity.
"But ... he told me ... he said Summer was a delusional crazy ex ... that the darklings were her closest allies... they'd try and rip us apart if they knew," spoke Serenity, her tears slowly drying up as the truth about her perfect lover was beginning to be shown through the cloud of mist. "He lied to me," she whispered with venomous hate, slowly coming around to the truth and realizing the others weren't her enemy but victims in the Samoan's game, just as she was beginning to realize she too was just another pone, he'd played a game with her heart like it meant nothing. "What have I done."
"Teenage love is difficult," stated Stephanie, still suspecting Serenity wasn't entirely innocent, although she did have sympathy for the brunette. "You're gonna start by picking yourself up and walking back into that room. The work for the study period is already in there, and while you do that, I will be talking to Roman about his part in this whole thing and reading over the messages between the two of you. One way or another, I will get to the bottom of this. After the break, a guidance counselor will come and speak to you; they will give you the information needed to make an informed decision about motherhood and, if needed, get you into parenting classes so you are prepared. An email will be sent to your mother to inform her of this, with a recommendation for therapy," explained Stephanie, knowing there was a lot of work to be done now.
"Okay," meekly whispered Serenity as she gathered and prepared herself to walk back into that room. As she tried to bury the bubbling hatred she had growing for Roman. The passion and devotion she had faded, being replaced with so much anger and hate. "Can you pass on an apology to the couples I help rip apart for him?" she asked, quickly summarizing ripping Becky and Finn, as well as Seth and Echo, apart had been a test; Roman had meticulously planned out, and she had foolishly done the dirty work.
The foreign feeling of guilt washed over Serenity; she had hurt them for no reason, been a part of the reason why Summer had turned cold. Becky and Finn had been happy, and she'd destroyed it; Seth and Echo had been the unlikely pair that proved two clashing worlds could create something beautiful, and she'd foolishly torn the hope they represented apart. Now she found out it was all part of the game Roman was playing, all part of his long-term plan for something. Serenity felt stupid; she allowed herself to get swept up in a high school romance when she promised herself she'd be better this time; she'd become worse than she was before for someone who didn't love her but used her. She wasn't the queen she hoped to be, but a pathetic little girl who had allowed herself to be manipulated into throwing everything away for nothing.