Chapter One: | |

Ever's POV 

When I saw those two little lines I didn't know what to think. 

I'm still in high school! Granted it's my senior year but this isn't what I had in mind when I said I wanted more responsibility in my life. I'm not ready to be a mom… At Least I don't think I am. Enzo had always told me I was good with kids but- oh God! How am I gonna tell Enzo?! Should I tell him? I mean I should right? After all, he is the father…   Screw it, I'll tell him tonight at the restaurant- or before? -maybe after?! I don't know… I'm scared… 

I don't know how long I sat in the bathroom, just staring at the three positive pregnancy tests that lay on the marble countertop of my sink before I called the one person I knew I could count on at this moment.

"Hey bitch what's up?! " Bri's hoarse-sounding voice came from the other end, making me smirk just a little. She must have just woken up. Even though it's like one o'clock in the afternoon. 

"Bri… "I mentally cursed myself at the way my voice sounded so brittle. So broken. So lost. And even though I hoped she missed it in her groggy state I know she didn't - she never does… 

"Ever? What's wrong, are you okay?! " I could hear shuffling on the other end of the phone as well as a series of curse words as she- I assume tripped- over something in her room. 

"I'm pregnant… " I all but whispered into the phone, too afraid that someone might hear me, even though I'm home alone. 

The other end was silent for half a second, but it felt like an eternity. 

"So sorry I dropped my phone, I'm in the car. I'll be there in a few minutes and we can talk about it… Everything is gonna be alright we'll figure this out together okay? "

I couldn't contain my sobs any longer as I curled into a ball on the bathroom floor, feeling so grateful to have Bri in my life, because if she hadn't been… Well, let's not think about that right now. 

"Okay… I love you… "

" I love you too! I'm pulling into your driveway now, is your door unlocked? Never mind it opened, I'm coming up! "

Leaning my back up against the bathtub, I wiped away my tears, though more continued to fall replacing the ones I swiped from my face. The Sound of my squeaky bathroom door opening drew my attention as Bri slowly walked in. As soon as she saw me she dropped to her knees pulling me into her embrace, rubbing my back, and whispering encouraging words into my ears until I had calmed down. 

About an hour later when I finally stopped crying, I lightly pulled away and I noticed that Bri had been crying too, her bright blue eyes muddled with the salty liquid, making me feel worse for making her worry. 

"I'm sorry, I just didn't know who else to call… " I muttered, wiping away both of our tears. 

She only shook her head, scolding me, strands of her red hair falling out of the bun she haphazardly put her curly locks in. 

"Don't you dare apologize, I'm glad you called me okay? We'll figure this out… "

Before I could properly respond, Bri had stood up, and walked towards my closet grabbing clothes before returning. She handed them to me gently with a soft smile on her lips. 

"Here… Why don't you take a nice warm shower and then we can talk all about how you want to handle this? Meanwhile, I'm gonna order some takeout and buy some ice cream, okay? Love you! "

She again, didn't let me answer. leaving me in the bathroom to process the events that took place not an hour ago, a small smile took shape on my lips at her motherly love. Despite her being the same age as me, Bri has been the one person I could come to for things I could never go to my own mother about. 

Bri and I have been best friends ever since the first grade when Molly Novak decided she was gonna cut my hair during arts and crafts…

Flashback

My hair was put up in cute little pigtails with little blue bows tied around them. And I was wearing my favorite checkered blue and white dress a white cardigan layered on top. I felt like Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz- my favorite movie. I even had on cute red-ruby slippers to match. 

Sitting at the round table with my friends, we were learning how to use scissors today! My teacher Mrs. Mira taught us how to cut out cute little heart shapes and circles and triangle shapes too! She also taught us rules we had to follow when we used them. 

1.no running 

2. hold the scissors by the blades when walking around or passing them to other people. 

3.No throwing them 

4. Do NOT cut anything other than paper

I was gluing the paper hearts I had cut out with Mrs. Mira's help onto purple construction paper. I'm making a picture for my mommy as an apology for moving too much while she was doing my hair- resulting in her redoing it twice. 

"That looks beautiful Ever! I'm sure your mommy will love it! " Mrs. Mira Praised, patting my head as she walked past making me giggle. 

"Thank you, Mrs. Mira! " 

"Mrs. Mira, what about mine? Is mine pretty too?! " my friend Molly asked with a hopeful look in her eyes and a toothy smile on her lips. 

Mrs. Mira however didn't hear Molly because she was helping another student, making Molly sad. I don't like to see my friends sad, it makes me sad. So I leaned over a little to look at her picture. 

"Your picture is really pretty Molly! " she had cut out yellow stars and glued them on blue construction paper, making a night sky. I liked it. 

"Nobody asked you Ever! " I frowned a little at the way she glared at me. Even more so at the way she said my name like it was some sort of bad word. 

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong? I really do like your picture… "  My voice had become wobbly at the slight possibility that I did something to make my friend upset. 

I noticed how Molly's eyes switched from being angry to guilty in a second, but just as fast they were angry again as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

"Leave me alone Ever! Gosh, you're so weird! Nobody likes you!-"

Molly began to get louder with each word, getting angrier and angrier until she grabbed her scissors, reaching over and pulling on my left pigtail. 

"Ow! Molly let go! your-" Before I could get out of her grip a sickening sound of hair being cut filled the room and soon I was looking at the table where my pigtail now lay. 

The black strands pooled around the table, much like the tears that pooled from my gray eyes. I couldn't contain the sobs that made their way out of my throat, catching the other students' attention along with the teachers. 

"Oh my! What happened Ever-" Mrs. Mira rushed over only to see that my once cute pigtails became a side ponytail as the other side of my hair was protruding from my head. Freshly cut. A gasp slipped past her lips in horror. 

"Ever,  did you do this? " she questioned a small worried frown taking form on her face. I could only shake my head as I continued to cry pointing at Molly. 

Mrs. Mira instantly looked at Molly who was giggling to herself until she saw the teacher looking at her in disappointment. 

"Molly…? Did you do this to Ever? " Mrs. Mira asked slowly to control her anger and disappointment towards the 6-year-old girl. 

"No, I didn't! She's lying! " Molly protested, standing up from her seat and stomping her foot while pointing at me accusingly. 

Before the teacher could say anything another girl from my table spoke up defending me. The girl being none other than Brianna O'Connor. She had long red hair like Ariel and bright blue eyes like the ocean. She's so pretty! 

"Yes, she did! I saw Molly do it! She reached over and pulled Ever's hair before cutting it! " She also stood up but instead of stomping her foot like Molly, she instead came over to me and hugged me telling me it was gonna be okay. 

"Are you sure Brianna?" 

"Yes" 

Instantly Molly started screaming and crying saying that I was being mean and bullying her about her picture when I wasn't, and Brianna and the other kids at the table defended me telling Mrs. Mira that I was doing the opposite and that Molly was the one being mean. 

Immediately after Molly was sent to the principal's office while Mrs. Mira called our parents and while her back was turned, Brianna did something that shocked me as well as the other kids.

She had grabbed a chunk of her hair and cut it off, her hair looking similar to mine. When everyone asked her why she would do that her only response was that she didn't want me to feel alone and that now we could get the same haircut. Easy to say she got into a lot of trouble with the teacher as well as her parents but she didn't care and we had been close ever since. 

Molly was later transferred to a different elementary school and I haven't seen her since.

Present time 

Stepping into the warm shower I allowed my thoughts to run ramped- clouding my mind much like the steam spreading throughout the bathroom and fogging up the mirror. 

I'm pregnant… 

I'm gonna be a mom… 

I felt the tears stream down my face, mixing with the warm water that flows down my body and down into the drain. I'm not sad anymore, they're happy tears now. Don't get me wrong I'm nervous as fuck. But it's mostly because I don't know how Enzo is gonna react. I hope he's as happy as I am. 

Enzo is my boyfriend of five years. He asked me out in the eighth grade after he won at his football game and we've been inseparable ever since. He is my first in everything. My first boyfriend. My first kiss. The first to take me on an actual date. My first love. And well… My first. I'm just hoping he'll be my last. 

All he talked about this summer was how he was excited about going to the same college and how we would move into an apartment together that's close by so we could walk together or have early morning coffee dates. The Way he would describe what our lives after high school will be like made me excited too. Even though we are only high school seniors and haven't even gotten our acceptance letters to NCU (North Carolina University) yet. 

"let's just hope daddy is gonna be as happy as I am little one… " I whispered low enough for only me to hear, placing my hand on my lower stomach.

No matter what, I'm keeping this baby. Even if it means I have to raise him/her alone.

Though I hope that's not the case...