Unraveled Read Online Free PDF Page A

not sticking around, Blayre.”
    “What do you
mean?”
    “I'm leaving
tomorrow morning to go live with extended family. My mom knows about the baby but
she doesn't know the rest. I told her I can't stay here after Blake's death,
that I need to be somewhere without his memories haunting me wherever I go.
She's been pretty understanding about it.”
    Paige is
leaving me. I'm devastated but I try to hide it. “Where are you moving to?”
    “I can't
tell you that.” She bites her lip, her gaze shying away from me.
    “Why not?”
    “Blayre,
this baby could be Ethan's. If he finds out I'm pregnant, there's no telling
what he might do. I'm leaving and protecting this baby. You have ties to Ethan
through Cole...”
    “So you're
just going to up and leave?” I ask as I stare at her with amazement. My stomach
clenches painfully. “You don't want any sort of contact with me?”
    She shakes
her head, her guilty gaze meeting mine. “You're the best friend I've ever had
but now this baby has to come first. I hope you understand.”
    I can't sit
still, so I rise to my feet and walk to the living room window that overlooks
the street below. I'm upset that Paige is cutting me out of her life completely
like yesterday's trash. I get that she's protecting herself and the baby, but
she has to know I'd never betray her. I figure it's pointless to argue. I can
see the determination in her eyes and if Paige is set to sever all ties with
me, then that is what she's going to do. I guess maybe we hadn't been as close
as I thought. If this is what it felt like to be burned by a friend, it totally
sucked.
    “I'm sorry,”
Paige says softly.
    I turn and
look where she still sits on the couch. It's hard not to look at her accusingly
as I say, “Why didn't you tell me this earlier?”
    “I made up
my mind yesterday. I wanted another day with you before I left. I suppose it
was selfish.”
    “No, I get
it,” I say quietly. Even though I'm upset with how things are going down, I can't
fault her for wanting to protect her baby.
    “I feel like
such a bitch. I just...Ethan scares me, Blayre.”
    This was her
last day in town and I did not want to spend it fighting. I walk over and sit down
next to her. “It's okay. Moving is probably the best thing you can do
considering what kind of guy Ethan is,” I say lightly as I shove aside my
disappointment.
    “I hope the
baby is Blake's. We had a very active sex life up until that night with Ethan.”
She shudders before saying, “I'm hoping that one time with Ethan wasn't...you
know.”
    “If it is
Ethan's, will you be able to handle that?”
    “I've
thought about it,” she admits. “Just because the baby might have his DNA,
doesn't mean he or she will turn out to be like him.”
    “What about
school?”
    “I'm
thinking I'll be due the beginning of July. I'll go to school and finish my
senior year so I can graduate. I'm sure I won't be the first girl to graduate
while being pregnant. It won't be fun, but I'll do it.”
    I can’t
believe how much Paige has managed to pull herself together in such a short
period of time. I haven't given her enough credit. She's tougher than I'd
originally thought her to be.
***
    It didn't
really hit me until I got home that the only person I could really count on now
is Cole. Paige was leaving and I'd messed up my friendship with Noah. And as
for Tate, I never allowed myself to get close to him. It was just me and Cole
now. He knew all the worst parts of me and yet he still stood by my side.
    I'm relieved
to find that Tate is long gone since his shift started at four. As for Noah, I
was too tired to figure out if he was home or not. As I make my way up to my
room, my chest is heavy and it aches. Paige is officially out of my life for
good and even though I still have Cole, I feel alone and abandoned.
    The
abandonment is a little ironic since I've brought this on myself. I joke and
tease with my brother but actually letting him in emotionally or confiding