"I ran into Paige at a local bar and we got to talking."
"Paige at a bar, wow, I'm so shocked." Melissa replied crossing her arms.
"Mel, you haven't changed, still thinking you are better than me."
"That's where you are wrong, Paige. I know for a fact that I'm better than you. I'm not some whore who will sleep with anyone."
"Not anyone, your man." She giggled.
Melissa lunged at her, but Nick pulled her back.
"Paige, why don't you tell Mel what you told me?"
"After you left, I had your man daily, weekly, and monthly."
"Like, I'm going to believe anything she has to say. She's a liar and slut, Gavin."
"Nick, am I a liar?" Paige walked over to him, looking him up and down. "Did we not sleep together every week for over month? And didn't we date for over four months?" She asked walking around him.
"Okay, now I know for a fact that you are lying! Nick would never date the slut that broke us up, right Nick!?" Nick glared at Gavin, how could he do this to Melissa? She had been through enough, why cause her more pain.
Melissa broke away from his grasp and faced him. "Nick, tell them! Tell them that you wouldn't do that to me. Tell them!"
Finally he looked at her, knowing he couldn't keep this secret anymore.
"Nick, tell them!"
"I can't do that Mel."
Melissa could feel her heart drop and it was starting to get hard to breathe. "What?"
"After you left, I was so numb, I didn't feel anything. I wanted to feel something anything, but nothing. I wanted to feel alive."
"And I made him that way…alive!" Paige charmed in standing next to Gavin.
Melissa stood there speechless, ignoring Paige and trying to breathe. Tears welled up in her eyes; she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Nick approached her causing her to step back. "You. . . you had a relationship with her…for four months?"
"It wasn't that, we just. . ."
"Had sex, hot and amazing sex!" Once again Paige interrupted.
Tears started falling down her cheeks as she felt like all the air escape her body.
"Mel. . . " Nick advanced towards her only to feel her hand slap his face.
"You asshole!" Melissa tried to walk away from him, but he pulled her back.
"Let me explain."
"Explain what? Why you fucked that slut for months? Or how about the fact you lied to me about it?"
"I didn't want to hurt you."
"No, you didn't want to get caught." She wiped away her falling tears. "It was a mistake coming here, I shouldn't have left Chicago." She turned to go up the stairs. She needed to get away from him and all the prying eyes.
"Come on Mel, I'll take you to your cousin's house." Gavin replied walking towards her.
"Go to hell Gavin, I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Mel. . ."
She stared into his eyes. "You could have talked to me privately; about all of this. You didn't have to announce it at my mother's party, in front of everyone. You are no better than him." She walked passed him as he reached for her.
"I save you from heartache and this how you repay me?"
"You saved me from heartache? Look at me Gavin; does it look like I'm not in pain?" She moved her arm away from him. "You just couldn't stand the idea of me being happy with someone who isn't you. Well congratulations, you won!"
Samantha walked over to her friend, desperate to help her someway. "Mel come on, let's go." Samantha touched her shoulders to turn her away from everyone.
"Did you know about Nick and Paige?" She turned and asked her best friend.
Samantha looked away; she couldn't lie to her friend. She knew about it the whole time and she wanted to tell Melissa but she was worried how it would affect her. She had lost so much; she didn't need to know about this.
"You knew, didn't you?" When she didn't response, Melissa knew she had her answer. Melissa raised her arms to get Samantha's hands off her. "So if you knew, that means Brian knew too."
She looked over at him and he lowered his head. Melissa could feel her world crumbling and she started to feel light headed. A feeling she knew all too well, she had to get out of there.
"I feel so stupid." She laughed to herself. "I'm the only one here that didn't know that the whole time I was crying my eyes out in Chicago that Nick was shacking up with the town whore."
"Shut up Mel!" Paige stated getting into Melissa's face.
"Back off Paige, you don't want to mess with me."
"Why is that?"
"Because I have nothing to lose." Brian grabbed Paige as Nick grabbed Melissa and pulled them away.
"Don't touch me!" Melissa quickly pulled away from Nick's grasp. She slowly turned and walked towards the stairs.
"Mel, where are you going?" Nick yelled as she climbed the stairs. She ignored him and the eyes that followed them.
She walked passed her mother and aunt into the house. Once she was in the house, her head was spinning. Her childhood home seemed too small and with all the people here she needed to get away. Melissa headed to the front door as she heard footsteps.
Once she was outside, she noticed the darken clouds above her. A storm was coming, rain, lightening & thunder. Melissa looked over her shoulder and noticed she wasn't alone. Brian, Samantha, Gavin, Paige, and Nick followed her out to the front yard.
"Mel, please stay and talk to us." Brian pleaded with her.
"There's nothing to talk about, Brian. I'm done, with talking and with all of you."
"Don't blame them Mel, this is my fault." Nick replied. "If you want to hate someone, hate me."
She walked over to him. "Hate you Nick?" She laughed. "I don't hate you. I feel nothing for you, absolutely nothing!"
She watched the reaction on his face and she knew it hurt him. It hurt her to say it. But she wanted him to feel a fraction of the hurt she was feeling.
"I regret the day I met you and ever day after that. I'm leaving this town and I'm never coming back. There is nothing here for me." She turned and walked away.
"Typical Mel, walking away!" Nick yelled. "When are you going to grow up and not run away from your problems?"
Melissa stopped dead in her tracks; her back was still facing him. As if on cue, thunder rumbled and rain started to fall. But it didn't matter to anyone, they all remained outside.
Melissa's mother and aunt watched from the bay window with Nick's parents. Kathleen watched as her daughter stood out in the rain, pouring her heart out.
Somehow she knew the ending wasn't going to be a happy one, she could feel it in the pit of her stomach. She was losing her daughter all over again.
"You are the only one to blame for the pain you are in right now. If you had stayed and faced your problems head on, you wouldn't be in this situation." Nick replied. He was angry after her last comment.
She turned and faced him. She walked over to him with a smirk on her face. "You want to know why I left Fairview all those years ago. I'll tell you. Yes, you hurt me, but you weren't the only reason I left." She got in his face. "I was pregnant. . .with your child."
Nick stood there dumbfounded, did he hear her right? She was pregnant with his child.
All eyes were focused on Melissa after her statement and she could feel them. However her focus was on Nick, waiting to hear his response.
"What did you say?"
"I was pregnant, that's why I left town."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Melissa backed away from him, remembering the night she planned to tell him. "I was going to tell you, but I found you in bed with her." Melissa stated looking over at Paige.
Nick looked away and ran a hand through his now drenched hair. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had a child out there that he never knew existed, he had so many questions.
"Why didn't you tell me, Mel? I'm your best friend." Samantha asked as she approached her.
"Why didn't you tell me about Nick and Paige? You watched me fall for him all over again and you did nothing to stop it."
"I saw the old Mel, my best friend again and I didn't want to lose her."
"Too late for that!"
"Mel, come on. We all care about you." Brian replied standing next to his girlfriend.
"You all sure have a funny way of showing it."
"ENOUGH!" Nick yelled causing everyone to focus on him. "Where is my child?" He walked up to Melissa. "I have right to know my child. Tell me, Mel. Tell me now."
"She's gone."
"She's gone, what does that mean? Did you put my child up for adoption?"
Melissa could feel her heart breaking all over again. It was hard enough the first time. "I wish."
"Then what Mel? Tell me! What did you do with my child?" He yelled at her.
"She died, okay!" She yelled back, looking at him straight in his eyes. "She died."
Nick's hands went to his head as he tried to absorb what she just said.
Melissa lowered her voice, but kept her graze. "I was two months along and I miscarriage."
Jenny watched her cousin reveal her hidden secret to everyone and she knew it was killing her. Melissa was just getting use to the idea of being a mother when she lost the baby.
Melissa was heartbroken and there wasn't anything that she could do to ease the pain. And then add to the fact she had to hide all of it from her family, made it harder for Melissa.
As she watched, Jenny knew Melissa couldn't take much more of this. She needed to get her out of there and fast. She ran over to her car.
"Mel, I'm so sorry." Samantha stated reaching for her friend.
"Don't." She backed away from her. "Save it."
She looked over at Nick as he stood there. "You know when you told me that you struggling to move on with your life, I thought that just maybe that you were suffering just as much as I was." She laughed. "But once again I was wrong. No surprise there!"
"Mel. . . " Nick replied, but she interrupted him.
"While I was mourning the loss of our child, while I was crying my eyes out day after day, you were screwing the town slut day after day."
A car pulled up to Melissa and Jenny stuck her head out the driver's side. "Mel, get in!"
Melissa turned and walked over to the car.
"Mel, don't go!" Nick pleaded with her.
She glanced back at everyone. At her friends, at the man she loved and she felt nothing. "Thank you, Nick. Thank you for reminding me why I left this town."
She turned to open the car door when she saw her mother. Her mother's hands covered her mouth. Melissa's heart stopped, her mother heard everything. She wanted to explain everything, but she wasn't in frame of mind to talk right now. With one last glance, Melissa got in the car. Everyone watched as Jenny's car disappeared into the night.
