"Excuse me," I said, pushing past the people crowding the doors of the school.

"No, we make way for Hero King," one of the guys said, making me chuckle and nod. I walked through the hallway, searching for Amelia.

"Hey," I yelled, as soon as I saw her. I caught her eye and she closed her locker, hugging her books close to her chest as I approached her.

"Hey," I said, "I-I brought you something."

I held out a bag, making her lift an eyebrow and take it. She reached in the bag and pulled out the vitamins I'd bought her, quickly shoving them back in the bag with a concerned look on her face.

"Hero," she whisper-yelled, "prenatal vitamins?"

"Yeah," I said, "th-those keep things healthy with the baby. I researched it."

She shook her head, holding the bag out to me. "I-I can't take those."

"No, you need to," I said.

"I'm not keeping the baby."

I looked down at her, knitting my eyebrows together. "Wait, what?"

"Hero, there is no way I can keep this baby," she said, "w-we're seventeen years old. We're not even seniors yet. We've got f- we've got futures ahead of us."

I shook my head, chewing on my lip. "Well, we could make it work."

"How?" She asked, "Hero, you and I have different plans. Plans on opposite ends of the spectrum. I mean, I want to go to law school. You wanna play ball. There's no way either of us would have time to take care of a child and do it right, at that."

"Amelia."

"Hero, I really didn't think I'd have to even argue this topic with you."

"I'm not arguing," I softly said, shaking my head, "b-but you just told me. Last night. And you're already wanting to just get rid of it?"

"Yes," she firmly said, looking over at me.

"Will you please think about it?"

"Hero, it's all I've thought about," she said, "since I found out, all I can think about is this human being growing inside of me."

I chewed on my lip, looking down at her with soft eyes. To be honest, when she'd told me, it was a shock- but it had gotten me out of bed this morning. This human being that I'd never even met.

"Hero, I just can't," she said, "I'm sorry, if that upsets you."

I rubbed the back of my neck, sighing. "Yeah."

"And plus," she said, "you don't want something that ties you down to strictly one woman, anyways."

I knitted my brows together. "I hate that you think of me that way."

"That was kind of a joke," she muttered.

I leaned against the lockers, folding my arms over my chest. "Does anyone know?"

She shook her head. "No, and I'd like to keep it that way."

I nodded, clenching my jaw. "So, like, do you need me to come with you? To get whatever done?"

"I'm gonna have to tell Mom," she said, "I can't go by myself, I'm a minor."

"You'll be eighteen soon."

"I'll start showing before I'm eighteen, Hero," she said, looking up at me.

I sighed, nodding. "Yeah."

"Hey, why did you lie?"

I looked down at her, knitting my brows together. "What?"

"You lied," she said, "about why you weren't here."

"How did-"

"Fran told me," she said.

I leaned my head back with an angry sigh, clenching my jaw.

"Hero, you could've told me," she said, "I promise, I would've understood."

"I've got to go to class," I muttered, walking away from her.

I hated the heightened emotions I felt currently. If I got sad, it was sadness that I wasn't sure would ever end. If I got angry, it was anger that couldn't be tamed.

I saw Fran on my way to class, making me walk over to her. "I need to talk to you."

"Okay," she said, looking up at me.

"Why did you tell Amelia?" I snapped, looking down at her.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" She stumbled out, looking confused.

"You told Amelia," I said, "why the hell did you fucking do that, Francesca?"

"I thought she deserved to know," she hesitantly said, closing her locker.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "It's not anyone's fucking business, Fran."

"O-okay, I'm sorry."

"Do you think I want anyone else seeing how fucking weak I am?" I snapped, "I don't. I don't want anyone to see that. And I certainly don't want people hearing it from you."

"H-Hero, I'm sorry," she softly said, "I won't tell anyone else."

"Yeah, you won't," I said, "mind your fucking business, Fran."

"H-"

"Stay out of my shit," I angrily said, and hadn't realized just how angry I'd gotten until I saw her cheeks and nose flushing, which only happened when she was about to cry.

I'd lost it on everyone else in my life, but never, ever had I lost it on Francesca. A soft spot was placed really deep down in me sixteen years ago, and she was it. She was my soft spot.

"I'm gonna go to class," she whispered, gulping as she blinked back tears.

"Fran," I said, my voice breaking.

She walked away, making me rake my hands through my hair as my breathing began to slow down and become labored. I stumbled into the bathroom that was next to the lockers, bracing my palms on the sink in front of me as I attempted to steady out my breaths.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek as I looked at myself in the mirror, and I quickly pulled it together when I heard footsteps approaching. I wiped my cheeks and sniffled, clearing my throat.

"Hey, man, you good?" Henry asked.

"No," I muttered, completely falling apart again.

"Woah," he said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "hey, hey, do you need me to call Uncle Jo?"

I nodded, sniffling as I blinked back tears. He nodded and I looked at myself in the mirror.

You just hurt the thing you love most in this world. Who the hell are you?

~*~

I looked at Hero, who was lying on the couch. He looked miserable, and I wasn't entirely sure why. He couldn't speak on the way home, but I knew something had happened.

"Hero, can you talk to me?" I softly asked.

He shook his head, sniffling.

I chewed on my lip, resting my head in my hand. Why did Hero have to go through what he was going through? Why him?

Lena grabbed a blanket and sat next to him, wrapping him up in it as she hugged him close to her. He rested his head on her chest and she pressed a kiss to his head, her eyes meeting mine.

"I thought things were better," he whispered, a tear falling down his cheek, "I-I thought I was doing better."

"You are doing better," I said, "progress isn't linear, but it's still progress."

"No," he snapped, opening his eyes.

I clenched my jaw, watching as he sat upright.

Lena softly rubbed his arm, looking over at him. "What happened, sweetheart?"

He rested his elbow on the arm of the couch, rubbing his eyes. I could tell by the way his shoulders shook that he was sobbing, but quietly.

"I lost it on Fran," he cried, shaking his head, "I fucking lost it on her."

My eyes met Lena's, making her gently rest her head on his arm.

He sobbed, shaking his head. "I can't keep doing this."

"You're moving forward, Hero," I said.

"No, I'm not!" He yelled, uncovering his tear stained face, "I am not moving forward! I take one step forward and five back."

"That's not true," I said, "you're making a lot of progress."

He laughed, shaking his head. "No, I'm fucking not. And if you think I am, you aren't paying attention."

"Hero," Lena said, rubbing his arm.

"I am paying attention," I softly said, avoiding an argumentative tone with him because that was the last thing he needed. "I'm paying so much attention that I'm seeing the things that you don't even see."

"Yeah?" He asked, "you're seeing what, Dad? You're seeing me lose it on the things I love the most? You're seeing me hurt the things I love the most? Hell, that's progress if I've ever heard of it."

He angrily stood up, making me quickly follow before he could disappear into the kitchen. I stood in front of him, tilting my head over.

I gently wrapped my arms around his upper body, pulling him into me for a hug. He rested his head against my shoulder, quietly sobbing as his arms fell to his sides.

I blinked back tears, sniffling as I gripped the back of his neck. "It's okay."

"No, it's not," he said, "I hurt her, Dad."

I clenched my jaw, squeezing my eyes shut. We stood in silence, in an embrace for what felt like an eternity.

"My medicine is really fucking me up," he whispered.

"Okay, we can look into getting you some more," I softly said, my eyes meeting Lena's.

She bit down on her lip and sighed, resting her head in her hand.

I sniffled and pulled away from him, patting his back. "It's okay, alright? We're gonna get it fixed."

He raked his hands through his hair. "What if she hates me?"

"She doesn't hate you," Lena softly said, "she never could."

He sniffled, nodding as he walked out of the living room. I watched, and the only thought in my mind was why on earth Hero had to be going through this.

~*~

I folded my arms behind my head, watching as Zach stepped out of his shorts. He turned around to face me, shrugging. "Are you coming or not?"

I trailed my eyes down his body that was only covered by a pair of underwear- a tight pair, at that.

"I'll be in in a minute," I said, nodding.

He jumped into the pool without hesitation, staying underwater for a bit before coming up. He raked his hands through his wet hair, resting his forearms on the concrete and his chin on top of them.

"Your house is unrealistic."

I lifted an eyebrow, grinning. "How?"

"No person should be able to attain something like this," he said, "I didn't even know houses like this existed."

"Well, I'll be sure to pass it on."

"Yeah, considering you were just born into this rich ass family."

I stood up, walking over to the pool. I squatted down and dipped my hand in the water, standing back up. I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it on the ground, stepping out of my shorts.

Zach looked intrigued, his eyes never leaving my body. I dove into the pool and came up, standing beside him as I wiped my eyes.

"Show off," he muttered.

"Your cannonball was definitely better," I said, looking over at him.

He lifted his eyebrows for a split second and began to swim around, making me watch his every move.

"Is anyone home?" He asked.

"Josie's at Eros's, and my parents are on a date," I said.

"Perfect time to get it on in the pool," he said, floating on his back.

"Zach."

He laughed, standing up. "I was kidding."

I watched him, and realized that I was in a constant state of confusion with him. I knew that he was intriguing in that way, but I still wasn't sure how I felt about that with him.

"Hey, come here," I said, my eyes meeting his.

"Make me."

I tilted my head over, making him chuckle and hold up his hands. "Kidding."

He swam over to me, stopping right in front of me. There was barely an inch between our bodies, and I felt my breathing becoming more heavy.

"Well, you were so eager," he muttered, "what did you need to say? Or do?"

I grabbed his neck and pulled his lips to mine, making him pull me closer to him. I felt my heart beating so fast, I thought it'd just shoot out of my chest at any moment.

He grabbed the back of my neck and dipped his tongue in my mouth, and I felt my blood rushing to an extremely undesirable area.

"Stop," I muttered, struggling to gain the strength to pull away from him.

He pulled away from me, his breathing heavy.

"Why do you keep doing that shit?" He asked, "dude, you're an intense kisser."

"Fuck," I muttered, lowering my eyes. His eyes followed mine and he clenched his jaw, looking away from me.

"How many times is that now?"

"Shut up," I muttered, pushing myself up and out of the pool. I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my hips, rubbing my hands down my face.

"It'd be a shame if that towel fell. A damn shame."

I watched as he jumped out of the pool, walking over to the chairs. I made eye contact with his groin, my eyes going wide as soon as I did.

"Well, don't look so surprised," he said, "and at least I didn't wear white underwear to swim."

He sat down in his chair, bracing his elbows on his thighs. "Wait. You knew what you were doing. Wet t-shirt contest type shit. You were trying to seduce me."

I clenched my jaw and looked away from him. "It's embarrassing, Zach."

"What, getting hard from another guy? So embarrassing."

"No," I said, "I don't even know if you're into me that way."

He chuckled, leaning back against the back of his chair. "Henry."

"Are you, even?" I asked, shrugging as I looked over at him.

"Yes," he adamantly said, his eyes meeting mine.

I felt myself getting more nervous, making me look away from him.

"All those sexual jokes aren't for nothing," he said, and I could still feel his eyes on me.

"Alright."

"Henry," he said, "I don't think I need to tell you how fucking attracted I am to you."

I leaned my head back, closing my eyes as I attempted to relax and fix this obvious problem I was having.

I stood up, keeping my towel wrapped around my hips. I walked inside, knowing that he was following me.

"Henry," he softly said, "Henry, it's fine."

"It's embarrassing," I repeated, looking over at him as I opened the fridge.

"How long has it been?" He asked, "since you got laid?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" I asked, looking over at him as I slammed the fridge shut.

"You can calm the hell down," he said.

I chuckled, taking a sip of my water. "Okay."

I leaned against the counter, clenching my jaw as I looked over at him. For some reason, he, now, looked even more appealing than before.

"Henry, it's okay to be confused," he said, "I'm confused. We're seventeen, we don't need to have all our shit figured out."

He walked over to me, his eyes locked on mine.

"It's okay. Nothing to be embarrassed about."

I dropped my towel, gulping as his eyes followed the towel falling to the floor.

He lifted his eyebrows, a grin tugging at his lips. "D-damn."

"No witty remark?" I asked, shaking my head.

He rested his hands on his hips, narrowing his eyes as he continued to stare.

I inhaled, biting down on my lip. "I-is something wrong with i-"

"Fuck, no," he said, shaking his head, "I'm just- okay."

I grabbed his hand and his eyes met mine, finally.

"Can I?"

I nodded, my breath getting heavy. Wait, what's about to happen?

He pushed my underwear down, keeping his eyes locked on mine. My lips parted as I felt his hand wrap around me, making me reach behind me to grab the counter.

I remembered the last time I'd had this done- and how the girl that was doing it really had no clue what she was doing. It had honestly hurt far more than it'd been any kind of enjoyable.

"Fuck," I whispered. Zach obviously knew what he was doing.

"You like that?" He asked, nodding as he never broke eye contact.

I couldn't even muster up an actual response- all I could do was let out a needy moan.

And what the fuck was that, Henry?

He chuckled, grabbing my chin with his other hand. "Don't look away from me."

I didn't really love being dominated- it wasn't my cup of tea and it was entirely new to me.

But I didn't hate it, either.

"F-fuck," I whispered, "fuck."

"I like seeing you like this," he said, a grin tugging at his lips.

I parted my lips and held onto the counter as I felt a release biting at me, but my jaw dropped when I saw headlights through the front window.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, "w-we-"

"You better hurry up and cum," he whispered, his eyes locked on mine.

And I did exactly that, in the moment he'd told me to. I groaned, leaning my head back as I let out a throaty fuck.

I attempted to steady out my breathing as soon as I could, considering Mom and Dad would be walking in any second. Zach grinned and grabbed a paper towel, wiping off his abdomen.

"Sharp shooter."

I pulled my underwear up, my eyes locked on his as I chuckled. He smiled and wrapped his towel around his hips, and I did the same.

The door opened and Mom and Dad walked in, making me awkwardly lean against the counter. "H-hey. You guys are home early."

Mom dropped the keys and lifted her eyebrows, smiling. "Yeah. What's up?"

I shook my head, my bottom lip jutted out.

Dad walked in and his eyes went wide. "Oh! Hey!"

I knitted my brows together and shook my head, wondering why on earth he'd yelled that.

"W-we'll leave you to it," he said, gripping Mom's shoulders.

"I-I was just leaving, actually," Zach chuckled, "just gotta go grab my shorts. You guys have a lovely house. And pool."

Mom held out her hand, smiling at him. "I'm Alexis, Henry's mom. I don't think we've met."

Zach shook her hand and my eyes went round. I really hope that's not the hand-

"I would've remembered if we would've," he chuckled, "so no, I don't think we have. I'm Zach."

Dad's eyebrows settled into a furrow, making him lift a single eyebrow shortly after.

"It was nice meeting you," she said, "I've got to get out of these clothes."

Zach watched with a smile as she walked upstairs. "I'm gonna go grab my things."

I nodded, making Dad walk into the kitchen. "I thought he was into guys?"

"Dad."

"That was totally an advance at your mother."

I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Did we intrude on a date?" He whispered, lifting an eyebrow.

"No," I whispered back, patting his back as I walked past.

Zach nodded towards me as he walked back inside, making me bite down on my lip. "I'll walk you out."

"Thanks," he said, "hey, see ya, Mr. King."

"Yeah, you, too."

I opened the door and he followed me outside, throwing his towel at me. He leaned against his car and stepped into his shorts, slipping his shirt on over his head.

"Th-thank you," I softly said.

"For what?" He asked.

"The handjob."

"Oh, yeah," he said, "well, scout's honor."

"The fuck?"

He chuckled, eliminating the space between us. "I expect the favor to be returned one of these days."

He unlocked his car and pressed a quick kiss to my lips, walking around to the driver's side. "See you."

"Yeah," I said, "y-yeah, see you."

~*~