Her Boyfriend is my Fiance'!?

Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

I ran down the street. I ran so fast, that everything I passed just looked like blurs. My heart felt like it would burst, but that was the least of my worries. With the way I was moving, there wouldn't be a single person foolish enough to get in my way. I hated running. Which is why I am not surprised that I only spent a week on the track team at school. When I turned the last corner, I ran smack dab into what felt like a brick wall.

"Whoa, where's the fire" I heard. I looked up and saw Ben. "You would think that there's a sale or something" he said laughing. I ignored his stereotypical comment but only because I was out of breath.

"Kathrine... Pregnant... No" I managed to say.

"Yeah I know. Crazy right" he said. "Have you talked to Leo about it yet" he asked. I was still breathing heavily. "Jenn told me you were sleeping at your parents' house" he continued.

"No... You... Moron" I breathed. "She's faking her pregnancy" I told him when I finally started to catch my breath. "She's not pregnant. This is just another one of her popularity stunts and an attempt to keep Leo on her hook" I showed him the photos on my phone. "Now I have to tell Leo before he throws his life away" I explained.

Ben's POV

I was on my way to the grocery store.

"A loaf of bread, a quart of milk, a stick of butter" I kept repeating in my head so I wouldn't forget. As I tried really hard to remember the stuff my mom needed, I couldn't help but think of the news that I recently heard. Kathrine? Pregnant? What could that mean for Leo and Nickie? I felt a little guilty. I knew this would crush her, but there was a part of me that was glad. I was a little happy that this could break this whole arranged marriage thing. Nickie would be free to be with whomever she wanted. Maybe even me? It sounded awful I know. That's why I couldn't say it aloud. I knew I would hate myself if I actually admitted it. I think that sometimes when you care for someone strongly, you can become a little selfish right? What kind of a friend am I? Selfish, or just an all around douche? It didn't matter. The only one she wanted to be with was Leo. Leo Reynolds. Of all the girls in all the towns, why did he have to be engaged to her? I knew I had feelings for her the night she sat with me on my porch when I found out my parents were getting divorced. Granted, I was only 13 at the time, but I knew it was real. To think while we were just kids, riding bikes and going to movies and swimming at the YMCA, she already had a guy lined up to marry her. How does a guy like me with feelings like these come back from this? At that moment, I bumped into Nickie. She was out of breath, no wonder she only on the track team at school for a week.

She's faking her pregnancy" she told me when she finally started to catch her breath.

End POV

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. Finally, I reached my apartment and it was empty. Leo was nowhere to be found. Some of his things were missing. What was I to do? He hadn't been answering his phone all afternoon. I thought I would explode from the frustration. Just then my phone started ringing. I answered it not thinking.

"Hello Nicole" it was Kathrine. I tensed

"What do you want" I snapped back.

"I've warned you before to stay away from Leo, but it looks like you just can't be reasoned with" she said.

"How did you get my number" I asked. She ignored my question and it was quiet for a minute.

"Leo, what do you think of this if it's a girl" she asked in the most sickening way possible.

"Whatever you want babe" he said. I could sense the defeat in his voice. My head was spinning and due to fear of hearing something worse, I hung up the phone. I was so mad I could spit, cry, scream or anything else. How could this be happening? How could something I didn't even ask for escalate into something I wanted to fight tooth and nail for? I grabbed my wallet and my phone just before I ran out the door. Not wanting to come close to passing out before getting there, I took a bus to Leo's house.

I knocked rapidly on the front door and waited desperately for someone to answer. Lucky for me, it was Leo. He closed the door behind him. He looked awful. His face was a pale color which made the bags around his eyes look even darker. It was as if the life had been drained from his face and eyes.

"Hey Nickie" he said weakly.

"Leo" I said

"Sorry I probably look like I got hit by a bus. It's been pretty crazy at my house today" I said sounding like he was making excuses

"Leo, I have to tell you something..." I said just before I was cut off.

"I've got to tell you something too" he paused and took a deep breath. "I don't think we can do this whole situation of ours" he told me not looking me in the eye. I remained silent.

"Is that for us to decide" I asked. "I mean, What about what our grandparents said" I finished.

"Katharine is pregnant, if you haven't heard, and I have to do right by her" he continued.

"You said you didn't have sex with her" I  pointed out in a desperate attempt at holding onto that last piece of hope.

"I lied" he admitted to me. I was crushed. Not only was Katharine lying about a baby that actually would be Leo's if it were true, but he looked me in the eye and lied to me.

"What does that mean" I asked fighting tears

"It means I can't go around playing house just because of some old agreement our grandparents made before even our parents were born" he said sounding a little cold. It was silent for a minute. "We can work this out with our parents as soon as things calm down" he said to me.

"Leo, you have to listen to me" I tried to tell him.

"Save it Nick. I have to get back to Katharine." He spat.

"She's here" I asked still holding back my tears. Leo turned to go back inside. "Leo, is she here" I asked again desperately.

"Go home Nickie" he said not turning back to face me. He went back inside and I was left there on my own as the bitter winter cold hit my face. 

The walk home was the coldest I had been. The cold was pinching my face more than ever before. He punched a hole in my chest. I could almost physically feel it. It was as if a piece of me was completely missing. I couldn't go back to that apartment. There was no way I could sit in that place without feeling like the walls would crash down on top of me. I went back to my parents' house and berried myself in my old room and cried myself to sleep.