Season 3

Episode 1: Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Summary: Ricky and Ashley share a moment, Ben decides what happens with Adrian isn't his decision, and Grace lets her rebellious side show. And Ashley's pregnant?!

Ricky Underwood sat at the Juergens' kitchen table, bouncing his son on his knee. The house was dead silent, which was eerie if you considered what went on in the household normally. John wiggled a little in the teenager's lap, signaling he wanted attention. Ricky chuckled under his breath and hoisted the toddler up to eyelevel.

"What do you want? Huh? What do you want?" He cooed playful, a grin taking over his stony features. The little boy giggled and grasped at his father's nose.

"Do you want daddy's nose?" the elder boy replied. The toddler squealed and giggled again.

"Ricky? When did you get here?" Ashley Juergens gasped from the doorway of the kitchen. She pulled her robe tighter to her body before entering.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Ricky muttered as he set John in the highchair. Ashley looked around the fridge door at him.

"Do what?" She asked, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusing.

"Get all self conscious." He replied simply. John watched the two with bright, curious eyes. The girl turned back to the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs.

"You hungry?" she mumbled. Ricky sighed and shook his head.

"I can make breakfast, you just go sit down." He responded standing up. Ashley gave a loud, annoyed sigh.

"I asked if you were hungry." She snapped, "I didn't ask you to make me breakfast." Ricky stopped in his tracks and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "yes, I am hungry."

"Okay, fine." She muttered. She cracked a few eggs into a bowl before massacring them with a wire whisk. The only sound in the room was that of the eggs sloshing around in the glass bowl, for almost 5 minutes no one said a word.

"Are you alright, Ashley?" he inquired, placing his hands opposite the bowl on the island.

"I'm good." She replied. She poured the eggs into the skillet that was sitting on the stove next to her.

"You've been ignoring me since Leo and Betty's wedding." He noted quietly. Ashley suddenly found the bubbles in the eggs much more interesting than her surroundings. Ricky groaned and covered his eyes before taking a deep breath.

"What exactly did I do?" he asked. The room stayed silent for a moment as Ashley pondered what to say.

"You didn't do anything," Ashley finally responded. He laughed a dry, humorless laugh before his fist came down on the countertop, causing the girl to jump.

"Don't lie to me, Ashley." He muttered.

"You didn't do anything, honest. It was everyone else. I can't talk to you without someone thinking… oh never mind, just forget it." She grumbled.

"Without someone thinking what exactly?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Without someone thinking we are sleeping together." She finished quietly. The eggs sizzled loudly in the pan and sent off smoke signals to the couple. Ashley cursed under her breath and chucked the spatula across the room. John began to wail, he arms waving wildly in the air. Ricky rushed to his son and scooped him up, rocking him back and forth, whilst gently cooing to the boy. Ashley, who was still caught up in her own world, dumped the eggs in the trashcan before chucking the pan into the sink on top of the spatula. She snatched the whisk off the counter and tossed it into the glass bowl, which she thrust into the sink. The bowl hit the edge of the counter instead of landing in the basin and shattered. Chunks of glass landed on the floor, shattering themselves around the teenage girl.

"Damn it!" she shrieked, tears running down her cheeks. Ricky stood there, stunned momentarily. John ceased crying and blinked a few times at his aunt. Ashley dropped to her hands and knees, attempting to gather the glass into a pile.

"Let me help you," Ricky said as he set John back in the highchair. Ashley shook her head at him and muttered something under her breath.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I said that I've got it," she seethed. Ricky stared at her, watching intently as she scooped the broken pieces of and tossed them into the trashcan.

"What's going on in here?" Amy demanded as she stifled a yawn. Ricky jumped and whipped around to face the other girl.

"Ashley was just cooking breakfast," he mumbled. Amy let out a loud laugh.

"You let her near the stove?" she asked. Ricky raised an eyebrow at John's mother.

"She burns water… and obviously eggs as well." Amy jabbed at her sister. Ashley glared at her, before stalking out of the room.

Scene Change

Benjamin Boykewich sat on his bed, his head in his hands. His father loomed over him with his hands placed on his hips.

"How could you let this happen?" the eldest Boykewich demanded. Ben flinched at the outburst and shook his head.

"I don't know," he muttered pathetically. Leo stared at his son in complete shock. He was the voice of reason in all the drama, but for once he was at a loss.

"Are you going to keep it?" He asked quietly. Ben lifted his head from his hands to look at his father.

"That's Adrian's choice, not mine." He responded. Leo's jaw clenched and his hand curled into fists. He forced long ragged breaths through his teeth to maintain control.

"It's Adrian's choice? It's Adrian's choice? Then why wasn't it Amy's choice? You felt the need to throw your two cents into that confrontation and now you'll let the mother of your child decide its fate?" Leo yelled; his entire face was purple with anger.

"I don't have a say in this, it's just another Amy situation." Ben argued. Leo glared daggers at his son, his control composure faltering.

"This is your child, your flesh and blood, someone created because of your doing what you please. This is not another Amy situation." He roared as he threw his hands up in the air. Betty winced in the doorway of the bedroom.

"May I come in?" she asked shyly. Leo looked over at her and his expression softened a little.

"Maybe that isn't the best idea," he offered kindly.

"I understand, I was just thinking… maybe I could help." She responded before ducking out of the sight.

"Betty, come back." Ben called; the blonde popped her head back into the room.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Go on," he urged. She smiled and entered the room. Her eyes darted from her husband to her stepson.

"This is another Amy situation, in a way." She offered. Leo groaned and covered his eyes with his hands.

"The difference though," she continued, "is that you aren't the Ben in the situation anymore, you're the Ricky." Betty's words stung as they registered in Ben's mind.

"Do you understand?" she prompted.

"Yes." He whispered.

"If Ricky were to let Amy decide… well, then John wouldn't be around, would he?" Betty ventured, "So I suggest you talk to Adrian."

Scene Change

Madison Cooperstein fiddled with the hem of her shirt, watching her hands intently. Jack smiled down at her, his hands brushing her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. She nodded vigorously, but didn't bother to look up at her boyfriend.

"Really?" he prompted as he began to massage her shoulders. Madison heaved a loud sigh before finally lifting her head to look at him.

"It broke, Jack! It broke!" she cried, she buried her face in her hands.

"I know, I know." He soothed, continuing to massage the tense muscles in her shoulders. Madison sobbed into her hands, her entire body shaking.

"It'll be okay," he murmured softly.

"No it won't," she responded, "What if I'm pregnant? Like Amy and Adrian."

"It's only be a couple days," he said, "you don't know anything for sure." Madison looked up at him with red, blood shot eyes.

"That's not answering my question, Jack." She muttered. He averted his eyes to the bedspread, tracing the patterns carefully.

"You don't want it," she wailed as she moved away from him, "you're going to let me go through this by myself."

"I didn't say I didn't want it, Madison," he argued.

"But you don't! I can see it in your eyes." She responded.

"I don't know right now." He said finally, "We don't even know if you're pregnant yet." Madison gapped at her boyfriend, at a loss for words.

"I… I have to go." She mumbled as she snatched up her purse.

Commercial Break

Grace Bowman sat at the breakfast table, her eyes fluttering closed. The timer chirped eagerly from the microwave, causing her to jump back. She opened the microwave and pulled out the bowl of soup before sitting back down. She stirred it, a blank stare on her face.

"Grace? Earth to Grace," Her mother joked from the stove.

"Huh?" Grace mumbled, blinking a few times. She took a spoon full of soup in her mouth before looking at her mother.

"You look half dead," her mother commented, "are you alright?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," she responded.

"That's not very convincing," her mother pushed. Grace sighed and slammed her spoon down into her soup.

"I'm going to school, mom." Grace snapped as she stood up from the table. She dropped the bowl in the sink and stomped up the stairs.

Scene Change

Ricky pulled out of the driveway with Ashley in the passenger seat. She chewed her bottom lip as she stared out the window.

"You realize that showing up at school in my car isn't going to help the rumors any… right?" he muttered. Ashley turned her gaze to him and shrugged.

"I'd rather ride to school with you then listen to Amy rant and rave all the way to the nursery." She responded with a sigh. Ricky chuckled and glanced over at her.

"I understand, believe me, I understand." He agreed. Ashley reached over and flipped on the radio. Ashley cringed as R&B music blasted through the speakers.

"You listen to this crap?" Ashley asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Amy," he murmured. Ashley laughed in response before scanning the channels. She settled on a classic rock station.

"You listen to this?" Ricky inquired taking his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her.

"Yes," she replied, "surprised?"

"Not really," he decided as he turned his eyes back to the road. Ashley smirked at him and crossed her arms. Ricky began to hum to the next song that the station played and his humming was soon accompanied by Ashley singing. The Juergens' house was only 5 minutes away from the school, so they were there in no time. Ashley sang the last line of the song right before Ricky cut the engine.

"We're here," he pointed out. The girl rolled her eyes at him.

"I didn't notice," she commented sarcastically. He chuckled at her and got out of the car. Ashley was still gathering her stuff when he opened her door as well.

"I could have got that," she muttered, glaring up at him. Ricky shrugged and smirked at her before slamming the door shut again. He watched through the window as Ashley's jaw dropped.

"That wasn't rude at all," she snapped after she got out of the car. Ricky was practically rolling on the ground laughing.

"You said you could have got it," he reminded her.

"But I didn't mean shut the door!" she shrieked. Ricky sobered up a little to take in the look on her face.

"Look, Ash, I'm sorry. It was a joke, honest." He apologized. She smirked at him.

"Someone's turning into a sap." She sang and walked off, leaving a blushing Ricky Underwood in her dust.

Scene Change

"Amy!" Griffin called walking over to her, "Have you seen Ashley?" Amy finished dialing in her combination before turning to face him.

"I live with her; of course I have seen her." She joked. Griffin rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, very funny. Didn't she ride to school with you?" he tried.

"No, she rode with Ricky." She replied with a shrug. Griffin's jaw clenched.

"You let her ride with him?" he demanded. Amy blinked at the sudden outburst before grabbing her books out of her locker.

"Well, yeah… I didn't see a good reason not to." She replied nonchalantly. Griffin punched the locker.

"She's in love with him! Isn't that a good enough reason?" he snapped. Amy backed up a few steps before busting out laughing.

"Ashley? My sister Ashley in love with Ricky?" she giggled. Tears were streaming from her eyes she was laughing so hard.

"It's not funny," Griffin yelled. Not even a minute later, the front doors burst open to reveal Ashley and Ricky. They were laughing and smiling… it was quite incriminating. Amy ceased laughing and gapped at the pair.

"What?" Ashley asked, her eyes darting from Amy to Griffin and back.

"How could you?" Amy demanded before slamming her locker and storming off.

"What's going on?" Ricky asked Griffin.

"Don't give me that innocent act; I thought you were better than that Ashley." Griffin growled as he too stomped off. Ashley's jaw dropped.

"What exactly did I do that was so bad?" she yelled after him. The boy stopped in his tracks and turned back to look at Ricky and Ashley before scoffing at them and continuing to walk away. Ashley felt her eyes welling up with tears for the second time that morning. Ricky pulled her into a hug and rubbed comforting circles on her back. This gesture of friendship didn't go unnoticed by Madison and Lauren who were standing a few lockers down.

Scene Change

Amy let out a muffled, frustrated scream and stopped her feet, earning many strange looks from her peers.

"Amy, I really don't have time for this," Ben complained, covering his eyes with his hands. Amy glared at him.

"Then go," she snapped, "go be with that whore." Ben's breathing sped up and his head began to throb uncontrollably.

"Don't say that." He warned. Amy raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Whore." She repeated. Ben's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed.

"Bitch." He snapped and walked off. Amy's eyes widened in shock and her jaw fell slack. Ben… her Ben, just called her a bitch!

"Amy?" Jack asked waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked rapidly as raised her gaze to meet his.

"What do you want?" Amy seethed. Jack raised his hands in a surrendering motion and back away slowly.

"Just wondering if you were alright." He responded. Her face expression softened a little and she sighed.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Jack looked around awkwardly before pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Wanna tell me what happened?" he soothed. She shook her head and pulled away.

"Just something Ben said." She explained sniffling. Jack's eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"What'd he say?" he inquired, looking down at her.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered. Jack shrugged and let the topic go.

"The bells about to ring." He noted motioning to the clock. Amy turned around to glance in that general direction.

"Thank you, Jack." She whispered before pressing a kiss to his cheek and walking towards the bathroom.

Commercial Break

Ashley sat the lunch table farthest from the rest of them picking at her sandwich. She could feel eyes drilling into the back of her skull.

"Is this seat taken?" Ricky asked. She looked up at him and shrugged.

"If you sit there it will be," she muttered. He smirked and sat down across from her.

"What are you eating?" he inquired.

"Nothing." She replied and returned to picking at her sandwich.

"Obviously…," he joked. Ashley raised her gaze to his once more and let it stay there.

"I told you we'd find her with him." Madison said to Lauren. Ashley jumped, clearly startled by the sudden interruption. The two girls took a seat across from Ricky and Ashley.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ricky demanded raising his chin. Madison rolled her eyes.

"You think you're so intimidating," Lauren quipped staring at him, "you really aren't you know."

"What do you guys want?" Ashley asked, her eyes focusing on the orange table beneath her elbows.

"Oh, nothing." Lauren lied as she played with the mush on her tray.

"I thought we were going to ask-," Madison said, confusion lacing her voice.

"Nothing." Lauren interrupted loudly. Ricky glared at the two.

"You are both really bad liars, you know, now either clear up your business here or leave." He barked, stabbing his lunch with his fork. Madison and Lauren shot him and dirty look before standing up with their trays and moving to a different table.

"They are really annoying." Ashley commented with a laugh.

"You're telling me," he muttered rolling his eyes, "So… uh, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I'm always fine." She replied bitterly. She dropped her sandwich on the table and leaned on her elbows.

"Do you want me to set the rumors straight? I can set the rumors straight." Ricky offered.

"No. I like the world thinking I'm sleeping with my nephew's father." Ashley snapped, glaring at him. Ricky chuckled at her sarcasm.

"Okay then, I will tell everyone it's a lie." He said with a smile. Ashley couldn't fight the urge to grin back.

"What?" Ricky asked with a laugh.

"You smiled," she noted, "Really smiled."

"I smile all the time," he argued.

"Only with John." She pointed out, "This is the first time I've ever seen the smile reach your eyes, except with him."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He inquired. Ashley shrugged and laughed a little.

"It means you're a very good actor." She decided, tracing circles on the table with her finger.

"And you, Ash, are a very good actress." He said taking her hand. Ashley's spine stiffened.

"I… I… uh… I… I'm sorry," she mumbled before standing up and walking away.

Scene Change

Grace looked around the empty hallway and heaved a sigh. It was quiet, which was very abnormal for a public school. Grace liked the quiet. She twirled the bathroom pass in her hands, deciding whether or not she wanted to even move from where she was.

"Miss Bowman," Wilameena Bink called from her office. Grace groaned and walked into the office.

"Yes, ma'am." She replied looking at the odd guidance counselor.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" the counselor accused, her nose buried in a stack of paper work.

"No, ma'am," Grace countered waving the bathroom pass at the woman. Ms. Bink glared up at the blonde.

"You weren't in the bathroom, now were you?" she argued. Grace rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"I was on my way." She muttered.

"And whose class are you coming from?" the counselor inquired.

"Mrs. Salve, you know, the new math teacher." Grace snapped. Ms. Bink shot the student a dirty look.

"Then you shouldn't be down this hallway, there is a girls bathroom near the gymnasium and we both know that's much closer to her classroom." The counselor snapped. Grace shrugged her shoulders.

"Now, get to class before I give you a detention." Bink growled.

"Ooh, a detention, I'm scared." Grace mocked under her breath as she exited the office.

"Tomorrow after school, till 6." Bink called after her.

Scene Change

The final bell rang and Ashley snatched her stuff off of her desk. She filed out of the class room behind the rest of her peers, like normal. People laughed as she walked by, eyes trained on her. She shrugged the attention off and concentrated on opening her locker instead.

"Ashley, why didn't you tell me?" Amy demanded; slamming her sister's locker closed again.

"Tell you what?" Ashley questioned raising an eyebrow before she turned back to her locker. Half way through her combination Amy yanked her arm.

"Don't act like you don't know." Amy barked, glaring at her. Ashley let out a frustrated groan.

"If I knew I wouldn't be asking you! Now what the hell is going on?" Ashley yelled. Amy clenched her jaw before unclenching it to speak.

"You and Ricky." She explained.

"Oh my god, that's it? Really?" Ashley exclaimed throwing her hands in the air, "I talked to him at the wedding, big freaking deal!"

"Ashley, I know better than anyone, you don't get pregnant by just talking." Amy growled.

Roll Credits