Author's Note: This time around I've updated on time! So thank you so much for the amount of reviews and hits and readers I've been receiving! Thank you EVERYONE for the support, the amazing, funny and helpful reviews! :)

Chapter Fourteen

The brunette figure of Sophia Teague laughed aloud at the quirky statement that had escaped Trisha’s lips. They had been talking about the sudden mob of enemies Essa had made ever since she became Creston’s girlfriend, and Trish had made a mockery of those people. Trudging down the semi-filled school corridors, Sophia shifted and bid her female companion a quick farewell as she made her way past a few more lockers before reaching hers.

The school day had finally reached an end, however the day was far from over for Soph. With exams approaching in less than a month’s time, she was beginning to cram in study wherever she could. After all, she did have a reputation to keep. Coming from a family that only consisted of her mother and her, Sophia had to study hard in order to maintain her school scholarship. She knew without a doubt that had it not been her constant studying, there was no way she’d be able to stay in Ocean High – the fees would have been too much for her mother to handle.

Entering her combination and opening her locker, she commenced packing various texts into her bag until it could hold no more. Seeing that her psychology book wouldn’t fit, she decided to hold it. For some odd reason she wasn’t as stressed this time around for exams. Maybe it was because of the sudden change in her school clique that had kept her laughing and happy, or maybe it was the fact that she might have found a potential good friend in Rowell Parker. Either way, Sophia felt lighter then she had in a while.

Closing her locker shut, the brunette shifted around making her way to the bus stop. For the past few weeks the original group that consisted of her, Essa and Trish expanded to include both Chris and Creston. Although now it was pretty much the five of them, every now and then people from the soccer team would join them for lunch and that included Rowell Parker who appeared to be staring at her intently during various occasions.

Although having people join their table was a fun experience, it was also mixed with some pain. Accompanied with the soccer team was Kieran Wolenski – the one person she didn’t really want to take a part in her life. She had been aware of the fact that he had attempted to strike up conversation with her numerous times, but Soph had managed to flat out dodge him. In all honesty, she still ached within whenever he was near.

“ Soph!”

Lifting her head to face the masculine figure that was now standing before her, Sophia paused in step. Staring at the all too familiar form of her ex-boyfriend, she managed to straighten her spine, holding herself at her full height of five foot seven with her chin held up defiantly. Although she had no idea what Kieran Wolenski would want with her, she didn’t want to stay around to find out.

“How do you do Mr. Wolenski,” she greeted coolly.

The brunette hadn’t waited for a reply before giving him a dismissive nod, sidestepping the soccer goalie and continuing down the concrete path which led to the bus stop. She had to admit her heart was pounding in an odd rhythm and all she wanted to do right now was run away from the source of it.

Barely getting away from Kieran, Sophia felt a warm hand grasp her forearm, bringing her to a halt. It was obvious Kieran wasn’t going to let her go that easily, so she threw him a look of indifference and was relieved when he had unhanded her.

Breaking the contact, Kieran could only observe as the expression across those soft features of Sophia’s turned into an unreadable one as he averted his gaze down to his feet. If anything, Sophia Teague was no longer the girl he once knew. The old Sophia was soft, a bit of a push-over, and easy to read. However the girl standing before him was one that had matured, appeared to have gained more experience in life and stood her ground.

Releasing a sigh, Soph hugged her thick psychology text to her chest. “Is everything okay?” She asked, unable to continue the façade of being a bitch – unable to pretend to be impatient with the guy she still liked.

“Are you interested in Rowell Parker?” Kieran inquired flatly, his eyes reaching her chocolate brown eyes. The original plan had been to strike up casual conversation with her first before asking her such a blunt question, but Kieran couldn’t hold back.

The tension still existed between him and Rowell; however his dislike of the guy had grown when he had witnessed him eying Soph for the past few weeks. It was evident that Parker still hadn’t forgiven him for the black eye, but Kieran wasn’t expecting that incident to ever be forgotten. To be truthful, he didn’t regret punching the guy – nobody talked about his ex in a graphic fashion and got away with it.

Maybe the things Rowell said weren’t too inappropriate, but it still had the power to send him in a rage. What had angered Kieran further was that Rowell wasn’t even backing off from Sophia, his advances on her were becoming more profound. It had been Kieran’s jealousy and frustration that triggered him to finally approach Soph now. He thought that she meant nothing to him. Heck! He had even gone out with other popular girls just to get his mind off of her, but nothing worked.

Comprehending Kieran’s statement, a second lapsed before his words started to make sense. Feeling anger rise within her, Soph plodded the soft-spot she had harboured for him. She didn’t understand why it would matter who she was interested in, but it definitely wasn’t any of Wolenski’s business.

“Excuse me?”

Clenching his jaw, a muscle flexed as he repeated himself. “Are you in-”

“I very well heard what you said,” the brunette interjected, her mouth pressed tightly. “And I don’t think it’s any of your business either,” she stated. “I don’t know why you approached me out of the blue today, nor do I understand why you would ask me such a question when it’s none of your concern." She scolded and fell silent as thoughts commenced rushing into her head. As if she had just touched fire, Sophia backed away a few steps. "Did you approach me to tell me to stop dreaming? To tell me that Parker's out of my league? Or did you just want to humiliate me some seeing as you haven't done so in a while?" She queried rhetorically.

As silence ensured, Sophia found herself in disbelief as she misinterpreted his silence. "I get it okay Wolenski? I totally understand that you're happy and couldn't be any more happier with Bailey Reed.” She breathed in deeply, hurt pouring into her veins. “Just stay the hell away from me,” she demanded.

Turning to leave, the brunette had taken barely a few steps when she felt a harsh tug on her arm, her body enveloped in Kieran’s arms. Dropping her text book to the floor, she fought the arms that embraced her. Pushing and shoving, Soph tried had to free herself but Kieran wouldn’t let go. As reality set in, her emotions overtaking her, Sophia felt herself settling down and relaxing against his hard body, her face buried in his chest as she took comfort in those warm arms of his.

She had missed him and yet a part of her resented him. He had been the one person she truly loved, and he had been the first guy to break her heart.

“Do you know how angry I got when Rowell spoke about you in that way?" Kieran whispered into her hair.

He had missed her gentleness, the scent of her... But most of all he had missed her.

Realising what she was doing, Sophia pushed at Kieran, stepping away from him. She hated the fact that every time he was near, her senses would blur and she would end up doing something stupid as she had then. Clearing her throat and staring at him with defiance, she breathed in deeply.

"It shouldn't matter to you what other people say about me," she said. "We were through ages ago, and from memory you were the one that wanted things this way."

"Soph," Kieran breathed but she shifted away from his grasp.

Shaking her head, Sophia knew she was doing the right thing. "I'm not a charity case Kieran," she voiced, "Nor am I going to play second best. And what happens between Rowell and I is none of your business,"

With those final words, Sophia left the silent figure of Kieran, feeling a rush of freedom overtake her. For once in over a year, she felt like herself again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Pale green eyes studied the sallow, exhausted reflection staring back at her in the mirror. She had finally mustered the courage to see a doctor to confirm that she was indeed pregnant, and hearing it a second time was even worse than the first... Two months. She was exactly two months pregnant and in this instance she was fighting a lone battle on what to do with the unwanted foetus growing within.

Lifting a hand she placed it on her flat stomach, releasing a shaky sigh. Although there was no sign of a bump yet, she knew the baby inside her was going to grow and in a matter of weeks the bulge was sure to show sooner. And when the lump did start showing, she’d only be able to hide her pregnancy for a few more weeks before the girls started to notice...

It had crossed the blonde’s mind to have an abortion, but right now she was too overwhelmed to make any considerations. She knew she was scared – afraid of making a rash decision which would scar her for the remainder of her life – but bottom line was: Cassandra was frightened to endure all this alone.

She had approached the guy that had knocked her up once and within a matter of moments she knew he wasn’t going to take responsibility for what he had done. That night after-all had been a moment of “lust” and “fun” with no strings attached – so they both had thought. But now that she was left with the burden to carry, the blonde was completely freaking out. The one time she had made a slip up with birth control was the one moment where her life turned the opposite direction to hell.

She hadn’t uttered a single word to anyone – neither her family nor friends – about her dirty little secret, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer. The hormonal change as well as the physical alterations to her body was sure to catch the attention of her parents. As tears started swelling, pouring over her pallid skin, the restroom doors opened revealing a pregnant older woman.

Swiping at the crystal tears, Cassandra managed a smile at the overwhelmingly pregnant lady before leaving. These kind of things only happened to other females – not a rich daddy’s little girl that had her whole life ahead of her...

Grasping her phone from her pocket, Cassandra punched in the familiar digits that belonged to the one person she knew would be able to help her through everything. It was one thing to endure the pregnancy and family, but there was no way the blonde knew she’d be able to tolerate the whispers and judging eyes of her peers alone. She was a person that was filled with pride, and it was this pride that wouldn’t allow herself to appear to be a fool before classmates which she had grown with throughout the years.

Studying the ten digits on her phone screen, she hesitated for a moment. She knew it was selfish of her to be doing such a thing, but right now she was desperate. Desperate times called for desperate measures – Cassandra only hoped things would go according to plan...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Masculine hands played with the long, wavy jet-black hair that belonged to Essa Evans. He couldn’t help but marvel at how well they fitted together, her body pressed into his left side, her head resting on his shoulder as she stared intently at the plasma screen with her soft gaze. They were huddle on the couch, watching one of the movies she had chosen from the shelf.

For the past few hours they had been absorbed in studying and now it was their time for a break. Chris had said he’d be joining them later on in the day along with Trisha and Soph.

“It’s rude to stare Montgomery,” came the feminine tone of Essa as she lifted her head from its resting place. “And you’re supposed to be watching the movie!”

Placing his hand on her head, he guided it back to the warmth of his shoulder, satisfied as she reluctantly leaned back into his warmth. He still had a lock of her dark, soft hair in his grasp and he was quite fascinated with it.

“I am watching,” he replied, “And you’re not the boss of me, I can do whatever I want.”

Applying pressure to her head so that she couldn’t move from her position, Creston smirked when he heard a resigned sigh escape her lips. If anything he liked it when she was close, especially when they were at her home, on the couch with nobody at home.

Shifting a little, Essa found herself frustrated with the way the idiot she called her boyfriend held her head in place. With her skull on his shoulder she couldn’t see him, and right now she could practically feel the smirk that was lingering on his lips and she wanted nothing more than to wipe that expression off his face. Feeling the soft rumbling of Creston chuckle lightly as if to say ‘good girl’ for obeying, she turned her face so that her lips were now making contact with his neck.

At first her gesture had started off with soft, warm kisses, but soon she found that she couldn’t hold back as she started sucking on the supple skin there, the stubbles on Creston’s chin tickling her forehead. Noticing that the male figure was no longer laughing at her, a devious grin danced across Essa’s lips as she ran her tongue on the tender skin of Creston’s neck.

Immobile for a few moments, the brown haired figure of Spencer savoured the feel of Essa’s lips on his neck. As seconds lapsed, some sense returning to him, he realised she was sucking a specific area and knew exactly what the devil was up to. Breaking the contacting and moving away from her, he turned to see her laugh playfully at him.

“Gotcha Montgomery!” She half-shouted, sitting up from her position on the couch.

Touching the moist area on his neck he hoped with all his might there wasn’t a ‘love-bite’ forming. It was bad enough to that he was allowing her to have her way with him at school, arguing with him at every moment in front of his mates, practically “wearing the pants” in their relationship, but there was no way he was allowing her to mark him as her property when in reality she belonged to him.

Inching closer to her now alert form, Creston could only stare at her with his now dark-grey eyes. He had to admit, he had quite enjoyed what she had done with those lips of hers, and now it was his turn to get revenge. As if she had read his mind, Essa shot to her feet shaking her head.

“Nuh-uh!” She exclaimed, sprinting for the nearest exit, however it was too late because he had caught her around the waist. He was the soccer captain for a reason...

Standing with his arms enveloping her around the waist, her arms trapped between their bodies, a slow grin overtook his lips. Meeting her blue-green gaze which were gazing at him defiantly, although there was a hint of amusement on her face, Creston couldn’t help but beam evilly in reply as he lowered his chin to her neck. Cheerful laughter and half squeals reverberated off the walls as the he commenced rubbing the short stubbles on his chin on her neck. He had learnt that the formidable, man-hater Essa Evans, was weak when it came facial growth...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cassandra Wilkins paced around in her room, she had spent the entire afternoon pondering about the pregnancy and the first person she should tell. Holding her phone before her eyes, she scrolled down her long list of contacts and then selected his number. Bringing the device to her ear, she listened intently to the dial tones. Holding her breath, half of her wanted to hang up, and yet another part of her wanted to carry out her plan.

Deep down, Cassandra knew that what she was about to do was morally wrong, but she was scared and the one person that she wanted and needed right now was Creston... She didn’t know why she was turning to him for comfort and support out of all people but she knew that she had to have him. As the phone reached its fifth ring, the blonde was about to hang up until she heard the recognizable masculine voice of Creston’s.

“Hello,” he greeted in that smooth, deep tone of his.

Sinking her teeth into her lower lip, pale green eyes darted over to the photo of her and Creston resting on her study table. Staring back at her was two smiling figure, and Cassandra knew she had been so happy then. Who would have thought she’d be in such a rut now?

As Creston’s voice rang through the receiver again, she knew she should speak before he hung up. Releasing her pent up breath, she revelled in the sudden rush of adrenaline that overtook her. It had been a while since she had spoken to Spencer, but to hear his familiar voice again had brought her some comfort. Clearing her through, she started speaking.

“Creston it’s me Cassandra,” she began awkwardly and noticed the deafening silence on Creston’s end. Feeling her heart thunder under her hand that was currently resting on her chest, Cassandra willed herself to continue. It was now or never... “Listen, I know this is a bit of a surprise to hear from me but I need to talk to you,”

She waited for his reply and it seemed like forever before a response came. “What is it Cassandra?”

Settling down on her bed, the blonde tried to relax a little however she could only sit with her spine straightened. Her mind was reeling with thoughts, unsure of how she should deliver the news. Shaking her head but knowing that he couldn’t see her gesture, Cassandra sucked in a deep breath.

“Can we talk face-to-face?” She asked, “I think it’s better that we speak in person. Meet me at the cafe where we used to go every Saturdays,” with that final statement she hung up.

Frowning at his phone, Creston placed his mobile back into his jean pockets. He never thought he’d ever hear from Cassandra again, so it had completely caught him off-guard. However though her call had stunned him, he couldn’t seem to shake off the odd feeling that accompanied the call. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, grey-blue eyes met azure ones.

“You alright Cres?” Tynan queried.

Shifting to stare over his shoulder into the kitchen, Creston noticed Essa, Trish and Soph were busy cooking dinner. They were busy giggling and chattering, his stormy orbs lingering on Essa for just a second longer. Turning his attention back to his best mate, Creston feigned nonchalance.

“Yeah everything’s good, just have to pop back home for a moment. Can you tell Ess for me? I’ll try and be back before dessert.” He informed and noticed the unconvinced expression on the blonde’s face. “Seriously Chris, it’s all good,” he reassured a small grin on his lips.

Patting his mate on the back, Chris escorted Creston to the door before slipping into the kitchen to inform Essa whose large grin altered to a tight smile.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Shaky hands held the large mug of warm English tea in her hands, eyes fixated to the entrance of the coffee shop. She had been sitting her and waiting for the thirty minutes, mentally creating a speech which would hopefully deliver her message loud and clear but in a gentle blow. Her nerves were playing up and a part of her felt like getting up and just running from the rendezvous.

Breathing in in an attempt to calm herself, Cassandra went back to the reason why she was doing this in the first place. Although she knew that she was to blame for the unwanted pregnancy, a part of her felt as though Creston was responsible too. If he hadn’t dumped her in such a cold manner, she wouldn’t have gotten drunk that night and shared someone else’s bed. And now that he was so happy with the goth, she was fighting an inner battle between being scared and alone to having Creston around and not be afraid anymore.

“Been here long?” came the recognizable voice of Creston’s.

Averting her green orbs to meet his, the blonde managed to smile as she offered the vacant seat across from her. Placing her mug onto the table, she motioned for the waiter to come.

Reacting with the shake of her head, Cassandra faced the brunette waiter standing before her. “Hot chocolate?” She asked Creston and received a nod.

Silence engulfed the two of them once the waiter had disappeared, and yet again Cassandra was fiddling with her fingertips.

“You alright? I never remembered you ever being so quiet.”

Biting her lip, she released a quaky sigh. “Creston I don’t know how to tell you this,” she began and noticed the way his expression altered to a more solemn one.

Although her heart was pounding loudly at the lie she was to tell, Cassandra knew that she had to be a little selfish to be kind. Besides, she knew that Creston was renowned for his short attention span to any girl, so what made Essa any different from the rest of the girls? If anything, Cassandra was saving Essa.

Seeing the way Creston’s features change caused Cassandra to fall into silence, her mind completely blank. She had prepared half a speech and now it was all gone. Swallowing hard, a lump started forming in her throat, her breathing shallow as Creston leaned in a little.

“I-I’m...” She drifted, “C-Cres-ston,” she stumbled. Running a hand through her long, straight blonde hair, she inhaled deeply before blurting out the words: “I’m pregnant.”

A deafening tranquillity coursed through the cafe. Cassandra couldn’t bring herself to meet Creston’s stormy gaze as a nauseating sensation filled her veins as she fully digested the enormity of the lie she had told - well, it wasn’t really a lie, she was indeed pregnant...

As his voice came back to him, Creston spoke after a few minutes of silence. “H-how long?” He croaked, and was hit with a mixture of emotions at her reply.

“Two months,”

Millions of images flashed before his eyes at the impact of Cassandra’s words which was having its toll on him. The first thing feeling Creston comprehended was disbelief, the next was concern and just as he was about to make sense of the third emotion, his body went numb.

Taking a large gulp of his hot chocolate, he winced as the scalding hot liquid oozed down his throat. Although he wasn’t sure how things with Cassandra and him had gotten this way, Creston Spencer was sure he’d get the details within a matter of hours...

Hooray for the update/ upgrade on fictionpress!!! (It's soooooo COOL! I can finally see my stats page! :)) Hope you all enjoyed this one, and say hello to DRAMA! Hehe! Call me slow but I've finally started the Twilight series, and I am absolutely IN LOVE with Edward! Enough of my rambling and onto my thank-you(s). Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and keep safe!

To: Chisalicious: Although things have just settled down, things won't be all happy sappy soon.

WanderingLight: Hehe, geez you must have a sixth sense or something! And indeed something IS COMING! Thank you for the review and hope you liked this one!

Mini-Chobi: Don't worry my dear reader! Drama will be on the way! We'll have a range of emotions from hurt to anger to guilt! :) Hehe, so I only hope that you are prepared for it all!

xoxhp: And thank you for a wonderful review! I'm absolutely grateful that you'll be sticking with this til the end! Hopefully this update was enough until the next :)

Casfar: Yes, Cassandra does have life. Two actually - that's including the one that's developing inside her. And frankly she's going to reached out and grab another person's life - Creston's! Oh dear, I've given a bit too much away! So I must say my thanks before I reveal more!! Hehe! So thank YOU!

WriterGurl123: It is kinda a bittersweet ordeal Chris is going through, but he'll survive! I've had a lot of people point out that he's just feeling that way because he's always had Essa for himself and now he kinda has to 'share'. Glad you enjoyed the rather short chapter, and hope you liked this one! :)

JacklynLindsay: Haha, I kinda cringe when I read my old stories, I spot the mistakes but realise as I continue to write, I do somewhat improve! Thanks so much for reading my first story uploaded! And as fo Creston... I would like to think he's an attractive boy-man, but I'll let you decide :P

buffyeesummers: Haha I would totally go into a long-ass essay about the pros and cons of boys, but then I'm sure you're already aware of what they are good for! And yes, Creston has become a softy which is totally freaking him out simply because no girls a part from family has gotten him that way!

Kyrina: Yeah, the cliche is true though - I see it happen around me all the time! And I guess for some the saying "opposites attract" apply to them, not the mention the: "fighting is the first symbol fo love". Hehe I've rambled on! Anyway I hope you liked this update and thank you for the review!

DeepBluePool: As common as the phrase, it actually does keep me going with this story - it reminds me that there are people out there who are reading and want more :) Thanks so much for the helpful hints - it's a habit that I'm rying uber had to stop, but once I'm armed with a keyboard and my head is in another place... well you do kinda get repitition! Hehe... And thank YOU for reading this! :)

Keemii: I completely agree with the 'guy bond' it seems males are less grudging then females! So it's best to befriend the male population!

KimStories2: Yet again another amusing review which keeps me chuckling! Hehe! Thanks so much for the review, and for being so YOU - unique and rather hyper indeed. I shall remind my friends not too drink and eat too much sugar -don't want them ALL to go hyper on me at the same time

Jeni27: In all honesty, Creston doesn't know anything about Chris liking Essa romantically - Essa hasn't reveaed that to him just yet. But rest assured everything will come out sooner or later, and we'll see if Chris and Creston's frindship will survive the blow! Oh! And I do hope I answered questions/ curiosity aboutCassandra this time around!

MidnyghtVampyrezz: Hehe, I just realised there are a lot of Chris-fans! I think I might have to take writing a sequel seriously - but then that means I need to find a new plot and be original and not to mention plan out some new character profiles! I'll see how I feel when this story comes to an end, and I'm smiling at how happy you wer when I did update last week! Hopefully this chapter tickled your fancy too!

jayniee: Unfortunately you don't ever get what you want in life... :( Well, in this case I think had Chris approached Essa a little more earlier before Creston came into the picutre, I'm sure they would be togther... It's all about timing right? Thanks so much for the kind words and I hope you do have a wonderful weekend :)

MissMagnificent: Hehe, yeah now that I think about it, I do kinda want Chris to be with Essa, but then again a friend of mine brought up the fact that since they grew up together, it's more of a 'brother-sister' relatonship, she if they do end up together it would be a little incestuous?

SearchingCrystal: Update number 14! :) It's rainy outside and cold, so I guess that's another reason why I updated on time this week. :)

Under the Summer Rain: I have updated!! And thanks so much for being so enthusiastic about me potentially writing a sequel for Chris! :) Hopefully you enjoyed this update - though there wasn't much of Chris around! Rest assured he'll pop up soon