The show must go on Part II.

Chapter 7 - disaster's in the air

this one is spicy, hope you enjoy haha. Take care xx

Narrator POV

"What the fuck is that?" asks Perrie again, but Jade is unable to respond, she can only stare frozen at the picture in her hand. Can only swallow the lump in her throat. Can only feel the panic rising inside her.

"Look at me!", Perrie demands. Eyes wide, she turns to her, barely daring to look at her. Looking into her eyes, really looking at her, her heart slips. Never, really never, has Perrie looked at her like that. So much incomprehension, so much anger, so much contempt and yet still so much hope left.

"What is that?" she asks again and Jade opens her mouth but manages not to make a single sound, only upsetting Perrie more.

"Why am I holding an ultrasound picture?" she gets louder, feeling her grip on the picture tighten as she is about to crumple it. Jade is still unable to respond, catching Perrie's eyes. Those ocean blue eyes she has lost herself in so many times before. The life that lay before her, that she saw so crystal clear just a few seconds ago, she sees now passing by.

"I...I," she tries to explain, but gets nothing out of the stutter.

"Why does it have your fucking name on it?!" she shouts, annoyed, beside herself that she's not getting an answer. "Say something!"

"I...", Jade just stutters again, feeling her lower lip tremble so badly she couldn't even speak if she wanted to.

"Is it Shireen's?", Perrie clings to the last spark of hope she feels inside her. "Is she pregnant again?"

And there it is. The way out that presents itself. The one possibility Jade hadn't thought of. She could go for it. She could let Perrie believe it, even though deep down she probably knows the truth. She could buy herself some more time. She could lie. She should lie.

But as she turns away from Perrie's eyes and looks again at the image in Perrie's fist, she knows. She can't lie any more. She has no more strength to lie to her. Before she is able to speak, she feels herself shaking her head.

"No," she finally finds her voice again, even if she would never realise it as her own. "It...it's not Shireen's."

"So...it's yours?!" concludes Perrie correctly, bewilderment written all over her face. When no reply comes from Jade to say otherwise, Perrie stares at her, aghast. "You're pregnant?!" Jade only manages to nod as thick tears roll down her cheeks.

"How?! Fucking how?!", Perrie wants to know. "I'm not capable of doing that!" she becomes hysterical. "How can you be pregnant?!" Again Jade remains silent, too shocked that her secret is out now, overwhelmed with the whole situation.

"Please tell me you couldn't help it...", Perrie's voice becomes shaky, her eyes glazed over, unable to hold back the tears. "Tell me someone did this to you...that I have to go and beat someone up for you...", she literally pleads, with her voice, her eyes, her whole body. She clings to everything she has on this last hope, looking at Jade so insistently it's starting to hurt, until she finally lifts her head and looks at her through the thick tears.