The next morning I showered and threw on a pair of sweats and a hoodie, not really caring about my appearance. I put my hair in a simple bun and walked out of my room. When I got downstairs I slipped into my Timbs and tied the laces carefully. I wasn't really in any rush to meet up with Aiden. I'm still pretty upset, but I promised myself that I would at least hear him out. So that's what I'll do. He better have an amazing reason for what he's done.

We agreed to meet at the park, at the biggest tree (my favorite). We've had so many good memories there...I hope that doesn't change today. I really love Aiden, but if I feel like his heart isn't in this anymore, I don't know what I'll do. Or even worse, if he purposely messed with my feelings just to... No, I can't think like that. There's no way he would do that to me, right?

My mind was so preoccupied, I barely realized that I got to the park. I quickly found a good space. I guess since it's the day after Christmas and it's cold as hell outside, nobody really wants to be at the park. I sighed and turned off the engine. Putting my gloves on and my hood, I exited the car.

It was ugly outside. There's no other way to put it. It snowed over a few days ago, so the snow had now turned into ice covered in dirt. You know, the snow that nobody finds enjoyable. Now it was lightly snowing again, the new layer slowly sticking to the top of the dirty ice. I couldn't help but be reminded of someone trying to cover up their acne with foundation or whatever it is they use. You can't see it anymore, but you know it's still there.

I got to the big tree and plopped down on the floor. The ice and snow quickly started to seep through my pants, but I couldn't seem to care enough. I just looked up at the sky and watched the snowflakes fall slowly. It was actually pretty calming.

"You'll get sick like that you know," a deep voice rumbled.

"Yeah, that doesn't really seem to matter to me right now," I said, meeting Aiden's eyes. I saw the mixture of emotions in his eyes, and I just couldn't meet his gaze after a few seconds. Instead, I looked at his outfit. He was wearing a navy blue pea coat, a black scarf, black jeans, and black...dress shoes? What a weird boy.

I heard him sigh above me, and the next thing I knew he was sitting in front of me. I looked down at the ground and attempted to play with the snow.

"Trace, can you look at me?"

Silence.

"Tracey, baby. Please."

It was the pleading tone in his voice that finally made me meet my eyes with his again. His request was so full of pain that I couldn't help it. I may be angry with him but I still can't stand to see him hurt.

He let out a sigh of relief that I was finally looking at him. "I don't even know where to start... I'm sorry doesn't even begin to cover it."

I just blinked at him, hoping he got the message that I wanted him to continue.

He cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I don't want you to think that I was only in this for the sex. It's actually far from it. I would've still been here with you if you wanted to wait ten years, or any insane amount of time. I want you, not the sex. So first off, I'm sorry for making you think that was my intention.

"I'm also sorry for acting like such an asshole after that day. Now that I've had the time to really think about it, I don't have a good reason for acting the way I did. It's just, forgive me for saying this, I've had plenty of sex. But none of those girls even came close to you. You were just so...different. It felt like I really connected with you on an emotional level. And I'm not going to lie, that shit was kind of scary. I've never felt like that before. I've never felt that kind of deep ass connection.

"I know I'm wrong because I ran away when I swam into uncharted territory. But when I had all that time to myself to think, I realized something. You're really something special Tracey. Not that I didn't know that before, but now...now it's so much more real. I honestly think I can see myself having a long future with you. And our future looks so damn bright baby. If you still want me, I promise to stay with you through it all, through the ups and downs, when shit gets hard. All I want is you sweetheart. I hope you can forgive me." He took a couple of deep breaths, winded from his speech.

I was taking a few deep breaths of my own. During his speech, my tears had spilled. I was now a silently blubbering mess. I sniffles as I tried to wipe my tears away.  Aiden scooted closer to me and pulled me gently into his chest. That only made me cry harder, and louder. He rocked me back and forth as I emptied my tear ducts.

When I finally calmed myself down, I looked up into Aiden's expectant eyes. Instead of vocally accepting his apology, I pulled his face down to mine and pressed my lips to his. He responded immediately, deepening the kiss, my lips melting into his. I tried to put all of my emotions into the kiss, and I felt him doing the same. It felt as if his lips were created to fit perfectly against mine. I felt a complete sense of satisfaction just being in his presence, and I understand why he says our future looks bright. I know we're young, but being here with him feels so right it can't be wrong. After a while we pulled away from each other, and I smiled at him sweetly.

"So, does that mean I'm forgiven?" he asked with a big smile on his face.

I should be more upset with Aiden. I mean he did completely blow me off for a while there. However, his apology sounded like it came from the bottom of my heart, and I love him too much to not forgive him over something so small. This is still the beginning stages of our relationship, and there are bound to be many more bumps in the road. I can't see myself on a bumpy road with anyone else but him, though. So what kind of girlfriend would I be to give up on something this great now?

I laughed and pushed his chest. "Come on, let's go. The cold finally hit me, and I would love to change into some dry clothes."

It was his turn to laugh. "I warned you about sitting in the snow, didn't I?" I glared at him and he kissed my cheek. He got up and pulled me with him. "Let's go home."

"Yay!" I clapped my hands together. "I can't wait to see little Jacob again."

Tremaine's P.O.V.

I plopped down next to Bianca and pulled her in close to me. Her body was stiff for a few moments before she relaxed and placed her head on my shoulder. I found it slightly weird, but it didn't spark enough concern for me to bring it up. I just settled in and watched the show, some reality show that I know Bianca is into.

In full honesty, I zoned out for a while. Reality TV isn't really my thing, I'd much rather was a scripted show. Those are more interesting to me. I only watch them because it makes my girl happy. Every time I look at this girl it makes me wonder how stupid I was to not realize that this girl was perfect for me. She is so beautiful and she's all mine. I really don't deserve a girl like her; she stayed loyal to her feelings for me even when I wouldn't give her the time of day. But I'm determined to fix it. Hopefully, I'll have a whole lifetime to make up for time lost with her.

I glanced over at Bianca and noticed that even though her eyes were trained on the TV, she definitely wasn't watching the show. Her eyes had glossed over, and she had a worried expression on her face. I could tell that something wasn't right.

I frowned. "Baby, what's wrong?"

No response.

I shook her gently. "Baby?"

She seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in, and she looked up at me. "What?"

"What's on your mind beautiful?"

She shook her head quickly. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Her tone wasn't very convincing. I could tell that something was obviously very wrong. She's trying to hide it, but I can still tell that she's very worried about something. Why won't she tell me what's going on? I know we haven't been dating very long, but we've known each other long enough to be comfortable telling each other things, right?

"Well, for one, you don't seem really interested in the show. You also look like something is bothering you."

"No, it's nothing. It's just.. college you know? I'm worried that no one will accept me." She gave me a small smile.

While that is a valid thing to be concerned about, I somehow don't believe that's the problem. Bianca is extremely intelligent, and nobody is concerned about her not being accepted. She's never even expressed any doubts until right now. No, it's not that.

I sighed and turned towards her completely. Looking her straight in the eye, I said, "You know you can tell me anything, right baby? I don't want you to ever be afraid of telling me anything, okay?"

She gave me a sad smile this time. "Yeah, of course."

I let out another sigh and pulled Bianca gently back into me. So, I guess she isn't going to tell me right now. I hope that she comes around soon, I hate seeing her so stressed out. I just want to help her get through whatever's bothering her.

Tracey's P.O.V.

I took one last look in the mirror, admiring myself. I think I look damn good! Wearing a gold body-con dress with sleeves and a plunging neckline, black pumps, and my charm bracelet, I felt confident. I curled my hair into bouncy, loose curls. For my makeup, I put on gold eyeliner, mascara, and dark red matte lipstick. Nodding appreciatively at myself, I walked out of my room.

Trey invited us to this huge New Year's Eve party, and even though I'm not much of a party person, I was convinced that this was not a party to be missed. (I think I might have to stop saying I'm not much of a party person soon, but I'll hold on to that assertion as long as I can). The whole school is going to be there, so it's safe to say that this party is going to verge on epic. I've been a good mood, things have been looking up for the most part lately, and I don't have much to complain about. I think that the calm after the storm should be celebrated, don't you?

The doorbell rang, so I quickly grabbed my coat and opened the door. There Aiden was, standing in all his hotness. He was wearing fitted black slacks, black dress shoes, a black button down, and a gold bow-tie. He looked so damn delectable it made me swoon internally. I think I'm going to make it a rule that he wears a suit at all times.

So, me being me, instead of complimenting my boyfriend, I say "Where the hell is your coat?!"

He laughed out loud, and I crossed my arms over my chest. "I left it in the car. If you're a good girlfriend, you'll hurry up so I won't freeze to death." he cleared his throat, looking down at my chest briefly. "You should also, um, stop doing that," he said, pointing to my arms.

I felt my ears get hot as I uncrossed my arms. I remember the day that he officially asked me to be his girlfriend, he warned that I might get us into a car accident if I kept "showing off my twins". I smiled to myself, remembering how perfect that day was, how happy I had been.

Aiden held out his hand, and I took it. He led me to his car and opened the passenger door for me. I stepped into the car, admiring his chivalry. This isn't the first time he's done this, but his sweetness is just something I don't think I'll get used to.

We arrived at the party in no time. The guy hosting it (I couldn't be bothered to remember his name) was on the basketball team, so I guess that's why Trey was one of the first people to know about it. Obviously this guy had filthy rich parents, because I was currently standing in front of a glorious mansion with a wonder struck look on my face. The front lawn was still littered with Christmas decorations, providing enough light for the entire block. Twinkling lights covered the building and all the trees and plants. There were inflatable snowmen, reindeer, elves, you name it, scattered strategically across the massive patch of grass. The snow that still covered the ground completed the Winter Wonderland look.

Aiden put his arm around my shoulder and kissed my cheek, snapping me out of my trance.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere I go..." he sang softly into my ear. I turned to look at him, only to be met with his breathtaking grin.

I chuckled. "I think you've got the wrong holiday sir."

"Nonsense! It's always Christmas if you believe!" he said in a terrible British accent. I laughed out loud and led him inside of the house.

The party was already in full swing. I think Aiden has a knack for arriving at parties at the perfect time. I'm pretty sure that if it was left to me, I'd always arrive too early or way too late.

There were bodies everywhere, grinding on each other with red plastic cups in their hands. It looked like every other party I've ever been to, except the dress code was formal, and everything was decorated in gold or silver.

I pulled Aiden inside of the kitchen, which was surprisingly pretty empty. Everybody must be too busy trying to explore each other's anatomy through fabric to want drinks. There was, however, one person in the room that was staggering his way over to us.

"Tracey, you made it!" the guy said as he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tightly.

For the life of me, I cannot remember who this boy is. And I'm not even drunk. His tall, lanky frame looks vaguely familiar. His skin was a light brown, and he towered over me even more than Aiden does. He looks thin and wiry, but he obviously has a lot of hidden muscle from the way he was currently squeezing my organs up through my esophagus.

"Uh, yeah I'm here!" I avoided greeting him because I still couldn't decipher his name. Something tells me that he's the basketball player hosting the party. I can't for the life of me figure out why he's so excited to see that I came. Why does he care?

He unleashed me from his death grip and I sighed in relief, until he grabbed my shoulders tightly. He planted a wet, drunken kiss on my cheek and I grimaced. I felt Aiden's grip tighten around my hand. I turned to look at him and his jaw was clenched.

"Thanks for coming," he said in a slurred voice. Then he staggered out into the living room.

I turned to look at Aiden again, to see his reaction to what just happened. He had a calm look on his face, which somehow scares me more than if he had been visibly angry. I know he's angry.

"Do you have a history with Derek that I need to know about?" he asked in a low voice. Ah, so that's his name. I really should do a better job of remembering people.

"What? No! I didn't even know his name until you said it just now." I paused, then smirked. "Why...are you jealous?"

Aiden's eyes widened in surprise and he cleared his throat. "Uh, no.. I just thought that, well that..."

I laughed and cut off his rambling. "Calm down tiger I was just kidding. I think it's kind of cute that you're jealous though." I nudged him in his side and winked at him.

He rolled his eyes."Whatever." I laughed again as he went and got a couple of beers. He handed one to me and I popped it open, chugging it down.

Aiden gave me a wary look and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Just...let's not overdo it tonight okay Tracey? I don't need you trying to flash everyone here."

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "I promise I won't get so drunk I won't remember anything." I hate losing time. The last time I was drunk I apparently...tried to flash everyone at the party? Wow. I never want to get that drunk again.

I went over to the cooler and pulled out a bottle of Shandy, admiring the red liquid. "Look, I'll drink these. In moderation. It's only like 1% alcohol, basically soda. Does that work?"

Aiden's eyes lit up. "Woah, I haven't had a Shandy in forever!" He walked over and picked up a bottle of his own. Pulling out his keys, he used the bottle opener on his chain to open both of our bottles. I raised an eyebrow at him in surprise.

"It's...for convenience," he explained sheepishly.

"Mhmm." I started to walk out of the kitchen with Aiden in tow. I led him straight into the living room, the heart of the party.  Taking him to the middle of the room, we started dancing. I swayed my hips to the music, and he matched my movements.

After a couple songs of me being lost in my own world with Aiden, something hard crashed into us. Coming out of my trance, I looked at the culprit. It was...David?

David literally looked like the opposite of Aiden. And I mean literally. He had on a white button down, white dress slacks, and a silver bow-tie. It's almost like they planned it. His eyes lit up when he saw the both of us.

"Aiden, Tracey, you made it!" he yelled with enthusiasm. He did some kind of weird guy handshake with Aiden and they laughed.

"I didn't think you would actually do it bro," Aiden commented with a big grin on his face.

"Hey, I told you I would right? Plus," he said putting his arm around Aiden's shoulder, "we look good right?" They laughed again.

My eyebrows shot up at that. So they did plan to match like that. But, why? And since when were they good friends? I mean, I knew there was no animosity between them but I obviously missed the party where they practically became best friends.

A girl stumbled to David's side. I instantly recognized her as Aisha, one of the more dignified cheerleaders on the squad. She was about 5'8" with blemish free olive skin. She was extremely toned and had a heart shaped face. Her dark hair fell in waves down her back, and she was wearing a...silver body-con dress. Thankfully it wasn't the same exact style as mine, but it really irked me that Aiden and I were matching with another couple. Barf.

"Oh my gosh hi Tracey, how are you?" she said in an excited squeal.

"I'm amazing, and you?" I responded with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

She flashed me her pearly whites. "Oh, I'm just wonderful. David is ever the gentleman," she said in a somewhat seductive voice while placing her palm on his chest. I gave her a tight smile.

"Yeah."

Even though the party was still raging and it was loud as heck, an uncomfortable silence fell over our little group. And I couldn't help but feel like it's my fault. So I cleared my throat.

"I'm just...going to go to the bathroom then." and I scurried away.

"Hurry up babe, it's almost..." Aiden's voice melted into the noise of the rest of the crowd as I got further away.

At some point in my mindless wandering, I bumped into Bianca. She looked absolutely stunning, her hair straightened and brushing against her butt. She was wearing a baby blue halter crop top, a high waisted white maxi skirt that had a long slit in it, and baby blue stilettos. She looked angelic, and I took a moment to admire my best friend.

When she noticed it was me, her eyes lit up. She wrapped her arms around me and I did the same, giving her a little squeeze.

"You look beautiful," I said with a sincere smile.

"So do you, as always." she smiled back.

Tremaine came up behind her and kissed her cheek. Bianca blushed profusely at the sweet gesture, but it seemed like there was a little bit of sadness in her eyes. Is something wrong?

Probably not. I may be overreacting.

"Hey beautiful, I got you something to drink," he said handing her a red plastic cup.

She sighed. "I told you I didn't want anything to drink babe," she responded tightly.

He rolled his eyes. "Come on, loosen up. One drink won't kill you." Trey saw me and smiled widely. "Hey babygirl, where's your boyfriend?"

I smirked at the pet name. He only ever calls me that when he has a drink or two in him.

Pointing my thumb behind me, I said "I left him back there with David and Aisha."

His eyes filled with sympathy and he gave me a small nod, as if he understood something even I didn't. I raised an eyebrow as he left, walking in the direction that I pointed.

When he was gone, Bianca handed the cup to me. "Do you want this? I'm really not in the mood to drink tonight."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Bianca doesn't want to drink? Something is definitely off. She loves to let loose at parties.

"What's up B?" I asked seriously, after taking the drink.

"Hmm? Nothing, I'm fine. I can't just want to be sober for once?" she responded defensively.

Yep. Something is totally off.

"IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT EVERYONE!" some random girl screeched from the top of the staircase. Everyone cheered loudly, and I let out a gasp of surprise. How is it almost midnight already? Time is slipping through my hands like running water. I downed the drink in the cup and shuddered violently because it was the most vile thing I have ever tasted. After I recovered, I grabbed Bianca's hand.

"Come on, we've got to find the boys!"

As I dragged her along, she protested."Wait, I have to tell you something!" she yelled frantically.

"Can't it wait until the new year?" I asked as I looked for Trey and Aiden.

"I don't want it to!" she yelled back.

"Ten...Nine...Eight!" The party goers started to chant. I desperately looked for my boyfriend's familiar face in an effort to beat the clock.

"Tracey, please," Bianca said behind me.

" Five... Four...Three!"

Frustrated, I stopped trying to maneuver through the crowd. It was obvious that I wasn't going to find them before the new year.

"TRACEY!" Bianca yelled again.

"Two!"

"WHAT!" I yelled back.

"ONE! HAPPY NEW YEARRRRRRRRRRR!"

"I'M PREGNANT!"

________________________________

So, I was supposed to have this chapter up before the new year, but I kept getting writer's block while writing this, so I'm sorry. At least it's still January, right?

I'm not sorry, however, for this cliffhanger. There was absolutely no other way I could've ended the chapter! So, until next time!

Until then, leave comments! Thoughts, concerns, questions, anything! And vote!

-Thea :)

*Song for this chapter is All My Heart by Sleeping With Sirens because it's an incredibly sweet song and it goes so well with Aiden's sweet speech that wins Tracey over.