It was about a month later when my dad found out.

I had brought the pregnancy test with me for reasons I couldn't explain, maybe just to have physical proof, and probably to remind myself that I was pregnant.

The day after I found out I was in fact pregnant, I brought the test with me to school to show the guys in case they wanted to see it for themselves. After that, I had kept it in my bathroom.

I was sitting at my desk, working on my Pre-Calc homework, when my dad exploded. I heard him stomping down the hall, but I wasn't particularly worried. Why? Because I thought he had forgotten something in his room at the end of the hall. He tended to get angry when he had to go back to get something.

But then the door to my room flew open, slamming against the wall, and making me jump. I looked up to see my dad angrier than I had ever seen him. My heart just about stopped in terror.

"For sixteen years, I let you live in my house," He roared. "And this is how you repay me?" He held up something small and white.

With a sinking feeling in my gut, I recognized my pregnancy test.

"Brooklynn? Are you ok?" Asher's voice said in my ear. I forgot I had called him for help on the math assignment.

"He knows," I said, terror filling my voice. "Asher, he knows."

My dad looked like he was gonna self combust.

"Who else knows!" He bellowed, making me flinch.

"Ok, I'm coming," Asher said.

"No!" I yelled. I didn't want him getting hurt because he was trying to protect me.

"No?" My dad scoffed. "You seriously want to talk back now?"

I whimpered as he stepped toward me. I could see the murderous glare in his eyes.

"Get out." He growled. "Get your stuff and get out. I never want to see you again." He threw the pregnancy test at me, then stormed out of the room.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I could hear my dad's Camaro turn on outside, then roar down the road, away from the house.

"Brooklynn? Are you there?"

"Yeah," I said in a small voice, terror still pulsing through my veins.

"I'm coming over." Asher said right before he hung up, not giving me a chance to protest.

I sighed as I surveyed my room. Well, I'd better start packing.

I heaved myself up and pulled out all of my bags. I always had a couple, then when my mom died, I had kept all of her bags cuz I slept over at the guys houses quite frequently when my dad was in a bad mood.

I was halfway through packing up all my clothes when the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door to see Asher standing there, worry written all over his face, I broke down. Asher caught me before I collapsed on the floor, and carried me to my room. I cried for a solid twenty minutes as he just sat on my bed, holding me close.

When I finally calmed down, I stood up and headed to my bathroom. I stood in front of my mirror, looking at my face. My eyes were swollen and red, while my nose looked like it was on fire.

"I look hideous." I muttered to myself. I turned on the faucet and splashed some water on my face, before turning to head back to my room.

For the next hour, Asher and I packed up my stuff into duffle bags and suitcases, then loaded everything into my Jeep and Jesse's Tahoe.

While Asher loaded the last few bags into the Tahoe, I stood in the middle of the room that I used to call my own. I looked at the walls that my mom and I had so carefully painted navy blue, and my name painted in white spray paint above the bare mattress. I ran my fingers down the paint drips that I had purposely made because I thought they looked cool. I flopped on the mattress once more, and looked up at the black ceiling with glow-in-the dark paint splattered all over to imitate stars.

It was me, but not at the same time. It felt like an empty shell of what used to be full of life and personality.

"Are you ready to go?" Asher said from the doorway. I twirled around slowly, taking in my room one last time.

"It's me, but not me at the same time." I said as I faced Asher.

"I get what you mean. I moved around a lot growing up, so I would get settled in one spot, and then we'd have to move again," He said as he stepped into the room to stand by my side.

We stood there in silence for a moment, before I spoke again.

"Let's go. I don't want to be here when my dad gets back," I said as I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room, through the house, and out the front door.

I let go of his hand and walked to the driver side of my Jeep. I hopped in and turned on the engine. I pulled out of the driveway, and took one more look at the house where I had lived for sixteen years. The house where I had taken my first steps, where I had spoken my first words, lost my first tooth, and lost my mom.

Asher honked his horn, signalling that he was ready.

I turned my eyes to the road and gripped the steering wheel. This is no longer my home, I thought to myself as I followed Asher down the road. It stopped being my home when Mom died.

About twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of the McLean household. I parked on the street, then hopped out and met Asher on the walkway leading up to the front door.

I paused in front of the door, almost a little scared to go in. I didn't want to force myself on the McLeans, but at the same time, I didn't have anywhere else to go.

Asher must've noticed the look on my face, because he laughed and slung his arm around my shoulder.

"You know you don't have anything to worry about, right?" He said, as he pulled my up the stairs and into the house.

As soon as we stepped in, the smell of freshly baked cookies surrounded me, nearly making me cry. I hadn't smelled fresh cookies since my mom died.

"Come on." Asher said as he walked toward the kitchen.

I followed the smell of cookies to the source. Just as I stepped into the kitchen, Jesse was pulling a tray of cookies out of the oven, and set them on the stove to cool.

"Hey, that was quick. I only had time to make a couple batches of cookies," Jesse said as she turned to Asher, not noticing me standing in the entryway.

He nodded in my direction, and Jesse followed his gaze, and when she saw me, her face lit up in a grin.

"Brooklynn! Good to see you!" Jesse said as she came over to give me a hug, which I readily accepted.

When she let me go, I went over to sit by Asher, who had claimed a bar stool at the island. Jesse bustled around the kitchen, putting more dough balls on the pan to bake, and putting ingredients away.

I gave Asher a pointed look, like Are you gonna tell her?

When he didn't respond, I poked him in the stomach, and looked at him again.

He glanced at me and nodded, as if to say yeah, I got it.

"Hey mom?" He started, then cleared his throat.

Jesse stopped what she was doing and looked at us.

"You didn't get her pregnant, did you?" she asked, pointing her finger between us.

Asher looked at me like what the hell do I say now?

I rolled my eyes at him, and turned to Jesse.

"I am pregnant," I said, as Jesse's eyes widened. "But not by Asher."

"Oh thank god. I got scared for a moment," Jesse said with a sigh of relief. "Who is the father then?"

That was a little harder to say. Thankfully Asher answered for me.

"That we don't know."

Jesse gasped as she realized what that meant.

"Oh my god, honey," She said as she stepped around the island and pulled me into a hug.

"Also, her dad may or may not have kicked her out..." Asher said carefully.

"Oh honey, you're staying with us. I don't care what you say, I'm not letting you go anywhere else." Jesse said sternly as she pulled me away and held me at arms length.

I fought back tears, overwhelmed by their kindness. For several moments I couldn't say anything. But then, I found my voice.

"Thank you. Both of you." I whispered, unable to say more.

Jesse smiled at me, then turned to Asher.

"Ok, you grab some cookies, then head upstairs. I want to talk to Brooklynn." She said as she shooed Asher out of the kitchen.

Once Asher left, Jesse went to the fridge and pulled out a jug of milk, poured out a glass, put some cookies on a plate, then brought them over to the island and sat down.

"I just want to say, you are incredibly strong, going through what you have. I don't know what your home life is like, or should I say, was like." I chuckled a little bit as I dipped a cookie in the milk.

"I just want you to know, I know what you're going through," Jesse continued, gesturing toward my stomach, which was slowly growing week by week.

It took a moment for those words to sink in.

"Wait, so you mean..." My voice trailed off as my brain processed what Jesse had just said.

"Yeah," she nodded, "I was raped, just like you. That's how I had Asher."

My mind spun. No wonder he was so adamant about helping me. He was a product of rape himself.

"When my parents found out, they were livid. They were very religious, to the point they tried to force it on me, which only pushed me away more. So when they found out that I was pregnant, they decided they'd had enough. They kicked me out and forced me to support myself. I struggled to make ends meet. I was couch hopping from friend to friend, never staying long at one place. I was working several jobs at a time, trying to raise enough money to be able to afford a place of my own."

Jesse paused as Asher came downstairs and back into the kitchen.

"We should probably get Brooklynn's stuff out of the cars before it's too dark." He said as he grabbed the Tahoe keys off the counter. Jesse stood up and offered me her hand. I accepted it and followed her outside, feeling a strange sense of peace. Even though I had lost almost everything, I had gained just as much and more. I had gained friends that would support me throughout my journey, a safe place to stay, and best of all, I didn't have to worry about my dad anymore.

For the first time in my life, I felt like things were going to be alright.