The Cinderella | Wattys 2016

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"No, pink is too freaking girly! Blue is the real cool." Cass argued, about the color of the wallpaper of Alyssa's room.

"Cass baby, Alyssa is a girl, you have to bring her up in a girly way." Em retorted, trying to convince Cass who was terrified of the idea of her niece growing up to be a typical Barbie girl. She shuddered in disgust as she rebutted to Em.

"Hell no, not happening, Em! Alyssa's gotta be a badass, just like her awesome aunt!" She said, rubbing her palms against each other, with an excited grin stretched over her face.

"The idea of my daughter being someone like you, kind of spooks me, no offense." Blake butted in, tightening the grip around my waist as he rested his shin on my shoulder. I hit his shoulder for being rude while the girls gaped at me with whammy.

"Wait, your daughter?" The girls asked Blake, their mouths hanging down till the marble ground, if that's even possible. I let out a humorless laugh as I realized the irony of the current situation, Blake being the father is oblivious to the fact and yet he is ready to take up such a colossal responsibility, believing the fact that baby isn't his, when actually it is his.

It is funny how my life was so calm and uncomplicated before the party, Maya and Emily forced me to go to. That day surely turned my life 360 degrees around. I was helping the guy I love, search the mystery girl he was in love with, which happens to be me and then one day, I find out I'm pregnant with his baby. And now that we're together, which is kind of surreal and unbelieving at times, he's ready to father the baby which in fact is already his, while he has no clue about this all the time.

I won't be surprised if my brain blows up into miniscule atoms after all this ends.

"Oh, my god! You knocked up my sister?" Cass asked with disgust. "That's gut-chumming." Cass mumbled. Other than a beyond shocked Ira and a fuming Cassidy, the girls were looking me with a 'you should tell him' look. Before I could tell Blake the truth about everything that's happened in the past six months, Blake interjected in.

"I'm afraid you're wrong, Cassidy. Alyssa's not mine, but I want to be alongside Grace while bringing her up." He said with a smile before he pecked my cheek lightly. The way Maya, Em and Amanda looked at Blake and I made my guts churn with guilt. I avoided their gaze while Cass and Blake, for the first time in forever spoke cordially with each other about Alyssa's arrival.

I squirmed out of Blake's lap, "Excuse me." I walked towards the kitchen and pulled out a mango smoothie from the refrigerator. Finding a straw, I began sipping it as I sat at the island table and gazed outside the window, at nothing in particular. Today was a good day, the sun was out due to which the weather was pleasant, the birds were merrily chirping on the branches of the tree as cool breeze blew by. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder. It was Amanda who smiled at me, before she pulled out a chair and sat beside me. She put her hand on my hand and pressed it in a assuring manner.

"What's wrong, Grace?" She asked.

That's when a tear drop escaped my eye, "I..I feel so remorseful." I stuttered as I wiped the tear droplets ferociously, "for keeping this from Blake." Amanda put her hands around my back and rubbed it in a soothing manner.

"Hush, Grace." She said softly, as I let out a cry. I rested my head on her shoulder and silently cried while she kept on mumbling assuring words. "I know what you're doing isn't what I'd call correct, but trust me, I've been in your shoes." She said, as she wiped the tears that were rolling down my cheeks. "I know it feels like to keep such news from the person who has every right to know about this." She said.