As Amanda and I walk into our shared last period of the day, I notice a distinctly familiar pair of blue eyes staring at me. My eyes grow wide and I freeze, mid-step. He arches an eyebrow at me, the corners of his lips twitching up into a smirk. 

"It will be okay," Amanda says, and she pats me on the shoulder. 

I hesitantly walk over to our table and slide into my seat. Blue-Eye's eyebrows pucker with confusion. "You okay?" He asks as I pull out my notebook. "You look like you've just seen a ghost." 

"I will be okay," I mirror Amanda. 

He frowns.

Bimbo enters the class then, and takes her seat across from him. She keeps her gaze lowered and focused on a novel opened in front of her, like usual. Amanda pops her earphones in and hums lightly along with a My Chemical Romance song as she does the assignment written on the board.

I doodle absently in my notebook and do my best to ignore my boyfriend. My stomach twists and churns uneasily. The class passes slower than a snail. 

When the final bell rings, I almost fall out of my seat. Blue-Eyes watches me, his eyes narrowed, and I shove my things into my backpack. I glance at Amanda, uncertain. She flashes me a reassuring smile in response. 

"I need to talk to you," I murmur to my boyfriend, and ignore the frown he shoots me in response. I shrug my shoulders into the straps of my backpack and start toward the door. 

When I glance behind me, Blue-Eyes is right on my tail. My heart aches. 

"What's going on?" He asks. 

"Just," I start, and then pause. I'm not quite sure how to put it. "I need to talk to you. Come on. I want to go somewhere more remote." 

He purses his lips. I drag him toward the back of campus, toward the football field. It's not a practice day, so we have the entire field to ourselves. I walk over to the bleachers and gingerly sit on the edge. I clench my hands into tight fists in my lap. 

Blue-Eyes stops in front of me, his arms folded across his chest. His vibrant eyes are narrowed. "What's going on, Alice?" 

I swallow hard. "I haven't been feeling well these last few days." 

He drops down in front of me, his hands grasping my shoulders. His eyes are wide. "What's wrong? Are you alright? Do you need to go to the doctors?" 

"I..." my voice cracks. "Kind of..."

"Then what did you lead me all the way out here for?" He jumps to his feet and tugs at my wrist. "Come on, I'll take you." 

I shake my head. "Seth, I kind of know what it is. I think." 

"You think?" He repeats dubiously. 

I grimace. "Sit down." 

He reluctantly claims the seat beside me. I twist toward him and fold my arms across my chest, suddenly ice cold, despite the brilliant sunlight. I swallow thickly and close my eyes. I need to just spit it out. I need to just get it out of my system. I let out a shaky breath. 

"I think I'm pregnant." 

"You what?" Blue-Eyes angles his ear toward me, as if he hadn't heard right. 

"I think I'm pregnant," I repeat, louder, and lift my gaze to meet his. Determination floods through me. I steel my shoulders and brace for his response. 

Blue-Eyes stares at me hollowly. And then asks, again, "You what?"

I glare at him. "I'm not going to repeat myself, again." 

His Adam's apple bobbles up and down as he swallows thickly. His gaze flickers toward the field around us. "How do you know?" 

"I get really nauseated in the mornings, but it always goes away by the afternoon. Amanda wanted me to take a test, and she got me two. Both were positive." I suck in a sharp breath, watching his stoic expression carefully. My strong, determined voice has been reduced to whispers. "She wants to take me to a clinic, just to be certain. I'm not sure if she planned to go today or tomorrow." 

His gaze flickers back to meet mine. "And you're sure it's mine?"

I scowl at him. "No, it's the presidents." 

He ignores my sarcasm and shakes his head. He whispers, "I know, I know. But...I just want to be sure." 

"Seth, you are my boyfriend. You are the first, and only guy who has ever gotten inside my panties," I sigh. "I'm definitely sure that it's yours." 

He blanches. "You have to get an abortion." 

Shock jolts through my body. I stiffen, my back ramrod straight. My voice sounds distant. "What?"

His smoldering blue eyes pierce through mine. "Alice, if the doctor tells you that you're pregnant, you have to get an abortion." 

"I do not," I protest immediately. Anger boils in my blood. Who was he to tell me what I had to do? I had never agreed with abortion, unless the child was a product of rape. I stand and glare down at him. "I am would never do that." 

"So you mean you actually want to have a baby?" He stands up as well, and towers over me. His eyes are narrowed into a glare. "Was that your goal all along?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" 

Blue-Eyes's hands fly to his head. His fingers curl tight around his dark locks. "Alice, you can't be pregnant. I can't be a father. I never wanted kids. This is absolutely ridiculous." 

"What did you mean when you asked if that was my goal?" I growl at him. 

He peers down at me. "Don't tell me the hormones are starting to kick in already."

I make a strangled noise. My hands twitch at my sides and I want to shake him back and forth. I clench them into tight fists and glare at the ground. 

I hear him let out a shaky sigh. "Listen, Alice..."

My stomach drops through my feet. His tone...I'd heard it all before. I knew what was about to happen next. 

"I can't do this." I glare up at him through my eyelashes, and he shakes his head. He stares at the clouds as he speaks. "I can't be a father. I'm sorry. Either you get an abortion, or I'm gone." 

I feel sick again, only this time, I know it's not the morning sickness. 

I angle my head back, and stare at him. My heart feels like it's shattering into a million pieces. I fashion a stoic expression onto my face. I refuse to let him see me cry. 

"I'm sorry, Seth." My voice comes out as softer than a whisper. "But abortion is not an option for me." 

His expression morphs with a mixture of pity and regret. "I'm sorry then." 

He shoves his hands into his pockets. I force back a waterfall of tears and watch as he walks across the field, back toward school. My heart aches so fierce, I'm not sure I'll survive. I exhale slowly as his retreating form vanishes within the walls of the school. 

I pull out my cell phone and call Amanda. She answers on the second ring. "How did it go?" Her voice is laced with anticipation, worry, and excitement. 

"He dumped me." I sound hollow. 

"Come to the student parking lot, I'll be right there." 

I sigh and pick up my backpack. My hand lifts and brushes at the tears that have snuck past my defenses. Amanda is waiting for me when I finally get to the parking lot. Her ugly van rumbles in wait. I climb inside and shut the door. She watches me worriedly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I stifle a sob. "No." 

I close my eyes and rest my head against the headrest. The drive is short and sweet. As she turns into my drive, I'm extremely grateful that she doesn't turn off the van and try to come inside with me. Amanda does lean back in her seat, however, and turn to me. "Alice, I know you like your space, but expect a call from me tonight. We're going to talk about this." She grabs my shoulder as I undo the seat belt and pulls me into a hug. 

I have to blink back tears. 

"We're going to get through this, okay? You're my best friend. You're not alone in this." She squeezes me tight and then smiles at me. "We have to plot our revenge too." 

I crack a weak smile. 

"I'll try to take you to the doctors tomorrow." She returns my grimace-smile with a reassuring smile of her own. "If not, it'll be this weekend. It will be okay, alright?" 

I nod and open the door. "Thanks, Amanda." 

"Go eat a shit-load of ice cream," she instructs just before I slam the door shut. I nod at her through the window and start up toward my house. My mother happens by the door as I enter the house, and she beams at me. 

"How was school?" 

I grimace. "I don't want to talk about it right now, okay?" 

Her eyes narrow. 

I hold a hand up to stop her and say the magic words. "Boyfriend problems. I want to work it out myself though, okay?"

Her features soften. My mother bites her lower lip and nods, worry swimming through her eyes. "You know that you can always talk to me about it, right?" 

"I know," I say. 

But this time, I know that I really can't. She watches me climb the stairs. I slam the door shut and turn on the television, so loud that I can't hear myself think. I crawl into bed and pull the covers up around my head. Then I wait for the tears to come. 

It doesn't take long.