The Secret I Tried to Keep

Chapter 15

"Great," I muttered sarcastically as I turned to fully face Aria and Cassie. "Do you see what's happening? Everything is on the brink of unraveling. Pretty soon, Dallas will make everyone pick a side. As long as Zane's attention is on me, everyone else's will be too," I said. Aria squeezed my hand gently.

"So we'll keep them all away from you as much as we can at school, but you should talk to Zane yourself. Try to get him to back off if that's what you want, but come to some sort of agreement with him," Cassie said.

"When will you see him next?" Aria asked. I shrugged.

"After school, why?" I answered curiously.

"We'll stay with you until then," Aria offered. I nodded as the bell rang. "Come on," Aria said, hooking her arm with mine. I lost interest in school. I tried but I just couldn't pay attention. It felt like it wouldn't matter anyway. It was too late for anything to really affect my GPA. Plus, this time next year, I would have a baby to take care of.

When the end of school finally came, I waited at my locker with Aria and Cassie. I couldn't help but to notice Paris and Dallas' watchful eyes. It almost looked like they joined forces against me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Just a week ago, Dallas hated Paris more than all of us combined. She was being petty and ridiculous and all over a boy. There was no reason to turn this into a big deal. I was thoroughly surprised when Presley bounced over to my locker out of nowhere. Her long brown hair flowed behind her in a curtain.

"Hey Dria," she smiled at me.

"Hey," I said politely confused. "What's wrong?" I finally asked. Her smile was still relaxed as she giggled.

"Oh, nothing, silly. My brother just thought you might feel better if he just met up with you later at your house with all of the... attention he's been causing you lately. Plus, he said you have a puppy, and I love puppies," she explained. I chuckled at her.

"You're always welcome to come over any time you want, Presley. I didn't know that you drove," I said. She shook her head with a smile.

"I didn't," she said.

"I'll drive you guys," Aria offered. We drove to my house and Aria whistled playfully. "Nice place. I'm so glad you moved in with your sister. You're only a street away from my house now," Aria said as she dropped Presley and I off at my house.

"I didn't know Zane had a little sister," Cassie said. Presley didn't look offended or hurt in the slightest. She simply smiled and shrugged.

"No one really does. He did it that way on purpose," she said. We walked up the sidewalk and I opened the door. I went straight to the back door and let Domino inside. He barked happily and accepted a head scratch from me before he went to sniff out the newcomer. Presley sat on the floor as she began playing with him. I grabbed two glasses of water and set them on the coffee table before sitting on the couch.

"He hasn't slept with anyone since you, you know? Even before he knew about the baby. And he's never brought a girl home, either," Presley said as she continued to play with Domino. I sipped on my water.

"That doesn't mean anything," I said dismissively. Presley giggled as Domino licked her face.

"It means that he cares about you," she said.

"Did Zane send you here to talk him up or something?" I asked. She laughed.

"He doesn't even know that I'm here," she shrugged. I was about to question her further when the doorbell rang. I sighed and answered the door to find Zane standing there looking a little worried.

"Have you seen Presley?" he asked in a panic.

"I'm in here," she called from the living room as Domino started barking at him.

"You can't just run off like that! I had no idea where you were," Zane said as we went to the living room. Presley stood and crossed her arms.

"One, I didn't run off; I was with Chandria. And Two, I'm not a child so stop treating me like one," she said. Zane pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh before he turned to me.

"Sorry about her," he said sheepishly.

"Right here," Presley said pointing to herself. I shrugged.

"I like Presley," I said honestly as I moved into the kitchen.

"Thank you!" she called after me as she stayed in the living room. Zane followed me into the kitchen as he rolled his eyes. I leaned against the counter and waited.

"So... about today," he started slowly. I sighed and went to sit at the dining room table.

"You have to stay away from me at school. It only makes things worse," I said as Zane took the seat perpendicular to me.

"How am I supposed to prove myself if I can't even talk to you?" he asked. I shrugged and looked at my lap.

"You can come here after school. Plus, staying away from me would actually make it easier," I tried to explain. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"I'll try," he said unsurely.

"I have Dallas and Paris down my throat because of you; I don't need the entire female population as well. You better do more than just try," I said.

"Have you told anyone... you know, about the baby?" he asked hesitantly. I shrugged.

"Aria and Cassie know, but they were the ones who made me take the pregnancy tests in the first place," I answered. "What about you? Have you told anyone?" I asked.

"Just Presley," he answered simply. We were both quiet for a moment as I began to relax. "I want to be involved," he blurted.

"Yeah, you've mentioned that a few times," I sighed as I stood. I moved to the kitchen and pulled the ice cream out of the freezer. Of course, Zane followed.

"I mean it, Dria," he said again. He handed me a spoon before I moved back to the living room with ice cream in tow. Presley was still there, rubbing Domino's belly. I grabbed the remote and turned on a movie on the Syfy channel. I plopped down on the couch with the tub of ice cream and dug in. Zane sat next to me quietly. We watching the movie until Presley passed out. I was so into the movie and ice cream that I missed her soft snoring.

"She's out," Zane whispered. It was so cute. Presley was curled up on the floor with Domino laying against her sleeping also.

"What would you say if your little sister was dating a guy like you?" I whispered to Zane. His eyes bugged slightly.

"Hell no!" he hissed. I raised an eyebrow at him. I didn't have to say anything else; I proved my point. Zane sighed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, I get it," he admitted.

"If you're going to be involved, you can't be that person anymore. This child's love is going to have to be enough for you," I said softly. He nodded.

"I know that," he replied.

"I don't think you do," I retorted quietly as to not wake Presley. The front door opened before he could respond.

"Dria," my sister called. We looked over as they entered the living room. "Oh, hi, Zane," Fehtra said as she got closer. They looked at Presley confused. Domino was awake, but he wagged his tail as opposed to getting up.

"Zane's little sister, Presley," I explained quietly.

"Are you both staying for dinner?" Ben asked Zane softly. Zane looked at me for an answer. And the truth was, it was going to take a lot more than a few conversations and a lot more time than a few days for me to be at that level of comfort with Zane.

"Not tonight," I answered for him. Zane scooped his sister off the floor much to Domino's dismay.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Dria," Zane said softly before he left.

"You're still pushing him away," Fehtra said as she sat next to me and took what was left of the ice cream.

"Not really," I answered before I let Domino lick the spoon clean.