[trigger warning: this chapter mentions sexual acts such as assault and r8pe towards the end. If this topic makes you uncomfortable, please skip it.]

"What did you want to talk about?" Sam asks as she sits on the bed next to me.

"I'm sorry how everything went down. Today and in the past," I begin. "Dana was way out of line talking about you sleeping with the crew. I know that's not true and I couldn't just ignore it. I feel so stupid that I really regarded her as a friend..."

"I told you. I been telling you that she didn't really care about you, that she was nasty and caused drama, but you were too obsessed with the booty..." Sam claims with angry eyebrows.

"That's not true. I wasn't trying to sleep with her-- and I didn't sleep with her. I don't know why you think that."

"Oh, please. Don't act so innocent. I've seen the way you and practically all the guys at school stare at her like some hungry animals. It's like y'all excuse her behavior because she's cute, and it's annoying." She releases a huff as I don't have any excuses for her claims. "The worst of all was that you were no different. I thought you had common sense being my best friend, but I guess I was wrong."

"Maybe I did find her attractive... but you're right, that's no excuse for me to ignore her red flags. I'm sorry."

Sam rolls her eyes and sucks her teeth.

"Everything you were warning me about was right. About Dana and about Julie," I shake my head while thinking about all the drama that these girls brought me. "I ended up believing their words over my own best friend's..."

"Since you brought up Julie, what's up with y'all? You acknowledge that she hurt you but you still invite her to your birthday party? Are y'all trying to get back together now since Dana didn't work out?"

"Whoa. What makes you think that I'm trying to get with Julie?"

"I saw the way y'all were looking at each other, and giggling, and sharing inside jokes. It seems like you seem a bit closer. So what happened?" Sam faces me while searching my eyes.

"Alright. I'll be honest. I didn't expect we'd be completely back to normal again since we broke up, but something changed," I shrug. "Julie changed. We have classes together, and we were partnered for assignments, so I guess I just saw other sides of her that I respected."

"Really? How? Let me remind you this is the chick that lied about carrying your baby and tried to sleep with Jake."

"I know! I wasn't trying to be around her. I was avoiding her the majority of this year!" I exclaim.

"Did y'all hook up?" Sam pries while squinting her eyes.

"No, Sam! Is that really what you think of me? That I'm so easily persuaded by women that I'd do anything just to get close to them? Seriously?" I ask with more offense than anger in my voice.

Sam shrugs. "I mean, I just don't understand how you can become friendly with her again."

"Because people change, and I'm not so stubborn to give them a second chance. Since the breakup, she hasn't shown me any problematic behavior. She just minds her business and goes to class, even despite all of the rumors that were going around about us at school. Even when she sits with us at lunch, she's not catty like before. She's chill. She's treated me well, so I respect her. What do you want me to say?"

Sam nods her head as she toys with the pink and yellow 'BEST FRIENDS' bracelet on her wrist. "Okay. So you're not interested in her at all?"

"Listen, Sam. Like I said, I should've trusted you in the past about Julie. I admit that I could've handled a lot of what happened back then better. Now I've learned, and I'm not gonna make the same mistake again. To answer your question, I like her as a friend. That's it. I don't plan on dating her, but why does that matter to you? We've had this conversation before. Why do you care who I date? It's my life, and as a friend, you're supposed to support me no matter who I hang out with..." I sigh while looking up at my bedroom wall. "I mean, you might as well be like Dana trying to tell me what friends to hang out with and--"

"Don't even dare. I'm nothing like that hoe." Sam shoots me a glare.

"Stop calling her that," I reply.

"And you're still defending her..."

"No, I'm not. I'm telling you stop calling girls out their names, no matter how angry you are."

"I can call her whatever I want," Sam grumbles.

I shake my head and chuckle in disbelief. "Seriously... how long are you gonna be stubborn?"

Her jaw drops. "I'm not stubborn!"

"Yes, you are. You're such a hardhead. Even as kids, you'd always have to have your way; nobody could tell you wrong or they'd face your wrath," I chuckle while reminiscing about the old times. "When are you gonna grow up?"

"I am grown..." she pouts while crossing her arms over her jean jacket.

I look at her with sympathetic eyes and say in a quieter, calmer voice, "Then act like it... because I miss my best friend. I miss texting you every day, and hanging out every Friday for Bestie Days, and beating you in video games, and eating as many snacks as we want until our stomach hurts. I don't know where we fell off, but I'll take some of the blame..."

She looks up at me with innocent eyes as I continue speaking.

"I shouldn't have put my girlfriend before our friendship. I'll apologize for that. I also should've cut ties with Dana way before she had the chance to insult you and Jake the way she did at the bowling alley." I nod and gulp. "I think my problem is that I want everyone to get along. I want all my friends to like each other, but that's not always possible. I see the best in people and give them so many chances before I cut them off, but in doing that, I lose my closest friends... who I couldn't imagine living in this world without..."

As I spoke from the heart, I felt my eyes filling with tears. I don't cry that much, but I think holding in all of these emotions and dealing with friend drama and pressures about school has been overwhelming. And I didn't share my struggles with other people, because the one person that I could talk to was mad at me. So now that I'm sharing all of these feelings, regrets, and hopes... it's like a much-needed release.

I look toward the ceiling in an attempt to prevent the tears from flowing, then turn away from Sam and hold my head down in my lap while covering my face with my hands.

"Oh-- are you... crying?" Sam asks, sounding just as surprised as I feel. "What the hell..."

I hear her scuffle around my room before I feel a hand on my back and something soft grazing my hands.

"Here. Why are you crying?"

I take the tissue without looking her way and smash it against my eyes, letting the liquid drain into the tissue. Then I wipe my nose and throw the used tissue into the garbage. Still looking down while sniffling, I rub my eyes with the back of my hands. Sam's hand rubs my back.

"I haven't seen you cry since elementary school..."

There was a pause as we just sat in silence, trying to process this moment.

"I guess you were holding in a lot, huh?" Sam says. "...I'm sure my attitude didn't help."

Another pause as I finally sit up straight and stare at the wall while trying to gain my composure.

"I'll admit that I'm stubborn. I didn't want all these girls around you because I knew you were better than them. But I'm... sorry... if it felt like you couldn't hang out with whoever you wanted because of me. Even though I didn't agree with you and Julie, and you and Dana... I should've considered your feelings." She clears her throat and stops rubbing my back. "I just want you to be happy..."

"Is that your apology?" I ask, finally having the courage to look at her again.

She raises an eyebrow and rolls her neck. "Yeah. It's the best you're gonna get, so..."

I release a chuckle. "I'll take it. I know that must've been painful for you--"

"What? Apologizing or watching my guy friend cry like a little--"

"Okay! Okay!" I cut her off as she jokingly sticks her finger in my ear, causing me to push her off with my elbow. "Stop! Aye, crying doesn't make you weak. It means that you're mature enough to accept all of the emotions--"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Sam cuts me off with a small chuckle.

I grin at her. "It's good to see you laughing again. I meant it when I said I missed you. You're my best friend and I don't want anything to come between us again..."

"Oh, so you think we're all good again? Who said I accepted your apology?" Sam replies in a joking tone.

"Stop playing," I smile. "Forreal. We good? Will you give me another chance?"

Sam pretends to think while sizing me up and down. "...you know... we might be good only if I get the biggest slice of your birthday cake..."

I nod my head. "Bet. I would give you the whole thing--"

"And you should--"

"But, you know, it is my birthday. I'm the one getting a year older, and thanks to you, I got crow feet to prove it--"

"Oh, do you now?"

"Yeah. So... I think I deserve the cake more than anyone else in this house... just because I've been through so much..." I reply while clutching my chest in fake hurt.

"Okay. Bet."

We break out in a chuckle as she stands to her feet. "But really, how could you cry? That really surprised me..." She whines while walking toward me and wiping my wet eyes with her own thumbs, looking down at me with the most caring eyes I've seen from her in a minute.

I grab her wrists and pull them down to my lap while staring up into her eyes. "I love you, Sam... I want you to know that I'm thankful to consider you a friend."

Sam blinks at my words and freezes like she's just seen a ghost, then snatches her arms out of my grasp. She avoids my eyes and turns, walking toward my door. "Um... let's go. I'm sure everyone's waiting for you to cut the cake. Hurry up."

I clear my throat and stand to my feet, checking myself in my mirror before I follow behind her. "Yeah. Let's go..."

***

"Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks for inviting us..."

"Yeah. I'll see y'all later!" I say goodbye to everyone and shut the door as they finally leave my house. I release a breath and walk tiredly back into the kitchen which was a mess. There were napkins and empty cups everywhere - on the counters, the floors, in the living room. The food was all gone except for the plates of veggies. The chairs were still lined in a circle, one of them on the floor from Chris' crazy shenanigans. And the music was still blaring in the background. "Teenagers are messy..."

"Honey, we're home..."

My mom and dad appear from the foyer, their faces glowing with happiness -- until they see the downstairs in a mess. "What happened in here? We leave you to have the house to yourself for a few hours and it looks like a disaster," my dad complains.

"I know. I'm gonna clean it up, don't worry."

My mom hits my dad on the arm. "Don't badger him, babe. It's his birthday! As long as he had fun, that's all that matters." She scoops me up in her arms and squeezes me tight.

"Thanks, mom," I reply while hugging her back.

"So... how did it go?"

"It was... interesting," I reply as she releases me from the hug. I sigh and start collecting the folding chairs that are in a circle, neatly folding them one by one and setting them against the wall so I can sweep the floor.

"Is that a good interesting or a bad interesting?"

"...a bit of both. There were a few mishaps and a bit of drama... but I finally feel like I'm on the right path. I said what I needed to say to certain people, and I think I got my best friend back," I reply with a satisfied grin.

"You got your best friend back?" My mom asks with a quizzical look. "Are you talking about Sam?"

"Mhm. We finally talked and sorted out our differences..."

"Oh, that's good! I'm proud of you!"

"Sounds like you're really maturing," my dad says. "I'm glad you had a successful birthday, son. But... it's not over yet."

"Hm?" I raise my eyebrow and stop working. "What do you mean?"

"Why don't you go find your brother and sister. They have a gift for you..." My dad says with a mysterious smirk.

"Where are they?"

"Oh, they're outside. Chillin'."

My dad was acting really weird, but the suspense was killing me. I walk past my parents and head outside to find my siblings. What I found shocked me.

"Surprise!" My siblings cheered.

They were standing in front of a shiny new black vehicle parked in the driveway, which looked very similar to my old one that I crashed in a wreck back in December.

"You like it?" My dad appears beside me and squeezes my shoulder.

I look up at him in confusion and awe. "A new vehicle?"

"Not quite new... I fixed your old one. Got a whole new makeover inside and out. The baby is as good as new, and it's all yours!"

My eyebrows shoot up towards the sky as my mouth drops. "No way, dad! Mom? Is he serious?"

"As serious as a heart attack, sweetie. It's our birthday present to you. We love you," my mom appears on my other side and kisses my cheek.

"Thank you! This is the best birthday gift ever!"

"Don't mention it, Dig..." my dad replies with a smile.

"I promise I'll pay you back. I'll get a part-time job to earn the money back from all of the damage costs--"

"You better," he chuckles.

"Drive the vehicle!!" My little sister Miley squeals while holding out her hand which holds the car key. I take the key from her and kiss her forehead.

"Can I?" I ask my parents.

"You can take it for a spin around the block," my mom says.

"Can we ride with him too?" My brother Russy asks, excitedly shaking.

"Okay... but be safe. No music. Just driving," my mom replies and in no time, me and my siblings hop inside my new ride. "And no texting!"

"Alright, Justine, they get it..." my dad replies as he waves us off as I back up out the driveway.

***

SAM's POV

~The Next Day~

"Ay dios mio! Two 'I love you's in one month? You lucky duck..." Becca squeals while lying on my bed, her head resting at the foot of the bed while her legs dangle near my pillows. "I'll make it three... I love you, Sam."

"Stop. I'm being serious. It was really weird. Totally unexpected..." I reply while resting my head on my pillow as my feet rest next to Becca's face on the bed. I had just revealed to her the talk that me and Diggy had during his birthday party.

"Eh, it's only weird to you because you hate affection like that. You're just not used to people showing and telling you that they care," she explains.

"I guess... but he's never really said that before. We don't say that to each other."

"Hm. Well, what else did y'all talk about during your seven minutes in heaven?" Becca giggles.

I cringe at her bad joke and look at my chipped nails, picking at them in thought. "He just said how he was sorry he didn't listen to me back then about Julie and Dana. How he shouldn't have put them before our friendship."

"Aw, that's so sweet. I'm so glad you two finally made up! I can tell this year is already gonna be filled with so much positivity! I'm proud of you two." She happily taps my legs.

"I guess..." I reply, thinking about how I saw him cry for the first time since we were kids. I can't believe he really got choked up over all this. Seeing his eyes tear up made me feel a bit guilty... but only just a little bit. After all, it's like karma. How does he think I felt being stood up every week because he wanted to go to Homecoming, or he wanted to study at someone's house, or he wanted to take Dana to laser tag. Ugh. That was so annoying.

"This means we can have our weekly Bestie Days again! What about this Friday? It'd be nice to have the original gang back together," Becca happily suggests.

"Maybe..."

"Okay. This might be a reach, but how would you feel if I invited Julie to come with?"

"Ugh. Why? She's not a part of the OG gang..." I groan and stuff my hands into my sweatshirt pocket.

"I know. But neither is Jake, but we welcome him."

"But he's my boyfriend. It's like default that he'll be invited if we hang out."

"Okay. But aren't you being hypocritical? You can take your boyfriend places, but you couldn't let Diggy bring along whoever he wanted to hang with us? You see how that looks?"

"That's--" I bite my tongue, seeing how that could be seen as unfair. Maybe she's right. If I'm gonna try to change my habits, I have to be open-minded to my friends wanting to include their other friends in any activities we might have. "Okay. You might be right. But can we at least wait until later? I just want us four to have a moment to ourselves. I won't even invite Jake."

"If you're not inviting Jake, then okay. I'd be down for an OG foursome," she smiles. "But..."

"But what? I agreed Julie can be invited at a later date," I pout.

"I was going to say that you and Julie need to get used to each other too, since you're cousins and all."

"You love bringing that up."

"I'm just saying, now that you and Diggy are finally on good terms again, it's time to get on good terms with her. I think it would benefit you both to try and get to know one another and sort out any differences in the past," Becca grins. "Maybe we can invite her to go shopping with us. Have some girl time where you two can talk like mature half-grown adults."

"I'd rather not force it. If we talk, we talk. If we don't, we don't. Antonio's already been talking about inviting his brother and his family over for dinner..." I sigh. "There's only so much I can take at one time."

"I hear you. I'm just throwing out suggestions. No pressure." Becca sits up on the bed with an evil smirk. "Now... shall we finish the first season of that new reality dating show? I'm dying to find out if Sean chose Keisha or Katie for his private date on the beach!"

I roll my eyes. "Ugh, I can't believe you like dating shows. They're so sappy and fake."

"Nuh-uh! Other people's relationships are just so fun!!" Becca sits up on my bed and grabs the TV remote from my nightstand, then turns the TV on to her favorite show. "Like you and Jake, for example. How's paradise treating you? Do you guys have any spring break plans?"

"We're good. And nope. Just working at the mall... but what about you? You and Khalil gonna get up to something this week?"

"Besides talking on the phone, nah. Girl, I have to pack my bags this week too. It's gonna be so crazy."

"What? Why?" I look at her in confusion while playing with my ponytail.

"Cheer Nationals is next week in Orlando, and I'm nowhere near ready to leave," she says while furiously changing channels.

"Oh, I forgot about that. When do you leave?"

"Monday evening... and we'll be there until Friday. I'm super excited but a bit nervous!"

"Dang. So I'll barely see you at all next week. Boo..." I pout as she looks at me and pouts back.

"I know!"

"Well... have fun anyway."

"I will. I'm happy our team gets the opportunity to go, but I'm not too optimistic we'll place this year. Usually, we'd get at least 3rd in our region and in our category but... I was really hoping we might get 1st when Julie joined," Becca replies, looking bummed out.

"Ah, really?"

"Yeah. Julie was an amazing addition to our team. She was mad flexible, she could do tricks, she had great charisma and facial expressions when performing, and she's pretty! Like, what more could you want?"

"Wow... I've never heard you talk about her like that," I reply.

"I know you're not into the whole cheer world like I am, but to a trained eye, she'd be a great addition to any cheer squad. She's too talented to just sit on the sidelines... which is why I'm worried for us. But what's done is done, I guess..." she shrugs.

"Have you talked to Dana? Not that she'd actually do anything. "

"Multiple times. It's so stupid. All because Julie might be pregnant," she shakes her head. "She's not even showing. I don't know. But then I think maybe it is for the best. If she is gonna have a baby... maybe she should focus on taking it easy."

"That's tough..." Is all I can reply. I couldn't imagine having a kid in high school. What would you do? Your whole life would stop then and there, and you'd have to put the safety of your kid first.

"Anyway, we'll do our best. That's all we can do."

***

JULIE's POV

~Friday~

The last weekday of spring break and I was laying in my comfy bed while scrolling through social media. Lately, I've been more tired and a bit fidgety, so this week, I tried to get as much rest as I could. It helps when there's no school and no parents around for most of the day.

I yawned, feeling my eyes get heavy. I checked the time on my alarm clock: it was 5:25. My parents would be home soon. We were invited over my uncle Antonio's house for dinner tonight, but I really was not feeling it. My body hurts, my head hurts, and I'm sleepy. I just wanted to spend the rest of the night under the covers surrounded by pillows.

"Julie! We're home!" My mother's voice erupts from the kitchen below.

Dang it. They're here. I yawn once again and let out a groan, turning on my side and setting my phone on my nightstand. The sound of doors closing and footsteps coming up the stairs gives me anxiety.

"Your father and I are going to change our clothes then we'll head out soon to your uncle's. Julie?" My mother's voice is closer than before, right outside my bedroom doorway.

"Honey, you're yelling in my ear..." I hear my father grumble in the hallway.

"Then move faster. We have 30 minutes to get there..."

I hear a knock on my door, then a gasp. "What are you doing? Get up!"

I groan and cover my head with my bedsheets as my mother continues to shout.

"Your room is a mess... where are your suitcases? You were supposed to finish packing today for cheer nationals. But forget that! We have dinner with your uncle tonight and you need to get dressed!"

"I'm not going..." I mumble from underneath the covers.

"What was that? Get up." My mother grabs the covers and pulls them off of my head.

"I don't feel well... please..." I mumble, as my messy head and frowning face is exposed. I look and feel like crap today.

"Javier! She says she doesn't feel well," my mother exposes me while putting her hands on her hips, looking stressed. Then, I heard my father's footsteps enter my room. Oh, great.

"What's all the commotion? Julie, are you asleep?" My father asks with a dissatisfied voice. "Get up. We have dinner at Antonio's and we're not missing it."

"I'm not going..." I repeat.

My mother sighs. "Javier... maybe she shouldn't go. She said she's not feeling well and--"

"Not feeling well, my ass. You can go to some party this week but can't meet with your family? Plus, we've planned this well in advance. You knew what was expected of you," my father says in a demanding tone. He glances around my room, looking at the snack wrappers and piles of clothes I pretended to fold but didn't have the energy to put away. "Like packing your bags for your cheer nationals. Is this how we raised you? To be lazy and procrastinate?"

"I'm not going..." I repeat in a huff.

"What?!" My father yells back with a raised eyebrow.

I quickly sit up in bed, filled with rage and annoyance. "I'm not going to Antonio's dinner and I'm not going to nationals!"

My father looked furious that I would even dare raise my voice at him, but I don't care! They're being too noisy and pressuring me about things that I don't care about. I'm sick of it! There's no peace in this house.

"What are you talking about, Julie? What has gotten into you?" My father asks in anger as my mother tries to calm him down.

"I got kicked off the cheer squad. I'm not going to nationals..." I reply, feeling a lump in my throat as my mouth grows dry. I watched as my parents looked like two deers in headlights.

"What? What do you mean you got kicked off the squad? You've been going to practice every week--" My mother says in disbelief, the frown lines seeming permanent on her forehead.

"I lied... I haven't been going to practice," I gulp. "I didn't want to tell you because I knew this is how you'd react..."

"Well, how else are we supposed to react? I mean, how can you get kicked off the squad? You love cheerleading and dancing! What-- did something happen? Did someone bully you?"

"Are you trying to pull our leg?" My dad asks with a crazy grin. "Are you just making up stories to get out of your responsibilities?"

"No, dad! I'm telling the truth!"

He scoffs. "But you just told us that you lied about being on the cheer squad, but allegedly, you got kicked out? I mean, how are we supposed to believe anything that you say?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth now! I'm sorry that I lied but... I won't anymore. Please. Just hear me out..." I plead.

"Okay, Julie..." My mother releases a breath and sits on the edge of my bed. "Everyone just chill, okay? Just tell us what happened and maybe we can fix this. We might have to make some phone calls to the school administration, but we'll get to the bottom of this. Nobody's gonna kick my daughter off the cheer squad without repercussions--"

"No, mom. It's not the school's fault... it's mine..." I feel myself getting choked up while thinking of the real reason Dana kicked me off the squad.

"What are you talking about?" My dad spits out.

My heart was beating out of my chest, and it felt like I was gasping for air. I've kept the biggest secret from my parents for too long, and I've hidden so many of my emotions from them, but today was the last day that I'd do that. I needed to break free of these lies in order to truly heal from them... I needed to tell them the truth about everything... starting with my trauma.

"...I'm... I got kicked off the squad... 'cause..." I swallow the lump in my throat as tears pour from my eyes, "...I'm...pregnant..."

"You're what?..." My mother's face goes pale as I cover my face, feeling tears fall from my eyes. "Oh my gosh..."

"Are you joking right now?" My father asks, but I shake my head.

"We've raised you better than this..." My mother begins, "I can't believe you slept with someone before marriage. Your body is your temple. You're supposed to resist the temptations of the flesh!"

"I know! Don't preach at me..."

"And now you're... having a baby? In high school? My gosh..." My mother holds her forehead while shaking her head. "God, forgive her. You're supposed to be focused on your studies and getting into college. Not taking care of a child."

"...who's the father? Is it that boy Daniel? Is it Martha's kid? Did he do this to you? Huh? Is that why you two broke up?" My father asks in anger.

"No!" I wipe my eyes and face my father. "It's not Daniel's. I mean... w-we slept together, but it's not his baby!"

"Oh my gosh..."

"And how do you know that?" My father asks.

"Because... I was pregnant before we moved here..." I cry while snot runs down my nose.

My parents glance at each other in thought.

 "I was r*ped..."