My body hurt from falling but I still managed to get up and take off my blindfold. I was stuck in the janitor's closet and my bag pack was missing along with my phone.

That vindictive bitch!

My only fault was that I was on the receiving end of Tyler's affections and she'd decided to punish me for that. Did she even realize that she could get into trouble for doing this? If I complained to the principal (which you bet I would as soon as I got out of here), she could get expelled. Locking me in here was another form of bullying.

I knocked on the door. "Hello, is anyone there? Please help me!"

I placed my ear on the door but there was no sound, "Helloooooo." I tried again.

It was no use because I didn't think anyone would check in the school again when most of the students and teachers had obviously locked and left the premises. I tried to pull at the knob again, it rattled but didn't give in.

I waited and listened to the slightest sounds that drifted from outside and spent a lot of time that seemed like hours. I realized that I could be stuck here until morning until the janitor decided to open the closet to retrieve the cleaning materials.

Archer would be confused as hell and would think I'd run off trying to find Tyler. I'm sure he would come to that conclusion. I just hoped he didn't do that because soon I was about to lose my shit and when that happened, I was going to have a panic attack that would lead to me needing my inhaler.

I could pass out and die.

But dying could only accomplish Harper's wish. She would probably want that, so she could have Tyler for herself.

I found a ladder and climbed up slowly to look through the vent gaps on top of the door, and all my eyes met with was pitch black darkness. "Hellloooooo..."

I descended knowing it couldn't be helped when I heard the squeaking noises of rats and saw one moving in the corner. I backed away and hit my head against the cabinet which sprinkled dust all over the place and that triggered my coughs.

My chest tightened, and soon I was wheezing and fighting to breathe which heightened my anxiety.

Way to go Vicky!

My fate was already decided, I was going to die in a place like this without getting to talk to Archer or see my sister, or ask Tyler why he'd left.

He was a coward. Running away from difficulties was the only way he saw through this. He could have talked to me, and here I thought I was important. It was pretty clear that the reptiles meant more to him than I did, and maybe I could live with that fact if I lived through this; that is. Tyler couldn't help that he was clinically diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder. 'Selfish' was his middle name.

I tried to breathe but it proved to be difficult. I was losing supply to oxygen and it was proving to be a lot more painful than I thought. I curled into a ball on the floor and I'd almost lost all the fight within me.

I don't know when it happened but I thought I heard the sounds of someone calling out my name in the distance but I couldn't bring myself to answer them much less open my eyes. It's like I was paralyzed, tears spilling out of my eyes and mucus from my mouth.

The door burst open and I couldn't see but felt a large imposing figure loom in the doorway.

Tyler...

"Open your eyes, Vicky. Oh my god, she's not responding! Archer, I found her!" The voice screamed in desperation before taking me into his arms. "Oh god, oh god...Vicky...sweetie..."

Even in this state, disappointment rained over me mixed with relief that I had at least been found. The only thing that I was disappointed about was that the voice wasn't of Tyler, it was Noah.

"We need an ambulance!"

The last memory I had was of me being transported into an ambulance and Archer holding my hand and sobbing uncontrollably asking me to "not die on him."

When I woke up in the morning, I felt so much better but my family didn't seem to be disposed to celebrating that I was back. Mom stood at the corner of the room with her arms folded across her chest and pacing around, the lines of worry etched over her forehead. I felt bad for her. Dad had given her a lot of pain, and now I was adding to that pile of worries.

Archer passed me a sympathetic smile before pouring me a glass of water while Noah took the empty seat beside my hospital bed. There were flowers and a teddy-bear kept on the bedside table which was undoubtedly from my brother and Noah.

Noah pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, "Are you feeling alright, Vicky?"

I nodded. "I'm fine. How did you find me?"

"Well, Archer called me up and told me that you hadn't returned his calls or replied to his texts and that had us worried. I suggested that we should check in school again and noticed a keychain that was dropped outside the janitors' supply room. I didn't know if it was yours but we decided to check the room and it was locked. We thought it was all strange."

He showed me a keychain, and I instantly recognized it. "It's Harper's," I told them. "She pushed me into that room. I don't know why she would do something like that."

I took the glass of water from Archer and drank all of it.

"Did you manage to locate Tyler?" I asked.

"No." Archer responded, "He's just gone AWOL. The Lockhart's have appointed a private investigator."

I felt an unmistakable tension in the air, what was it that they weren't telling me?

My hands were balled into fists as disappointment clogged deep within my chest. He promised me 'Forever' and he'd lied through his teeth. Obviously.

"Well, isn't anyone going to tell Victoria what she deserves to know?" Mom said in a soft voice, regarding me and Archer silently. "Tell your sister, Archie."

"Tell me what?"

Did something bad happen to Tyler?

"Mom, please, not right now." Archer insisted throwing her a look, "She's still not okay."

"You're pregnant!" She barked at me, "There I said it, made things easier for you."

I sat there stunned beyond words, staring at everyone in the room wondering if I'd heard her right. I'd seen and heard about young teenage girls getting pregnant in high school and always knew that it would never happen to me because I would be careful and now I'd found myself in the same situation, maybe even worse because the father of this child was a runaway. Not to mention, a complete lunatic.

That started the verbal war between Archer and Mom who continued to spit words at each other, mom blaming Archer for 'never keeping an eye on me' and that she would have to 'take care of things.' Noah, on the other hand, sat on the bed beside me and was whispering soothing words into my ear while tears blinded my vision.

"Hey, look at me. If you want to keep the baby and if Tyler doesn't show up, I'll take responsibility, Vicky. We'll tell the world that the kid's mine."

Noah continued to talk and I could barely listen to him because I was busy thinking about my future. A future in which Tyler may not exist.

I was discharged from the hospital the same night and dinner wasn't the same. I had to go through Mom's silent treatment. Archer passed me looks filled with compassion like he understood what I was going through, and I was sure that I could trust my brother to have my back. Hazel was having a sleepover in one of her friend's house, and I was thankful for that since bombarding her with all this information would have been overwhelming for an eight-year-old. I'd tried calling Tyler again but his phone kept showing switched off.

"Victoria, are you listening to what I'm saying?" Mom asked me in a businesslike tone. "I asked you what you were planning to do." Before I could respond, she continued, "I know this is very hard for you to absorb but what's done is done. We have to move forward. My suggestion would be that we get an abortion done, you're still in the early stages of your pregnancy and I think its best we do what's necessary."

Instinctively, I touched my stomach. A baby was growing in there, mine and Tyler's baby.

"I want to keep this baby," I said softly and the silence on the table was deafening.

"Are you out of your mind?" Mom seethed. "You're only seventeen! How are you planning on taking care of a child and juggling college with that?"

"I'll figure it out somehow." I took a bite of the mashed potatoes, and it just tasted bland in my mouth for some reason. I used to love it, but now my appetite was lost.

"Archer, talk some sense into your sister!" she insisted. "This is technically your fault. If you didn't encourage the two of them, it wouldn't have happened."

"I mean its Vicky's baby," Archer reminded her, "And I don't think you or anyone else has any right to force any decision on her. I know Tyler loves her Ma, and he would surely accept the baby."

"Really, so where's your best friend now? He knocked her up and left her alone! I think that proves how less Victoria means to him. If he loved her, he wouldn't leave her like that." I didn't miss how she continued using my full name rather than the short version of it. She was beyond pissed at me.

"But he doesn't know about the baby yet."

"It does not matter!" Mom's voice was filled with malice. "He belongs to the Lockharts' honey, don't you get it? They use people for their personal gain and then throw them away like trash and that's what he's done to you. Teenage boys are not men who understand responsibilities. Tyler had his fun, and now he's probably out there targeting other unsuspecting girls. He will never marry you, Victoria. Rich boys like him don't want to be tied down to one girl. Look at your father, we aren't as rich as the Lockharts but he's had his share of affairs."

"But Tyler is not like Dad." I managed to say in a choked voice.

"You bet he's not but he's surely a lot more worse," Mom retorted.

"Mom, that's enough!" Archer pushed the almost empty plate against the table. "I know Ty and he's not like the other boys. I know he will do the right thing by Vicky."

"Alright then, go find your friend. I hope he comes back to Cold-Bay and let's wish he isn't surprised about having a bastard."

"God, Stop it!" Archer screamed at her. "Not one word against Vicky. If Tyler doesn't take responsibility, I'll be there with Vicky to raise the kid."

"Why do you want to ruin your own life?" she asked me in a low, tense voice. "Is it their money? Do you think if you gave birth to his kid that it would secure a good life for you? He can refuse to acknowledge the baby is even his. They have enough money and resources to prove he's not a father and they can ruin you. Your reputation could be tarnished."

The fact that my mother thought I was a gold digger hurt me more than anything else ever could. She thought I could use a harmless baby, my baby to launder money from him to support myself.

Mom stood up from the table abruptly and walked away before giving me a look filled with so much vehemence that I was forced to avert my eyes.

I went to my room that night thinking about everything that Mom had said. I tried to concentrate on homework to get my mind off this. Nothing worked, and I kept thinking if what she said was true.

What if Tyler refused to accept this baby?

What if he told me to get rid of it?

I started to think of all the responsibilities that I would have to take up before the baby was born. I needed a job to save money, and by the time of graduation, I would be swelling up like a whale. Kids at my school were going to stare. I would be the center of Cold-Bay High gossip. There were going to be a lot of sacrifices that I would have to make but at the end of the day, I'd be happy, right?

There was a knock at my bedroom door that interrupted my thoughts. Archer peeked in, he seemed worried. "Are you okay?"

I've tried to stay very strong!

I couldn't keep the façade longer as a gut-wrenching sob erupted from me. He closed the door behind him and enveloped me in a hug, rocking me back and forth. He kept saying it was going to be "okay" and it felt comforting.

When my crying slowed down, he wiped my tears and looked at me. "Vicky, I just want you to know that whatever happens, I'm always going to be here for you. This is your decision. No one will judge you if you decide that you don't want it, okay? It's your body, your call." Archer assured me, as I buried my face in his shirt front. "Tell me you understand."

I gave him a nod when he continued, "Forget about Mom. Forget Ty. What matters is your decision. Do you want to do this or not?"

"I want this baby."

"Then you keep the baby." There was no judgment in my brother's expressions whatsoever, I saw only understanding. "And don't worry about Ty. I'll find him wherever he is, and we'll explain to him about the situation."

"What if he doesn't want us?" I asked, and suddenly realized that I'd addressed myself as 'us' like it was my baby and me.

"Then we'll find another way, and I'll be here for you through everything. No matter the circumstance, okay? I don't want you worrying about anything else. I won't let anyone hurt you."

I nodded against his chest and he laughed suddenly taking me by surprise, "Since you're keeping the baby, I'm kinda excited to become an uncle."

I hugged him harder as a raw emotion sparkled inside me, one that was a twinge of happiness. I would love and cherish my brother until I draw my last breath. If I didn't know how much Archer loved me, I knew now.

I remained content with the fact that I at least had my brother to support me through this, but it constantly bugged me with questions about Tyler, if he would accept me with our baby or not? The Tyler I knew was selfish, and he wouldn't be happy if it didn't fit his convenience.

I shook all the negative thoughts out of my head because it was too painful to think about it.

I was going to live in the "now" and worry about everything later.