Chapter 26:

Sophia's POV:

It's Friday, it's been a week almost two since I found out the sex of the babies. I am now 22 weeks and still big, unfortunately. Avril hasn't been in since last week when she told me she was pregnant. She never gave me her number so I can't ring her to find out if she's okay. I've tried to ask Elena where she lives but she won't tell me. She wants nothing got to do with Avril anymore. It's my birthday tomorrow and my mother's going to miss it, she's not coming back till next Monday. It was my last class of the day and there was only four minutes left, I was in History with Jake and the others. We're getting back our tests we did last week and I know for a fact that I didn't do good.

"Okay class, I'll give you back your tests now," our teacher announces. He starts passing tests to people then he hands Jake his and me mine. I didn't look at the grade I was too busy looking at Jake's expression. He looks happy really happy, I hope this means he did good.

"What did you get?" I ask intrigued. He turns his test around so I can see the grade. It was an A+! I'm so happy for him. "Aw, that's great, Jakey, congratulations! I knew you could do it!"

"Thanks, Soph, it's the best fucking result I've ever gotten and I have you to thank. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He tackles me with kisses. I laugh and look back at his test. He answered all the questions and got them all right, I've so proud of him. "What'd you get?"

"I don't know, I never looked and I don't think I want to look," I admit. He gives me a weak smile and kisses my cheek.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think, Sophia." Yeah, he's right. I think I got an F, maybe I didn't, I should think more positively from now on. I look at my test this time. I got an even worse result than my science test. I got all the ones I remembered correct but I lost a lot of marks for the ones I didn't do.

"I got a C-," I mutter, still not believing it. I can't believe I got a C fucking -!!!! I'm so mad at myself and disappointed.

"Hey that's not bad," he assures.

"It's better than I thought I would get."

"I'm so sorry, Soph, I've been making you help me instead of you studying yourself."

"It's not you, Jake, you were helping me too, it's my own fault." The bell rings and people head out of the classroom.

"Hey, Jake, what'd you get?" Charlie asks while him and the others walk over to us.

"An A+," Jake says in a very cocky tone.

"Yeah right!" Danny mumbles sarcastically.

"See for yourself then," Jake says, passing them the test.

"Whoa, Sophia's made him a changed man, he's now a goody goody," Cameron gasps.

"What'd you get Soph?" Alex wonders.

"C-," I mummer.

"Holy fuck, it's like you two switched brains," Brad breaks in.

"That's not support or sympathy, Brad," Austin says, glaring at him.

"It's okay, Soph, it's not bad and you have an excuse anyway with all the stress and things you're going through," Bennett reminds.

"I guess so. Does anyone know where Avril lives?" I question.

"Yeah, why?" Alex inquires.

"Can you write down her address for me?" I ask. Alex nods and writes on a sheet of paper her address. "Thanks, Alex."

"Are you going to see her or something?" Jake asks.

"Um.... Yeah, it's for science," I lie.

"Hey speaking of Avril, what's being going on with her and Elena, I heard them shouting last week but I couldn't hear what they were saying and Avril has been out for the past week," Charlie says. I act like I know nothing about it and then the subject is changed to what the guys got in the test. Even they did better than me, no offence to them.

"Okay I better go, I'll see you tomorrow, babe. I'll be over around 2, is that okay?" Jake asks.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. Do you want to come over now?" I ask.

"I can't, I have to um...do something, I'll just see you tomorrow," Jake stutters.

"Oh okay then," I say softly. What was he doing that he doesn't want me to know about? Is he cheating...? No of course he isn't, how could I think that?! He gives me a long kiss and waves goodbye. I put on a smile and then sigh when he's gone.

"Everything okay?" Danny asks, looking at me with concern.

"Couldn't be better," I respond sarcastically. "I better go, see you guys Monday." They all say goodbye to me and give me a hug each.

"Have a fun birthday tomorrow, Sophia," Bennett adds. After I thank them I go to James' car.

"James, I'm walking somewhere, can you drop my bag home?"

"Yeah sure, where are you going?" James asks.

"I need to do something; I don't know when I'll be back, so I'll just see you when I get home."

"You're not going to the woods, are you? What's up?"

"No I'm not, I'm fine, James, don't worry."

"Okay then, bye, Soph. Don't walk too far, you'll hurt yourself." I start walking to the address Alex gave me. She lived quite close so I didn't have to walk much, fortunately because my feet were starting to kill me. I ring the doorbell and wait until someone answers. A guy opens the door and gives me a friendly smile. He looked around James' age so eighteen. He had dark hair and friendly blue eyes. He glances down at my bump, I think I've seen him around school before. Is this Avril's boyfriend?

"Hi, you're Sophia from school, right?" he asks.

"Hello and yeah, I'm sorry I don't know your name," I apologise.

"Oh I'm Ryder," he introduces. "Nice to meet you," he smiles.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ryder. Does Avril live here by any chance?"

"Yeah, come on in."

"Thank you." I walk inside and he gives me a warm smile. Avril's boyfriend seems very nice; I guess everything worked out good if he's here now.

"Avril, Sophia's here," Ryder calls. Avril walks into the room and looks at me with shock.

"Soph, what are you doing....here?" she says with shock.

"I came to see you, I was so worried," I admit.

"Please don't worry about me but thank you for caring," she smiles. "I see you've met my brother Ryder." Oh, he's her brother not her boyfriend.

"Oh your brother, I thought he was your boyfriend," I say sheepishly. Her smile turns into a frown. "Av, what's happened?"

"Let's go to my room so I can tell you what happened," she says. Avril starts to walk towards a hallway and I follow behind.

"I'm guessing you've told her?" Ryder asks Avril.

"Yeah, she was the first one to know. We'll be back in a few minutes, Ryder," she tells him.

"Okay, take your time. Sophia, do you want anything to eat or drink?" Ryder asks, giving me another smile.

"No thanks, Ryder," I reply.

"Okay, if you girls need anything just give me a call," Ryder says, sitting down on a couch. Avril leads me to a bedroom which I am assuming is hers because it was very girly girly.

"Your brother's very sweet," I note.

"Yeah, he's the best big brother ever." She sits on her bed and motions me to sit beside her. I sit down on it and get in a comfortable position. Avril looks very nervous and scared. Maybe she's going to tell me bad news....I hope not.

"I broke up with my boyfriend last week because I saw him cheating on me and because he said to get an abortion," she whispers.

"What a douche!" I growl angrily. She gives me a thankful smile. "It's okay, Avril, we'll get through this together, you don't need him and I'm sure your brother will support you too. We're all here for you." Avril looks at the ground ashamed. "Am I missing something?"

"Soph, maybe I should have the abortion," she says softly.

"But you told me you didn't believe in it, why would you want that?!" Why would she kill her own baby?! I know it's bad at the moment for her but it would eventually get better.

"Because my ex, Gavin told me to, my friend, Anna who he cheated on me with told me to and Elena told me to, maybe I should do what they say. This baby's only going to make things worse. How am I supposed to look after a baby, Sophia?"

"You'll be able to, Avril. I didn't think I'd be able to but now I do!"

"Yeah but you have Jake, all your friends, a family, you have everything. Me, I have nothing. I don't have a boyfriend, I don't have friends and I don't even have a family besides from Ryder."

"I'm your friend and I know I'm only one person but I'm pregnant too and I can help you through this. Our little babies can grow up together. You don't need that asshole Gavin as a boyfriend; he's just a waste of space. I know Ryder is going to look after you, he'll take care of you and the baby. What about your parents?"

"My Dad left when I was a kid and my mother is an alcoholic who never spends time with us. So basically I have no parents," she sighs.

"Avril, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up, I didn't know. What about the other possible father?"

"It's okay, Sophia, I know. Well Liam is....I told him before Gavin. He never told me to have an abortion but his reaction was very shocked. After Anna and Gavin told me to have an abortion I ran off crying to my brother's car. I was going to have one but I got a message off Liam saying not to have one and that he wanted to be a real family because he has feelings for me. I don't know if he was telling the truth or just trying to make me feel better by saying he's going to be there. I heard him and Gavin fighting over me before; Liam was telling him to treat me right and that he liked me but Gavin wouldn't let him have me. So I guess he was telling the truth about liking me. I don't know what to do, I want to be a family and I do like him too, I just don't want us to try and be together and then it all falls apart. He keeps ringing me and messaging me but I keep not replying. He's even called over here like seven times but I told Ryder to tell him to leave and that I don't want to see him."

"Why don't you want to see him?"

"Because I still don't know if I want the baby yet."

"You should have it, Avril. If Liam really does like you then I'm sure he will be here for you both. You guys can be a real family," I explain.

"I do want to be a real family but what if the baby turns out to be Gavin's and not his, then what?"

"Maybe he'll love them despite of that and still want to be a family."

"Maybe, I don't know. I still haven't told my Mom; I'm five weeks now, when should I tell her?"

"I think you should tell her soon, you're her daughter and I know she has a bad way of showing it but she does love you. Even if she's not here for you, you still have Liam, Ryder and me. I can introduce you to my other friends; I think you'll all like each other. Then you'll have them for support too. If your Mom kicks you out I can ask my parents if you can stay with us until you get settled."

"Sophia, why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because you're my friend and I'm looking out for you."

"But you should hate me!"

"Well that's not going to happen," I say, squeezing her hand. She gives me a long hug and I hug her tight.

"Thank you, Sophia, you've been the best friend I've ever had. I really appreciate all the support. I think I'll ring Liam and tell him to come over so we can talk."

"That's a good idea. Please, Avril, keep the baby. At least don't have an abortion, that way you can either keep them or give them up for adoption," I advise.

"I'm going to keep them, I don't think I would have went through with the abortion anyway, I love them too much," she smiles weakly.

"You're making the right decision and don't worry, everything always gets better. You'll be ready for this baby towards the end of the pregnancy," I reassure.

"I hope so..." she whispers. She gets out her phone and dials Liam's number. She takes a deep breath before he answers. "Hey, Liam.....No, I didn't have it....Yes, I'm fine, don't worry....Can you come over? We need to talk....Yeah, okay, I'll see you in ten minutes...bye, Liam." She hangs up and I look at her sympathetically.

"See, that wasn't so bad." She nods in agreement and looks down at her hands shyly. "What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just scared to see him."

"Don't be, everything's going to be okay. When are you thinking of telling your Mom?"

"Probably next week, I'll come back into school next week. I just couldn't face him or anyone these past two weeks. And plus I've had some really bad morning sickness lately, I hate it so much," she complains.

"Yeah, so did I, but it stops eventually, thankfully. I should probably go now, if you ever need to talk text or ring me, okay?"

"I will, thanks again, Soph."

"No problem, before I forget, have you been cutting since?" I worried. I had to make sure she wasn't. She could harm her baby if she loses too much blood.

"No, I've stopped, I promise. I don't want to hurt my baby," she declares. That's good; she's been worrying me so much. I thought she was out because she had to go to hospital due to her cutting. I'm glad she's okay. I hope this Liam guy is true to his word. We walk back out to where I came in and Ryder looks up at us from the TV.

"Everyone okay?" Ryder asks, eyeing us in case he sees a lie in our eyes.

"Yes, Sophia was just helping me think things through but she has to go now," Avril remarks. I felt a pain in my stomach and back. It was similar to the one I got last week but worse. I let out a small yelp and clutch my stomach instinctively. "Sophia!" they exclaim.

"I'm fine, it's okay," I chime in. Avril holds me up and Ryder comes over to me and looks at me with concern.

"I'll take you to the hospital," Ryder frets, taking my hands.

"No, no, it's fine but thanks. I'm just going to go," I say.

"Soph, we need to take you there in case something's happened, that didn't sound normal," Avril says frantically, looking me up and down for any signs of pain.

"No, Av, I'm sure I'm okay, I've got it before, it's no big deal. I need to see Jake. I'm sure everything is okay, don't worry," I say. They eventually let go of me but they were still looking at me with worry. "You guys are such worry guts," I chuckle.

"You're like five months pregnant, of course we should worry," Ryder objects. "Do you want me to drive you to Jake's house?"

"No, thanks. I want the walk, I shall see you in school, Avril. Keep me updated about the Liam stuff. I'll text you later," I mention.

"Goodbye, Soph and thanks again, talk tonight," she finishes, giving me one more hug.

"Bye, Sophia," Ryder smiles, opening the door for me. What a gentleman!

"Thanks, and bye to you too, Ryder," I repeat, giving him a big smile. After I leave I make my way to Jake's house. He didn't live that far away so I got there soon after I left their house. I wasn't as worried as I was about Avril but there was still some worry left. I hope her mother is going to help her and I hope this Liam guy is going to be really sweet and take care of her for the rest of her and the baby's life. Poor Avril, this is all so stressful for her.

I don't knock going into Jake's house, instead I just walk inside because his mother and him said I can just come instead whenever I want but it still felt rude to do it. I go down the long hall, up the stairs and turn left to his bedroom. His house was huge because his parents were rich, I never really knew why they needed such a big house for two people. I could hear a guitar being played from inside his room. I didn't know Jake played the guitar. Without knocking I go inside.

"Soph, what are you doing here?" Jake asks with worry and shock, putting away the guitar. Why is he worried? Is there a girl or something in his bathroom?

"You play the guitar?" I ask.

"Yeah, I have for the past six years," he confides.

"I'm sorry, I'll go I forgot you had to do something today, I just wanted company."

"Stay, come here and tell me what's happened." He opens his arms out for me and I happily walk over to him and relax into his arms. I tell him everything that has being bothering me, every single thing. I told him everything about Avril, me being scared about being a mom and losing him and my worries about my school work. It felt good to get it all off my chest. "Baby, why didn't you tell me all this before?"

"I didn't want to worry you."

"You have nothing to worry about with us or the twins. I'm never going to leave you because I am in love with you, I'm going nowhere. The twins love you and you'll be an amazing mother, you already are, honey. School will get better, the teachers understand you're going through a rough time and Avril, well, she says she's stopped cutting but to make sure she doesn't then maybe we should tell her brother and Mum or the school." Jake understands me so much. I'm so happy he's mine.

"Her brother Ryder seems to care about her a lot, I think I should tell him. That way he can keep an eye on her."

"You should have told me all your worries as soon as they happened so I could have assured you everything was going to be okay. We need to tell each other these things, got it?"

"I promise I'll tell you from now on." He places a soft kiss on my lips and I melt. "Is there anything worrying you, Jake?"

"Well I can't say I'm not frightened about the future but I know that as long as I have you and our babies, everything will be great."

"You'll always have me and our babies, you're an amazing father. I wish Avril's boyfriend could have been there for her like you are."

"But he may not be the father, it might have been this Liam guy," he points out. "Hopefully it is this Liam guy so they can be a family together though."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for being here for me, Jake. I'm sorry for keeping secrets."

"No need to apologise, Soph, I'm glad you told me and always know you can tell me anything, even if it's at three A.M. in the morning, I'm always here to talk." I nod and give him a kiss softly on the lips. He gives me a cuddle on his bed and after a few minutes of lying in his arms, I slowly get up. "Are you going?"

"Yeah, you need to do something anyway. I'll see you tomorrow, I love you, Jakey."

"I love you too, Sophia." I take his hand and place it on my bump because they were kicking. He chuckles, "Are you guys kicking for your Daddy, yes you are." A huge smile spreads onto my face; I know he's going to be great with them when they're born. "Want me to drive you home?"

"No thanks, I want the walk."

"Okay, but don't walk too fast and sit down if you need to." I nod and he kisses my forehead before I depart out of the room. As I was going out the front door I could hear the guitar again. He's really good from what I can hear. When I get home I sit at the dining room table with my Dad. He puts the newspaper down and smiles over at me.

"Is everything okay, Soph?" he asks.

"Dad, have I ruined your life?"