A NEW CONSPIRACY

Chris’s POV

I knocked at the door before twisting the handle open. Ava sat on the chair facing Mrs. Forrest. She glanced at me, then returned her gaze to the ground. My eyes darted between the two of them; I already knew what this was about. She asked me to sit beside Ava, which I did.

“Did you get Ava pregnant?” she asked bluntly. I looked briefly at Ava before answering. “No, I’ve never been involved with Ava,” I said plainly. She didn’t look up at me. Mrs. Forrest let out a sigh.

“Chris has just confirmed what you said, so who is the father of your baby?” she asked, her voice soft and calm. She signaled me to excuse myself, but I stood outside the door, listening.

“You can confide in me, Ava.”

“I went out after school with some friends and got drugged. But I don’t want anyone to know about this,” she lied, still pleading that Mrs. Forrest keep her secret. Silence filled the room for a moment.

“And you don’t want me to hand this matter over—”

“No! No, I don’t want any of that,” Ava interrupted.

“It’s fine, you can take your leave,” she said. “There’s nothing to worry about,” she added, and I fled like the wind.

Tessa’s POV

I sat alone, watching other students play basketball, when Liana walked up to me. “Hi, Tessa,” she said, stretching a hand toward me. I didn’t shake back. I looked away, my mind filled only with thoughts of revenge on Ava.

“Ava’s hurt me too,” Liana said, as if reading my mind. I still didn’t look at her. She continued, “She slept with my crush too.”

I turned and looked at her.

“That’s why I came to you. I know Ava’s hurt you badly too, and I know what she’s trying to do with Chris. You have to stop it before she succeeds,” Liana explained.

“That Ava girl has stepped on my toes enough.” As she spoke, I found a space beside her and sat. “She slept with my boyfriend until she even got pregnant with his child.”

“I have a plan, Tessa,” I said, interrupting her. “Why not be friends with her so we can easily get her?” She wasn’t done talking when I sparked like fire stoked by fuel.

“Over my dead body. I can’t even stand a minute with her. I’ll beat the hell out of her until her so-called pregnancy drops. My temper is bad!”

Liana took a deep breath and whispered something in my ear. It made a lot of sense, and I agreed with her.

Ava’s POV

I walked behind Mr. Johnson into Mrs. Forrest’s office again. This time, Aunt Margaret was sitting in the same chair I had occupied earlier. I knew what was coming, and as I moved closer to them, I prayed for one thing—that the ground would open and swallow me.

Aunt Margaret turned to face me, her eyes red. “Ava, I’ve just explained everything to your aunt, and she’s promised to take good care of you. Don’t worry. Since you’ll be graduating soon, you can keep coming to school with your pregnancy if it’s convenient; your teachers will understand if you’re late,” she said with a forced smile. “And if you need someone to talk to anytime, any day, I am here for you. Even your aunt will be here for you,” she added, forcing a plastic smile.

After school that day, I noticed the way my colleagues stared at me. Many who used to talk to me or say hello suddenly vanished. The stigma was real; my heart ached every morning I had to go to school. Chris acted like he had never been involved with me, even though students whispered that he had gotten me pregnant. He always defended himself, saying we were only friends.

Aunt Margaret had chased me out of the house the same day Mrs. Forrest told her about my pregnancy. She said I was useless and that nothing good could ever come from me. “Is this how you want to make your parents proud in their graves?” she asked. Her words hurt, but they were the truth.

I had been pushed many times to consider suicide, but Bryan’s words always rang in my head: that I was too special, smart, and brilliant to take my life over a pregnancy. He had told his parents I was his friend and that I wanted to stay in their house for a few days since my parents had traveled. I had been at Bryan’s house for a while, but I still had to leave, and he hadn’t yet arranged the money for the abortion.

I tried my best to hide my pregnancy from his parents, which was possible because I mostly stayed in his room. Even when his parents urged me to go out sometimes, I refused, lying that I was trained to stay indoors. I only joined them for meals at the dining table.

“Where else can I go? I can’t stay with her at Bryan’s parents’ house, or they’d suspect me,” I thought, tears running down my face. “Let me get rid of this pregnancy first, then I’ll deal with them one by one. Chris’s pain will be premium,” I vowed, letting the tears stream freely.

I was deep in thought when Bryan came in. “Hey, Ava,” he called, shutting the door behind him. “Guess what?”

“I’m not good at guessing, Bryan. Just tell me,” I said, trying to push my sadness aside. “Did you get the money?” I asked, hope shining in my eyes. He shook his head.

“That’s not it, girl!”

He held up his phone, and I looked closely.

“Tessa Walker has accepted to be my girlfriend!” he yelled, clenching his fists and shouting, “Yes! Yes!” throughout the house. His parents had gone to work; it was the weekend.

“How? When did you even approach her?” I asked, curious.

“Come on, I did before I fell ill. Fuck, Ava, I’m so damn happy!” he yelled, jumping up and down. “Tessa Walker?” he said again, confirming it wasn’t a dream. “Do you know what this means to me?” He rushed to his parents’ bar, grabbed a bottle of champagne, and popped it open.

I was happy for him, but I felt a strange, unexplained mix of emotions.

“She also gave a date for our first date!” he yelled again, almost lifting me in excitement.