The Secret I Tried to Keep

Chapter 23

About 20 minutes passed before my door flew open. Domino ran in and jumped on my bed to lick my face. I sat up slowly to look at the intruder. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Down Domi," I ordered as he wagged his tail happily. He laid down net to me and put his paw on my lap. I turned back to the intruder. "Can I just be left to my thoughts, Ari?" I asked. She crossed her arms and gave me a look that say she was going to do the exact opposite.

"Cassie said that Zane kissed you and you're been locked up in your room ever since," Aira said as she sat on my bean bag chair. "Now spill it, missy," she said. I hesitated before I finally gave in and told her the whole story, including my thoughts on the whole ordeal. By the time I finished, I was in tears. The whole thing was just so frustrating. Aria moved to my bed and hugged me tightly; moving Domino out of the way in the process.

"Oh, Dria," she sighed. She held my hands in hers as she looked at me seriously. "I feel like this is my fault. We're always telling you how Zane is this womanizing asshole who only cares about himself, but... he is changing. Slowly but surely. He actually cares about you and he cares about that baby. I haven't seen him with another girl since the night of the kickoff party. I think that we've been talking him down so much that you're scared to do what you want. You're scared to trust him, which I completely understand. I understand your reservations, especially with the baby, but I just want you to be happy, Dria. If you want a platonic relationship with Zane, sit him down and set boundaries so he knows where the line is, but make sure that it's what you want first. Do what's going to make you happy. Don't listen to what anyone else has to say about it," Aria advised. I sighed and pet Domino's head gently since his head was in my lap now.

"I just need time to think," I groaned.

"Well, set a deadline for yourself so you don't keep putting it off. During this time, make a pros and cons list, and I'll help you with it if you want. Just don't leave him hanging by a string too long or you'll lose him all together," she said.

"The dance," I said automatically. "Midnight, at the dance, my time will be up, and I'll have to decide whether to give Zane a chance or stay platonic," I added. She nodded in agreement.

"If you want me to help, get me things that pop into your head and I'll start a list," she offered. She gave me another hug before she left. I texted her almost immediately as things began popping into my head.

PRO: Maybe he has changed.

CON: His reputation proceeds him.

~

The whole week before the dance was busy. I had practices with Tyler and Cassie almost every day after school. There were pep rallies and announcements I had to do, too. Things with Zane were strained since he kissed me. I told him I needed space and time so he didn't come over all week, but things were... weird. He was more distant than usual. Aria helped me with my pros and cons list, and by Friday, it was almost complete. Just in time, too. The dance was tomorrow.

CONS:

His reputation proceeds him.

Being with him could guarantee attention.

He didn't think he was capable of love.

He slept around before, and he could do it again.

It could hurt our child if it goes bad.

It could all be an act.

PROS:

Maybe he has changed.

He wasn't hard to look at.

He stopped sleeping around.

He cared about the baby.

He claimed to care about me.

He wasn't ashamed of me.

He tried to protect me.

He stuck up for me against Dallas and Paris.

He was funny.

He was kind.

He didn't care what other thought of him.

He was easy to get along with.

He had the means to support our baby.

I adored his little sister.

He was the father of our baby.

If I gave him a chance, we could actually be a family.

In the end, the pros outweighed the cons and all the cons were related to the past anyway. He was trying to chance, and I could see that. Aria looked at me expectantly for my final decision as we sat in my room Saturday. I sighed and handed the list back to her.

"Alright, alright, I'll give him a chance. We can take it slow and just... see where it goes," I decided. Aria squealed and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Yay! You're finally going to have your first boyfriend! I'm not the one you need to tell. We need to get you ready though, because the bank starts in 2 hours and I have to get dressed, too," she said in a rush before she sat me down at my vanity and got to work.

For my makeup, she stayed natural. All I had was a nude-colored sparkly eyeshadow with a cat-eye made out of the black eyeliner. The only other this she added was mascara and a soft pink lip stick that matched the pale pink of my dress. My dress was still perfect and it still hid my very small baby bump. Only change was that there was a little more cleavage because my breasts were getting bigger. Aria left my hair half down and pulled the top half into an intricate bun that resembled a flower. The half that was down was made into soft curls as well as a few stands around my face. For shoes, I'd planned on wearing a pair of nude heels.

"Wait, one last present for the queen," Aria said with a smile. She reached in her bag and pulled out a pair of silver sparkly heels that matched the top half of my dress perfectly. I hugged her tightly.

"Ari... you know, that last few months have been really eye-opening for me. And with everything, you were always there. You're not my best friend... you're my sister. I love you so much," I said honestly as my eyes started to tear up. Aria smiled with tears in her eyes, too.

"I love you too, Dria. Now stop before you ruin all my hard work," she chuckled, dabbing under my eyes with a tissue, careful of my makeup. I chuckled and took a deep breath before I stepped into the silver heels. Aria got ready quickly compared to the time she took to get me ready. Her dress was similar to mine. It had a sweetheart neckline and a high waistline. The skirt was fluffy and ended mid-thigh. The entire dress was a bright royal blue and the top was all ruching with studs lining the neckline. The dress accentuated her long legs. Her hair went up in a French roll and her makeup consisted of a smoky eye and nude lipstick. She put my crown and sash on before pinning them into place. After we were both ready, we headed downstairs.

"Wow, you girls look gorgeous!" Fehtra exclaimed.

"I second that," Tyler said, his eyebrows raised in a sort of surprise and approval. I ended up having Tyler as a date since we were King and Queen. Tyler was sporting a black tux with a pastel pink tie to match my dress. His sash and crown were on as well. We were required to wear them.

"Beautiful, as always," Cooper said, taking Aria's hand. Oh yeah, Cooper ended up asking Aria to be his Homecoming date as well as his girlfriend. Aria blushed as Cooper led her down the rest of the stairs. Tyler offered his hand to me and we did the same. It was better than I expected. We took a lot of pictures around town with Cassie and her date as well. It felt good to be surrounded by friends. And for once since I was hit with the news, me being pregnant wasn't the main focus for the day.