Chapter 1

Pregnant.
Have you ever stared at a word for so long that the letters begin to merge together, blurring in your vision?
The hold I have on the white stick that has changed my life forever tightens and I feel my knuckles tense with the pressure. My eyes drift across the test result before flickering over to my boyfriend, Jake Melvin. He's watching me with fear in his usually bright blue eyes. His face drains of colour and he remains frozen to the spot —
"What does it say?" Jake murmurs quietly as his entire family stands in the doorway of the bathroom in complete shock, too stunned to speak. I don't need to look back down at the result to double check, the word will forever be carved in my mind.
"It's positive," I whisper in response, watching as the colour completely drains from his face. He stares back at me in complete shock and I continue trembling, unable to hold back my emotions.
"I'm pregnant." I add in disbelief, the words sounding foreign on the tip of my tongue. Jake and I are barely adults. . . How can we be responsible for an entire other human being?
"You should do another test. . . incase it's wrong." Jakes mother, Michelle says to me. I shake my head and hold up the test I'd took previously with the same result written on it.
"I've taken two. I'm definitely pregnant."
"Well damn." Tobias responds, breaking the silence. His dark eyes wonder over to me before flickering over to Jake who hasn't moved an inch. I turn to look at him, worrying thoughts filling my head.
"Jake?" I whisper, feeling a tear slide down my cheek. It rolls onto my bottom lip and I reach up, hastily wiping it away. Jake doesn't respond for several moments, too stunned to move or speak. Eventually he murmurs four words under his breath, darting out of the bathroom and down the stairs. I hear the front door bang and his presence immediately disappears. His words continue to repeat over and over again in my head —
"I need some space." 

*****
Jake's POV -
I pace through the dark streets, my mind a bundled up mess of confusion. The image of Emily crouched down on the bathroom floor holding the pregnancy test is etched inside my mind and I can't shake it from my thoughts. . .
I’m going to be a father.
My own left me when I was young and I'd grown up without a father figure. I'd recently left a gang that controlled my life for years and I was still recovering from the traumatic events of the past few months. My life isn't stable, definitely not stable enough for a child . . .
"Wrong timing. Complete wrong timing." I mutter to myself, running a hand over my face. My feet involuntarily takes me to a small area where I spent most of my childhood. As I turn the corner, my eyes land on the small gated off park in front of me. As children, Tobias and I spent hours creating imaginary games in here.
Looking at it years later, I almost laugh at the simplicity of it. A double swing set and a beaten down rusted swing completes the park's entertainment source and I marvel at how children are able to create the best memories with the most basic of items.
I head over to the swing in the far corner, dropping down onto it. My mind wonders back to Emily and I feel my heart tighten inside my chest as I picture her worried expression. Her large brown eyes filled with fear and dread that I couldn't fix. . .
I bow my head, feeling the weight of the world land itself on my shoulders. I've only been with her for months but I already know she's the one. When you know, you know. It's the way your heart reacts when you're around them or at the thought of them. It's the flutters in my stomach when she touches me or smiles in my direction. I smile faintly in the dark night at the memories I'd already created with her.
I breathe in sharply, feeling the cold air circle through my lungs and allow me to breathe easier. I push back on the swing, bending my legs in an awkward position so they don't scrape along the floors.
"I hate tiny seats," I mutter under my breath.
"If you swing high, it won't matter."
I almost jump out of my skin and my head snaps to the sound of the voice. I squint in the dark, my eyes falling on a small figure crouched next to the bin. My eyes widen as I take in her petite form, shivering in the cold. It's almost 1am on Christmas morning. . .
What is a child doing outside in the cold?