Unexpected

Chapter One

The most logical thing for many teenage boys who weren't ready to become father, Emerald realized, would be to leave her. Just like that, their relationship would be over. No more date nights, no more surprise gifts, no more anything involving Kasey. All because they couldn't keep their legs shut.

Fear and sorrow could only begin to describe the emotions swimming around in her brain. She was going to lose everything.

'No one can know. Not yet.'

For now, she decided, she needs to keep this to herself. The weight of the situation felt far too great for her to open up about it now. She felt suffocated as a lump formed in her throat, making it all the more difficult for her to breathe. Her eyes then flickered to the clock on the wall, the time reading as almost three in the morning. Thankfully, she had about four more hours to waste on tears before she had to get up and join everyone for their routine training exercises. There's no way she'd be getting any sleep for what was left of the night.

Wiping at a few of the tears that still coated her cheeks, Emerald picked herself from off of the floor, hands trembling as she glanced back down at the pregnancy test. She almost tossed it in the trash can, but then thought better of it. She couldn't risk someone finding it, instead wedging the stick into her pocket before washing her hands and exiting the bathroom.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"There you are, Em!" Arakyna greeted, bounding over to her friend as soon as she stepped out into the living room.

Her voice caught the attention of their other friends, including Kasey, who had been engrossed in a debate with Doug over whether Questica or Twinkly Mare had the better lore. As soon as he saw her, he flashed her his signature dazzling smile and started to make his way over, clearly happy to see his girlfriend. The usual flutter she felt in her stomach was replaced with a sickly, squirming feeling at the mere sight of him. Ever since she made her little discovery earlier that morning, she hadn't felt anything like her usual self and wasn't sure if she could handle being around half the reason she was in this position right now.

Her irresponsiveness didn't go unnoticed by the brunette, who's eyes clouded over with concern as she looked over her best friend. "Hey, are you okay? You look exhausted. It's not like you to sleep in. I was starting to wonder if something horrible had happened."

'Well, Arkayna, you're not wrong...'

Emerald tried imitating what was supposed to be a smile. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sorry for being late, Arkayna. I just had trouble sleeping last night, that's all," she said, stifling a fake yawn. She prayed silently that this would suffice enough as an excuse. While the princess could sometimes be rather oblivious to other people's feelings, she did know her best friend rather well and typically picked up on when she was behaving unusually. She couldn't help but wonder through the haze of her nervousness and fatigue if the brunette suspected anything. Was she being too obvious? Would Arkayna be able to figure out her dirty little secret just by talking to her?

Thankfully, Arkayna didn't seem to suspect anything of that matter, instead only nodding her head in response. She could only hope the same for Kasey and he stepped forward to greet her, giving her a quick affectionate peck on the forehead. "Good morning, sleepyhead! I'm glad you're up! For a minute you had me worried!" Every word he spoke was genuine and caring; all the more to make Emerald feel guilty with. She forced her lips to pull back into a strained grin. "Hey, Kasey. Sorry to make you wait. I couldn't sleep last night."

Kasey frowned at that, his brows creasing together with concern. "Really? Do you feel sick?" He stepped forward to touch her comfortingly, only for Emerald to move away. The thought of him touching her almost made her ill. Even that kiss he gave her caused her to feel overwhelmed and unsettled. Of course, he took notice, his worried expression deepening along with traces of hurt in it. It was almost enough to rip Emerald's heart in two.