I can't believe we're already at chapter 50! I hope that y'all enjoy it! 

The week passes quickly, and is surprisingly Blue-Eyes free. I'm not completely sure how I feel about it, either. A small part of me feels like I need to see him, to find some sort of closure at least. I know it's just the heartbroken dweeb coming out in me, but I just want to know where he is and whether or not he's okay. 

I just...

A heavy sigh interrupts my thoughts. I glance over at Amanda, who is stretched out across my bed like a worm, wrapped in my blankets. She kind of reminds me of a burrito. Kylie sits on the edge of her mattress, eyeing Amanda warily. 

"What?" I break the silence.

Amanda wiggles her toes. "We should go to the pool," her voice is muffled behind the mass of blankets. 

I stare at her. "The pool?"

She abruptly sits upward and the cocoon of blankets fall. The material bunches around her waist. She flashes me a smile. "Yeah! The pool!" Her eyes flash toward Kylie, whose eyes widen with surprise. "There's this killer pool in Kylie's neighborhood, and I've always wanted to go."

I simply stare at Amanda. 

Kylie's eyebrows furrow. Her gaze darts toward the window behind me. "Aren't we like...ten feet away from the beach?" 

"Shut up," Amanda snaps. She pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "The pool is cooler. There's a massive water-slide." 

I roll my eyes. 

Kylie arches an eyebrow in amusement. "The beach is free. We'd have to pay a membership fee in order to have access to the pool." 

Amanda pauses. "You don't have access to the pool? I thought you did..."

The blonde bombshell snorts. "No!" Kylie shakes her head and struggles not to laugh. "I don't live in the same neighborhood as Seth. We live in a condo close to the beach." 

Amanda's pout deepens. 

"Let's just go to the beach," I suggest with an amused smirk. A day spent at the beach sounded nice right now, even if my stomach was a little larger than normal. I ease out of my computer chair and make my way toward my closet in search of my bathing suit. Amanda practically rolls out of the bed and inches toward her backpack on the floor. 

"I was prepared for a situation like this," she announces as she opens the bag. She worms through it and then withdraws her hand, producing a bundle of striped lime green and white. 

I roll my eyes and disappear into my closet, silently shutting the door behind me. As I rummage through the drawers for my collection of bathing suits, I hear Kylie sigh loudly. "Do you have to change out here?" she asks. "There's a bathroom right over there." 

Amanda snickers. "I'm quite comfortable with my sexuality. Are you?"

I press my lips into a firm line and pull out an old two piece. It's kind of frilly at the top, and colored a dark black with cobalt blue highlights. I drag a tattered t-shirt out as well. I'm still not really big, but I feel like I am. The last thing I need is any kind of awkward stares from people at the beach. 

As I change, I hear Kylie fluster, and grumble under her breath, "Get in the bathroom, dammit. You're such a freak." 

And then Amanda snickers. 

"Yo," I call, as I wiggle into the bikini bottoms. "Stop flirting out there. It's messing with my morning sickness." 

I can almost hear Kylie scowl through the door. 

As I walk back into my room, the hem of my t-shirt brushing the tops of my thighs, Kylie glances me over. She squints. "Why the t-shirt? You look great."

I shrug. 

Amanda enters the room then, and throws her arms into the air. "Let's go play in the water, kiddies!" 

Kylie shifts around awkwardly. "I don't have a bathing suit." 

"You can borrow one of mine," I say, and disappear back into my closet. I grab the bunch and bring them back into my room, tossing them onto the bed. "Take your pick." 

"At least you'll fit," Amanda grumbles under her breath and picks up a bright orange top. She pouts. "You skinny twigs. I'd break this in half." 

Kylie shakes her head and snatches a set from the bed. She disappears into the bathroom. I eye Amanda wearily. "You okay?"

Her gaze is glued to the bathroom door. "She'll crack. Eventually." 

I arch my eyebrow with curiosity. Amanda's gaze flickers toward me, and she shoots me a playful smile. "What?" she asks innocently. "She's not that stuck up once you get to know her." 

I roll my eyes. "You're ridiculous." 

Kylie reappears, clad in my bikini. It's a soft pink thing with a bow on the butt. It suits her. 

We grab a bunch of towels and lather our skin in sunscreen. My mother bids us a cheerful goodbye as we make our way out my backdoor, and down toward the public beach. While we could stay near my backyard, it was safer near a lifeguard. Luckily for us, there wasn't one too far away. 

Amanda spreads out her towel near the lifeguard station. I found it a bit strange; there was plenty of beach. Kylie and I copy Amanda, and I watch her as she walks toward the lifeguard chair. She talks to him, and, as I peer up at the lifeguard through the rays of harsh sunlight, I realize that I recognize him too. 

"Hey," I say as I approach. 

Trash-can flashes me a boyish grin. "Hey there! Long time no see!" He seems genuinely delighted to see me, which makes me smile. He eases down from the massive --and somewhat cliche stand-- to stand in front of us. His skin is paler than the sand, but his muscles are larger than I'd expected them to be. "How have you been?" he asks me. He shoves his hands into the front pockets of his bright red trunks. "I heard about what happened."

I glance at Amanda uneasily. She shrugs at me. "I'm fine, I guess," I say slowly. My thoughts flicker back to the prank that was played on my locker, and I wonder what he thought of that. Instinctively, my hand covers my stomach. 

Kylie loops her arm through mine, and then holds her free hand out toward Trash-Can. "I'm Kylie. I'm sure we've probably met before, back when I was a bitch. I just wanted to reintroduce myself. It's nice to meet you." She smiles widely. 

Trash-Can eyes her for a few moments, and then his gaze flickers toward my face, and then Amanda's. Something in our expressions causes him to relax. He smiles widely back at Kylie and takes her hand. "I'm Eric. It's nice to meet you, again," he says. 

Amanda folds her arms and pouts. "Hey, don't flirt with my almost girlfriend." 

Kylie's eyes go wide. Her cheeks flush a bright red and she glares at Amanda. "You...!" 

A snort sounds from behind me. It's unfamiliar, and yet at the same time, I know it all too well. Kylie and Amanda stiffen. Trash-Can's eyes become hard. I turn around and spy the familiar faces of the twins, Zach and Tyler. I'd seen them several times before with Blue-Eyes. 

Not that I can tell them apart or anything. 

One of them arches an eyebrow. "Are you sure you should be out right now?" 

"Yeah," the other one pipes. "I heard that going to the beach could be dangerous for a pregnant woman." 

The other snorts again. "Only if we're on it." 

They share a wicked look and I feel an hand grab my arm. Shock bristles through me, and for a few moments I think that I'm got. Then I realize that Trash-Can has just pulled me behind him. His hands are clenched into tight fists. 

"Maybe once you two have grown up, then you can come back. But for now, I'm kicking you off the beach. Get out." 

The twins roll their eyes, and share another look. One of them folds their arms across their chest; the massive muscles in his arm bulges, courtesy of high school football practice. I glare at them from behind Trash-Can. 

"Come on, dude," the other retorts. "We're just poking some fun. We have the right considering everything that she's put our buddy, Seth, through."

I almost leap over Trash-Can to take them out. 

Kylie's grip on my arm tightens. "It's not worth it," she whispers in my ear. "They aren't worth it." 

Amanda growls curses under her breath. 

Trash-Can cuts her off. "You both should probably retake sex-ed, then. It takes two to tango," he says evenly, and takes a step forward. "Now get off my beach." 

Another lifeguard hoots his whistle, and the twins grumble under their breath as they shuffle away. Trash-Can watches them leave and then turns to us, his jaw clenched. I wrinkle my lips into a firm line and watch his expression carefully. 

His eyes meet mine, and the anger fades. 

"Stop flirting, Eric," the other lifeguard --an older man, with his whistle still half hanging from his mouth-- hollers. He shoots the teen a knowing look and then turns around to walk back down the beach. 

Trash-Can lets out a defeated sigh. He glances at me again, and shoots me a smile. "We should hang out sometime." 

I gape at him, shocked. "But I'm pregnant," I blurt out before I stop myself. What teenage guy would be interested in a girl who's pregnant with another guy's kid? 

Trash-Can looks like he's trying not to laugh. "So I've heard," he muses, patiently. A few moments of silence pass between us, and I realize that Amanda has dragged Kylie off toward the water. 

I fold my arms across my stomach. "I...don't know." 

"You don't have to," Trash-Can smiles. "It was just a suggestion. I know that you're probably a bit wary of the guy species right now." He grabs the wooden plank ladder that leads toward his chair. He glances at me. "Amanda has told me a lot about you."

Something in my expression causes him to hurriedly add, "A lot of good things." 

I smile slightly. 

He starts to climb. Then he pauses and glances back at me. "You don't have to decide now. I'm willing to wait." 

I suck in a sharp breath. He climbs back up into his seat and flashes me another boyish smile. I press my lips into a firm line and turn around in search of Amanda and Kylie. 

"Hey," Trash-Can calls down to me. I glance back up at him from over my shoulder, and he winks. "That shirt looks great on you, by the way. Black Veil Brides is an awesome band." 

I glance back down at my t-shirt and try not to sigh again. "Stop trying to get into my pants," I call back up at him, wrestling for control over my lips so that they wouldn't stretch back into a wide smile. "Try again in nine months." 

"I will," Trash-Can laughs. 

I roll my eyes and go off in search of my friends. The last thing I need is another boyfriend.