Strengths and Weaknesses (CURRENTLY BEING EDITED)

Chapter 16

Clarissa POV

"What is it?" I asked, concerned. Dani hesitated before speaking. "I'm... I'm pregnant." I looked at Dani for a second, speechless. At this point, we had both stopped eating, Dani setting down her phone on the table. "Who's the dad?" I asked, worried that she would mention someone who I had a feeling was it. Dani began crying and I started to shake my head, beginning to cry as well. "Please tell me it's not him. Please.", I said. She sniffled and wiped the mascara dripping down her cheek. "It's Claude. He's the father.", Dani muttered, a river of tears escaping her eyes. I nodded, fighting the urge to cry more. "How long has it been?", I muttered. Dani suddenly stopped crying, her face filled with dripping makeup. "Th-Three months.", she stuttered, and I laughed maniacally. I shook my head, and slammed my hands on the table as I got up. "How could you? How could you do that to me after I trusted you?" I screamed, ignoring the stares around us. Dani got up, reaching her hand out for my hand, but I snatched mine away. "I can explain." Dani started. I looked at her and sat down. I crossed my arms, and looked at her expectantly. "Explain." I said, and she began.

Dani POV

Thursday Night, 9:30pm

It was dark out, and I was sitted on the couch, nonchalantly looking at the television. Can't believe my mother, step-dad left me for a freaking business trip Hawaii, and took my older brother with them. And, I'm stuck here, watching Jeopardy, I thought, as I took another chug from my sixth beer. I got up, suddenly getting a dizzy feeling, and stumbled into the kitchen trying to look for something to eat. I looked in the cabinet and found a package of popcorn. I put the popcorn in the microwave and waited. As I was waiting, I heard knocking on the door. I mumbled all types of profanity as I worked my way through the living room and into the hallway that led to the door. "Who is it?" I slurred, my vision blurry as I looked through the peep hole of the main door. "It's Claude, Dani. Open up." I leaned myself against door, my head hung down, in pain, and disappointment; Pain, because my head was throbbing from all the drinking and disappointment, because Claude, out of anyone, would unexpectedly arrive at my house. I hesitated before speaking. "What do you want?" I gulped, my head undergoing a lot of pain. God, I should've never drank beer, I thought to myself. My thoughts were interrupted by Claude. "I need to talk to you, it's important." I opened the door, being greeted by a sullenly, bad- tempered Claude, who's head was filled with sweat in the night light. I stepped aside to let him, closing the door behind me as I followed him into the kitchen. I sat beside him on the sofa, staring back at each other without any words. Claude, eventually, broke the silence. "May I take one?" He asked, gesturing to the remaining bottles of beer sitting on the coffee table. I shrugged in response, shifting my position on sofa, so I sat cross-legged and facing Claude. "Be my guest." He took a gulp of the beer, pressed his lips, and looked at him. "So what's the deal?", he asked, gesturing at us both. "With us?" I looked at him in denial. I went into the kitchen, followed by Claude, to find a pill in alleviating the pounding headache I got. I looked through the cabinets, moving plates and cups aside to find where it's hidden, but there's none. I look in the jar filled with candy and find a white package labeled with Tylenol. I grab it, filled a cup with water and gulped it down. I turn to find Claude looking at me seductively. "There's nothing going on between us, Claude. What we had was over, you're dating my BEST FRIEND now." I emphasized, but that didn't seem to faze him. He made his way around the island counter to me and grabbed my waist. "She means nothing to me, you know that. Our plan is going well so far, and while this plays out, we could still be together-", Claude began, but I slapped him. I tried escaping his grip, but he was too strong; he carried me up the stairs into my room and dropped me on my bed. He removed his clothes and began touching up on me. I fight the urge to moan, go to slap him again but he holds my hands down. Suddenly, he kissed me, me eventually deepening the kiss, tired of resisting.

Clarissa POV

"And the rest is history." Dani mumbles, sighing. I shook my head in disbelief. "I'm so sorry, Clarissa, I really am. I had to tell you because someone threatened me-" I slammed my fists into the picnic table. Dani walked over to my side and tried to comfort me but I moved away in disgust.

"So you weren't planning on telling me at all? You're making this a lot more wrose for yourself, Dani." I said, grabbing my stuff and throwing my lunch away. I had lost my appetite after Dani's big confession.

"I was planning on telling you... after I got an abortion. It isn't mainly my fault, he forced himself on me, Clarissa." Dani shouted, from behind. By now, silence had filled the area, and there were speculators crowding around us, curious to know what the altercation was about.

I stopped walking and turned around to face Dani, whose face was smeared with mascara from the tears she had shed. "But you could have still fought him, idiota, idiot." I turned and continued walking towards the small entrance to the high school.

I went to the bathroom and checked myself. I fought the urge to cry, as I looked into the mirror: a girl with no expression, feeling. What a heartless b**** you are, Clarissa, I thought to myself. I deserved to think myself into that type of mentality; I've grown accustomed to easily trusting others based on the judgement I give them of a first impression, and quick to ditch them once they show signs of dishonesty- no, disloyalty.

I breathed heavily before heading out to my next class, Forensic Science. The only class I actually like, I think to myself, as I head to my locker to switch out my books. I grab my notebook for the class and walked towards the auditorium, where the class was being held.

Forensic Science was my favorite class for a reason; the atmosphere was different, the room filled with mature and fun upper classmen, it was like a college class: so if the teacher does not arrive within the fifteen minutes of class, we can leave. And, we actually learned. I walked down the noisy, wooden steps to the fifth to last row, and sat at the edge, waiting for Ms. Wallace, the Forensic Science teacher, to arrive. After about twenty minutes into the period, there was still no sign of Wallace, signaling that we could leave. I grabbed my belongings and headed back up the wooden steps and out the door to my locker. As I approached my locker, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked back, being greeted by a cute, smiling guy. "Hey, you dropped your book." the guy said, handing over my copy of An Abundance of Katherines.

"Thank you..." I said, a questioning look on my face. The guy laughed and adjusted his grip on his bookbag. "Tyler. Tyler Harris." Tyler said, putting his hand out for a hand shake. "And you are...?"

"Clarissa. Clarissa Martinez. But you can call me C." I said, shaking his hand. "By the way, that's an interesting book right there. You're going to like the ending." Tyler said, gesturing to the book I'm holding in my hand. I looked down at the book and back at him. "You read the book? You don't seem like the reading type."

Tyler chuckled, and leaned against a locker beside mine. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking. What is a jock like me doing reading a book? I like to read for fun, and no it doesn't affect my manliness." Tyler proclaimed, gesturing towards his muscles. I chuckled, closing my locker and began walking with Tyler towards the exit. "Never said it did, Harris. But that's cool, you reading and all. Giving a new name for the jocks out there." I said, smirking. By now we were outside the school, and we both turned to each other. "So, you wouldn't mind hanging out with a jock who reads sometimes, would you?" Tyler asks, smiling. I looked down, blushing.

"No, not at all."

"Well, then here's my number. Let's hang out tonight?" Tyler asked, after I gave him my number. I nodded, beginning to walk away.

"Later Harris."

"Later Martinez."
_________________________________________

A/N

So what did you guys think? Do you think that Clarissa is falling for Tyler? Do you think she's wrong for doing so? I wouldn't blame her after all she found out that day. Anyways, I have decided to change the motive of the story a bit... instead of focusing on the dead grandma as planned, this book will be about the different problems the characters faced. I think it will be beneficial because you get to see different people's point of view more. I haven't thought about changing the characters' names and their celebrities yet, but I will let you know in the next chapter. See ya!

A.H.✌