Wolfsblood

Chapter 4

I thought morning sickness was supposed to go away after three months, Lydia thought to herself, sighing tiredly. She was already into her second trimester, and she still felt sick every morning when she woke up. Her belly was beginning to round out now, but not so dramatically that anyone who didn't know better wouldn't just believe she'd put on a little weight around the middle. If at all possible, she preferred to keep her pregnancy a secret so it didn't spread around the school like wildfire, but she doubted her wishes would be granted. Teenagers thrived on drama and rumors, and the most popular girl in school getting knocked up was a story for the front pages.

Then there was the simple fact of who the father was. Allison was the only one who knew about her being pregnant, and that the father was Derek. She could only imagine how Stiles, Scott, and especially Jackson would react when they found out. She couldn't keep it a secret forever, and even if she could hide her swelling belly with loosely-fitted blouses for a few months, her boobs were getting so huge she couldn't hide them anymore. If nothing else, rumors that she'd gotten breast implants would start frolicking around school.

What she dreaded most was the confrontations she faced with her male friends. Jackson, she knew, would belittle her and probably call her a whore to cover up his sadness at her sleeping with another guy. Stiles would hit her with that sorrow, his big brown eyes so full of love for her that he couldn't deny being happy for her while all the time wishing she loved him the way she loved Derek. Scott was the easiest one to manage because he noticed little else in the world outside of Allison and lacrosse, so she wasn't terribly worried about him.

Rounding the corner and not paying attention, she rammed directly into Jackson who stumbled backward as she gasped in surprise. Her eyes widened as she recognized him, and her stomach lurched painfully. She couldn't handle this right now. Unfortunately, she had dropped the papers she'd been holding in her surprise, and with them were some pamphlets about eating healthy while pregnant.

With a small yelp, she dove to the floor and began gathering them, followed closely by Jackson who almost instinctively grabbed one of the pamphlets, his eyes widening at the sight of it. They rose together, Lydia watching him intently, fearfully, the entire time, and his gray-blue eyes trained so hard on the paper in his hand she thought his eyes may explode. She could see the surprise in his eyes, but almost as quickly as she noticed it it disappeared. He turned to look into her gaze and a dark smile curved over his lips as he tossed the pamphlet at her.

"Seems someone's been busy since we broke up," he noted, smirking and raising one eyebrow. Noticing the other students slowing to watch them, Lydia glanced around nervously and then back at him.

"Let's not talk about this here," she urged, reaching out for his arm to pull him out of the hallway. He jerked his elbow away from her touch and shook his head, that derisive sneer on his handsome face.

"Why not, Lydia?" he asked, gesturing around at the gathering crowd, waiting for the kill, "I think this is the perfect place to talk about the fact that you're a slut."

Murmurs echoed around the ring of students, and she felt heat rising in her cheeks. Tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks, but she urged herself to remain strong. He wanted to make her feel bad, as bad as he felt for her breaking up for him.

"I'm not a slut..." she argued in a quiet voice. He snorted mockingly.

"So you had to break up with me so you could screw someone else?" he asked, watching her with a contemptuous glare in his eyes.

The tears were close to winning now, and she shook her head, wiping at her eyes. "It wasn't like that. I just... We grew apart..."

Pursing his lips and nodding tauntingly, he retorted, "Apparently. I never would have expected this out of the Lydia Martin I knew." He stepped closer to her, tilting his head in a predatory way that instantly reminded her of the kanima he'd once been. "I never would have expected sweet little Lydia to turn into a tramp."