X-Kid

Despite my mother’s protests, my dad and I went to a clinic after school on Monday to get the paternity test done. They took blood samples from the both of us, and then we were sent away with the promise we’d hear results in a few days. I was excited to get the results back, but also terrified. What if this man wasn’t really my dad? What if my real dad was still somewhere out there?
“Listen, Nora,” He cut in, snapping me from my thoughts on the ride back to my house. “Whatever happens, I just want to say I’m sorry. If I end up not being your dad, then I hope you find him, and that your mom will let you. Honestly, you deserve a better mom.”
“But what happens if you are my father? She’ll never let you see me, you know,” I commented, picking at my fingernails nervously.
He sighed. “I dunno, kiddo. I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“I have no idea why she doesn’t want me to know you,” I mentioned. “You seem like a really good guy.”
“I haven’t always been. I’ve made some mistakes in my time, but I’ve been trying to get better. I’m definitely not young anymore, I’ve got a family to support, and I might have a teenage daughter now. That’s enough to make me realize I need to change somethings, make up for lost time,” He explained, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Thank you for being cool about this, for the most part,” I stated.
He gave me a small smile. “Hey, give yourself some credit. If I was a teenager in your position, I probably would be freaking out a lot more.”
He pulled into the driveway of my house, and I sighed. “Well, thanks for the ride.”
“They should be calling me with the results sometime this week. I’ll call you when I know the verdict,” he said. I nodded and climbed out of the car, waving to him before I entered my house. My mother wouldn’t talk to me, but I was too focused on worrying about the results, and what would happen to me if it was a yes.
It wasn’t until Friday, after one week of knowing the man I was always told was my dad, that we got the results of the test. I was at Jack’s house, pacing his living room and waiting for the phone call from my dad. Mrs. Barakat kept giving me concerned looks, but I ignored them, focusing my gaze on my cell phone.
The screen lit up and the caller ID showed the infamous name, so I quickly picked it up and answered it. “Hello?”
“You really are my daughter,” he said. “I....I don’t even know what to say.”
I gasped, slightly relieved. “Well, I, uh...okay then. That’s great. But, what do we do now?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’ll have to talk to my family and maybe even get a lawyer involved, but...I have no idea. Can I call you back later?” he wondered.
“Yeah,” I said. “Talk to you later.”
Jack was looking at me expectantly when I hung up. “Well? What’s going on?”
“He’s for sure my dad,” I replied, plopping down beside him on the couch with a huff. “But now we have no idea what we’re going to do.”
He wrapped a comforting arm around me, resting his cheek against the top of my head. “Are you okay? I mean, really. You’ve had a tough week.”
“I dunno,” I mentioned. “Can I spend the night tonight? Just in case I’m not okay.”
I felt him smile. “Of course. Why would I ever say no to that?”
I ran to my house and collected a few things before returning to Jack’s house. We ate dinner with the family before retreating to the couch for a horror movie marathon, just like always. I found such strange comfort in these scary productions, it was honestly weird. The evening eventually faded into night and my eyes grew weary from watching so much gore.
I yawned. “I’m sleepy.”
“Wanna go upstairs? I mean, it’s more comfortable sleeping in my bed than on this couch,” he pointed out.
With a nod, we made our way up the stairs and climbed into Jack’s bed, having to cuddle close so we could both fit. I could feel his heart beat in his chest, the repeating noise making me sleepier.
“Jack?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“Hm?” he answered.
“Do you ever want to get married?” I questioned. I didn’t know why I was asking this, but it sort of just came to me.
“Definitely. And I’m gonna have some crazy kids too. What about you?” he replied.
“I’ll get married, but I’ve never really thought about kids,” I mentioned. “Do you think me and you will get married?”
He looked me dead in the eye. “I can’t imagine ever marrying anyone other than you.”
“Jack, we’re in high school. You’re going to meet so many more people in your life. How can you be sure?” I wondered.
He let out a small laugh and smiled at me. “Because you’re you. No one is more perfect for me than you are. Even if we don’t get married, I’ll always gonna love you, I just know it.”
I felt so stupid. He couldn’t promise me that we’d get married or anything, and I knew that. After all, Drake had done the same thing. But Jack was different. “Forever?”
“Well, duh! I’m never going to be like your ex either. I’ll never hurt you, or break your heart, or anything. I promise,” he declared. “What about you? What do you think?”
I didn’t want to let myself get sucked up into this, only to be disappointed...but this was Jack. “I think that you and I will get married someday as long as we make it through high school. And as for loving you, I doubt I’ll ever stop. I don’t think I could if I tried.”
We laid like that, talking about the future like it was nothing, for what seemed like hours. Jack finally fell asleep while I was in the middle of the story, but I didn’t mind. Instead I cuddled up closer to him and drifted off as well. With all of the drama involving my dad and such, this was nice. I found myself giving in to the foolish hope that Jack and I really would end up together, just because he promised. He would never break my heart, he said. God, I hoped that was true.

Notes