Avery's hand slid carelessly over the wooden railing, huge sunglasses covering her bloodshot eyes. She looked down over the ocean, enjoying the crashing of the waves and the smell of the sea breeze.
It was nice to be back in Laguna, away from her real life. The only drawback was that she could possibly run into Talan, but Lo had assured her Laguna was just a stop off before Trey, Dieter and Stephen took them to LA.
Avery sat down on the bench, resting her chin on her hands.
What was she going to do?
~*~*~*~
"Talan, I'll get her to give you a call," Lo said, trying to wipe the guilty look off her face. She had been hoping they wouldn't cross paths so that they could make a pain free getaway.
"Lo, first off, she freaks out in Cabo and then you guys disappear back to the Station and now you're back," Talan reasoned. "And I can only assume she's here with you, seeing as you're not back here with family. And don't lie, Lauren, coz I can tell when you're lying."
Lo bit her lip and glanced at LC, who was sipping nervously from her Starbucks cup. "Ok. She's here. But I'm not sure where."
That, at least, was the truth, Lo didn't know where Avery was at the moment. She'd just mentioned she was going to go for a walk, and LC and Lo had thought it would be better to let her have some time on her own. Of course, that was before they'd run into Talan and now realised what a mess this could become if Talan somehow found Avery before they did.
"Is there something going on that I don't know about? I mean, Trey and Stephen have been really weird..." Talan went on.
"No, it's nothing," LC piped up. "We're just umm... taking a trip, like... for..."
"Right, I want to know what's going on. Now."
~*~*~*~
Avery looked down at her phone as she got a message.
Talan's on his way, I'm sorry!
Lo.
"Avie?"
She didn't turn around, just flipped her phone back into her pocket and continued staring out across the beach. She pulled her sweatshirt tighter around her body, shivering from something that she was sure wasn't the cold.
"Talk to me, please."
He was sitting next to her now, their arms almost touching.
"Did Lo tell you?" Avery's voice cracked.
"No, she said it would be better if you explained." Talan peered at her, worry lines creasing his forehead. "Did something happen after Cabo? I thought... I thought you and JD were going to... didn't that work out?"
Her lip trembled as she tried desperately to form the words she wasn't sure she had the courage to say.
"I'm pregnant."
The air hung between them heavily, with Avery using every ounce of self control not to break down, and Talan sitting in shocked silence, his mouth slightly open.
"It's mine, isn't it?" he asked gently.
She nodded. "I'm sorry."
"No," Talan said, enfolding her into a hug. "I'm sorry."
They sat together for awhile, the silence only broken by Avery sniffing.
"Do you know what you are going to do?"
Avery shook her head. "No. I haven't even told JD. Or my family."
Talan bit his lip. "I... I want you to know that I'll be here for you... no matter what you decide and no matter what happens."
They lapsed into silence again, Talan's gaze steely as he stared out into the horizon.
"Thank you."
Talan and Avery
Talan led Avery into his room and they both climbed onto his bed, with Avery laying down against the pillows, and Talan just sitting up, resting against the headboard.
"Ave?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you scared?"
"Yeah."
Talan turned the tv on quietly, doing anything to try and distract them from the situation at hand.
"Talan?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you?"
"Yeah."
Avery rolled over and looked up at him. "What do you think I should do?"
"Aves, this is up to you," Talan replied, reaching over to squeeze her hand.
"It involves you too, though," she pointed out gently. "And I don't want to make a decision that you may end up hating me for."
"I could never."
"Thanks." Avery smiled sadly at him. "I mean it."
"So do I."
Talan wriggled down so that he was laying next to her, and he pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his chest and let out a deep breath.
"Thinking about JD?" he questioned.
Avery nodded. "I have to tell him. I have to tell Mom and Dad. I just... I can't yet. Not until I know what I'm going to do."
Talan simply nodded, rubbing her back softly.
"It would be crazy, wouldn't it? I mean, we're barely 15, we're not married, we're not even in a relationship... it would be crazy to go ahead with it, wouldn't it?" Avery bit her lip. "But I just can't... I can't terminate it. And I could never give it up for adoption at the end of the process. I just know I couldn't do it."
"I know what you mean," he told her. "And even though we're young, it's not the end of the world. Even though it seems really scary right now, we'll get through it."
"I hope so."