Chapter 23:

Sophia's POV:

I landed on my ass and it really hurt. Fortunately, nowhere else hurt and I didn't land on my stomach so I didn't hurt the twins, hopefully. The nearest person to me helps me up carefully, everyone was gathering around me. Jake and the guy had stopped and the guy was looking at me with terror, worry and horror at what he had just done.

"Sophia!" Jake yells, getting out from underneath the guy and running over to me. He pulls me into a tight hug. "Oh my God, Soph. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I say truthfully, giving him an assuring smile.

"That was a big fall, does it hurt anywhere?" he asks frantically.

"Just my ass, nowhere else, I promise." Jake looks over me for any signs of pain, then at the guy.

"If you've hurt her or the babies, you're dead," he shouts.

"I didn't mean to, I didn't know. Sophia, I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I thought you were someone else," the guy stutters.

"Yeah right, you did this on purpose! You could have made something really bad happen. She could have had a miscarriage or anything," Jake says, putting a protective hand on my baby bump.

"I'm sorry, I really am," the guy says.

"It's okay, Jake, let's go," I say, pulling him by the arm.

"It's not okay, Soph, something bad could have happened. He needs to pay for the consequences," Jake says, glaring over at the guy.

"I don't need you fighting my battles for me, you've done enough. Now let's go to class." Jake walks away reluctantly. He had blood oozing out from his lip and nose and his hand was covered in blood from punching the guy. The guy was in worse shape, he was limping and looked like he had a broken nose, he also had a black eye. "We should get you cleaned up."

"I'm fine, it doesn't hurt," he assures me. I get a tissue out from my pocket and wipe his mouth, hand and nose. "Thanks, baby."

"No, thank you for doing that."

"I'd do anything for you."

"Please don't get in a fight again," I plead.

"I promise, I won't. Are you sure you're okay, maybe we should go to the doctor's and check you and the babies out. It looked sore when you fell and as I've already said, it was a big fall."

"I promise you I'm fine. Stop worrying about me, you're the one with the blood." He hugs me again and kisses my cheek when he pulls back. "I better get to class, thanks, Jake. I love you."

"I love you too, more than anything." I walk off to the bathroom just to make sure everything's okay and I'm not bleeding down there. Phew, there was no blood. I move my fringe out of my eyes and go to my science class. I told my teacher where I had been and he says it's fine. Just as I sit, Jake and the guy's name were called out on the intercom to go to the office.

Oh no, is Jake in trouble? Please let him not get suspended. The teacher gives us back our tests. I know I did shit, I tried to learn I really did. It's just getting hard to concentrate and learn. The teacher passes me mine and I look at it with shock. C+!!! I've never gotten a C+ before, the lowest I've ever gotten in school is a B+.

Oh crap what will my parents say?! They'll call me a failure, what's happened me? I'm smart, really smart. I really did learn for it, obviously not enough. I'm going to have to try and concentrate more, but it's hard when you're 20 weeks pregnant and the babies never stop kicking.

"What's with the face on you?" Elena teases.

"None of your business," I say, putting the test in my book. Avril sat on my right hand side, unfortunately, because she got moved by the teacher for talking too much. They both annoyed the heck out of me every day.

"Did the genius finally get a bad grade for once," Elena teases. For once Avril didn't say anything, she was actually very quiet. She hasn't said anything at all, she was tapping her fingers off the table impatiently. What's up with Avril? "Avril, why aren't you laughing?" Avril shakes her head and looks over at us.

"Huh?" Avril asks. She kept turning her head, one minute she would be looking at something then quickly turn and look at something else.

"Do you ever listen, Avril? What the fuck is up with you today?" Elena asks.

"Nothing is," Avril says. She didn't sound certain, there's obviously something up. Avril puts her head in her hands and takes a few deep breaths. What's going on with her? I know she's my enemy but I can't help be concerned.

"Whatever, Avril, don't tell me then," Elena says. Avril jumps off her chair and rushes out of the room, holding her mouth and stomach. I think she's about to hurl.

"Can someone check if Avril's okay?" the teacher asks. I look at Elena, I expected her to say she would.

"Aren't you going to see if your best friend is okay?" I ask with surprise.

"No, she's obviously not telling me something so I'm not talking to her until she tells me," she says. Some best friend Elena is.

"I'll go," I tell the teacher. I get off my chair and go towards the door.

"Thanks, Sophia," the teacher says. I go to the girls' toilets as that is where I expect her to be. When I entered I could hear her getting sick, it wasn't a pleasant sound. I knock on the stall door.

"Avril, it's Sophia. Are you all right?" I hear the toilet flush and she comes out. She was as pale as a ghost.

"What are you doing here?" she snaps.

"Whoa, no need to snap. I was making sure you were okay and this is how you repay me?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that, thanks and I'm okay." What a moody cow!

"Okay then, we should go back to class." She nods but doesn't move. "You coming?" She looks at my bump and I felt very uncomfortable. She looked sad, is something happening at home? "What's with the staring?" I put a protective hand on my baby bump.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare, I was just wondering about something."

"Avril, what's up?" She starts crying and leans against the wall. She's really worrying me, even though I despised her. She slides down the wall and onto the ground. I sit down beside her.

"Can I tell you something?" I nod. "And you have to promise not to tell anyone." I nod again. "Well I um...found out I have a bun in the oven and I don't know what to do." I didn't know what to say or do. She started to cry more so I put my arm around her, it was the least I could do. I know she's made my life shit but she's very vulnerable and needs support. "I found out yesterday and I'm three weeks. I don't know if I should tell my boyfriend because he will break up with me and even if he doesn't he should."

"Why should he?" I ask.

"Because this baby might not be his." Not really a surprise, she's just like Elena; a whore. "I slept with his best friend as well the same week we slept together and it could be either of theirs but I don't know which!"

"You need to calm down, you're getting stressed, it isn't good for you or the baby." She relaxes a bit and stops crying. "Are you going to abort it?"

"No, I'm not like Elena. I can't kill an innocent little baby." At least she has some sense which Elena will never have. "Maybe I could give it up for adoption."

"If you want to and think it will be easier," I say.

"It would be easier then I wouldn't have to look after it and people who have been waiting for a baby all their life can get one." She sounded like she was some saint, she was the total opposite. Who the hell sleeps with their boyfriend's best friend? And whose best friend would sleep with their best friend's girlfriend. Some best friend this guy is. "I thought I could tell you because you'd understand since you're pregnant too."

"Yeah I understand and so will Elena, she's been pregnant twice before, why aren't you telling her this?"

"Because she won't understand, she'll hate me. She doesn't want her best friend pregnant, now I have no one. Elena will ditch me, my boyfriend will break up with me and my family will abandon me." That will all probably happen but I can't tell her that.

"Look if your biggest enemy can understand, I'm sure your best friend will."

"Thank you, Sophia, I've been horrible to you and you're being so nice to me. I'm so, so sorry for everything I've ever done or said to you that has hurt you in any way."

"It's okay Avril." She leans in closer and surprises me with a hug. She's definitely changed!!! One minute she's snapping at me and the next she's hugging me? These pregnancy hormones are making a new nicer her. Maybe we could start a friendship and I can help her and guide her through the pregnancy.

"Whoa. was that a kick?" She pulls back alarmed and looks at my oversized bump.

"Yeah, they do that," I smile, rubbing it.

"Can I-I?"

"Sure." I take her hand and put in top of my bump to where they were kicking.

"That feels so cool!" she exclaims.

"It'll be happening you soon." She looks down at her own stomach and frowns. She looked scared, I guess who wouldn't be. I was scared, it's really scary when there's life growing inside you. Life that you know will need you for the rest of their life to look after them, support them and love them.

"Were you scared too?" Avril asks.

"Hell yeah and I'm still scared. I don't know what's going to happen and I'm totally freaked out but I know what ever does happen; good or bad that I'll still have my two babies that I will love forever," I say.

"I know you're going to be a great Mom."

"Really? You think so?"

"I know so".

"Thanks, Avril." We exchange smiles. The bell rings and class is finished. Oh crap we spent nearly a whole class in here. "We better go." She nods and gets up. I try to get up too but I couldn't do it. "Dammit!" She laughs and helps me up. "Thanks, it's pretty hard to get up with this in the way." I put my hand on my bump and pat it.

"Yeah I can see," she chuckles. We go back to our science class, Elena was the only one left in the room.

"What the hell is going on Avril!" Elena shouts. I grab my bag and go towards the door.

"Goodbye, Avril, if you need to talk you know where to find me," I say.

"Thanks, Sophia, for everything," Avril says, giving me a quick hug.

"You tell her but you don't tell me? Whatever Avril I'm done with you," Elena says.

"No wait Elena, I'll tell you," Avril begs, grabbing her arm. Avril's cardigan sleeve went up and I noticed scars all over her arms. Has she been cutting herself? I look closely at them and Avril notices me looking. She quickly pulls down her sleeve and looks back at Elena.

"I'll let you guys talk, but after I want to talk to you Avril," I say. She nods as if she knows what I'm talking about. I was so shocked. Yes I knew she was going to get pregnant because she fucks like every guy but I would never expect her to cut herself. She's the type of girl who has everything, why would she want to do that to herself.

The scars looked new so she must have done it recently. I go to my next class very distracted. I had a lot on my mind and it was really hard to listen to what the teacher was saying. At lunch I went to the library. It's always quiet there and that's what I need right now, just some peace and quiet so I can relax and think. After a few minutes in the library I went around the halls looking in the classrooms to find Avril. I found her arguing in a classroom with Elena.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE, SOPHIA!" Elena yells.

"I'm checking to see if Avril's okay," I say. Avril was crying and clutching her stomach.

"How could you be so stupid, you fucking slut," Elena yells at Avril.

"You've been pregnant twice before and I've never called you a slut or anything bad, ever," Avril says.

"That's because I'm not the slut, it's not my fault I got pregnant twice," Elena says.

"UH YEAH IT IS," Avril yells. "When you were pregnant I supported you and got all those people to stop saying mean things about you and this is what you do for me when I'm in the same position!?"

"Calm down Avril, you can't get stressed, you could hurt yourself and the baby," I say calmly. Avril nods and stops shouting.

"Well you're not my friend until you get an abortion," Elena says.

"I already told you I'm not getting an abortion, I said I'm keeping it or giving it up for adoption but I'm not going to murder it. You think killing it is the best solution but I don't, that's cruel Elena," Avril says.

"It is the best solution because it gets rid of the problem. If you keep that thing don't expect me to be there for you and help you. I won't ever talk to you again, wait actually I will talk to you but all I'll say is how much of a whore you are whoring yourself around to every guy," Elena says.

"Yeah I'm a whore but so are you, you're even worse and I don't care if you never talk to me again, you don't care about me at all. You've never been really my friend anyway so whatever don't talk to me again because I don't care. I'll find some friend who will actually care about me and be here for me," Avril says.

"Good luck finding someone who will care about a fucking whore who's knocked up and doesn't even know who the father is," Elena says, storming off to the door.

"Before you go Elena, I want you to apologise to Sophia for saying all those horrible things about her," Avril says which makes Elena laugh.

"Everyone's allowed an opinion and I was just stating mine, so if we're done here goodbye bitches. Fuck this," Elena says, giving us the finger on the way out. Thank god that bitch is gone.

"I'm sorry about her," Avril says.

"It's okay, now we need to talk about this." I pull up her sleeve and show the scars. "Why and when did you do this?"

"My cat did it last night."

"Avril, I'm no fool, this isn't a cat's scratch marks."

"Who said I did it?"

"Did someone do this to you, a family member? Your boyfriend?"

"No it was me, I've always done it, it's not a big deal."

"Yes it is, you should never ever do this. How long have you?" I demand.

"Since I was 13 so 4 years."

"Why!?"

"Because I hate myself, I only do it when I get really depressed, that's why I did it last night because I found out I was pregnant."

"Please promise me to never do that again."

"I'll try." She better do more than try. "I have to go, I'm going to tell my boyfriend."

"You are, already?"

"Yeah, might as well get it over and done with. I'll see you later and thanks again." She gives me a long hug.

"Good luck." She goes out of the classroom and I sigh. I'm going to help her no matter how much she's made me feel horrible. She's not actually mean, Elena just makes her. But the real Avril is a girl I want to see more of, not that mean slutty Avril, I hope she's in the past. I also leave the classroom and go over to my locker. Emily and Jayden were there. They sigh with relief when they see me and hug me tight.

"Oh my gosh, Soph!" Emily exclaims.

"What?" I ask.

"We heard you fell really bad this morning," Jayden says.

"Oh it was nothing, I'm fine," I assure them.

"Really? No pains?" he asks. I shake my head. "By the way congratulations on the boy and girl!"

"You already said that last night Jay," I chuckle, "our conversation lasted like twenty minutes."

"I'm sorry for being excited," he chuckles. I smile and lean back on the lockers. "Taylor, Ty and the guys are having lunch, are you coming?"

"No, I'll see you guys later, have fun," I say.

"Where have you been for the past twenty minutes of lunch anyway, we've been looking for you all day?" she asks.

"I was at the library, I'll be there more often from now on to learn for any upcoming tests because I didn't do so well on my science test I had last week," I explain.

"What did you get?" she asks.

"A C+," I mutter. They look at me with shock.

"Welcome to our worlds," Jayden says. I'm not going to let myself get another bad grade, no more distractions!

Jake's POV:

*2 hours earlier*

I heard my name being called on the intercom to go to the office. This doesn't sound good! I sigh and reluctantly turn and go to the office. I've been here many times before. Dave who was the guy I beat up was standing outside. He gives me an awkward smile.

"I'm really sorry, Jake," he says.

"I'm not forgiving you, you could have hurt my girlfriend and my babies. Do you know how much they mean to me, they're my world and if I lost any of them I would never be able to keep living," I say.

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, I'm also sorry for saying those things as well, I didn't mean them. Sophia's a wonderful girl and she's not a slut, she's like the goodest goody goody there is." The principal comes out of his office and calls us in. I walk in first and we all take a seat.

"So boys, I'm going to hear both point of views then I talk, no interrupting the other person, got it?" Mr Garcia says. We both nod. "Jake, you first." I look down at the ground sceptically.

"Well my girlfriend, Sophia and I were walking down the hall and Dave started calling Sophia horrible judgemental names. He wouldn't stop when I told him to so I punched him then kicked him. Then my girlfriend told me to stop so I did and when I was walking back he jumped on me then started beating me up. I was only defending my girlfriend and our babies. Then Sophia tried to get Dave off me and he pushes her," I say.

"Is this Sophia Daniels?" Mr Garcia asks and I nod. "Dave, do you know you could have hurt this girl really bad. It could have leaded to horrible circumstances for both the mother and babies."

"I know it could have, but I didn't know it was Sophia I pushed. Other guys were trying to get me off Jake so I thought it was another guy. I promise you I never knew it was Sophia, I would never hurt her or any girl," Dave says.

"Look you both get a detention, you Dave for fighting back, bullying and discriminating a pregnant girl-" I cut Mr Garcia off.

"Why do I get detention?" I argue.

"You get it for fighting first, you should have just told him to stop like you did in the first place or reported it," Mr Garcia explains. I nod while sighing. Stupid school! We say goodbye and Dave apologises again.

"Whatever, Dave, it doesn't matter anymore, just leave my Soph alone."

"I promise I will," Dave says, giving me a weak smile. He better or I'll beat him up again! No one says that about my girlfriend, ever or they'll pay for it.