About 10 minutes later, I heard my passenger side door open. I looked over and saw the familiar spiked auburn hair of the boy I called to save me. Aiden climbed in my car as his wide eyes took in my half-dressed body.

I looked over at Aiden silently begging for help. My wild hair was in front of my face and tears were running down my cheeks.

"What did he do to you?" He asked, moving my hair out of my face gently. I leaned my face into his hand and closed my eyes.

"Can you do something for me?" I asked him. "You can say no, I would understand. I'm not really dressed to go into a store."

"What do you need?"

I steadied my breath and began to explain.

Aiden ran out of the pharmacy entrance about 15 minutes later with a little brown bag. He looked around the parking lot like he had just stolen money from the cash register. If I wasn't so nervous about what was in the bag, I might have teased him a little bit about it.

He opened the passenger door and climbed in out of breath.

"I didn't know there were so many kinds." Aiden's face was pale and his eyes were wide. He couldn't get past the shock of what he just did. "I grabbed three different boxes, a pink one, a blue one, and one that had a smiley face. The woman at the counter looked at me like I was insane."

"Thank you, Aiden. It means a lot to me that you came." I told him as I spaced in and out staring at the bag.

I had no tears left in me to cry. Ezra had taken them all from me. I might have hugged Aiden just to try to feel something again if we weren't talking about how many pregnancy tests he just bought me. It seemed uncomfortable and inappropriate to touch him right now—it definitely wouldn't have made my current situation any better.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked me.

"I'm not sure." I looked down at my outfit. I couldn't go home looking like this. It would draw too much attention if I walked into the house with almost nothing on. My Mom would lose her mind even if I was with Aiden.

"Riley, I think we have to go back to the house. I can't think of any other options right now. I can follow you over. I will go in and grab your stuff and we can go wherever you want after that." Aiden offered up his only suggestion.

"What about Ezra?" I asked. I didn't want to start anything else between the two of them.

"I'm not worried about him. I won't let him near you." Aiden said. "Follow me over and stay up the street. When I come out, you can hop in the passenger seat and I will drive you wherever you decide."

I nodded and he placed his hand on my cheek. Aiden rubbed his thumb across the tear stains and frowned.

Aiden let go of me and hopped out of my car and into his. I followed him up the street towards the band house. When we got close to the house, I trailed back, keeping my distance. Aiden went up to the door and waved me forward a few minutes later.

"He's not here. You can come in." Aiden announced through my window.

I pulled into a spot on the street and parked. I grabbed the little brown bag. The contents inside were taunting me. My stomach was fluttering and I felt flushed. I think I might vomit again.

Aiden held the door open for me and I stepped in the doorway. I was still on my guard, expecting Ezra to pop out of a corner and start screaming at me again. Aiden put his hand on my back and helped me in the door.

"He's not here, I promise. Do you want to..." He said, looking down at the bag in my hand.

"No, I don't." I admitted.

"You can wait." He suggested.

"No, I can't."

"Do you want me to come up? I could help..." Aiden stuttered.

"Aiden. Please." I held my hand up to stop him.

I turned and walked up the stairs with the little brown bag. I entered the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the tub, grabbing the first box out. Of course, it was the one with a smiley face. My hands were shaking when I pulled the little stick out and read the instructions. I had never done this before, so I read the directions over and over again to make sure I got it right.

About half an hour and three tests later, I finally emerged from the bathroom and walked back downstairs, holding onto the banister for support.

Breathe, step, breathe, step, breathe, step.

Breathe, I just needed to breathe.

Aiden was sitting on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He was nervously tapping his feet and twiddling his thumbs. His face was pulled into a frown and his brow was furrowed. Small beads of sweat were on his forehead and glistening on his auburn spikes. He looked like I just told him I would be changing his life by taking this test.

Aiden was sitting where Ezra should have been.

It should be Ezra who was here with me right now, not my friend who had nothing to do with this.

Aiden looked up at me when he heard my light steps near the bottom of the stairwell. He smoothed out the frown on his face when he saw me. His frown was replaced with sympathy when I brought my hands to my face and started sobbing.

He crossed the room in seconds and wrapped me in a hug before my knees gave out. He slowly walked me to the couch and pulled me on his lap. I cradled myself into him as I was gasping for air.

"Shhh, Riley. Everything will be alright." He rubbed my hair, trying to soothe me as I cried into his chest.

I couldn't say the words out loud. It was hard enough trying to think them.

I was pregnant.

I was still on Aiden's lap when the front door opened, sounding like it was being torn off the hinges.

"Where is she?" Ezra yelled as he stormed through the door.

He rounded the corner to the living room and stopped in his tracks. His face twisted in anger when he saw Aiden's arms wrapped around me, holding me on his lap.

"What the fuck?" His voice dropped when he saw us.

Aiden shifted me off him and stood up to step between Ezra and me.

"Back off, dude. Give her some space right now." Aiden stood up to him.

"You would like that, wouldn't you? You've always wanted her." Ezra seethed.

"This isn't the time for your jealous bullshit. Stop hurting her and maybe she wouldn't have to call me to clean up your mess." Aiden stepped up into Ezra's face. I stood up and put my hands on Aiden's chest to try to get between them. Out of the two of them, I knew Aiden was the one who would back down easier.

Aiden began backing up, slowly letting me push him back. I didn't want these two to come to blows over me for no reason.

Ezra and I had bigger problems to deal with than some little pissing match between Aiden and him.

"There's my fucking answer." Ezra spat coldly as he watched my hands on Aiden.

Without any warning, Ezra reached out and grabbed me by the hair. He was able to get a fist full and pulled me over in front of him. Aiden lunged at him and Ezra used his other arm to shove him back over the coffee table.

Ezra spun me around and pulled my head up to look at him. His eyes were rimmed with red and bloodshot. He didn't look like him and it was terrifying. He let go of my hair and began clawing at the bottom of the shirt I was wearing like he was determined to rip it off of me.

"You are not going to wear my fucking shirt when you fuck him." Ezra lifted the hem of the shirt up. I pulled back down at the fabric, trying to keep myself covered.

"Ezra, let go." I was fighting against him to keep him from tearing it off me in front of Aiden.

"Take off my fucking shirt!" He screamed in my face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled back at him when he finally pulled so hard a piece of the fabric tore off in his hands.

"You tell me, Riley, I come back and find you rubbing your ass all over Aiden." His hands were flying.

"We weren't doing anything!" I cried.

"Come on, Riley, take off your clothes like the good little slut you are. At least give him something to dream about while he fucks his girlfriend, pretending she's you." He spat at me.

I smacked Ezra across the face hard and he rubbed his cheek. He stepped up to me, towering over me with his fist clenched like he wanted to hit me back. My heart was pounding in my chest, waiting for him to do it. He walked me back until the back of my thighs hit the couch and I tumbled backwards with a bounce.

"That's enough." Aiden was finally back on his feet and ready to swing at Ezra.

Ezra laughed at him.

"Poor little Aiden. It must be so hard knowing you've spent all these years chasing her and she won't give you the time of day when it only took me a few seconds to get her to put her lips around my cock." Ezra was caught off guard when Aiden stepped up and punched him in the face.

Ezra turned back to him and pushed him up against the wall. He pulled his fist back and slammed it into Aiden's jaw. Blood spurted from Aiden's lip. He moved to swing again and I was up from my seat, pulling Ezra's arm back. Ezra shook me off. I was not strong enough to stop him. He slammed down hard against Aiden's face again. Aiden moaned and Ezra pulled back to strike him again.

"Stop, Ezra!" I was begging him to leave Aiden alone. I pulled at his large frame from behind. I punched and kicked him, barely moving him at all.

Ezra turned on me when he had enough and pushed me back hard against the wall, leaving Aiden on the floor bleeding. My arms were pinned and I couldn't move. I had seen angry Ezra before and knew he had a temper, but I never knew how dangerous that temper could be. I was afraid of him and shook as he stared darkly down at me.

"Please. You're scaring me." I begged softly.

His eyes changed for a brief second and he let go of me.

Ezra ran up the stairs without another word and I heard the door slam, followed by a loud crash of something hitting the wall.

Aiden stirred on the floor and I rushed over to his side to check on him.

"Aiden, are you ok? I'll call 911." I started to look around for my phone. Aiden put his hand on my arm.

"Don't." He stopped me. His lip was swelling larger every second his mouth moved. "Don't call, I'll be fine."

Ezra came back downstairs from the bathroom with the contents of my brown bag. His face was pale as he held one of the little sticks in his hand.

"Ry, I..." He said, staring over to the spot where I was leaning over Aiden. "Shit, what did I do?"

He ran over to Aiden and tried to help him to his feet. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed ice to place on his swollen, cracked lip. Aiden took the ice and placed it on his face.

Ezra's hand pressed against the small of my back and I sunk into his touch, searching for the strange comfort his touch gave me.

Aiden looked at Ezra and he looked at me in disbelief. His eyes hardened while he watched Ezra touch me.

"You two need to figure your shit out. I'm done being in the middle. You both need to grow the fuck up." He stood up from the couch and started to lose his balance. I went to place an arm on him and he shoved me away. He stormed up the stairs, leaving me alone in the living room with Ezra.

"You're really pregnant?" Ezra questioned as he dropped down onto the couch. All the hardness he stormed in with was gone.

I nodded and sat down next to him, hoping he would reach out for me again.

But he didn't even try.

We were sitting right next to each other on the couch, but it felt like we were a million miles apart.

"You're sure it's mine?" Ezra ran his hands over his face, asking the worst question you could ask someone in the situation we were in.

"Did you really just ask me that?" His comment hurt me, but it was so clear at that moment that we don't know each other well enough if he had to say it. Ezra always accused me of sleeping around, but if he really knew who I was, then he wouldn't have ever said such a hurtful thing to me.

"We always used protection." He paused and then recalled the first time we were together. "Well, except that one time. You took that pill after."

I could see him thinking back through the times we were together, looking for anything that made sense.

"I know. I thought we were safe after that too. I threw up not long after I took the morning after pill. Maybe it didn't work right? I've been trying to figure it out too." I said honestly.

"What do you want to do?" He asked.

"I don't know. This is all too new. I'm sorry I can't give you an answer right now."

"Do I get to have a say in this at all?" He asked me, a little of the heat coming back to his voice.

"I'm not sure," I had to be completely honest with him. This is not a situation I had ever imagined myself in. I wanted to have a family one day, but I thought that day would be years and years from now. —not today.

"I have never wanted to be a Dad." Ezra said and put his face in his hands.

"I think it is a little late for that." I snapped.

"It's not too late to fix this. I will call around and find a place to take care of this." He pulled out his phone and began to unlock it.

"Wait. What?" I asked as my stomach dropped.

"We have to do it before it's too late and we can't." Ezra scrolled through his phone, searching for something.

"I'm not getting an abortion." I felt like I was just hit by a bus. Ezra couldn't seriously think I would even consider that as an option.

"Riley, if it's about the money, don't worry. I'll take care of it." He looked up at me like this was just any other normal conversation.

"It's not about money Ezra." I gritted my teeth. "I can't believe you. It's about what I think is right."

"You're going to tell me you are seriously considering keeping this baby?" Ezra was dumbfounded. "Don't be stupid. Let's find a place and get this taken care of so we can put it behind us and move on."

I silently got up and grabbed my things.

"Where are you going?" He asked as I walked to the door.

"Away from you." I said and slammed the door behind me as I walked out.

I climbed in my car and turned it on and peeled out from in front of the house. Ezra was out the door chasing after me as I drove away. I couldn't talk to him about this right now when his first reaction was I need to take care of "it". It was a little tiny life growing inside of me. I didn't understand how this was so easy for him.

I pulled on a side street and grabbed my things. I slipped on my shorts and changed out of Ezra's ripped shirt. I know I looked terrible, but I couldn't go home without pants wearing a torn t-shirt my parents had never seen before.

It smelled like Ezra and it smelled like sex.

I smelled like sex, vomit, and shame.

There was no way my parents were going to take one look at me and know that every bad thought they ever had about me was true.

I was letting my family down again.