^^Lillian’s room

After eating ice cream and calming down Tiana, we went to Brittany’s house. Andrew called me later at night and we talked for a while. He was outraged to know what happened and when I asked him what they did to David, he just told me he’ll live.

He asked me to spend Sunday with him and I told him yes because I knew he needed to discuss the tornado of questions in his head. Also, my mother invited him to have dinner with us because she’s dying to meet- according to her- my boyfriend.

Tiana got stressed over David, and the entire night, she threw up. Brittany almost dragged her to the hospital, but Tiana was stubborn and refused. She still didn’t want anyone to know about it. I felt guilty that maybe it wasn’t the right time to tell her, but it was already done.

I told Tiana my mother is a nurse and she can help her and won’t even tell anyone about it. After thinking for a while Tiana agreed but said she was tired and will go the next day.

On Sunday Tiana, Brittany, and I went to the hospital. I already told my mom about the situation over the phone. She took her to a private room and checked her condition.

“Your blood pressure is high,” Mom mumbled, putting the device aside.

“I wonder why,” Tiana said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

“First trimesters are often hard for many women.” Mom explained to her as she sat on the stool in front of Tiana. “Your body is experiencing a massive change, which results in pregnancy hormones, excessive fatigue, vomiting and nausea, sore breasts, and the urge to pee frequently.”

“That’s all I’ve been feeling.” Tiana groaned, sitting on the bed.

“Is the baby alright?” Brittany asked beside me.

“The baby is fine.” Mom smiled and looked at Tiana seriously. “But, continuous high levels of stress can lead to health problems like high blood pressure, hypertension, premature birth, and low weight birth in babies.”

“I told you not to stress over it.” Brittany scolded Tiana.

“Don’t blame me if I caught my boyfriend cheating on me.” Tiana huffed.

My mom’s eyes widened, and she glanced at me. ‘I’m telling you later.’, I mouthed, and she nodded.

“Have you told your parents about this?” Mom asked, making Tiana snort.

“They’ll kill us before they even hear a word out of my mouth.”

“Listen, dear.” Mom placed a hand over her shoulder. “Teenage pregnancy is difficult, and if their parents don’t support them, they face the risk of not receiving the proper prenatal care. During the first trimester, it is crucial.”

“What do you need to do in Prenatal care?” Brittany asked.

“Prenatal care checks for medical issues in both the mother and the unborn child, keeps track of the baby’s development, and immediately addresses any issues that may arise.”

“I’ll do it.” Brittany shrugged and glanced at Tiana. “I’ll take care of her and the baby.”

Tiana’s lips quivered and tears ran down her cheeks as she gazed at Brittany. I smiled, looking between the two of them.

“What else do we need to do?”

“Eat nutritious foods, get enough sleep, limit unnecessary activities, and try relaxing.” Mom said, extending a magazine towards Tiana. “Have a positive network of supporters, such as your family and friends.” She glanced at Brittany. “Attend a childbirth education class to learn what to expect both during pregnancy and at the time of delivery.”

Mom told them a few more things while they listened to her attentively. She also suggested Tiana should tell her parents because she won’t be able to hide it after getting the baby bump. They thanked my mother and walked out of the room.

“Thanks, Mom.” I hugged her, and she patted my back.

“I feel awful for her.” She sighed, letting go of me. “She needs a lot of care.”

“Her friends are here for her.” I beamed, and she nodded. “I’ll see to you at home.”

“Alright.” She kissed my cheeks and glanced into my eyes. “Just stay out of trouble.”

“I’ll try.” I giggled.

“Andrew is coming tonight?” She asked, and I nodded. “Good. I can’t wait to meet him again.”

“Mom, please down embarrass me in front of him again.” She gasped loudly.

“When have I ever done that?!”

“Uh... Every time.” I said in a duh tone. “And don’t call him my boyfriend in front of him.”

“But isn’t he, your boyfriend?” She waggled her brows.

“Not yet,” I mumbled and walked out of the room to see Tiana and Brittany talking to Ben.

When did he come here?

“She needs to rest a lot and she’ll be alright,” Brittany said, plopping her arm over Tiana’s shoulder.

“Don’t stress over David.” Ben hugged her. “He won’t bother you again. We’ll make sure of it.” Tiana buried her face in his chest and hugged him tightly, mumbling something. “What?”

“I said...” She leaned back. “I’m craving chocolate again.”

“You and chocolate.” Brittany rolled her eyes with a grin on her face. “Let’s go.”

“Thank you, Lilly.” Tiana pulled me into a hug. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” I blushed and patted her back.

“See you guys tomorrow.” Tiana beamed and walked out with Brittany.

“Come on.” Ben grinned at me. “I’m driving you home.”

I nodded my head as we walked outside towards his Range Rover. I sat in the passenger seat and wore the seat belt as I watched Ben taking his keys out of his pocket. My keys went to the familiar twin key chain I gifted Ben on his birthday.

“Is that...” I darted my eyes to Ben.

“It is.” Ben grinned and drove out of the parking lot. “I told you I’ll keep it.” I smiled.

“How is everything working out for you?”

“Perfect.” He grinned. “Last night I had a heart-to-heart chat with Drew and everything is just perfect... Way better than I ever imagined.”

“How did your parents react?”

“Mom didn’t care, not that her opinion mattered.” He scoffed, looking ahead. “And Dad was furious, but who gives a damn about him?”

“That’s umm...” I trailed off, not sure what to say. “Good, I guess?”

“It is...” He bobbed, but there was a frown on his face. “But I’m not sure about the others. Like David... I never liked him, but he was cheating on Tiana, and f**k she’s pregnant with his baby.”

“I know...” I gulped, looking out of the window. “Where is he now?”

“Don’t know, don’t care.” Ben snorted. We went silent for a while, then I asked him about Nate.

“He’s still sulking.” Ben blew a breath. “She’s done damage to him.”

“I hope he gets over her soon.”

“I’m sorry.” He said out of the blue, making me frown.

“For what?”

“I’m sorry that in the beginning, I was trying to set you up with Nate. F**k, I thought he was the best choice you could have, and I always saw him alone and never with a girl, but who knew he was into older women?”

“Trust me, I was shocked too.”

“Andrew is having fun rubbing it over my face.” He grimaced.

“Why?”

“It kinda slipped out of my mouth. But on Valentine’s day, I told Drew that you were interested in Nate and that’s why you said no to him.”

“That’s why he is always jealous of Nate,” I muttered, remembering how mad he got during spring break when we were at the beach having a bonfire.

“Yeah... But I’m curious now.” Ben glimpsed at me. “When did you get over your crush on Nate and fell for Andrew?”

“After spending time at the fundraiser with Nate, I realized I wasn’t into him anymore. I just admired him.” I shrugged. “And as for Andrew, I liked him way before he asked me to a date on Valentine’s day.”

“Why did you reject him?”

“Because... I feared getting my heart broken.” I bit my lip.

“I know Drew is a player, and he fools around, but I’ve seen the different side of him with you. He really likes you.” Ben smiled, and I returned it.

“I know-“

“Hell, maybe he’s already in love with.”

Now that made me choke on air.

“W-what?!” I coughed.

“Yeah... I’ve seen him googling at you all the damn time.”

“That doesn’t mean-“

“Remember how he reacted when he found us at your house?” He asked, turning towards my street.

“Yeah...”

“He wouldn’t have reacted that way if he doesn’t love you-“

“He reacted that way because he was hurt and felt betrayed,” I argued back. “He likes me, we all know-“

“He feels more than just that-“

“Don’t be so sure-“

“Why are you so hell bend on that he doesn’t-"

“Why insist he is-“

“He is my best friend and I can see how he feels-“

“No, you can’t-“

“You just don’t want to accept it.” He slammed the brake in front of my house. “Why?”

“Because we are just dating Ben. It’s not even been a month and I’m not even his girlfriend.” I said, finishing our discussion. “Now I hope you keep this conversation between us,” I said, getting out of the car.

“Just because he hasn’t asked you to be his girlfriend, you think he can’t love you?” He said, plopping his face out of the window.

“No... I’m just saying it’s early.”

“People fall in love at first sight.” He frowned.

“That only happens in movies.” I shrugged and waved. “See you at school, Ben.”

“You’re stubborn.” He groaned.

“And you’re the third guy to call me that,” I murmured and walked towards my house.

“Who were the first two?!” He asked behind me.

“Take a wild guess!”

Before I could ring the bell, the door yanked open and Mrs. Smith stood with a grin on her face.

“Andrew!” She pulled me inside. “Finally, we get to see you again! It seems like it’s been forever!”

“It’s nice to see you too again, Mrs. Smith.” I chuckled.

“Aw really?” She beamed and closed the door. “Let’s go inside.”

I walked into the living room with her and my steps slowed down, remembering the last Sunday I came here and the drama that came after it.

“Good evening Mr. Smith.” I greeted him.

“Good evening Andrew.” He beamed, sitting on the couch. The TV was turned on and some news was going on. “Have a seat.” He gestured for me to take the seat on the couch.

“Or...” Mrs. Smith smirked, stopping me. “You can go to Lillian’s room. I’ll call you two when the dinner is ready.”

“Alright...” I nodded and strode upstairs.

The door of her room was cracked. I peeked inside and saw her sitting on her bed, reading a book. She looked so engrossed in her book.

My eyes darted to the blue full sleeves t-shirt with the black legging she wore. Her hair was tied in a loose bun and a few locks fell over her face.

She looks beautiful in everything.

“Hope I’m not interrupting.” I knocked on the door to get her attention and stepped inside.

“Hey... Andrew...” She closed her book and beamed. “You came early. I didn’t hear the bell.”

“Your mom opened it before I could.” She chuckled.

“She’s excited to meet you.”

“Isn’t everybody?” I tilted my head, and she rolled her eyes.

“You’re cocky, you know that.”

“I’ve heard that before.” I snickered.

“Come in. I was just finishing the book.” She said, getting up from her bed and taking a step towards her study table.

This was the first time I came to her room. I observed the cute little room with a single bed, a study table, and a wardrobe.

“It isn’t much.” Lillian gave me a shy smile when she noticed me looking around.

“It’s cute.” I smiled and my eyes landed on the white stuffed dog beside her bed and my smile broadened. “Is that?”

“Junior AJ.”

“You seriously named him that?” I narrowed my eyes, giving her a fake glare.

“He is AJ’s junior... so yeah.” She gave me a toothy grin.

I chuckled, shaking my head as I stood in the middle of the room awkwardly. Suddenly I was feeling nervous. The room was tiny and the two of us stood opposite each other between the study table and her bed.

Maybe coming to her room was a bad idea.

It’ll be a lie if I say I didn’t think of getting intimate with her, but I knew it was way too early for us.

“What were you reading?” I asked, trying to keep a conversation.

“‘Bullied’ by Vera Hollins.” She answered, placing the book on the table.

“What is it about?”

“Bullies.” She gave me an amused smile.

“I mean, what else?” I scoffed and crossed my arms.

“It’s a dark romance about a girl falling for her bully-“

“You read dark romance?” I raised my brows.

“I read everything.” She shrugged and took a seat on her bed.

“Right...” I leaned my hip on the study table and she eyed me.

“Are you going to just stand there?” She sat on crossed legs, making space for me.

Yes.

“No... I was wondering...” I tried to change the topic. “How did things go with Tiana this morning?”

“She’s stressed and if that continues, it could affect the baby.” She mumbled, adjusting her glasses.

“I can’t believe David cheated on her with Fiona. She’s such a bit*h for helping him, even though she knew he has a girlfriend.” I fumed.

“I know right.” She sighed. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw him with Fiona and Velma.”

“Velma?” My brows knitted in confusion while Lillian’s grew big. “Where did Velma come from?”

“Uh... David slept with Fiona and Velma.”

“What?!” I screamed. “They were having a threesome?!”

“W-what?! No!”

“But I didn’t see Velma there, only Fiona. And f**k threesome with David?!” I shook my head to get the picture out of my head, but it was getting disgusting.

“Andrew!” She bolted towards her door and slammed it shut so her parents won’t hear us. “God, you have such a dirty mind!”

“You said that-“

“I said he slept with Fiona and Velma, but not at the same time!”

“Oh...” I blinked my eyes at her. “When did this happen? Does Tiana know?”

“No... But Um...” She fiddled with her fingers, averting her gaze

“Lillian?”

“I saw David with Velma a long time ago...”

“How long?”

“At your soccer match...”

“... What?!” I looked at her in disbelief. “B-but Lillian, that was like three months ago!”

“I know...” Her shoulders slumped.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Tiana? Anyone?”

She knew about it all this time!

“I got scared, Andrew. David threatened me that day and choked me-“ she slammed a hand over her mouth when she said that.

“He did what?!” I growled as I clenched my fists.

“When be found that I heard him...” She told me what happened that day, making me speechless.

I remembered seeing marks on her neck and thought she was being abused at home, but it was David’s doing.

I also thought back to how she used to stare at him and assumed something was going on. When I asked David, he told me Lillian has a crush on him but then he accepted he lied and told me that because he didn’t want to lose the bet with Maddie.

Guess he still lied.

“That d**khead motherfu-“

“Andrew!” she scolded me, glimpsing behind the door. “My parents can hear you!”

“So what?!” I was fuming in anger. “I can’t believe he did that to you and you never told me!”

“You hated me back then, Andrew. How was it supposed to tell you?!” Now that made me halt.

“I never hated you... You were intriguing and caught my attention from day one.” Groaning, I ran my hands over my face to my hair. “I thought something was going on between you and Ben. Both of you were hiding things from us that made me irritated, but I never hated you, Lillian.”

My hands fell back to my side, and we both stared at each other in silence.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” She whispered.

“I’m sorry I shouted.” I sighed, shaking my head. “But f**k, I feel so useless right now. If I knew this before, I would have broken more than just his nose.”

“How much did you beat him?” Her eyes widened in horror.

“Not enough that he’s still breathing.” I scoffed, jammed my hand in my pocket, and felt a paper.

F**k, I forgot to ask her!

“I shouldn’t feel bad when he deserves it.” She sighed and plopped on her bed again.

“Yeah... Uh... Lillian?” I licked my lips, suddenly feeling nervous.

“Yes?” she asked, glancing at her with gorgeous green eyes.

“I need to, uh...” When I couldn’t utter the words, I took the card out of my pocket and extended it toward her.

I got rejected once and maybe that’s why I'm feeling anxious.

“What is this?” She frowned and grabbed the little white card. She opened it and her eyes widened.

“Last Sunday when I came here I wanted to ask you to go to the prom with me but because of the circumstances...” I rolled my eyes. “I couldn’t.”

I wanted to hang the banner at the front of her high school to ask her to be my prom and go big like others, but she prefers simple things. So I wrote ‘Will you do the honors of being my prom date?’ on paper and brought Lily’s to her. But tonight I forgot the flowers with all the conflict in my head.

“Andrew...” She glanced up at me. Her cheeks were tinted rosy, and she gave me a radiant smile. “Of course, I’ll go to the prom with you.”

My shoulders relaxed, and my lips curled into a huge grin. I bent down to her height and pecked her.

“What was that for?” She murmured, gazing at my lips.

“For saying yes...” I whispered, not moving back.

“Like I had any choice.” She rolled her eyes, but amusement danced across her face.

“You better not have.” I squinted my eyes, and she giggled.

I couldn’t help myself at the sound of her sweet laugh and grabbed her small, round face in my hand, smashing my lips on hers. A sigh let out her lips as she wrapped her arms around my neck. It felt like it’s been months since I last tasted her, even though it was only a week ago.

She leaned back on her bed and I hovered over her, keeping my elbows on either side of her so I won’t crush her with my weight. Her glasses were coming between us, but we didn’t break our kiss because of it. I licked her lower lip slowly, dragging my tongue over it. She shuddered, but got my cue and opened her mouth.

I was about to go deep but halted when her mother called us.

“Lillian! Andrew! The diner is ready!”

We broke our kiss, and Lillian chuckled when I groaned, leaning my forehead against hers.

“Your mom’s got terrible timing.”

“Be happy she didn’t barge in.” She giggled, and I pressed my lips against hers again in a slow kiss. She unwrapped her arms around my neck and placed her hands over my face. “We should get going before she comes up.” She whispered, creasing her thumb over my cheek.

“I would have said f**k it, but I came here to have dinner with them,” I mumbled.

“Exactly...” My eyes darted between her vivid green ones.

“Lillian I’m-“

-In love with you.

“What?” she whispered as she trailed her finger down my jaw, making me swallow hard.

“I’m starving.”

“Let’s go.” Lillian laughed, and we got up from her tiny bed.

F**k, I’m a coward!