*GASP!*

"I can't believe that you would keep that a secret! From me of all people. Your very best friend in the whole universe!" My friend shouted, basically going ballistic on me. I lowered my head, waves of guilt and hormones crashing over me in waves. "Look, Aria, I really meant to tell you, but -" She waved her hand, abruptly cutting me off, "But what? I can't believe it. I would have told you if I was in your shoes. Well, your shoes wouldn't fit me, but thats not the point," She continued, full speed, "I just don't get it. So, you're pregnant, what would make you decide to not tell me?" She stopped pacing to peer at me oddly, "But that's not the full story, is it, Kym?" She sat next to me on the edge of my bed where only a year ago we had painted our nails, giggling over crushes, and did simple meaningless things like that.

"C'mon Kym. You can tell me. Whatever it is I won't tell, I promise." I shifted a little to make room for her on my bed. "Well, could you keep it a secret from yourself?" Aria shook her head at that useless question. "Please just tell me, or I'll think you don't trust me. " I sighed before leaning over and whispering in her ear. "NO. WAY. My brother? Really? How long have you been dating?" I tilted my head, thinking, "Almost three years next month." She jumped to her feet and her eyes practically quadrupled in size, "And you never thought to tell me?.?" She cussed and I covered my ears. "Aria, please!" She sat down again and gently slung her arm over my shoulder. "So how far along are you," I slumped again. "Six," She looked at me sideways, "Six weeks?" Aria asked. I shook my head, "Months."

"DUDE! WHAT!" She jumped up and started pacing as she ran her hand through her hair frantically, metal bracelets jangling, "How come I never noticed?" She paused before answering herself. "Well, you always wear sweatshirts and stuff so of course I wouldn't notice." Aria looked at me again, "The least I can do now is help you pick out a name. Such as, Ellie, Mia, Carly, Abby, Calla or Cora." I looked at her and smiled straightening, "Well I was thinking of Viviana, or Noe," Her eyes lit up, "Ooh, I like Noe best. I know, we should go shopping!" I laughed, a real one, not the fakes I had been using the past four months. I laughed because Aria's solution to everything is to go shopping. "Alright. Let's go."

"You sound so sad about it. Don't worry I'll get you some doughnuts or ice cream or just something sugary. So I was thinking the mall but now I'm thinking more like Antique World." I smiled. Aria was okay with antiques, but they were my passion. It was the exact opposite was with the mall. Aria would live for the mall, and I would avoid it like the plague. "Let's do this!"

A COUPLE HOURS LATER

"That. Was. AWESOME!" My younger brother yelled from downstairs after he won his little video game for the third time this month. "Bye Aria," I called as she trekked off down the road back to her home a few blocks away. "BYE ARIA!!!" My little brother Kaleb yelled up the stairs. I made my way down the stairs to the 'cave' where Kaleb was glued to his game. "Hey K. Whatcha doing?" His eyes didn't move from the screen as he made his character abruptly jump off a cliff. He then paused it and turned to me, "Super Mario Bros. Wanna play?" He asked hopefully, holding out a remote. I gave him a really sad Sorry-I'm-Sort-Of-Busy-Right-Now face before saying, "DUH! Who should I be?" He thought for a moment. "Blue Toad." He said confidently. I smiled, "Sounds perfect!" After ten minutes dad came down the stairs. "What's going on down here? A Mario marathon and you didn't invite me?" He gasped, making us laugh.

"Luigi's still available." I said tossing him a green remote. "I ordered some pizza, so it'll be here in twenty minutes." He announced checking his over-the-top watch. Kaleb started the game before asking all casual-like, "Will Lisa and Tessa be joining us again?" I stifled a giggle before taking the last yoshi. Lisa was one of dad's childhood friends who was trying to get a divorce. Kaleb, I'm pretty sure, has a MAJOR crush on Tessa, Lisa's daughter. "No," Dad shook his head be for snagging a flying power. "She mentioned that she would be working late all week." I smiled to myself. These are the moments that I love most in life. Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rang. "That'll be the pizza guy."

After all the food I told them that there was still a whole box of doughnuts upstairs, deciding not to mention he whole half box under my bed from two hours before when Aria and I got hungry. "DOUGHNUTS!!" Kaleb exclaimed happily running up the stairs. "Only one, sugar-bug!" Dad called after him. "Um, Dad, wait." He turned back to me. "Yeah, Kymberlee?" I shuffled my feet nervously, "Well, Dad, uh, there's, um, something that I need to tell you."

ONE LENGTHLY BUT FILLED WITH

LOVE CONVERSATION LATER

"Thanks so much for understanding, Dad." He nodded. "It must have been really hard for you to keep it a secret all that time." I smiled happily. "Now, let's go get some doughnuts before Kaleb eats them all!"

THAT NIGHT VIA TEXT

Aria: Have you told him yet?

Kym: Told who what yet?

Aria: Told my Bro, Arden,

that U R PG yet?

Kym: NO!

Aria: U R going to have to

tell him eventually.

Kym: Yeah, EVENTUALLY!

Aria: When U say 'eventually'

U really mean NEVER!

Kym: Yeah, what's wrong

with that?

Aria: It's wrong bc the

baby is his too!

Kym: please. NEVER say

that again. It's too weird.

Aria: no

Kym: If I tell him, will you?

Aria: Ok. until then. SPAM.

Aria: Its his too.

Aria: his too.

Aria: his too.

SWITCHING PoVs

I checked my phone for what felt like the hundred millionth time that day. Why can't I just pick up the phone, call her, and ASK! it's not THAT hard is it? TONS of people propose over the phone, I'm sure. ARRRRRRGH. Arden, you chicken. JUST DO IT!!!!

My fantastic train of thought was oddly interrupted by my younger twin sister, Aria, rudely barging into my peaceful sanctuary. "Hey Arden, has your girlfriend texted you yet?" She said so casually I began to reply, "Uh, no not today-" I sat up. "WAIT. how do you . . ." Aria smirked. "Kym told me." I decided NOT to ask.

My phone buzzed. It was a message from Kym. "Hey Aria, leave me be for, like, twenty minutes." Aria glanced suspiciously at my phone. "That better be Kym or I'll break down your door and burn your phone." I clicked the message and it read

Kym: Call me when you see this.

I really need to talk to you.

Please don't just ignore this.

Thanks. ;*

Wow. She's never seemed so . . . intent on calling me. I dialed her number and she almost immediately picked up. "Hey, Arden. I just really need to get this off my chest. Soyouknowthatnightforeverago,wellnowI'mexpectingandI'mreally sorrythatIdidn'tsayanythingaboutit,Ijustdidn'tknowhowtotellyou. I'mreallysorryandyoumaydumpmenow!" She said it so fast I almost thought that I had misheard her. "Wow. That's . . . a lot to take in. When are you due?" There was a faint pause and she said, "Like, three months." I hesitated. "Just give me a sec." I began internally happily cursing. I did it internally because I know that Kym doesn't like cussing. "Okay, Kym, I really hate to be doing this over the phone, but, uh, y'know I've been really wanting to say this for a LOOOOOOOONG time." She sighed. "If you are breaking up with me please just say so." I hurried on. "Well, um, Kymberlee Karrling. Will you marry me? I know that we are only Senior's but I think I want this to be forever." The line went dead for just a minute. "Duh, Kym? You there?" The line crackled back to life. "Yes." She whispered. "YES. YYYYYEEEEEEESSSS!" Aria barged back in, arms folded across her chest. "Took ya long enough."

THE OVER-EXCITED END