“What do you want?” He purses his lips like he’d like nothing better than to hit me.

“Ah, ever the pragmatist. I like that about you,” I say, lightly touching my finger to the tip of his nose.

“Get on with it,” he mutters.

“I want my screenplay, and you’re going to get Lauren to give it back.” I watch Ben’s expression carefully, but he’s not giving anything away.

“And what if I can’t get her to do that?” he asks, swallowing hard.

“Oh, I think you will,” I reply like I have all the faith in the world in his persuasive abilities.

“Really?” He pauses, feeling me out. “How do you figure that?”

“Because you still have Ryan Price wrapped around your little finger, whether he wants to admit it or not. He has to feel guilty about the way things ended. I’m sure he’d love to make it up to you. You tell him about how Lauren’s using your brother to manipulate Eric, and he forces her hand. She can’t have Eric find out about her arrangement with your brother and she can’t expose you without hurting Ryan. It’s perfect. Then once the two of you graduate and he gets out from under his father’s thumb, you could have a fresh start together.” I entice him with the prospect, but he’s not biting.

“And what if I don’t want to be with him anymore?” He stares me down, and I smile to hide my surprise.

“Oh, Ben. It was his name you called out last night in this very truck. You can’t fool me. You’re still in love with him.” I play the last move I have, hoping it’ll be enough.

“Of course I still love him, but it doesn’t mean I want to be with him. Not after what he did to Ivy last summer.” This time, he’s the one backing me into a corner.

“You know about that, huh?” I ask, knowing full well I’m venturing into uncharted territory.

“Yeah, and I told her she should tell the cops.” Of course, it’s the right thing to do, but his logic is eluding me.

“And why would you do that? I know Ryan must’ve gotten scared and broke it off, but do you really want your beloved sucking cock behind bars?” I honestly have no idea where Ben is going with this. At this point, I’m just along for the ride.

“Because it’s not about me, asshole. He’s going to hurt some poor, innocent girl, and I can’t stand by and let it happen. I’d report him myself if I could. I love him, but he needs help.” Ben starts to tear up, and I realize there’s more to this story than I imagined.

“What do you mean?” I ask, encouraging him to go on.

“His father created such a sense of self-loathing in him. He doesn’t know how to express love, only pain. I tried to get him to open up to me, but he could never be tender or gentle. He was always cruel, taking whatever he wanted.” He looks at me with such anguish that I want to turn away, but I can’t. “The things he did to me, Will.” He sobs, shaking his head. “But I thought I could change him, get him to see what a normal, loving relationship was like. And he was starting to come around but then his father caught us. Now I know there’s no saving him, especially after what he tried to do to Ivy.”

“Why didn’t you tell someone what he was doing to you?”

“Will, you’re the first gay man I’ve met besides Ryan. Who was I going to talk to about it?” He raises his hands in front of him, imploring me to answer him.

“Are you afraid of Ryan?” I have to get some kind of handle on Ben’s true feelings.

“No, I’m afraid of falling under his spell again,” he moans, leaning his head against the window.

“So you were the one who broke it off?” I inquire, studying his profile.

“I had to. I couldn’t take it anymore. But I don’t think he’ll ever forgive me for walking away from him. I’m afraid that’s why he’s acting out like this. He’s confused. He’s hurt. He’s all alone.” Ben sniffles, trying to hold it together.

“Then why don’t you help him?” I ask, keeping my voice steady.

He looks over at me dejectedly. “How?”

“By once and for all standing up to his family,” I say in an attempt to empower him. “Reach out to Ryan. Tell him you’ll stand with him every step of the way—if he helps you deal with Lauren.”

“I can’t, Will. You’re asking too much of me. I’ll be leaving for college soon. I have other things I need to focus on.” Ben is pulling back. I’m losing him.

“So you’re just going to walk away and leave Ryan, knowing how he is. That doesn’t sound like something a man would do, and you want to go off and lead a team? I think it’s time you grew a pair.” I can’t help getting tough with him. Athletes respond to discipline, right?

“Why can’t I just talk to Lauren about his violent tendencies and leave Ryan out of it? I know much she cares about him. He didn’t handle his parents’ divorce well, but he somehow bonded with her. She’ll fight to the death to protect him, but maybe she needs to see it’s not in his best interest if she keeps shielding him from himself.” Ben’s trying to rationalize everything in his head, but working with Lauren is a terrible idea. She can’t be trusted. She’s a cover-up artist, not a therapist.

“Ben, you can’t reason with Lauren when it comes to dealing with Ryan. She’s too unpredictable. She’ll only negotiate with someone who has something on her. Ryan might be a mess, but she’ll never admit it. His reputation in the community is more important to her than getting him the help he needs.” I plead my case, hoping Ben won’t let me down. “You have to either get Ryan to go after his stepsister or scare Lauren into thinking that you’re going to reveal the truth about Ryan’s sexuality to the world. I’m afraid those are our only options.”

“I’ll think about it, all right?” Ben shifts into drive, turning the truck back onto the road. Apparently he’s had enough of our conversation.

“I’ll need an answer soon. The sooner—either you or Ryan approach Lauren—the better.” I’m firm, probably firmer than I should be. But Ivy’s life may hang in the balance.

If Lauren insists on Ivy’s involvement with the script going forward, it may very well kill her. And I’m not going to stand by and let that happen. Lauren’s a heartless bitch who left Ivy bleeding in my arms—not once, but twice. She needs to be taken down. Eric’s too busy watching over Ivy and running his business. So it’s up to me to do everything in my power to remove the target the Prices have on Ivy’s back—even if I have to get my hands dirty to do it.

Ivy

“Are you ready?” Dr. P. asks, holding the ultrasound wand between my legs.

“Yes,” I respond shakily as Eric grips my hand even tighter.

I’ve been waiting for this all week, but now that it’s here, I’m dreading what Dr. Patel is going to find. I was hoping that he’d squirt some gel onto my belly and examine the baby though my stomach, but he wanted to get a more detailed look with the transvaginal model. I didn’t enjoy it the first time around, but I’m just going to have to grit my teeth and get through it somehow. Discomfort be damned.

“Breathe for me, Ivy. Relax,” Dr. P. says, his eyes fixed on the monitor. “That’s it.”

“Are you okay?” Eric whispers down to me.

Not really, but I don’t want to spook him.

“Uh huh,” I respond, forcing a smile.

Dr. Patel wheels his chair over to the screen, turning up the volume. Soon, a gentle thud, thud, thud starts filling the room. “Bingo! There it is!” he exclaims.

“Is that—?” Eric starts, leaning forward.

“Your baby’s heartbeat? It sure is.” Dr. P. grins up proudly at us.

“Is it a boy or a girl?” Eric asks, a look of sheer wonder on his face.

“It’s too early to tell,” Dr. P. chuckles. “But it’s a nice, steady beat. Your baby sounds healthy and strong.”

“Oh, thank God,” I murmur as Eric bends over to kiss my forehead.

“That’s our baby, Ivy,” Eric says, pointing at the screen. “Can you believe it?”