Chapter 1
ONE
Sophia
This is absolute chaos.
I want to savour every second of this carnage, but I feel like my mind is on another planet, while my body sits here in the assembly hall, watching the revenge plot of the century unfold.
Liana is on her feet, screaming across the room at a very innocent-looking Berlin. The string of curse words coming out of her is quite impressive. She’s come out with more derogatory terms than I personally even knew existed. I feel like I should be taking notes or something in case I need a wide variety of insults in the future.
Everyone is going crazy, except for Berlin – she’s playing it super cool. She looks shocked even, like she can’t believe the horrors she’s seeing, as though she didn’t orchestrate this entire thing from start to finish.
If I’ve learnt one thing from this, it’s not to fuck with Berlin. She might look innocent right now, but she’s got balls the size of coconuts, and she is not afraid to cut a bitch if the need arises. I’m grateful we’re family and she’s firmly in my corner.
The slideshow of shame is still playing on the big screen – including all the screenshot receipts of Liana implicating herself for all the nasty-ass shit she’s done. There are videos, pictures, texts… all the evidence anyone would need to be totally convinced of her guilt.
It’s truly wild that Liana has the balls to stand here, accusing Berlin of being a ‘manipulating bitch’ who is ‘trying to ruin her life’, when it’s pretty clear that she’s managed to do that single-handedly while also trying to take all of us down with her.
She’s a complete psycho.
She drugged us, for fuck’s sake. She’s the least innocent person in this mess.
I’m pretty sure Berlin also sent all this evidence to the principal, and the police, just as a cherry on top of what has turned out to be a shit sundae. Liana might be able to talk her way out of almost anything, but I doubt she’s going to be able to pull it off this time. She’s going down, in raging flames if the look on her face is anything to go by.
The year thirteen dean is on the mic now, telling everyone to be quiet and sit down while Mrs. Derbeck is desperately trying to get the slide show off the big screen. She hasn’t got a clue what she’s doing on that laptop. She’s at least thirty years too old to be the one in charge of the technology.
It’s a shit show. Some girls are screaming and others are almost crying, guys are cheering. Fights are on the verge of breaking out. Everyone has lost the plot.
Total carnage.
Berlin has a smug smile on her face now as two of the male teachers physically restrain Liana and half drag her away, down the aisle in the middle of the assembly hall, and out into the front foyer.
Talk about making a scene.
Liana screams the whole way about Berlin being a bitch, trying to fight off the teachers and insisting she’s been set up. I guess I admire her perseverance. She’s yelling threats about how B is going to pay, about how she ‘ better watch her back’ . That’s not overly smart of her given she’s yelling it in the ears of teaching staff, but maybe she knows she’s not getting herself out of this mess anyway, so she’s choosing to go down swinging.
I can still hear her screaming even after she’s gone from sight. The girl sure has a set of lungs on her.
Finally – with the support of three other teachers – the screen goes black, and the chatter finally dies down .
The deputy principal comes up to the mic and whispers something in the dean’s ear. He shrugs, clearly bewildered. She mutters something else and then shakes her head in disbelief.
“You can all be excused?” The dean finally announces, but it comes out sounding like a question. He looks totally lost. I don’t blame him. This was a lot. Like a lot, a lot.
I knew Liana would be theatrical about it, but even I had no idea how much so.
The teachers all look like they have no idea how to handle this. I doubt they’ve ever seen anything like it in their entire teaching careers. I hope for their sakes that they never do again. Let this be a lesson to psychotic bitches far and wide.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Students all rush to their feet around me, the gossiping well and truly in full swing, but I don’t even bother moving in a hurry. What would be the point? It’s not like I have anywhere to go anyway – my life as I know it, is over.
I’m pregnant at eighteen.
I don’t know where to begin trying to deal with that.
It just can’t be happening.
I’ve gone and got myself in the one situation I never thought I’d wind up in. Honestly, until a few months ago, I thought I’d be leaving this school with my virginity firmly intact.
Things sure took a real turn on that front.
I already have plans to meet Josh after school, but I can’t wait that long. I can’t sit with this information for another few hours. I need to talk to him now .
I wait until the assembly hall is mostly empty, and all the teachers have left the stage before pulling out my phone and sending Josh a message to meet me behind the science block right away. I tell him it’s urgent, but I can’t bring myself to say any more than that.
I have no idea what I’m going to say to him, or how he’ll react when I do find the right words.
I huff out a humourless laugh. The right words. Doesn’t matter how right the words are, the message is still going to be the same.
I don’t expect it to go well when he finds out the news. Me and Josh haven’t been seeing each other long, and he doesn’t really seem like the type to settle down and raise a family as a teen. Hell, I don’t even know if we’re officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet.
What a mess.
I fidget with my phone and go over different wording in my mind as I sneak out of the hall and head straight for the science block. I don’t want to see anyone else right now. I can’t risk losing my shit again.
I manage to slip away unnoticed and get there without any problems. I get a reply from Josh telling me he’s on his way. I hope he doesn’t make me wait long; I’ve been holding back tears for about as long as I can manage.
He’s vaping when he finally comes around the corner, which I hate, but never comment on, but now that I’m responsible for a life other than my own, I feel like that’s going to have to change. I don’t want my baby coming out with extra toes or something from the second-hand fumes. Fuck knows what they’re even putting inside those douche flutes.
He grins when he sees me, and despite all my reservations about him, about us , when he smiles at me like that, it’s hard to remember why I’m worried. He’s handsome and charming and he makes me feel good about myself.
“My Sophie girl,” he says as he gets closer, sliding his vape into his pocket.
“Hi,” I squeak.
He wraps his arms around me, and my face gets pushed against his chest. He’s so much taller than I am, not that it’s hard when I’m as short as I am, but it’s nice. I feel safe in his arms.
It’s ironic that the guy who makes me feel safe, can’t protect me from this situation at all.
“That was one hell of a performance in there.” He chuckles. “They’ll have to throw Liana in juvey for that I reckon. Wait, is she eighteen yet? The bitch might go to real jail.”
“I don’t know,” I mumble against his shirt. It smells like his blueberry vape .
“Just like I bet you don’t know anything about how all that information got on the big screen, huh?” He’s laughing.
I wish I could laugh. It’s all fun and games until your life comes crashing down around you.
Oh my god.
A fresh wave of tears hits me, and it takes him a moment to notice I’m sobbing, not laughing along with him.
“Sophia?” He tries to pry me off his chest so he can look at me, but I’m not brave enough yet. I cling on so tight he’d have to rip his shirt to get me off.
“Soph? Are you crying?”
I nod my head as the tears start to ease.
“What’s wrong?” he asks softly, his big hand rubbing my back slowly.
This is it – the moment I change his life forever.
“I’m pregnant,” I whisper, loosening my hold, and peeking up at him.
“Sorry, what ? It sounded like you just said you were pregnant.” He laughs, but when he looks at the expression on my face, he’s not laughing anymore.
His eyes widen. “You’re pregnant ?”
I’ve always hated that expression, and I’m annoyed at myself for using it. I’m not pregnant. We’re pregnant. Maybe that’s just the slightly unhinged feminist views that have soaked into my brain after years of hearing my mother talk, but it’s always bothered me. Yes, I’m the one growing the kid, but it wasn’t just my doing. It’s not just my responsibility.
But I guess the harsh reality is that it is, or at least could be.
He can walk away. It’s not so easy for me. When it comes down to it, I am pregnant, but we’re having a baby.
We’re linked – this baby and I. Even if I decided to have a termination, or give it up for adoption, we’re still bound in a way that Josh isn’t. I can’t just wash my hands of this with a few words the same way he can if he wants to. I guess maybe saying we’re pregnant really is ridiculous after all.
I nod my head, tears pooling in my eyes again. “I took a test this morning.”
“Pregnant.” He mouths the word silently; his eyes widen in what I can only assume is complete and utter shock. He takes a step back and runs his hands through his hair. His eyes somehow getting even bigger again as he glances at my stomach.
I can relate. Mine feel like they’ve been bugging out of my head since the moment I saw those two pink lines.
“I don’t know what to do,” I admit. “I’m scared.”
He paces the space in front of me, not looking in my direction.
“I just… are you…” he stutters.
More pacing .
“I don’t know…”
Even more pacing.
“Are you sure? You did it right?” he asks, finally stopping in front of me and looking down into my eyes.
I nod my head. “It’s not exactly complicated. You just pee on the stick and look at the lines.”
His arms fall to his sides, and he stands there like a statue. He’s in what I assume is shock. His body looks like it’s locked down while his mind races.
Poor guy will probably have a stroke at this rate.
“It’s mine?”
I feel my mouth gape. I can’t believe he just asked me that. It feels like a punch in the stomach. Of course it’s his. Who else’s could it possibly be?
“Yes, it’s yours . I’ve never even slept with anyone else, Josh,” I whisper. “You’re the only one.”
I feel tears pooling in my eyes at the hurt from his question.
“Sorry, sorry. You’re right, I’m sorry.” He steps forward and pulls me against him again. “I’m sorry. Don’t cry. I wasn’t thinking. You’re not like some of the other girls around here. I’m sorry I asked.”
“It’s okay.”
“Are you alright?”
I shake my head. “No. I’m a mess. I can’t have a baby.”
He tips my chin up so I’m looking at him. He doesn’t say anything for a long time, but when he does, it makes my heart race.
“Maybe not. But we can. I’m right here, Sophia. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll do it together.”
That was it. That moment right there – that was when I fell in love with him.