⌜ chapter three ⌟

"So..." Letty takes a deep breath as she looks up at Miller. "You're leaving me."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm staying with Dad and my brothers this time." He nods, turning to face her. The two are the last ones in the motel that they've been staying at, and he's packing up the last of his things. "I think it's probably time you and I cut the cord." He says, and she smirks.

"Finally sick of me?"

"Finally convinced you'll be alright." He tells her, and she smiles.

"Yeah, I think you might be right." Letty nods. "Things are better, things are actually good."

"See what happens when you listen to me?" He muses, and she nods sarcastically.

"Yeah, we'll pretend that's how that happened." The brunette says, and he chuckles.

"Do me a favor?" He asks, and her eyebrows furrow as she gives him a skeptical look.

"Maybe..."

"Take care of yourself, Scar." Miller says, and she offers him a small smile. "I know it's your job to take care of everyone else — or so you believe — but don't forget about you in the process."

"I'll do my best, promise." She tells him, and he nods. "Hey, uh... Thank you, Miller."

"What for?"

"For being my big brother when I needed one." Letty says, and his expression softens.

"We're family." He tells her. "Through everything."

"One screwed to hell family." She muses, and he laughs as he reaches out and pulls her into a tight hug.

—

"Hey, Eric!" Shawn calls, and he and Letty walk over to the two younger boys in the high school hallway. "Guess what, Cory told Topanga he loves her." He tells him, trying not to focus on Letty, who still hasn't said more than two words to him in months. He really didn't think it through when he decided to call Eric over.

"Ooh, sucks for the rest of you losers." The older boy says, and Letty chuckles as she shakes her head at him.

"Oh, I forgot, he's the only one here who has a cool girlfriend."

"Did you mean it, Cor?" Letty asks, and he looks at her.

"Yeah, of course I did."

"Alright then." She shrugs. "Your relationship with Topanga is between the two of you. Not the two of you and the whole of John Adams High."

"Isn't she the best?" Eric smiles as Letty grabs his hand and pulls him away from their brothers.

"Come on, we have class." The brunette says, and he pulls his hand from hers before reaching for her waist.

"Who can concentrate on school when they have you for a girlfriend?" He wraps his arms around her as they keep walking, and she laughs when the two stumble as a result of their current position. He then leans forward and kisses her cheek, causing her smile to widen.

After school later that day, Letty and Eric walk into his kitchen, and Cory and their mom turn to look at them. "I still have the best girlfriend. Guess where we weren't." The older boy says with a smile. "Go ahead, guess. We weren't at Pottery Barn!" He quickly tells them.

"Keep saying it, and I'm gonna make you go." Letty says.

"Scarlett, what would you get at Pottery Barn?" Cory asks her.

"Oh, absolutely nothing, but your brother's been driving me crazy ever since Shawn told him that you told Topanga that you love her. I might have to kill you." She says, and he smiles awkwardly as Eric then pulls his girlfriend past them and up the stairs.

The older of the teenagers are talking when Cory walks into the room, and he looks pretty upset about everything that's going on. Letty excuses herself to go downstairs, and Mrs. Matthews looks up when she makes her way back into the kitchen. The teenager smiles as she walks over to the fridge and grabs a soda.

"Can I talk to you about something?" The brunette asks as she walks over to her boyfriend's mom.

"Of course." She nods as sets her tea cup down on the island counter in front of her.

"A friend of mine — and I actually mean my friend, it's not like when people say that hoping that they'll be less embarrassed asking for advice for themselves." Letty says, and she chuckles as she nods. "She's gotten herself into some trouble, and she doesn't know what to do."

"Well, what kind of trouble?" Mrs. Matthews asks, and she takes a deep breath.

"Life altering kind of trouble." She admits, hesitating for a moment before she continues. "She's pregnant, and she's scared...and her boyfriend left." She tells her. "She's my best friend, and I want to help her, but... I don't know how. Most days, I barely even know how to help myself."

"Well, she has options. How far along is she?"

"I don't know." She shakes her head. "A little over a month, maybe two. She just found out, and she hasn't been able to see a doctor yet."

"Well, she needs to. And soon. A doctor can talk to her about different options. Adoption, being one of them, if other options aren't in her...beliefs."

"They're not." Letty tells her, and she nods.

"Well, if she can't take care of the baby on her own, adoption could be a good option. I'm sure there are nice families who would love to adopt a baby." The older woman says. "There are other steps she'll have to take if she wants to keep the baby. Finding a job, for starters. Baby's are a big responsibility, and raising them takes a lot of money. How old is she?"

"Same as me — sixteen..."

"You really do mean a friend, don't you?" Mrs. Matthews asks. "I'm not gonna have Eric coming to confess anything to me later, am I?"

"No." Letty chuckles. "Eric and I haven't had sex, and I don't plan to anytime soon. I'm not ready, and he respects that."

"I really do like you two together." She says, and the teenager smiles as she looks at her. "You're such a smart, sweet girl. I'm glad he has you."

"I'm glad I have him." The brunette pauses for a moment as she taps her index finger against the top of her soda can. "What can I do for my friend?" She asks, meeting her gaze again. "I've known her since we were kids, and I've... I've never seen her so scared before."

"Oh, sweetheart... I think the best you can do is keep being her best friend." Mrs. Matthews tells her, and she nods as she thinks about everything that's going on. "Let her know that she's not alone. Just support whatever decision she makes."

"I can do that." Letty nods, taking a deep breath, and the older woman offers her a small smile.

"Hey!" Eric makes his way down the stairs, and they both look over at him. "You're supposed to be making me concentrate while I try to convince you to make out with me."

"I swear he's sweet most of the time." His girlfriend says as she looks back at his mom.

"What are you doing down here? Is everything okay?" He asks, sensing the seriousness between them as he walks over and wraps his arm around Letty; his hand rest on the small of her back.

"I wanted some advice on how I can help Hope." She tells him, and he nods.

"Yeah. She's in a tough spot. How's she doing?"

"I don't know. Admitting that she's scared isn't really a trait of hers." She says as she looks up at him. "Just like I couldn't tell you I needed help when I still lived with my dad."

Eric takes a deep breath as he leans down and kisses her forehead, and she leans into him for support. "Everything's gonna be okay. We'll all figure things out. Together." He tells her, and a small smile tugs at her lips as she closes her eyes.