Baby, I Will Be Your Everything

I froze, feeling my fingers twitch against his chest as I tried to keep eye contact with him. I let out a silent breath, barely hearing the waves crashing behind us over my heart pounding in my ears. I bit my cheek, trying to stop my stomach from somersaulting when he scrunched his face up.

"No." He mumbled, shaking his head.

I cringed slightly, unable to think straight as words clouded my mind. I don't even know where to start with this. Mom was right. I should've told him right after we talked about it because it would've been so much easier for us to learn it together. Why did I ever think trying to keep this part of me hidden was a good idea? I should've known I'd end up pregnant with Alex's sex drive.

"I'm a fuckin' uncle?" He chuckled, still assuming we're talking about Lauren as he ran his hands up my sides.

"No. You're going to be a dad, Alex." I stated slowly, watching the confusion on his face become more prominent. "It's me. I'm pregnant."

"What?" He laughed, hooking his fingers into my beltloops. "Ha ha very funny, babe. "

I swallowed thickly, ignoring the racing of my heart as I shook my head.

"I'm not joking, Alex." I stressed, sucking in a shaky breath when he raised an eyebrow silently. "I'm pregnant. I know it's hard to believe, but I can explain."

"Jack..." He trailed off, tapping his fingers along my hips. "What are you fucking on?"

"I'm pregnant." I repeated again, biting my tongue when his shoulders tensed. "Just listen, okay? I'm being serious and I know it's hard to understand because I didn't even want to believe it at first-"

"Are you drunk?" He interrupted with a slight slur, making my stomach flip anxiously.

"No. You're not listening to me." I whimpered, feeling water fill my eyes more as he continued to stare at me. "Alex-"

"You sure?" He questioned, stopping all of his movements.

"I'm trying to tell you this." I began, pleading for him to hear me. "I thought it was crazy and I wanted to pretend it didn't exist, but then I was feeling weird and getting fat and then Lynn-"

I stopped my rambling, tightening my grip in his shirt when he stumbled backwards.

"Fucking let go of me, Jack." He ordered, prying my hands off of him. "Give me some room to fucking breathe. You're saying some crazy shit."

"I know it's crazy." I argued, fighting the urge to cling on to him again. "You're not listening! I'm trying to-"

"I shove my dick up your ass." He interrupted again, crossing his arms over his chest loosely. "You can't get pregnant. You're a fucking guy."

"I have female parts inside of me, Alex. That's what I'm trying to tell you. My mom just told me about it when we had that talk the other week. The one where I came back crying." I explained, feeling my lips quiver when he looked away from me. "I was born into a family with a history of the boys having both reproductive systems, I guess. My mom said it's a genetic mutation thing. I can have kids without having a vagina. I have actual eggs inside me that your sperm can fertilize."

I sniffled, tucking my hands into my sleeves before raising them to press into my stinging eyes. I swallowed slowly, feeling my throat clog more at the tense silence forming around us.

"I would never lie to you about something so big and important and you should know that." I mumbled, failing to keep my voice from trembling.

I sniffled, letting my arms fall limp at my sides while the water built up in the corners of my eyes. This is not happening at all like I hoped it would. He's not taking it like Lynn did. Sighing heavily, I raised my hands back up to cover my face when I felt myself getting ready to actually start crying.

"So you can-" He stammered, running his hands over my forearms. "You have..."

I nodded, continuing to press the soft fabric of my sleeves into my eyes to avoid looking at him. I breathed in deeply, trying to control my unstable emotions as he remained silent.

"I'm um. Don't cry, baby." He mumbled, tugging my hands away from my face. "I'm a lil' confused?"

I sighed, wiping my eyes once more before I forced myself to open them and look at him. I gulped, staring into his eyes while I nodded slowly. He blinked slowly, furrowing his eyebrows slightly as he licked his lips.

"It's confusing, I know. All I can really say is somehow my genes are mixed because of this genetic mutation thing and I have a female reproductive system. The mutation is dominant to me from my dad." I informed, feeling myself calm down a little. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you right when I found out, but we were kind of fighting and I was scared. Then Lynn made me take tests because of how I've been feeling and they all came back positive."

I sniffled, ignoring the churning in my stomach when I looked over his unreadable expression, feeling my heart skip a beat. I bit my lip, slowly reaching for his hands. I wrapped my fingers around his wrists and slowly pulled them towards the baggy hem of my shirt. I sucked in a breath, slipping his hands under and pressing them into the hardness around my stomach.

"Jack." He gulped, smoothing his thumbs over my smooth skin.

"Not so hard." I whispered, squeezing his wrists. "I know how you feel. I was shocked to feel it too. I um, I think that's where the baby is."

"I think I'm gonna throw up." He muttered, pulling his hands from my stomach.

I blinked, biting my lip when the tears returned in the corners of my eyes. He stood up straight and ran his hands through his damp hair before running his hands over his face, making my heart pick back up.

"Okay." He breathed, rubbing his forehead roughly. "S'kay."

"It's okay." I repeated, dabbing my sleeves at the corners of my eyes. "You don't think I'm a freak?"

"Why would you ever think that?" He questioned, shaking his head. "You're no freak. Okay?"

I sniffled, sighing with relief while he pulled me closer to him.

"You're born how you're born." He reminded, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

I breathed in deeply, moving my arms to wrap around his neck. I hugged him tightly, smiling as happiness rushed through me. Deep down, I knew he would still love me and everything but there was always that stupid doubt in the back of my mind. Knowing that it really was just a stupid doubt had a wave of relief washing over me.

"I love you." I sighed, running my hands over the back of his messy hair.

"I love you." He replied quietly, slipping his hands back over my hips and gently squeazing my sides. "When are you getting rid of it?"

I blinked slowly, staring back into his panicked eyes. My heart caught in my throat and my stomach fet like it turned into lead when I comprehended what he just said.

"G-Get ri-rid of it?" I stuttered.

"There's a pill you can take. I think." He offered, running his hands over my hips soothingly. "Okay? We'll be okay. I can buy-"

"I can't take the morning after pill." I gasped, chills rushing down my spine from the suggestion.

"Okay, well you can drink some wine or something. I've got rum." He remarked, making my stomach clench in disgust.

I smacked at his chest incredulously, shoving him away a few steps before my hands flew back up to cover my face. I swallowed thickly, choking on my thick spit as cries threatened to escape my throat. I shook my head in disbelief, unable to understand how he could even suggest something like that.

"Why're you lookin' like that?" He rushed out, grabbing my forearms. "Wha's wrong?"

I gulped, shaking my head again as fat tears slowly leaked from my eyes. The wind blew against us harder than before, making the tears slip down my face faster as my eyes burned. I sniffed, grimacing as my nose started to drip along with the sickness swirling in the pit of my stomach. The first thing that shot through my mind when I saw those two pink lines was shock, but then I felt an overwhelming happiness just knowing that Alex and I were able to create something so special together. I wasn't sure how Alex would take everything, but I definitely didn't expect him to bring up doing something I never would've thought about. Just repeating what he hinted at had me letting out some sort of wail, unintentionally giving him control to pull my arms from my face.

"Jack." He called, wiping his thumbs underneath my eyes. "It's gonna be okay."

"I can't do that!" I hissed out through my tears, clutching his shirt back in my hands.

"You're being fucking delusional." He voiced, shaking me lightly. "You don't actually want it, do you?"

"You're talking about an innocent baby." I sniffled, wincing at the raw patch forming under my nose. "Our innocent baby, Alex."

"Stop saying that." He scolded, shaking his head. "You're makin' this more complicated."

"What is wrong with you?" I cried, shaking my head in protest.

"Jack." He called desperately, holding my head in place so he could look down at me with his own watery eyes. "Calm down."

I shook my head, swatting at his chest while I continued to bawl my eyes out. I gasped for breath, whimpering as my chest ached when I felt his arms wrap around me. Despite not wanting to be near him, I felt myself leaning into him as much as I could while I dug my face into his neck. He held me tightly, running his hand up the back of my shirt soothingly as I cried into his shoulder.

I hiccuped, barely able to choke out breaths through my constant weeping. I feel like I can't breath. I can't think straight. I don't know what to do. Is this really happening? Does he really want me to do harm? Sniffling, I used my curled fists to wipe at my cheeks halfheartedly.

"You make me hurt inside when you cry like this." He mumbled after a few more minutes of just holding me.

I sniffled, wiping my nose on his shoulder after I finally calmed down enough to actually think. I shook my head lightly, trying my best to ignore my heavy heart while nerves fluttered through me. I sucked in a long, much needed breath and let it out slowly a few seconds later. Once my breathing started turning back to normal, I looked up and found Alex already looking down at me with red eyes. I swallowed dryly, biting my lip when he used his thumbs to wipe under my soaked eyes again.

"You're making me hurt inside by telling me to guzzle rum." I spoke shakily, feeling his thumbs glide across my wet skin when a few stray tears fell. "That's sick, Alex."

"Right." He muttered, licking his lips nervously. "I get paid Tuesday. Yeah. We could use that."

I frowned, shaking my head lightly as the cool breeze rushed back over us. Licking my lips, I moved my hands to his neck and gently combed my fingers through the hair at the back of his neck.

"I can't, Alex." I refused, shaking my head while he stiffened against me.

"Jack." He pleaded, stopping when I closed my eyes. "Don't you fucking care about me? I can't fucking do this, Jack."

"You know I care about you." I told firmly, tightening my grip on his shirt. "I love you with all of my heart, Alex. You mean so much to me, but I can't go through with what you're asking me to do."

"What are you saying." He asked lowly, sending more shivers down my spine.

"I'm not getting an abortion." I said as sternly as I could manage, squeezing my eyes shut. "I can't-"

I gasped, stumbling to catch my balance after he shoved me back from him. I held my hand over my skipping heart, staring back with wide eyes as he held his head in distress. I gulped, my heart pounding in my chest from the shock of him pushing me away so roughly.

"Fuck!" He yelled, grabbing at his hair. "Jack, what the fuck!"

I hiccuped, my damp eyes burning as I stared at him. I held my arms to my chest, slipping my hands back into my sleeves while I went back to covering my quivering mouth. He let out another frustrated yell, plopping back into the sand beside the wrinkled blanket.

"Alex." I pleaded, watching him dig his hand into the bag roughly. "This baby is a piece of us. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Stop it." He snapped, tugging a bottle of Captain Morgan out and practically ripping the cap off. "It's not fucking alive, Jack. It would be so easy if you would just do what I fucking say."

"Alex." I tried, voice muffled by my sleeves.

"I need a fucking drink." He stressed, taking a long slug and swallowing hard. "Fuck, I don't how to feel. We're seventeen, Jack."

"Please relax." I hiccuped, panting slightly as my chest ached. "I-"

"I can't fucking relax until you tell me you're makin' an appointment this week." He stopped me, tightening his grip around the neck of this bottle. "You're fucking crazy if you think you can keep it."

He stared up at me, all emotion dropping from his face when I just barely shook my head. Tears blurred my vision, but I could still see him toss his head back and shove the bottle to his lips. I whined into my fists as I moved to sit beside him, trying to keep myself from making the pathetic sounds threatening to come up. I pulled my knees up to my chest and rested my arms on top of them, continuing to bury my face as I watched him chug more rum.
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"Well," Lauren started as soon as I walked into the kitchen, motioning to my beanie and baggy clothes. "You look rough."

I glared at her, ignoring Maddison completely as I trudged passed them both and over to the fridge. I tugged it open and pulled out the container of orange juice before slamming the fridge shut harder than I intended.

"Jesus, Jack." Lauren commented, watching me drop the carton on the island and reach into the cupboard above me for a glass. "What is wrong with you?"

"Leave me alone." I croaked out, grimacing at my sore throat.

"Wow, someone sucked too much dick last night." Maddison joked.

"Don't fucking test me today." I snapped, my voice turning into a whisper halfway through the threat.

She widened her stupid bug eyes and crossed her arms over her flat chest defensively while Lauren raised her eyebrows in shock. I bit my lip, watching her frown and brush her long hair behind her ear awkwardly as silence filled the room. Slumping my shoulders, I sighed and poured my glass of juice.

"Sorry." I rasped, picking up my glass and raising it to my lips.

"Are you okay?" Lauren asked worriedly, looking me over.

"No." I answered honestly, sipping at my juice some more while I tried to keep last night in the back of my mind.

"Your anniversary good?" She pressed, wiggling her eyebrows. "You guys didn't come home until late."

"I didn't come home until late." I corrected, biting my cheek in regret.

"What does that mean?" Maddison piped up, obviously not caring about butting into my business.

I swallowed the cool juice, slowly setting the cold glass back on the island as I glanced down at the baggy Blink crewneck covering my torso. I sniffed instinctively, tugging at the loose hem before my gaze fell on to the black and grey joggers hanging from my legs. The familiar scent filled my nose and I gulped, leaning my elbows on the counter top.

I hugged my arms over my chest tightly, squinting my tired eyes through the dark while I trailed behind Alex. I walked a little faster up with him and sighed quietly.

"Are you going to talk to me?" I asked quietly, breaking the long silence between us.

"Dunno wha'you wan'me sayin'." He slurred, stumbling off of the sidewalk.

My eyes widened and I hurried over, grabbing his arm before he got too far into the street. I pulled him back up on the sidewalk, grimacing at the smell radiating off of him as I hooked my arm with his tightly.

"You can't come home like this, Alex." I frowned, ignoring the sadness pooling in my gut. "I don't want you to wake up my parents."

"Why not?" He asked loudly, waving his left hand obnoxiously and successfully spilling more strawberry rum all over himself. "Congratu-fuckin-lations Gran'n Gramps! I knocked your sexy son up!"

"Alex!" I scolded weakly, tugging him more towards me roughly. "Is that how you want to tell them? Yelling drunkenly at one in the morning?"

"Don' want them knowin' at all." He huffed, attempting to shrug me off. "Your dad will beat my fuckin' ass. Do you fucking get that? Told me to keep it away from you."

I frowned, feeling my lip quivering for the tenth time tonight at the harsh tone his drunken slurs took on.

"My dad won't be happy about it, but he's not going to hurt you." I spoke calmly, anxious butterflies flopping around my stomach as we continued down another side street closer to the house.

"Fuckin' stupid if you think that." He grumbled, slugging down more of the half-empty bottle.

"Give me that bottle right fucking now, Alex. I'm serious." I snapped, anger bubbling up my chest. "And don't call me stupid. My dad is nothing like your's and you know that."

"Fuck out of here." He slurred, ripping his arm from my grip and staggering back off of the sidewalk. "Fuckin' bitch."

"Alex!" I hissed, ignoring the way my stomach dropped at his name-calling while I tried to see him through the darkness.

"You don't care my feelings." He sniffled.

I frowned, all anger leaving my body when I heard his heavy breathing. I wiped at my raw eyes before I finally caught up to him. I grabbed hold on his arm, gently wrapping my hand back around his elbow. Once he was semi-balanced, I looked him over and felt my heart break all over again when I caught sight of his face under the street lamp we passed under. Tears stained cheeks while his eyes drooped shut due to all of the alcohol I couldn't stop him from consuming.

"Of course I care, Alex. You know that." I reassured, squeezing his arm lightly. "You're the one that doesn't seem to care. You're being very mean to me and I tried to explain to you, but you just won't listen-"

"You won' listen'a me!" He interrupted, grumbling softly. "We got nothin'."

I gasped, attempting to pull his arm back when he tripped over his feet. He groaned, falling hard on his knees along the smooth cement of the sidewalk. I knelt down, grabbing his cold free hand while his body visibly wobbled from side to side as he tried to stay upright.

"I need...Jack." He whimpered, the glass clinking against the ground next to us. "I can't be a dad."

"Jack?"

I shook my head, blinking hard when I couldn't see Lauren through my blurry eyes. Warmth slipped down my cheeks and I sighed shakily, bringing my hands up to wipe at the few tears. I rubbed my eyes, blinking a few times before looking back to Lauren and Maddison. I cleared my throat, ignoring the surprising look of sympathy from Maddison while I shook my head again.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, giving her a small smile.

"Where's Alex?" She questioned cautiously. "Today's Sunday and his shoes aren't by the steps like usual."

I frowned, squeezing my eyes shut at the churning in my stomach. I heaved a sigh, nodding to myself as I tried to prepare myself to speak. Spit stuck in my throat when I tried to swallow, one of the major signs to let me know I'm probably going to break down again. I don't want to cry anymore. I don't want to worry. I don't want to stress. I want to be happy. I want to be happy that he still loves and accepts me for who I am, but I can't.

"He's at his friend's." I managed to get out through my squeaky voice.

"Oh. Why?" She pushed.

I shook my head, denying her attempt to get more information out of me as I grabbed my glass of juice again. I cleared my throat, taking a big gulp of to sooth the slight pain from the yelling and crying last night. The faster I can talk normally again without it hurting, the more likely I'll be able to stop dwelling on last night.

"Okay, well did you tell him what you needed to tell him?" She inquired, making me choke on my juice. "I'll take that as a yes. So tell me now."

"No." I decided, looking between her and Maddison. "Not right now."

"You promised." She reminded, pouting at me.

"I know, but I have to wait." I told quietly, fiddling with my fingers as I leaned more on the island.

"Does it have something to do with why Alex isn't here?" She interrogated, sitting up straighter.

"Does what have to do with Alex not being here?"

I jumped, looking over to see Mom strolling into the kitchen. Her pink shirt and capris were stained green and brown, matching the long gloves covering her forearms. I looked away from her, feeling nerves rush through me when I felt her eyes on me.

"Where is Alex?" She continued, carefully stepping around me and over to the sink. "Why are you dressed like a slob, Jack? It's after one in the afternoon now."

"At his friend's." Lauren spoke up for me, giving me a small smile. "Jack just rolled out of bed a few minutes ago. You were gardening?"

I kept my mouth shut deciding against mentioning that I've actually been up all night. Part of me couldn't sleep because I'm so used to having Alex with me and the other part of me worried too much about Alex and our current situation for me to even consider sleeping.

"Yes, while I still have the chance." She chuckled over the running water. "Don't get used to sleeping in like this, Jack. School is starting up sooner than you think."

"We still have a month and a half!" Lauren complained loudly, making Maddison laugh.

"What?" I squeaked out, feeling my eyes widen.

A month? The reminder sent my mind spinning even more because the last thing I want to worry about right now is getting through senior year. Can I even go to school? There's no way I'll be able to hide the pregnancy and there's no way I won't get tormented.

"What happened to your voice?" Mom demanded, knocking me back into reality.

I shrugged stupidly, standing up straight when she looked me over. I held my breath, hoping to look as calm and collected as I was trying to give off while she stared at me.

"You're eyes are really red." She pointed out, reaching her clean hands out to hold my cheeks in her cold hands. "Why have you been crying?"

"Mom." I protested, raising my hands to nudge her arms away from me. "I haven't been."

"Don't lie to me, Jack." She warned, glancing to my left. "Lauren, go in the other room."

"Mom." She whined, stopping when Mom gave her a stern look.

"I need to talk to your brother alone." She informed, waving her hand. "Now go on."

I breathed slowly, feeling my cheeks heat up anxiously while Lauren and Maddison slipped off of their stools. Lauren frowned at me, giving me one last look before she was ushering Maddison back through the foyer. I bit my tongue, listening to their footsteps hit the stairs before my attention turned back to Mom.

"What's going on?" She asked, holding her hand out to the side. "Where is Alex really?"

"He's actually at his friend's." I sighed, giving up the facade of being okay.

"Why?" She questioned, scrunching her eyebrows.

"He wanted to hang out with him." I answered, looking down at my fingers nervously. "His life doesn't just revolve around me."

"I'm not blind, Jack. Even if you want to pretend I am." She addressed. "I know something's not right because I'm you're mother and I can sense these things."

I shrugged again, avoiding eye contact with her as my stomach twisted. I slumped my shoulders, sucking on my lip to keep myself from blubbering. I want to tell her the whole story but just imagining how she's going to react to the news is just as nerve-wrecking as telling Alex felt. I know she loves me, but it won't be easy for her to hear that I'm pregnant and I really don't feel right telling her without Alex.

"Fine, you don't want to talk about it. I get it." She gathered, clearing her throat when I kept my gaze on my bare feet. "Why don't you go get dressed? I'm taking Lauren shopping for some clothes and you might as well come too."

"Okay." I agreed quietly, grabbing my orange juice before I hurried out of the kitchen.

I heaved a sigh, grimacing at the throbbing in my throat when I swallowed. Sipping at my juice some more, I slowly walked up the steps and trudged right back into my room. Sickness returned, twisting in my gut at the sight of the empty bed and knowing how Alex wasn't there at all last night. Sighing, I walked over to my nightstand and set my glass down before walking over to the closet. I pulled the doors open, biting my lip when I was met with a pile of Alex's clothes along the small space at the bottom.

"Of course he didn't hang them up." I muttered to myself, skimming along the hangers until my eyes caught on one of my most comfortable pairs of skinny jeans.

I pulled the blue, acid wash styled jeans from the hanger and ran my fingers over the smooth material. Wiggling my hips, the loose sweats dropped to my feet and I kicked them off and into the closet on top of the rest of Alex's shit. After shaking my pants out a few times, I slipped my feet through the holes and pulled them up to my thighs easily. Biting my lip, I tugged the stretchy material over my ass with some difficulty and let out a relieved grunt when the soft waistband snapped into my hips.

"You're coming with us?"

I jumped at Lauren's voice echoing through my room, looking over to find her in my doorway as I slid the closet doors shut. I nodded, tucking my bangs into the grey beanie covering my head.

"It's hot outside." She noted, pulling her high-waist white shorts up more as she looked me up and down. "At least wear a tank top or something."

I rolled my eyes, turning my back to her in order to step up to the dresser. I sighed, tugging the middle drawer open to reveal neatly folded t-shirts and tank tops. I bit my lip, scanning over the few shirts on top before I decided to pull the closest one out.

"Yeah! Wear that." She cheered from behind me. "It'll look cute with your leggings."

"They're jeans." I corrected, looking over the white tank top in my hands.

"They're jeggings, Jack. Come on." She laughed, making me roll my tired eyes again.

I unfolded the shirts, shaking it out gently before tossing it on my bed. Lifting the hem of the crewneck, I carefully pulled it over my head and smiled to myself when the beanie stayed in place. Tossing the long-sleeve on the bed, I pulled the tank top off and slipped it over my head.

"Ugh." I groaned, looking over the black words covering my chest as I tugged the hem down.

"It's fine!" Lauren giggled. "It suits you."

"I'm sure that's why Alex has it." I scoffed, swiping my phone and glass of juice from the nightstand.

"Maddison is coming too." She noted, leading me out of my room and to the steps.

"I figured." I nodded, drinking the rest of my glass.

"Your voice is starting to sound a bit better." She informed, jumping the last few steps.

I hummed in agreement, looking down at my phone as I walked stepped on to the wooden floor of the foyer. I took a deep breath, tightening my fingers around my empty glass as I raised the back of my hand up to rub at my forehead.

"Put your glass in the sink and get your shoes on." Mom called, walking passed me as I continued towards the kitchen.

I nodded, sliding my thumb across the screen as I made my way through the kitchen. I stopped in front of the sink and set the glass down, leaning on the counter beside it while I pulled up my recent messages. I frowned, feeling my stomach flip anxiously when a bold blue dot appeared next to Alex's name to remind me of multiple unread messages.

"Jack?!"

"Coming." I said loudly, pressing my finger into the side button and watching the screen turn black.

I sighed, shoving my phone into my back pocket before I hurried back into the foyer. I bit my cheek, blushing lightly when I noticed all three of them waiting by the front door. I looked away, turning my focus to my feet as I slipped them into my flip flops. Once I had them all the way on, I stepped back and cringed as loose sand appeared in the space my sandals just were.

"You're cleaning that up later." Mom warned, pulling the front door open.

I nodded, folding my arms over my stomach as I watched her step out. Lauren shoved Maddison out next and I followed behind them.

"Thick thighs save lives?" Mom laughed once I stepped out next to her. "I can already tell that's Alex's."

"Mhm." I mumbled, raising my eyebrows at her orange sundress after she locked the door.

"What? I wasn't going in my gardening clothes." She defended, nudging me forward and off of the porch.

"I didn't say anything." I shrugged, walking over to the passenger side of the Jeep.

"You said it with your eyes!" She accused jokingly.

I rolled my eyes playfully and pulled the door open, stepping up into the car and sitting in the seat slowly. I closed my door just as she got in and busied myself with buckling my seat belt while everyone else got settled.

"Will you plug your phone in, Jack?" Lauren asked, tossing the aux cord on to my lap.

"Why don't you plug your's in?" I suggested, plugging one end into the designated hole underneath the radio.

"Because you have more music than I do and I'm sick of listening to the same songs over and over." She whined dramatically.

"Okay." I gave in, slipping my phone out from under my ass.

I shoved the other end of the cord into the hole for my headphones and slid my finger over the screen, quickly unlocking it while we backed out of the driveway.

"Put on something good." She ordered.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes and clicked on the music app. It opened up to the playlist I had playing last night and I frowned, clicking the back arrow in the top left corner to get back to the list of all the songs. I hit shuffle, clicking the side of my phone to turn the volume up sound while the song started.

"I love this song!" Maddison announced while I leaned forward to turn the volume knob a little more to get it to a decent volume.

And if you don't know now you know
I'm taking back the crown
I'm all dressed up and naked
I see what's mine and take it
Oh yeah
The crown
So close I can taste it
I see what's mine and take it
Oh yeah

I nodded along, leaning my head against the cold window as we drove out of the subdivision. I closed my tired eyes, clutching my phone in my hand and relaxing back into the firm seat while Lauren and Maddison sang along loudly. I blocked them out, pressing my lips together tightly when my thoughts traced back to Alex.

"We can't talk about this until you're sober." I sniffed, rubbing my hands over my face. "I can't handle you when you're like this."

I leaned back against the cold legs of the park bench, slowly dropping my hands back down on the cold gravel underneath me. I tugged my sleeves over my numbing fingers, ignoring the pain in my shoulder blades from where they pressed along the hard edge of the splintering wood.

He mumbled incoherently, taking my attention back down to where he draped himself over my legs. He pushed his head over my thighs, rolling on to his side roughly and successfully shooting chunks of the dirty gravel everywhere around us. I grimaced just imagining the scrapes that are going to show up all over him tomorrow with how rough he's unintentionally being while I moved my hands to run through his hair.

"I can't understand you, Al." I frowned, shaking my head. "You're going to be so sick tomorrow."

"In here." He dragged out, reaching up into my shirt.

"Nicely." I warned loudly, feeling his cool fingers roam over the hard lump for the second time tonight.

"Oh God..." He groaned, pulling his hand away. "M'fuck."

"Keep your mouth closed if you don't have anything nice to say to me." I ordered, wiping my runny nose on my sleeve before I went back to brushing his hair out of his face. "I've really heard enough from you after you finished off the wine."

I sighed, watching him stare up into the light shining down from the lamp post above us. I shivered, praying for Keith to get his ass over here already. I called him to pick Alex up at least twenty minutes ago now and I'm freezing my ass off with Alex's wet clothes seeping into me.

"I love you."

I nodded, gently running my palm over his sticky cheek while his glossy eyes met mine.

"I love you too." I whispered, biting my lip when he raised his left hand to my jaw.

"I don'anna." He whispered, pressing his thumb over my lips. "Please. Jus'can't."

I rolled my lips in frustration, sighing heavily as he repeated the same thing over and over. Why won't he talk to me? Why did he have to drink so much instead of listen to me?

"Why?" I begged, my sore eyes all dried out from all the crying.

"'m fuckin'-" He blurted, stopping to dig his palms into his eyes. "'m scared."

I yelped, coming back to reality when my head slammed back into the hard headrest behind me unexpectedly. I raised my hands to my heart, practically throwing my phone to the ground from the shock. I shook my head, relaxing my tense shoulders when Mom's hand reached out to pat my thigh.

"Sorry, honey." She chuckled, placing her hand back on the wheel. "People don't know how to drive."

"No kidding." I breathed, leaning forward to grab my phone from my between my feet.

I scooped it up and flipped it over in my hands, another small wave of relief hitting me when I saw the screen free of any scratches. I moved it back to my lap, biting my lip when it buzzed violently against my thigh. I rolled my lips, feeling my finger shake as I tapped decline. I sniffed dryly, hearing the music come back through the speakers for about two seconds before the vibrating continued. I ignored the stares burning into my face and ignored his call again, reluctantly pulling my texts up as music returned. Clicking his name, I hurriedly pressed my thumbs across the screen before he could call me another time.

To: Babe<3
I can't talk right now.

I sighed, staring down when the screen lit back up instantly with a new green message.

From: Babe<3
so now you text me back

I bit my cheek, slowly scrolling up to the messages I blatantly ignored last night when he drunk texted me. I frowned, skimming over most of the jumbled sentences before I got to the more intelligible messages.

From: Babe<3
im sorry
Received: 6:35 am
please let me back
Received: 6:45 am
i didnt mean to get fucked up baby please
Received: 7:25 am
we need to talk
Received: 10:55 am
im going out of my fucking mind
Received: 12:37 pm
please text me back i want to come home
Received: 12:55 pm
im coming back ok we really need to talk about this
Received: 1:36 pm

I rubbed my hands over my face, slumping back into the seat in attempt to calm myself down. I feel more stressed and nervous now than I did before I even told him. This all just went to shit and I don't know what's going to happen now. I do know that I'm not calling an abortion clinic and I'm not taking any pill in place of an abortion clinic.

"Can we get cookies from Mrs. Field's?" Lauren asked, poking her head over the center council.

I sighed, turning my attention back to my phone as Mom pulled into one of the more empty parking lots of Towson Shopping Center. Biting my lip, I clicked on the keyboard and slowly pressed my thumbs across the letters.

To: Babe<3
I didn't answer your calls because Lauren has my phone hooked up to the radio. I didn't answer your texts right away because I wasn't ready to talk to you again. Not when all you do is fight with me.

From: Babe<3
where are you

I rolled my eyes at his lack of response, unbuckling myself when I realized the car not moving.

"We'll get some cookies first, since they're right here by the entrance." Mom announced, pulling her keys from the ignition.

I nodded in agreement, pushing my door open and slipping out silently. Once I shut the door, I decided to text him back and tell him that we're at the mall shopping for Lauren because I'm sure my service will be non-existent once we go inside.

From: Babe<3
meet me in the food court

"Come on, Jack." Lauren called, nudging my side as she walked around me and towards the other side of the car.

I licked my lips, ignoring the nervous flutters through my stomach after I sent back a simple okay. Slipping my phone back into my pocket, I hurried around the car and jogged to catch up to everyone halfway towards the mall's entrance.

Notes

So. That happened!
I want to start off by apologizing for not mentioning any warnings or anything about the mentioning of abortion. I didn't want to give away Alex's reaction, but if anyone was offended by anything said about it I will put a warning in the description!

How many of you were shocked to see Alex's reaction? I feel like most of you expected it to go down hill!

I want to honestly say that I actually planned for Alex to be all happy dandy about being a daddy when I first started writing this story. Then I realized that with the way his character turned out to be, that wouldn't really fit him. I try to make the feelings and everything in this story as realistic as I can and I felt that having Alex react like he did made more sense.

With that being said, I hope y'all still enjoyed the chapter and I'm sorry it ended so abrupt!

How do y'all think Jack's parents are going to react when the time comes?

Thank you Costati for the idea about mentioning abortion!

Love you guys!!