crescent [h.s]

epilogue 1 - the moon and the stars

14 years later

Dove Styles - aged 18.

With tears streaming down my face, the roads are starting to get less and less clear, the lights shining red, amber, green, all blending into one and making me rely on other drivers in order to know when to drive, and stop.

All because my boyfriend of 2 and a half years cheated on me, with my best friend who has held that same title since we were two years old. Ben cheated on me with Lacey.

And to top it off, my period is a week late, and I think I'm pregnant.

Life is really going my way, couldn't you tell?

Tears are dripping off my jawline as they don't stop or slow down, my heart slowly but surely tearing itself in half, completely betrayed. I trusted Ben with everything in me, and though I never thought we were going to be together forever, I never thought he would be capable, or home the stupidity to cheat on me.

And I especially never thought my best friend of 16 years would be the one he went behind my back and betrayed me with.

Parking my car at auntie Deli's house, I don't know where else to go. I need to do a pregnancy test, but I can't be alone. My best friend isn't an option anymore, and though my mum knows I was having sex, I don't want to worry her with this.

My hands are shaking as I knock on her door, hoping out of everyone who lives here, she's the one who comes and answers. I really don't think Elijah, Rudy, or even Asteria for that matter would know what to do when it came to a sobbing and shaking me.

To my relief, my auntie opens the door, her eyes softening at my distraught expression. She ushers me in and closes the door behind me, putting her hands on my wrists to stop the excessive shaking, "Hey little miss, what or who has made you so upset? C'mon talk to me, I'll solve any problem you have."

Looking around the large house the best I can through my watery vision, I manage to choke out through my swollen and bitten lips, "I-Is anyone else here?"

She shakes her head, her dark black hair moving with every movement of her head. "Nope, Rudy is at his mum's until tonight, and Elijah is at work with your dad still. I presume my daughter is with your sister, but she just told me she was going 'out', and she'd be back by 9."

I take a look at the time on my phone screen, my heart splintering all over again when I take in my lockscreen photo. Lacey took the photo of me with my head in Ben's lap, the bottom left corner showing a peace sign she made with her fingers whilst Ben was bent over me, pressing a kiss into my neck and making my sand covered body scrunch up in surprise.

It was such a beautiful candid photo, and now it just makes me feel nauseous.

Well, who knows that could be the possible baby.

Not funny.

That wasn't funny.

The nausea is suddenly even worse.

It's only 5pm, so I know we're alone, and alone for a while. So that's why I build the courage, and spit everything out in record speed to the first person I trust, "Ben cheated on me with Lacey, they had sex under the bleachers after our final day of school, I found out, broke up with him, but my period is late, and there's a chance I could be pregnant."

My aunt stares at me blankly for ten seconds before her body snaps into motion, taking ahold of my hand properly, and running her other hand up and down my arm as she leads me upstairs, "Okay best friend, take a breath for me. Everything will be okay, I promise. We're gonna take a pregnancy test together, okay? We'll both do one so it's less daunting, I promise," we reach the bathroom door in her bedroom, and suddenly Deli's eyes are boring into mine, all so comfortingly, "if you are pregnant, you have a choice. I will support you through whatever you choose, you don't have to have any child if you don't want to."