Hi guys. I just couldn't not post this one, I've had this idea for a while and I know I should be finishing my other stories but I couldn't resist. The aim for this story is for it to be quite short & also, shorter chapters so updates can be frequent. This will not detract from The Ties That Bind either.

Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think xoxo

SECOND CHANCES

Prologue

2nd June 2011

He smells like cheap aftershave and alcohol. The low grunts of pleasure in my ears are so loud, and the heavy bass travelling up the stairs is giving me a headache. I'm at Kate's house now. It's the after party and everyone is either getting drunk, high, or having sex like rabbits against white walls.

Most are doing all three.

I lost Kate a while back when she started to French kiss a guy she's never spoken to. She told me that I have to embrace this moment, to cherish it forever, because were only going to be 18-year-old graduates once. I'm trying to do what she says because part of me thinks she's right. Maybe I do need to let loose sometimes and just relax. I've never been considered the fun one amongst my friends. That's always been reserved for Kate. But even though I'm trying, it doesn't feel genuine. Nothing feels real.

This is not me. This is not who I am. Why should I have to change?

"You feel so good Ana. Baby I'm going to come," he whispers raggedly into my ears.

Already? It's been like, two minutes. Not that I'm counting down the hours until it's over or anything.

And then he does.

He plants a quick kiss to my lips, pulls my dress down, and passes out on the pillow next to me. He didn't even bother to remove my clothes. Does it count as sex if we weren't even naked?

The tears fall from my eyes unexpectedly. Hot, heavy and endlessly.

Like a waterfall.

Harry Quinn is, well was, my boyfriend. We've been dating for about 13 months, since the end of junior year. I know he's wanted sex for a long time, but I knew I didn't love him.

You're not supposed to have sex for the first time with somebody you're not in love with, right?

That's what I've always been taught. That's what I've always believed. I know that the notion may be dated, and somewhat lame to most people, but that's just me. I can't change the way I feel or think.

But I did do it with him. Three weeks ago at prom. I finally gave in because all of my friends were telling me I was being a lousy girlfriend. I didn't want to be a bad girlfriend. Plus, part of me just wanted to get it over and done with.

The anticipation, the nerves, and the expectations...I just couldn't wait for it to be over already.

I cry as I stare at the positive pregnancy sticks between my fingers. I have to keep one hand gripped firmly onto the edge of the sink so that my knees do not buckle and I don't fall.

I try to control my breathing but sharp gasps and breathless hiccups are the only things escaping from my mouth.

Eventually, the sobs cease, and I curl up into a little ball on the bathroom floor with my head in my hands.

I feel sick, I feel scared. For a moment, I'm torn between laughing and crying.

It feels like I'm dying.

By the time I emerge from the bathroom I am a ruined mess. My eyes are puffy and my voice is horse. I look like I've been run over or caught in some sort of accident.

"I'm sorry dad," I manage to breathe out. "I never meant for this to happen."

He looks at me gravely. The disappointment I feel coming from him washes over me like a tornado. I can't even meet his eyes and I feel like the world's biggest failure. He's been so amazing to me over the years, he's loved me so much and he has always been there to dry my tears and look after me. And this is how I repay him. By becoming a teenage mother.

Then, suddenly, his arms are around me, holding me close. I cry harder because I know I don't deserve any type of affection.

"Shh. Don't cry. Everything's going to be okay Ana." He says in a broken voice.

The warmth and scent of his sweater reminds me of safety and security, just like when I was a little girl. It reminds me of his undying love. His promises to always be there for me.

"I'm sorry." That's all I can say. I don't know what else I'm supposed to say.

I'm so scared. I've only just graduated from high school. What am I supposed to do? How can I take care of a baby by myself? Harry has a place at an Ivy League school in Connecticut; Yale. He would never ever give up his dreams and quit to stay stuck in Seattle looking after a child. And to be honest, I wouldn't expect him to. He didn't ask for this after all.

But neither did I.

All I did was try to be a good girlfriend. Just try to be like all of my other friends. Having sex for the first time after some kind of dance was cliché and yet, a right of teenage passage at the same time. For once in my life, I had just tried to fit in. I laugh humourlessly at how much that silly idea has backfired. What are the odds of this happening? Why am I so unlucky?

As if reading my mind, Ray whispers comfortingly in my ear.

"I'm here for you Annie. Always. You got that?"

"Yeah," I cry.

I didn't know how much I needed to hear that right now. The reassurance that my dad was there for me, that he wasn't going to abandon me.

"We'll get through this, I promise you. Okay?"

I hug him harder.

"Okay."

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