"Shane did what?"  Ingrid exclaims, jumping to her feet.

"I know this is going to come as a shock to you, but he stopped by at the diner. He was surprisingly remorseful; about what, I couldn't tell you. But he apologized for running off and leaving us, which came as a surprise. I asked him why he was doing this now, but he didn't say. I told him that I was going to take him to court over not paying me alimony for the past twelve years, and instead, he wrote me a check for a stupid amount of money and handed me the keys to a house. I didn't even get the chance to thank him. Ingrid, we're rich now!" Rachel explains, looking up at her outraged daughter.

"Oh, no, I'm not buying it. The check probably bounced, the house is probably just as dingy as this one...he's trying to trick us."

"The check didn't bounce; in fact, I deposited just about all of it and took out some for spending money. The house is amazing, and it's in a great neighborhood. I believe we'll be living across the street from you, Daniel, as a matter of fact."

"Wait, that nice two-story brick house that's been up for sale forever? That's the house we're moving into?"

"That's the one."

Ingrid's head spun as she tried to piece this all together. Why now? Why at all? Shane was a monster, how could he be so...generous? She didn't remember much from when her parents were still together, but she knew that he treated her mother horribly. Maybe he felt guilty for all the pain he had caused them. Probably not, he's incapable of feeling any emotions. This was a lot to take in for the blonde, who couldn't imagine her father doing anything for the benefit of others, especially for the family he had left behind. 

"I know it's a lot to process, but a lot's going to be changing in the next few days, especially after your brother gets married. Just hang in there while we get adjusted to the new house, and I promise you, we'll be fine. Can you imagine it? I'll be home more often, and you can tell me about school, and boys, and your friends." the woman interrupts her daughter's thoughts, both Rachel and Daniel staring at Ingrid, who was still trying to wrap her head around everything.

It was better for Ingrid to go along with her mother's crazy story than to fight it. She knew that Rachel was very passionate about starting over with a new life, and if what she was saying was true, then there was no time like the present to do so. 

"I was thinking, maybe you can invite some friends to dinner tonight? We can go to that hibachi place you've always wanted to go to, if you want." Rachel proposes, snapping Ingrid out of her thoughts yet again.

"Sounds great, Mom. Daniel, you're more than welcome to join us. I'll text Flynn and Lexie, maybe they can join us too." Ingrid replies, grabbing her phone off of the couch.

"Great! I'll go get changed, you should too. Call your brother, too, and see if Hunter and Grace want to meet us there."

"Why do I have to change?"

"Because I want to look nice, and I want you to look nice."

"Fine, but just know that I won't like it."

An hour and a half later, Ingrid and company are being seated at the restaurant. Because of her mother's insistence, she had traded her grey sweatpants and faded t-shirt for a cherry-colored halterneck dress, paired with a set of drop earrings in the shape of two triangles. The one thing that Ingrid wouldn't compromise on was heels; she donned matching sandals instead. 

Flynn and Lexie hadn't shown up yet, but Daniel, Grace, and Hunter had already arrived and were making pleasant small talk with Rachel. Ingrid tunes back into the conversation after being bored out of her mind listening to it earlier.

"Yeah, like I was saying, I'm scared that my dress won't fit when I try it on again. It's such a pretty dress, and I hate to not be able to fit in it." Grace sighs, presenting herself as the typical worried bride-to-be.

"That's why you got the backup dress a size up, Gracie. If you stress out even more, you're going to lose weight instead." Hunter reassures, squeezing his fiancee's hand.

"Grace, you'll look great in whatever dress you choose to wear. You're a beautiful girl who's going to make a beautiful bride." Rachel chimes in, smoothing down her skirt. Ingrid had never seen her mother dress so nice before; instead of her various work clothes, the woman wore a red button-down with a black skirt reaching just down to her knees. Ingrid felt so proud of Rachel, who had overcome domestic abuse, then having to raise two young children alone, often being let go from her various jobs because of it.

Relieved at the sight of Flynn and Lexie, Ingrid gets out of her seat to greet them. Lexie was a sight in a cerulean off-the-shoulder crop top and high-rise white jeans. She nearly towered over Flynn in her nude heels, but that didn't seem to bother him one bit. 

"Ingrid, you look stunning! Why don't you dress like this all the time?" Lexie greets her friend, wrapping her arms around Ingrid in an unexpected hug.

"I don't have a lot of girly clothes, and besides, I don't really have a fashion sense." Ingrid shrugs after being released from the hug, looking down at her outfit. Am I that pretty in a dress?

"Well, you both look beautiful as always." Flynn smiles, making Ingrid blush. He obviously was just saying that to be nice, don't get your hopes up.

"Aw, Flynn, you're such a gentleman!" Lexie squeals, kissing Flynn on the cheek. It made Ingrid feel bad, but if they were happy, then she was happy.

"Okay, you two lovebirds, let's get back before my mom eats all the food." Ingrid jokes, leading the couple to their seating area.

Ingrid couldn't even begin to imagine how awkward this dinner would be, but she knew the show was about to begin when Daniel's face pales at the sight of his former girlfriend. The way that everyone had seated themselves ensured that the teenagers would be sitting by each other. Unfortunately, it put Daniel and Lexie in the middle of Ingrid and Flynn, which wasn't a good sign for the rest of the night to Ingrid.

"I can switch seats with Lexie if that would be more comfortable for you." Flynn suggests to Daniel, who shakes his head no in response, presumably to save face. 

The four teenagers finally seat themselves around the grill, an awkward silence falling on the group. 

"I think I'm going to head to the restroom." Lexie announces, carefully making her way to the other side of the restaurant.

"Me too." Daniel adds, hastily rising from his seat.

Ingrid and Flynn shoot each other a look, but decide not to comment on the weird transaction between Daniel and Lexie.

"So, Ingrid, are you excited for the wedding? You'll finally have a sister-in-law!" Rachel exclaims, turning her attention towards her daughter with wide eyes.

"I mean, it's just a day like no other, isn't it?" Ingrid snorts, hating the idea of the wedding altogether.

"It's the most important day of my life, Ingrid. Try to be more human, will ya?" Hunter grumbles, to which his sister rolls her eyes.

"Woo, my brother's getting married!" Ingrid shouts, albeit sarcastically, following it up with a regular "Better?"

"Ingrid, play nice. You would want Hunter to do the same if it were you getting married." their mother interjects, acting as the peacemaker.

"As if I'll ever get married. No guy would ever put up with this hot mess." the blonde grumbles, feeling her eyes reluctantly gravitate towards Flynn.

"I'm sure you'll meet someone when you're older. I don't expect you to marry right out of high school." the older woman simply responds, attempting to diffuse her whiny daughter before she exploded into a red hot rage.

"Why do you assume I want to get married? Men are nothing but trouble."

"You know, Miss Harper, Ingrid does make a good point. Most of the guys I know have been known to cause a lot of trouble for the girls they run around with." Flynn jokes, cracking a grin.

"You mean the whole football team, right? Or was I mistaken when the rumor that Mackenzie Reynolds was pregnant turned out to be true?" Ingrid argues, turning her attention back to Flynn.

"Mackenzie and Ryan have patched things up, you know. They're both excited to see their son be born next month."

"How do you know this?"

"I'm basically the team's therapist. I know a lot about these guys, and some of the things they've confided in me would shock you."

"Whatever, Flynn. Can we just order and get it done with?"

"Hey, have you guys seen Daniel or Lexie? I haven't seen either of them since they both went to the restroom. Do you think they're okay? It's been a while since they left." Flynn asks out of the blue, gaining the attention of the adults that had accompanied them.

"They're probably fine, but the real question is, do you think they're 'doing it' in there?" Ingrid grins, her mother shooting her a stern look that diminishes her playful mood almost immediately.

"What? No, of course not. Maybe Lexie's just reapplying her lip gloss or something."

"Maybe someone should go check in on them." Grace recommends, her fiance and future mother-in-law both nodding with encouragement.

"I'll go to the ladies' room, but if I walk in on them 'doing it,' I'm outta here." Ingrid groans, scrambling to her feet.

"I don't think they're doing that. They're probably fighting or something. Their breakup was really messy, at least from Lexie's side." her future sister-in-law sighs. It didn't surprise Ingrid one bit that Daniel and Lexie had a flawed relationship; she had seen it in action at the carnival, and now it could possibly be displayed for the restaurant's viewing pleasure.

"It was messy on both sides. Daniel told me about it, and trust me, the things he told me were bad." Flynn pipes up, adding his own input into the conversation.

Rolling her eyes, Ingrid finds the restrooms after leaving their table. She takes a deep breath before heading into the women's restroom, only finding three empty stalls and a woman washing her hands. Well, if they're not here, then where could they be?

Ingrid pulls the door open, letting the woman from the restroom exit before she does. Maybe they're outside, battling it out. Unsurprisingly, the former couple were standing outside in front of the restaurant, arguing with each other. Ingrid storms over to Daniel and Lexie, forcing her way in between them.

"Can you guys, for once, just let it go and enjoy yourselves for once? Lexie, you're with Flynn now, and Daniel, you're single now. That means you can have your pick of any girl in Lakeside." 

Lexie's face pales at the mention of Flynn, making Ingrid suspicious of her friend. "What's really going on here? Did you hook up in the bathroom? Because if you did, that's selfish on both of your parts. You," Ingrid points at Lexie, "have a boyfriend, and you," Ingrid points at Daniel, "are best friends with her boyfriend. Either way, someone's going to have to tell Flynn, and it sure as hell ain't going to be me. Well? Is anyone going to answer me?"

"We didn't hook up in the bathroom, Ingrid. I'm trying to do right by Flynn, and besides, Daniel's not that good at it to make me want to crawl back to him." Lexie explains, avoiding eye contact with her friend.

"Then why do you look so guilty?"

"Because she's pregnant, Ingrid!" Daniel shouts, before following it up with a quieter "That's what we were fighting about. I don't want to be a dad, not now, and not ever."  

"Doesn't anyone around here know how to keep it in their pants?" Ingrid blurts out, quickly covering her mouth as a red tint dusts her cheeks.

"Can we just talk about this later? I don't think the entire restaurant wants to know about our personal matters." Lexie murmurs, finally making eye contact with her ex-boyfriend.

"I've lost my appetite. Ingrid, I'll see you later. Lexie..." Daniel trails off before shaking his head in disappointment and walking away altogether.

"How far along are you?" Ingrid asks, feeling bad for the girl. Pregnant at seventeen wasn't the ideal situation anyone would want to be in.

"I don't know. I took the test a couple of days ago. Nobody knows besides Daniel, and now you, I guess." Lexie replies, her voice shaky. Ingrid knew that any sane person would be scared to be pregnant in high school, especially Lexie.

"Are you going to keep it?"

"I'm not sure. A part of me wants to keep it, but I also don't want a kid at seventeen."

"Whatever you decide, just know that I'm here for you, and if you decide to tell Flynn, I know he's going to be there for you as well. Now, let's just forget about all of this and go eat, because if I don't get some food in the next few minutes, I'm going to lose it."

"You're not going to tell anyone, are you?"

"Not unless you want me to."

Lexie manages a small smile before they make their way back to the restaurant, Ingrid's mind going in different directions. If Lexie decides to keep this baby, what does that mean for her and Flynn? What does it mean for her and Daniel? Lakeside wasn't new to teen pregnancies in the slightest, but to find out that Lexie, of all people, was pregnant, just threw Ingrid for a loop. Lexie had always seemed so...responsible. Another day, another problem added to the pile for Ingrid.