Hey, everyone! So, Wynn and Cole...star-crossed? Confused? Stubborn? All of the above? These two have some issues to sort... yikes! Above, Where's My Love by SYML. Below, Cole and Wynn, along with Wyatt and Colby:)

Wynn

"C-Squared! C-Squared!" Lana and Morgan shout from the sidelines, causing an ear-piercing, gut-wrenching cheer to burst forth from the student body.

I roll my eyes, watching as the two half-wit morons I'm hesitant to call my friends jump and clap, squealing with enthusiasm as they observe the formation of a new power couple—Cole and Colby.

The chant continues in unison, and I'm left tamping down a roiling anger, the origins of which are all my fault though I'm loathe to admit it. The impatience of the crowd is contagious, all of them awaiting Colby's answer with  bated breath.

But I already know she'll agree, whether her heart wants to or not. She's like a perfect little country Barbie, who'd say yes to Jimmy Elcott just to spare his feelings if she had to, and he licks his fingers during class. My fear in her agreeing to go with Cole is that it won't be out of pity at all. There's an enormous risk looming in this mess I've created.

These two could actually fall for each other.

"Umm...okay," Colby says coyly, and I call a heartfelt BS at her reticence.

The littered bleachers erupt with whoops and hollers of approval, and I'm annoyed on so many levels that I can no longer think straight. Cole doesn't even like celebrating his birthday, and here he is making a complete spectacle of the occasion, all for the sake of Colby.

I scoff in amusement at my pathetic musings, as if any of that matters. The point is, he did it for her, and I'm jealous. Insanely jealous.

He reaches for Colby, whisking her into his muscular arms, and I'm finished. Is it unfair and illogical for me to hate Colby? Absolutely.

But do I hate her with every ounce of fire raging within me?

Yep.

...

The scene from the end of the football game has been throbbing through my tired skull since I left the stadium, and I'm seriously regretting my decision to keep up appearances by coming to this stupid lakeside celebration.

Honestly, if I'd taken everything back when Cole and I had that moment alone earlier today, told him I still love him and that together we've created this tiny life inside of me, I know he would have had me back without hesitation.

Instead, I blew it. Hard.

Bass from the country ballads of our high school memories thumps into my car, disrupting the little bit of solace I've found for myself in this day that's been my own personal hell.

I'm a wreck.

My hormones have turned me into a volatile mess. One second I'm crying, and the next I'm furious for no good reason, snapping over the most nonsensical things. There are moments when the thought or smell of food has me racing for the nearest bathroom, only to be followed by the consumption of more food than Lana and Morgan eat in a whole week in a matter of minutes.

And then there's the fact that I've steadily alienated those nearest to me, leaving me bereft of any real friends—a truth I was stubbornly unwilling to acknowledge until Cole put it front and center this morning.

I have friends, sure. There are plenty of people at school that I'd happily party with, hang with. But they aren't people that I'd ever spill my guts with.

Sooo why in the world am I here again? Keeping up appearances is for the old me, not the newly disastrous person I've become.

I'm about to tear out of the parking lot when an all too familiar rusted pickup churns the gravel of the parking space before mine. I scrunch my frame further down into my seat before the lights hit me, crossing my fingers that I haven't yet been spotted.

The truck door slams shut, and heavy steps crunch through the pebbles beside my vehicle. I sink lower, closing my eyes as if that will prevent me from being identified. Still, maybe I'll go unnoticed. Maybe he'll move on.

What can I say? I'm desperate... and a little crazy.

A light tap on my window proves me wrong. I glance upward sheepishly, and we're face to face.

Wyatt.

"You know I can see you, right?" he asks.

Obviously, but that doesn't prevent me from willing him not to. He opens my door too quickly for me to catch it, but I grip the side handle just in time to yank it shut once more. Sometimes reducing myself to childish antics pays off, I guess.

"Suit yourself," he groans irritably, walking away, and while I'm relieved to have avoided that, I still have to deal with the fallout of tonight's events. Pulling down my mirror, I see that my makeup has been streaked with tears from my drive here.

Opening my center console, I retrieve a napkin from my Whataburger run on the drive over and do my best to blot away any evidence of my emotional breakdown. I begin camouflaging the damage when I'm startled by the opening of my passenger side door. Wyatt slides into the seat beside me before I have time to protest.

Bastard.

"Leave me alone," I bite, dabbing my makeup into something more presentable. "I need to beautify in peace. My makeup got messed up at the game."

"Yeah, I'm sure this is all about your messed up makeup," he says, waving his long finger in front of my face. "What's going on Wynn? Did somebody hurt you?"

As much as I wanted to avoid Wyatt coming to my rescue, here he is. He can't change my predicament, but having a friend here does make me feel a little bit stronger.

It turns out my work to repair my face was in vain as the waterworks persist, gliding down my cheeks before dripping onto my lap. My body heaves with the sobs I've attempted to hold in, but it's no longer manageable. I've never been able to hide from the truth, but this is the first time it's really begun to sink in.

I'm going to be a mom.

Wyatt glances into my opened console and quickly hands me more logoed napkins from my shame-worthy binge. Two number five combos and a cinnamon roll later, here I am... no less pregnant, and about to spill my guts to my baby daddy's arch nemesis.

"Nobody hurt me," I sniff, my voice nasally and weak. "Really, I just hurt myself."

Immediately Wyatt's eyes scan my distraught figure, and I realize how my words must have sounded to him. "What'd you do," he pushes, concern for me blazing beneath his scrutiny as he searches my flesh for scars.

"I didn't hurt myself, idiot," I say, snorting at his conclusion. "I'm just stupid, that's all. Stupid and about to be forty pounds heavier."

He gawks at me, his brow line creased at the center. The curve of his cheek twitches as he continues to watch me, confusion plain in his expression.

Unable to say the words outright, I stretch back for my purse sitting in the rear seat of my car, pulling it into my lap. Tucked inside of the torn lining I find the three sticks that display my future like a magic eight ball. Maybe if I shake them again, my fate will change.

All signs point to no.

I fan the three pregnancy tests out in my hand for him to see, the word 'pregnant' glaring up at us like the neon lights of Vegas.

"Are you sure?" he asks, gulping as his eyes dart between the tests and me.

His hesitancy to believe it makes me want to dive headfirst back into my cavern of denial, but the truth is, I'll have a baby in my arms before I ever leave for college.

"Aren't there false positives?" he suggests.

"I'm pregnant. Late and all." I chuckle humorlessly."I'd ask how this could happen to me, but I already know. I was playing with fire, and I knew it, but I did it anyway."

Neither of us speaks, taking in the gravity of the turn my life has taken. It's a relief to share my secret, but I can't shake the burden of guilt I bear in not sharing what I know with Cole. It's almost as though my thoughts trigger Wyatt as he shifts in his seat, angling himself towards me.

"Who—"

"You don't want to know," I say, shutting him down. "It'll make you mad."

Understanding shades his features. He and Cole have never liked one another, for no apparent reason other than their competitive spirits.

"Cole."

"Yes," I admit my voice nearly a whisper.

Not once have I acknowledged any sort of feelings or anything romantic between Cole and me, all for his safety, and now here I am, word vomiting that he's fathered our unborn child. If anybody else had barged into my car to console me, I wouldn't have told them, but Wyatt is safe. This revelation is without question repulsive to him, but Wyatt would safeguard my secret with his life if he had to.

"Damn," he utters through the blaring silence, his thoughts a perfect reflection of my own.

Damn, indeed.

...

I finally feel like I can breathe, having told someone all that I've been hiding. Wyatt took my info dump and the rollercoaster of emotions like a champ. Surprisingly, this night isn't as horrible as I'd projected it would be.

I even got the guy to dance, which is quite a feat if you know Wyatt.

For the past few songs, I've had a glimpse of what normalcy used to be—light, and free of burdens and cares. But I know that privilege has come to an end for me, even though nobody would know that it's so just by looking at me. I can only hope that my new normal will balance out in time.

"Well, hey there, Wynn!" Colby chirps. She sounds cheerful, but I know that tone. We've been friends long enough for me to smell her crap, and I'm afraid I'm about to be dealt a steamy pile of it.

"I've been looking for you all night. You two look cozy," she adds, indicating my proximity to Wyatt with a French- tipped finger.

Really?

"Hey, B," I reply indifferently, unwilling to feed into her inane jealousy. She knows better than to believe that anything could be going on between Wyatt and me. She has to. Since we were kids I've been the sister he never had, and Colby his greatest conquest.

"You sure have been hard to reach lately," Colby continues, with bitterness bubbling through each syllable.

"I know," I sing-song nonchalantly. "There's been a lot going on with my family, and I've just been super busy." I tack a smile onto the end of my excuse, and she looks seconds away from boiling over.

The worst type of argument is the one between best friends. We know each other's tells and weaknesses, which means we both have the power to cause destruction beyond repair. We haven't peaked yet, but our approach seems imminent.

"I bet," she pushes dryly. "It's crazy how family business can have you leaving school early, and sometimes not showing up at all. Heck, you're not returning texts, not calling me—"

"Why don't you chill out, B," I snap. "It's none of your business, so how about you just back off."

The most frustrating part about this ambush is that she has every right to be mad at me, but I don't have the energy to deal with it right now. I've been upset with her and avoiding her over something that I orchestrated.

"My bad," she says throwing her hands up in defeat, the storm behind her eyes revealing the hurt I've dealt unwittingly. "I guess I thought my best friend might need someone to talk to. It looks like you've found someone else to confide in." Her tone is razor sharp as she turns her back to me, striding away.

"Let's take a walk," Wyatt says, catching her shoulder before she's too far gone.

Tears fill my eyes as I watch them wander away toward the tree line. She deserves someone who'll chase her, and I'm happy for whatever time this will give them together. Her heart has always been with Wyatt, and selfishly that's where I hope it remains.

The brief escape I'd stolen from reality vanished the moment Colby confronted me, and the truth hits without warning as they disappear into the woods.

Cole was right.

I'd denied that I was pushing the people I love away, but I'm very rapidly losing my grip on what little I have left.

I search the party, looking beyond the fire pit and my dancing classmates, where my gaze finally lands upon Cole. He sits at the edge of the old, wooden dock, dangling his legs in the lake.

After all of that chaos, we're both alone.

Again.