You'll Be Okay

Chapter 28

"Say something," said Kayley quietly.

I hated that the first thing I thought about was Elena, who had also been eighteen when she got pregnant with Kayley. But Kayley was nothing like her mother and if there was one person in the world that I believed in, it was my best friend.

In that moment, I wasn't sure what to say.

"I only just found out for sure." Kayley hiccuped through her tears, voice breaking a little. "I did a few pregnancy tests weeks ago but one was positive and one negative. I didn't want to say anything in case it was a false alarm but I was feeling funny."

"You should've told me," I said quietly. And then, realising how selfish that sounded, I shook my head. "Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "A little queasy. Tired."

"How far along are you?"

"Five and a half weeks." She screwed up her face, ready to cry again. "Lex, we have four months left of high school and I'm pregnant. I don't want to be like my mom."

"No," I said fiercely and if it came out too harshly, Kayley didn't notice. "Elena made her choice four years ago but this is yours. Only yours."

But even as her tears flowed harder, I saw her choice. It became so clear in the way she covered her mouth, her other hand protectively moving to her flat abdomen. Her terror and hope in that moment mirrored mine and I saw her choice then; she was going to keep her baby.

"Jesus Christ, Kayley." I said hoarsely as the reality of the situation settled in. "You kept all of this to yourself? Not your mom, not me... not Jarred?"

With a gulping sob, she flung herself at me and squeezed me so tight that I struggled for air. I squeezed her back - gentler - and every part of my being wanted to express just how excited I was. But she wasn't ready to hear that yet so I furiously willed away the sting of tears because one of us had to be strong now and my turn was past due.

I remembered Kayley peeling off my pillowcase, combing my hair when I couldn't even force myself out of bed. I remembered the moment where I finally pulled myself together - the night I found her breaking down in heartbroken sobs. She was on her hands and knees, sweeping broken glass and a splintered picture frame off the floor, carefully placing a photograph of a smiling family into a box. Like the coward I was, I had snuck back upstairs.

"We'll come up with something," I found myself assuring her now. "And if Jarred's reaction isn't what you hoped for, I'm here."

She just kept crying but I knew how much it meant to her.

-

"That's wrong."

"Last time I checked, you weren't Gordon Ramsay."

"I don't have to be Gordon Ramsay to know you're doing it wrong!"

"Lex, move. Please."

Reid, being no gentleman, pushed me out of the way when I refused to budge from my position in front of the oven. Before I could scream at him, a gust of hot air blew into my face and I stumbled back. Reid eyed our double chocolate chip cookies that still sat limply on the baking tray and then with a disapproving grunt, closed the oven again.

"You're letting out all the heat," I explained.

Reid ignored me, causing Tyler to cackle with glee from the other bench. We were halfway through the lesson and Jarred had been the one prodding at their lumpy brownie mix. Tyler could laugh all he wanted but at least Reid and I had our cookies in the oven.