Chapter Nineteen:

Purposely avoiding Gavin was a lot harder than I had thought.

I always saw him in the hallways forcing me to run and hide before he saw me. I was lucky so far, but eventually he'd confront me. I know he would.

There had been rumors circulating about Gavin and Meg being a thing. It hurt more than I thought it would. However, I personally never saw the two of them together. Other than that one time in the hallway and Meg looked rather pissed off then.

I brushed off the pain but the voice in my head tended to remind me every waking moment. I tried to focus on other things, like school for once. The voice would just get louder in those instances.

He pitied you. That's why he stayed around for so long.

They're happy together. Athlete and cheerleader.

They'll be together for a long time, you'll see.

When the voice wouldn't stop, I'd be forced to cut. Then and only then would a new, harsher pain subside to take over the old. But the true pain always came back. That never failed.

I made a promise to myself, however. If they were still dating by summer, I'd be forced to do what I had tried to overcome for so long. Something I hadn't told anyone about, except Gavin of course.

Suicide.

~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Gavin, can we talk?" Meg asked. It had been a couple weeks since I cleared things up. My heart ached to see Michael again, but he seemed to have vanished from thin air.

"Uh, yeah. Sure," I responded, letting her lead me down a hallway. When we arrived to our spot, I immediately noticed how she seemed to cradle herself.

"What's up," I asked, genuine concern in my voice. Even though I didn't reciprocate the feelings she felt for me, I still had that empathic trait in me.

"I... I found something out. Something you're going to hate," Meg said, her voice quivering.

For some reason, my mind darted to Michael. I imagined him getting jumped or worse, getting killed. But why would Meg know that? She believed Michael was a nobody.

"What is it?" Fear began coursing through me.

"I'm... I'm pregnant, Gavin," Meg told me.

My throat went sandy dry as the words left her mouth. Pregnant? She was only fifteen.

"That's horrible! Who did it? I'll give them a beating they won't forget," I told her, tightening my hands into fists.

"You did, Gavin. You're the only person I've had sex with," Meg said.

Me? I was going to be a father? No... no I wasn't. There was a mistake. I was only fifteen. I couldn't father a baby. Not now.

"Are... are you sure?" I asked, hardly thinking before the words left my body.

"Yes, I'm sure! What the hell? Do you think I'd make this all up?," Meg said, tears springing in her eyes. Her back hit the wall and she slid down it, pulling her knees into her chest. I crouched down next to her, pulling her into a comforting hug.

"Meg. It's going to be okay. You... no... we'll go to the abortion place and we'll figure it out. It's going to be okay. I promise," I soothed her.

"I can't do that," Meg whispered.

"Why not?" I asked, even more panic rising inside me.

"My parents wouldn't allow it," Meg choked.

"Why do they have to be involved? Abortion is confidential. We learned it in health, remember?" I told her. Meg just shook her head.

"They know, Gavin. I had to tell them. I didn't know what else to do when I first found out," Meg choked again, beginning to sob.

"Shh, it'll be fine. You'll be a great mum," I soothed her once more, not knowing what else to say.

"And what about you? Are you going to help me?" Meg asked, looking at me with the most pleading of eyes.

"I... I'm not sure. I mean, of course I'll be there but I just... this is a lot to take in," I stuttered. Meg didn't seem to like that answer.

"How do you think I feel? I have this thing growing inside me and I can't do anything about it," Meg sobbed, burying her face into her knees.

"Meg... things will work out. They always do. You... no we... no... I've gotta go," I told her. The panic was at its peak and all I could think of doing was running. I heard Meg cry for me to come back but I ignored it like the asshat I am.

I ran out of school, completely abandoning the rest of my classes and things. I had my phone. That's all I needed.

Not knowing where I was going, my feet seemed to lead me to a park. The very same park Michael saved me from getting robbed at. Right now, all I wanted was Michael to hold me and tell me things would be okay. I needed to hear that too.

I sat on the swings, kicking the wood chips around. It seemed to be the only thing I could control at this point.

I heard the creak of a swing and I looked over, seeing a boy with a black hoodie on sitting adjacent to me. I looked closer, realizing it was none other than Michael Jones.

"You always know when I'm in trouble, don't you?" I asked him. Michael slowly looked over, locking eyes with me.

"Actually, I came here on my own. I needed to clear my head," he responded, disrupting the staring. "Why are you in trouble?"

"I... I did something really stupid. Like really, really stupid. And the worst part is I don't even remember doing it," I told him, watching him slowly turn back to me.

"And what was that?" He asked.

"I got Meg pregnant," I blurted out.

Michael's eyes widened for a moment before getting stuck on the river before us. Unfortunately, I couldn't see his eyes to tell what he was thinking. I didn't mind though. Michael always had a mysterious nature about him. If anyone knew what to do, he would.

"You're on your own with this one," He said, getting up and beginning to walk away.

What?

"Wait! Where's your advice? Where's the comfort? Where's the 'I'll beat the shit out of them'?" I asked, getting up and following him.

"Yeah? And where was the loyalty? The companionship? Jesus, you had me thinking you actually cared about me!" He argued back. I watched as his eyes turned into a brown flame, ready to burn my heart away.

"I do care for you. So much, Michael. I... god I bloody love you. I need you more than anything and you're just going to turn your back on me?" I said, my voice beginning to quiver as tears started to back up.

"I needed you too, but you decided that slut was more worth your time than I was. What a fool I was to actually think you cared," Michael growled.

"Michael, please. I need you... I love you, Michael," I whispered, almost pathetically.

"Save it for the baby, asshole," Michael growled. He turned his back to me and began walking away once more. I wasn't going to let him get away. Not that easily.

Grabbing his arm, I attempted to pull him back. I wanted to pull him into my arms and remind him of everything we could be.

But he had other plans.

The moment I tugged on his arm, he pulled forward, dragging me with him. He wrapped his hands around my neck and slammed me against the nearest tree. The bark scrapped my back.

"We are finished, Gavin. Whatever we had is over. Don't try to talk to me again, or this will be far worse next time," Michael growled.

He let go, making me fall to my knees. The tears I had held back finally came flowing down as I watched Michael walk away from me.

I had just lost the love of my life and perhaps my best friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's climax time, and not the kind we get during sex.

Sorry, bad joke.

However, this story is quickly coming to an end. It actually makes me so sad to end it but I have something great in mind, just you wait.

Let me know what you think. I apologize for the typos and the shortness of the chapter. I tried to make up for it with the drama.