Kenzie's voice was hopeful, "I'll be on my way now, Mom." Her mother, Mrs. Penny, was skeptical, "You aren't going anywhere, Kenzie. It's late."
Kenzie's persistence paid off as she explained, "Oh, come on, Mom, it's just seven p.m. And the girls are waiting. We're having a sleepover, and did you forget, we're doing a project together?"
Mrs. Penny's resolve weakened, and she finally relented, "Fine. So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Kenzie's face lit up with excitement as she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.
Yes, thanks, Mom!" Kenzie said with a wide smile, her voice light and full of excitement as she grabbed her bag and dashed out the front door. The screen door clattered behind her, but she barely noticed. Her heart was racing, not with fear, but with anticipation. She had big news—life-changing news—and she needed to tell someone. But not just anyone. Jack.
Kenzie had told her mom she was heading to her friend's house for a sleepover, and technically, that wasn't a complete lie. She would go there later. First, she had to make a stop—one that weighed heavily on her mind.
Jack's house wasn't far, just a brisk walk through a few quiet streets. The evening sun cast long shadows across the sidewalks, the air still warm from the day. Kenzie walked quickly, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. Her thoughts were a tangled mess—how would he react? Would he believe her? Would he care?
As she reached Jack's place, her steps slowed. They had made a pact early on—not to come to each other's homes. It was part of the rules they set when they started seeing each other in secret. No parents, no drama, no complications. But this… this was bigger than the deal.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"What are you doing here?" Jack asked, his voice cold as he stared at Kenzie, clearly caught off guard.
Kenzie offered a half-smile, trying to push past him into the house. "Is that how you greet your girlfriend?"
But Jack didn't budge. His arm shot out, blocking the doorway. His expression hardened.
"You're not my girlfriend," he said flatly. "And before you say anything else—the deal is off. Stay away from me."
She froze. The words hit harder than she expected. But she couldn't back out now.
Jack's mind was racing. Kenzie showing up at his house was more than unusual—it was breaking the one rule they both agreed on from the beginning: no visits, no strings. The fact that she was standing here meant only one thing. Something was wrong, and whatever it was, he wasn't ready for it.
Kenzie drew in a shaky breath, her eyes on the ground. "Well, I'm sorry," she said, voice barely above a whisper, "but that won't be possible... because I'm pregnant with your child."
The world around them went still.
Jack blinked. "Excuse me?" he said, as if the words hadn't registered.
She slowly looked up at him. "You heard me," she said, steadier this time. "You're going to be a father."
His chest rose and fell with a long, frustrated sigh. He turned away for a moment, hand dragging down his face.
"How far along are you?" he asked, not looking at her—hoping, praying, this wasn't what it sounded like.
"I'm a month pregnant," Kenzie said quietly, her gaze fixed on the ground as if it might open up and swallow her.
Jack let out a short, sharp laugh of relief. "Good. Then go find the father of the child—because you and I both know I'm not responsible."
"You are—" she began.
"When was the last time we had sex?" Jack cut in, his voice suddenly sharp.
Kenzie's lips parted, but it took her a moment to respond. "Two weeks ago," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
Jack smirked, victory in his eyes. "Exactly. A month ago, we were all on holiday. I was in Virginia the whole time. So, no—this baby's not mine."
And without another word, he slammed the door in her face.
Kenzie stood there for a long moment, her eyes wide, her heart pounding in her ears. She wanted to scream, to cry, but neither came. She just stood still, the weight of rejection settling over her like a cold fog.
"What do I do now?" she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. "I can't tell my mom I'm pregnant… especially not for Zed."
She paused, the thought forming fully in her mind.
"No... he'll have to accept the pregnancy," she said with a sudden, small smile creeping onto her lips. "And I know just how he'll do it."
With that, Kenzie turned and walked away, heading toward her best friend's house, where the cover story of a sleepover was still waiting to be used.
Unbeknownst to her, Zed had been standing nearby, just out of sight, listening to every word exchanged between her and Jack. His heart was pounding—not with fear, but excitement. Kenzie was finally free of Jack. Maybe now, she'd be his.
Back inside the house, Jack flopped onto the couch, rubbing his temples. Zed walked in casually and sat beside him, the faintest trace of a smirk on his face.
"So…" Zed said, breaking the silence. "What'll you do now?"
"Gather witnesses. I know Kenzie will do something silly, so I have to be prepared. Will you be my first witness?"
"Of course I will," Zed replied. "I'm glad you've come to your senses."
"Me too. There's no fun in messing around with a useless girl for revenge. Kenzie's not worth it—she's already been with too many guys. I just hope Shawn doesn't make the stupid mistake of letting Mia go because of what happened."
"If I were Shawn, I'd be angry too," Zed said thoughtfully.
"I'd be angry as well, but there's no way Mia could have killed his mom. Shawn's just blinded by rage."
"We can't be sure. We don't know exactly what happened."
"Trust me. If Mia were guilty, I'd know. But she isn't."
"Sounds to me like you've fallen for her," Zed said with a smile.
"No—well, yes—but that's not why I'm on her side."
"Sure, I hear you," Zed replied sarcastically.
"Just forget it. I'm heading to Jade's place—I need to talk to him."
"Okay. Are you bringing him back with you?"
"Yeah, I will. Just let the other guys know. I'll talk to my dad later," Jake said, then walked out of the house.
*****
"Stop being childish, Mia. This decision is too rash," Tom said, trying to convince Mia not to move to Alaska with his twin sister.
"I've made up my mind, Dad. I'm not staying here any longer."
"Will you at least finish this term before leaving?"
"I can't."
"Please, Mia. I promise—if by the end of the term nothing has changed, I'll let you go without any objection."
(Sighs) "Fine. If things eventually die down, then I'll stay. If not, I'm leaving."
(Smiles) "Thank you."
"Don't thank me—or I might change my mind."
"Okay, I won't."
"I'm going to bed now. I've got to get up early for school," Mia said, then kissed her father on the cheek before heading to her room.
Tom dialed Hart's number and started walking to his room.
"Hey, I was able to convince her to stay until the term is over," he said once Hart picked up.
"That's great," Hart replied, "but I still can't get through to Shawn. I've tried, but he won't budge. I even asked his sister to talk to him, but he's still mad at her. He's so stubborn."
"Hopefully he'll come around."
"Hopefully. But that aside... there's an issue."
"What's wrong?"
"$LÅZENGER's new hideout was empty—nothing and no one was there."
"How's that possible?"
"I don't know. But that's not even the worst part. Investigations at the base revealed that Andrew has been murdered."
There was a pause as Tom took in the news.
"What?! By who?"
"$LÅZENGER."
"$LÅZENGER? But Andrew was behind it all! How's that possible?"
"Well... it looks like Andrew was innocent after all. His family really was kidnapped—just like Amber and—"
"Hold up. We can't talk about this over the phone. I'll come over—but not tonight. Tomorrow."
"Okay. Goodbye, then."
"Bye."
Tom hung up, his mind racing. What Hart had said didn't make any sense—but he forced himself to let it go for now. He was just relieved Livy wasn't home to overhear the conversation. He didn't want her involved. Not at all.