But It's All Just Fiction

I didn't see Matt that following Monday. When I text him and asked why he explained Rachel was still sick and that Debbie was starting to feel bad too. He said he was hoping he wouldn't get sick and would rather be at school but his sisters need him. We didn't text much after that. He didn't show up to school Tuesday, or Wednesday either for that matter and I hadn't received or sent a text to him since Monday night. I figured all three of them ended up with a stomach bug of sorts and I'd most likely see him on Friday.

But as Friday rolled around the school was still Matt Tuck-less and he didn't reply to the text I sent him when I noticed him missing from my math class. Mariah also hadn't shown up that day and all she replied to me was a single word, sick.

After school I was waiting for Gerard to take myself and Mikey home as well as Frank because Mariah hadn't come to school and he needed a ride home as well. But when we dropped him off I noticed that Mariah's mustang wasn't in the driveway. I seemed to be the only one to notice so I kept quiet about it. Once Gerard drove us home however, I found it parked in front of my house.

"Maybe Mariah's feeling better?" Gerard said with a small smile and it was obvious he thought she had ditched.

"Maybe," I smiled too, thinking she had ditched also but wondered why she had text me saying she was sick.

When I got into the house though, Taylor quickly told me, "Meg, Mariah's in your room. She showed up about five minutes ago. I think somethings wrong with her but I didn't ask questions," before kissing Gerard hello.

I turned to Mikey, raising an eyebrow but he only shrugged and walked into the kitchen. I quickly hurried up the stairs and when I walked into my room I was ambushed in a hug by a very disheveled Mariah.

"Oh my God, whats the matter?!" I asked her, struggling to keep balance and to shut the door in her tight hold. She was sobbing hysterically on my shoulder, which she had to bend down slightly to reach because of her height.

Her answer came in incoherent syllables punctuated randomly by sobs and sharp breaths. "Mariah," I said, trying to pry her off of me so I could calm her down. It took a moment to actually do so and once she was off of me she was sitting on the edge of my bed crying and shaking uncontrollably.

"Mariah," I tried again, taking her shoulders to try and steady her. Whatever was wrong it had her hysterical. "Tell me whats wrong okay?" I said slowly.

"I-I... I-" she sobbed and covered her running face with her hands with more sobs.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me," I told her calmly, trying to take her hands away from her face.

"M-Meghan!" she cried.

"What?"

"I-I," she tried again but it seemed impossible for the girl to form words. She then quickly reached for her purse that was near her on the bed and pulled something out and handed it to me. My heart dropped to the floor as my stomach simultaneously did a back flip as I stared at what she gave me.

I was silent and soon after Mariah had joined me in the silence. I looked down at her speechless as she told me, "I have e-eight more if y-you want p-proof."

I dropped what she had given me and sat next to her on my bed.

"Do you know who...?" I asked quietly.

"Remember when I woke up in my car with that guy-?" she started to ask me, calming down with each second.

"You think Michael got you pregnant?" I asked, turning to her. She stared at me for a long time before sighing.

"I don't know Meghan. I don't remember even being with him but the last guy I was with was back last year when I was still seventeen." She now had her head resting on her hands in her lap, staring at my floor.

I took a long, careful breath before standing from my bed.

"Are you mad?" she asked me and I shook my head, picking up the white plastic stick I had dropped and returned it to Mariah's purse where, like she had said, were several more pregnancy tests that all read positive. I then pulled my phone out of my pocket and started scrolling through my contacts.

"What are you doing?!" Mariah asked and jumped up from the bed.

"I'm calling Matt so he can tell his filthy friend he knocked you up," I said calmly.

"No! No don't please! We- we can- just..." she tried to say but began crying again. "He doesn't need to know that! We can just go and... and... I'll get rid of it and no one will ever know about it!" she irrationally reasoned with me.

"You know that isn't right. It's his baby too, he needs to know about it, you know that Mariah," I told her as I called Matt and listened to his phone ring.

"B-but he won't even know!" she continued to cry as I was answered by Matt's voice mail. I hung up quickly, calling him again.

"He at least needs to know, and then you can do whatever you want with the baby. And in the meantime well just have some of the guys at school kick his ass okay?"

"Meghan, please," she cried but Matt didn't answer his phone for a second time.

"He isn't answering," I said quietly and pocketed my phone.

"That's a sign that we shouldn't tell him!"

"No it isn't, Mariah. Think about this. Michael needs to know," I reasoned with her and after a few minutes she finally agreed with me, reluctantly.

"We're gonna go to Matt's place, okay?" I told her and she only nodded, grabbing her purse as we left the house. We successfully avoided anyone who was there and quickly got in her Mustang. She wiped most of her running makeup off her cheeks before starting up the car and following my directions to Matt's house. Matt's Celica wasn't parked outside but I still went up and knocked on the door with Mariah, otherwise we would have a dead end.

A minute later the door was answered by Matt's youngest sister, Rachel.

"You came back!" She exclaimed happily, obviously feeling much better, and hugged me. I half hugged her back as I saw Debbie walk up to the door as well.

"Do you know where your brother is?" I asked and noticed several more younger girls in the house.

Debbie raised an eyebrow and said, "He went to the beach with some of his friends. You couldn't have just called him?" she asked.

"He wasn't answering his phone," I replied shortly as Rachel let go of me and went to stand my her sister.

"Bye Meghan!" she said happily as I grabbed Mariah and turned to leave. Before the door closed I heard Rachel tell everyone that I was Matt's new girlfriend.

Mariah gave me a look and I shrugged innocently. Minutes later she parked her car at the beach but was reluctant to get out.

"I really don't wanna do this," Mariah said and she almost started crying again.

"We have to, come on. You don't have to talk at all if you don't want to, okay?" I asked and smiled at her. She solemnly nodded and slowly followed me around the beach as I searched the much more crowded sands for Matt and his friends.

It didn't take too long to find the rowdy crowd outside of one of the beach side restaurants.

"Mariah, come on," I said, trying to pull her along but she was stubborn.

"Please don't make me go over there, Meg, please!" she cried and I finally gave up.

"Fine," I sighed, "Stay here okay?" I told her and sat her on a short wall along the beach, separating the sand from the concrete a few yards away from Matt.

I continued walking, alone, and though my entrance was a silent one, everyone still noticed me. There were a lot more guys than the first time Matt had taken me here and the only girl was Naomi. She smiled as I walked up but all the guys stared at me, including Matt.

I felt a bit awkward and very out of place standing in front of everyone so I hurried over to Matt, asking, "Can I talk to you alone, please?"

"What can't you say in front of us, princess?" Matt Sanders asked before Matt could reply, making my insides crawl disgustingly and I unconsciously grabbed my left wrist.

"Yeah, what's so private?" Jason James furthered the question as all Matt's friends agreed, except for Naomi, who silently scolded her boyfriend.

"Um..." I said looking back to Matt but he didn't move. "Really?" I asked him unbelieving.

"Why can't we talk here?" he asked and smiled at me. Since when did he turn back into an asshole?

"Fine," I said and stood up straight, before promptly walking away. If he wanted it like that, I'd play his little game.

"Meghan!" he called after me but I continued walking back to Mariah, "Wait!"

Mariah gave me a confused look as I grabbed her purse and turned back around. I saw Matt had started to follow me but stopped as I turned around and walked back with Mariah's purse.

"What the hell?" he asked as I passed him, looking at Mariah and then to me with her purse.

"Since everyone wants to know so bad," I told him spitefully and walked the rest of the way to the group. I was thankful that Michael was among them, and as I walked right up to him, I opened up Mariah's purse and grabbed a handful of the pregnancy tests before violently throwing them at him.

"You got my best friend pregnant you fucking asshole!" I yelled at him, finally letting myself get angry. As the tests hit him he jumped up from his chair and ran behind it, before noticing what I had thrown. He paused, staring at one of them as everyone in the group went silent.

"What?!" Naomi asked, standing from her chair quickly and looking at him, sounding just as pissed as I was.

I was preparing to throw another hand full of tests at him when Matt grabbed me from behind, wrestling them and Mariah's purse out of my hands. I tried fighting him off of me, yelling profanities at him too, but I couldn't get him off me. Finally he pushed me away, in the opposite direction of his stunned friend while he examined the pregnancy tests. He then looked up at me and I crossed my arms angrily.

"You didn't wanna talk in private," I scolded him. He didn't reply but instead looked over to Michael, who looked like he was on the verge of passing out, as he looked up from the tests on the ground to Matt.

"We're going to my house, Moose," Matt said after a moment of silence from everyone and turned around, walking towards Mariah.

"Okay," Michael said quickly, and half ran past me to catch up to Matt. I followed the two, watching as Matt silently set Mariah's purse down beside her. I hurried over to her, as she started crying again, and dragged her up before rushing us to her Mustang.

When we got there she broke into hysterics again and I realized it was nearly impossible for her to drive like this. I tired to calm her down again but I was too angry myself, before I noticed Matt's Celica pull up behind us and stop. A few seconds later both Matt and Michael were getting out of the car and walked over to Mariah's.

"Get in mine," Matt said monotonously to Mariah, half pulling the hysterical girl out of her car. She listened and quickly went and sat in Matt's Celica. He followed her and they soon drove off, leaving me with Michael. I glared at him, realizing he had to drive me back to Matt's house and he looked hesitant, and even a little scared of me.

He got in slowly and started the car before taking a deep breath and looking over to me. I continued my glare and held it the whole way back to Matt's house. He did his best to not notice but it was very obvious I was making him uncomfortable.