Bloodlines

End Of Us

Avalon

"Uh—" I push Sam off me. "Sam, I can't—"

"I'm sorry, I was just under the impression that—"

"No, I..."

"Let's forget that ever happened. Goodnight, Avalon, I'll see you in the morning." Sam quickly leaves the room.

I sit there in utter shock.

It was a kiss, Avalon. It's not any worse than getting pregnant by someone's boyfriend.

Then why do I feel so guilty?

****

I wake up to the smell of bacon.

Mmm.

Before I know it, my legs are taking me right to the kitchen to see Sam indeed cooking bacon and flipping pancakes.

"Yum!" I sit down at the table.

"Breakfast for a pretty lady!" Sam puts the pancake on a plate with bacon and places it in front of me followed with butter and syrup.

"Thank you so much." I smile.

I pop a piece of bacon in my mouth, but the feeling of reality all hit me right away.

The cheating.

The screaming.

I snap back into reality and push the plate away as I lose my appetite. "I need to go for a drive." I stand up and grab my keys from the couch.

"What? I don't think that's a good idea—"

"That's what I need, Sam. Please, leave me."

I rush out the door and hop into my car, putting it in drive.

Tears fill my eyes again as I hit the road.

What am I going to do?

I feel dirty.

I feel disgusted.

Lost in a train of thoughts, I find myself pulling into a piggly wiggly parking lot to cry my eyes out.

There is no way this is happening.

Theo has proved himself to me, he got into therapy, college, we're ready to get a house! How could this all be happening? I trusted Theo with my whole heart and this is what I get?

Maybe he won't ever change...

Maybe it was all just a show to put on.

As I'm sitting in silence, the only noises being my sniffles, I don't realize a familiar car pulling up next to me.

"Avalon!" Thomas and Rowan open my door.

"Please no—"

"No, we heard about it!" Rowan holds me. "I'm so sorry."

I finally let it out into the arms of my best friends. "Why me? What is going on?" I sob.

"We don't know, but we're gonna figure it out." Thomas rubs my back. "Where were you last night?"

"Sam found me and took me back to his place. He kissed me and I'm freaking out because two wrongs don't make a right and—"

"Shhhh, calm down." Rowan puts his hand behind my head. "It's okay, stop worrying about that. Come on, let's take a walk and catch your breath."

After about ten minutes, I finally calm down and maintain a steady heart rate.

All until I see Theo's car pulling in.

"No no no—"

"He needs to talk to you, Avalon." Thomas takes my hand.

I look at them both with tears in my eyes. "You set me up... you kept me here so Theo can see me..."

"Avalon if you just listen—"

"No!" I jump out of there grip, going to make a run for it until I'm met with a wall... Theo.

Theo wraps his arms around me to where I can run off. "Av, please!"

"Get away from me!" I shout.

"Baby, please listen to me." He coos. "I did NOT do anything with Heidi—"

"Liar!"

"This is all a set up! I would never cheat on you! I LOVE you and I only want you!" He holds my both of my arms. "Please listen to me."

He looks me in my eyes and I don't see anything in his eyes.

They're the same soft, pure eyes that don't have a look of guilt in them.

"I grew up watching my, well I guess adoptive dad, cheat on my adoptive mom. He MADE me watch, Av." His voice shakes as he gets emotional. "I would never do that shit to you. I would never cheat on you and I sure as hell never did. You need to believe me. You need to help me catch this bitch in her act."

He starts shaking in anger and sadness. His eyes start to water as he fights back his tears...

"I would never cheat on you, Av. Please." He takes my hands.

I stand there, absolutely confused and overwhelmed.

"Avalon!!" Sam runs out of his car.

I turn to him and see Rowan and Thomas running over to block him from getting near me.

Then another car pulls up in which Ezra jumps out of before the car even turns off.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ezra joins in with Thomas and Rowan.

I look at Theo who is staring at Sam before he turns to me. "I'm really trying to keep my cool and not put that bitch six feet under." His voice trembles. "Please, just come home with me and we can catch this bitch."

I squeeze his hand slightly. "There are no promises until I see for myself she's lying."

"Oh thank you!" He hugs me tightly as if he's been waiting a thousand years to do it.

I wrap my arms around him as I cry into his shoulder.

"BYE PRICK!" The boys wave a speeding Sam away.

"Can we please go home?" Theo says with a shake in his voice.

I nod. "But I want to stay in the spare bedroom. Nothing is set in stone."

"Okay... okay."

He holds me in silence for a long time before we get back to the now messy apartment.

My heart is hurting.

I love Theo, I really really do. But I don't know if I can keep going with this even if it's proven if he's not the father.

And that is what breaks my heart.

Someone I've watched get better for me... possibly not even be the one for me.