I Was Doing Just Fine Before I Met You.

“Are you-”

“Does it look like I’m okay?” I snapped, instantly feeling guilty at the obvious frown falling over Cassadee’s face.

I heaved a sigh, tugging at the baggy material bunched up over my stomach for the third time in the ten minutes. Angry tears threatened to form and I groaned in frustration, bunching my hands into fists.

“I’m sorry.” I muttered, stiffening uncomfortably in my seat.

“Don’t feel bad.” Parker jumped in, draping his arm over my shoulders. “Getting asked the same question five times in two minutes is annoying.”

“Yeah.” Lynn chuckled, taking a loud bite of her apple. “I wouldn’t be okay if I was three months pregnant.”

“Technically he’s over three months now.” Cass stated, making my stomach sink further.

I slumped over the free space of the lunch table in front of me and grimaced at the dull pounding forming in my temple as the talking around us grew louder. Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my burning eyes and tried to relax. The stupid attempt to calm myself down only made my head pound harder and I could feel actual tears settling in the corners of my eyes.

“Hey.” Parker called softly, squeezing my upper arm gently. “I know you’ve heard it a hundred times by now, but it’s gonna be okay.”

I shook my head, biting my quivering lip hard enough to focus more on the pain than the urge to cry. All I’ve done the past few days is cry, which is ridiculous. I hate that this is happening to me, but on the other hand I know it’s my own fault. I knew I wasn’t on birth control and I remember shaking my head when he brought up getting a condom. I’m ashamed to admit that I wanted to do it before the alcohol could have a chance to wear off. Without that liquid courage, I wouldn’t have even been able to hold a conversation with any cute guy let alone someone like Alex.

“So, hey.” Lynn jumped in, taking me from my thoughts. “What are we gonna do with that money?”

I swallowed thickly, a wave of nerves washing over me at the reminder that I haven’t mentioned anything to Alex. I haven’t even looked at him since he gave it to me. I blinked slowly, glancing down to my feet where my bag sat with said money sitting in the front pocket.

“Well he sure as hell isn’t getting it back.” Parker answered, tucking me more into his side.

“I can’t keep it.” I argued weakly, laying my head on his shoulder. “He’s going to want it back.”

“He’s not the one stuck with a kid in his stomach.” He retorted quietly. “He can afford to lose two hundred dollars of his daddy’s money.”

“Yeah, who says he even has to know you didn’t do it?” Lynn agreed, high-fiving Parker.

“Um, have we forgotten that Jack is three months pregnant?” Cassadee questioned incredulously, motioning towards me. “He’s already into the baby bump stage, hence Parker’s too-big hoodie thrown over his body.”

“Like he would even notice-”

I tuned out the rest of the argument, feeling my heart skip when the sensation of being watched fell over me. I looked up out of instinct, my heart jumping into my throat when I met light brown eyes from across the cafeteria. I froze when he kept our gaze locked, unable to blink while my heart raced in my chest. He stared another five seconds before biting at the white string attached to his hoodie and turning towards the blonde beside him once her hand wrapped around his bicep. Angry butterflies flapped around my stomach as I watched him slump in his seat, looking unresponsive as she spoke to him with a flirty smile.

“Jack.”

I jumped, swallowing the lump in my throat once my eyes focused back on Parker’s as I leaned my head back to see him. He quirked his eyebrow before shooting me a grin and nudging the back of my neck with his arm.

“I said to eat the rest of my sandwich.” He told, nodding his head down towards the table. “It’s not the baby’s fault you couldn’t keep your legs closed, don’t go starving it.”

I gawked, glaring up at him and opening my mouth to bitch only to hear my stomach rumble lowly. Rolling my eyes, I pushed myself away from his side and snatched the half-eaten sub from in front of him with a scowl.
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I blinked, black dots clouding my vision almost immediately while my stomach churned and I found myself suppressing the groan making its way up my throat for the fourth time this class. Swallowing thickly, I tugged at the collar of the dark blue Sum 41 hoodie and forced my free hand halfway over my head.

“What do you need, Jack?” Mrs. Curtis called immediately, stopping her lesson.

“U-um,” I stuttered, feeling my cheeks flush at the feeling of everyone’s eyes on me while I closed my notebook. “May I see Mrs. Kent?”

“Are you feeling okay?” She asked in concern.

I cleared my throat, shaking my head as my spit grew thicker. I shoved my pencil in the rim of the notebook and slipped it into my messenger bag easily, attempting to stand up calmly instead of sprinting out of here like I want to.

“Okay, I’ll call the office and let them know.” She agreed, no doubt noticing the green tint taking over my cheeks.

I nodded, sliding my bag over my shoulders and casting my gaze down to my feet. She waited a few more seconds until I reached the door before she started her talking up again and I sighed with relief as soon as I stepped into the hall. Sick twists continued to flutter through my stomach and I bit my lip, grimacing at the pool of saliva taking over the front of my mouth.

Fuck this, I am not okay. Fuck Alex, fuck sex, fuck reproductive systems and fuck it being too late to fix this.

“Again?”

I swallowed, nearly gagging at the slimy feel while I registered the fact that I somehow managed to get into the nurse’s office in record time.

“Uh huh.” I muttered, raising the back of my hand over my hot forehead once her blonde head disappeared through the opened door behind her office setup.

“Come on back.” She called.

I sighed heavily, gripping the strap on my bag tightly as the churning grew worse. Stepping around the dark brown desk, I strode into the quiet room and pulled my bag over my head. Once I dropped it beside the twin sized bed on my right, I sat down on the edge and reached my hands out for the bucket already in Mrs. Kent’s hands. I barely had a good grip around it before my lunch was coming back up.

“That’s it, let it out.” She coached, running her hand over my shoulders.

I gagged harshly, the mushed mix of Cheetos and subway chunks forcing another round of mostly stomach acid into the bucket. I closed my watering eyes, coughing loudly in attempt to stop my dry-heaving only to make everything come out louder.

“Okay, okay.” She cooed, patting circles between my shoulder blades. “Deep breaths, you’re okay. Just a little throw up.”

Yeah, every time I eat something.

“Alright, take a drink of this.” She directed, pulling the bucket from my grip.

I swallowed thickly, wiping the corners of my wet eyes and watching her push a bottle of Ginger Ale into my hands. I sniffled, tears pooling in the corners of my eyes before I could even blink.

“Hey, it’s okay.” She told me, urging the open bottle to my lips. “It’ll settle your stomach. Maybe you should change your lunch, hun. You’ve been in here a few days in a row now.”

I blinked slowly, unleashing a mini-waterfall as I took a small sip of the room temperature liquid. It slid down my throat easily, but it didn’t help the churning in my stomach dull any.

“Jack…” She trailed off, making my heart fall in my chest at her light tone.

I looked up, biting at my lip when I met her widening gaze.

“Is there something you want to tell me?” She questioned, looking down at me almost knowingly.

Nerves filled my gut feeling like pins and needles, making my shoulders tense uncomfortably. Immediately breaking eye contact, I closed my eyes gently and tried to ignore the tears continuing to make their way down my cheeks.

“Jack.” She pressed, placing her hand back over my shoulder.

“I…I-” I stuttered, jumping when ringing echoed loudly throughout the room.

My eyes popped back open in surprise and I mentally thanked whoever is out there for momentarily saving me from facing my reality. Mrs. Kent gave me a quick once-over, raising her eyebrows down at me once again before hurrying back out of the room and to her desk. I took the moment alone to take a deep breath. Breathing through my nose, I held it for a good few seconds before loudly releasing it out of my mouth. Repeating the process surprisingly took some of the weight from my shoulders this time, but the pins and needles grew stronger when I heard the footsteps leading back to me.

“This conversation isn’t over,” She started, pulling my gaze to her. “but Principle Wilkins wants to see you.”

“What?” I asked, perking my ears to make sure I heard right.

“Principle Wilkins wants to see you.” She repeated and the light relief I felt not even five seconds ago evaporated on the spot.

“Why?” I wondered, biting my lip.

I’ve done nothing wrong.

“I can’t discuss that with you.” She answered, making my stomach drop more into my ass than it originally was.

“Okay.” I whispered.

He knows. He has to. Mrs. Kent knows. Now I’m going to have to see the school counselor and go through a list of alternatives because being pregnant and in high school is not a good combination at all. Being pregnant and actually finishing high school doesn’t go together. Oh god, not finishing high school equal no college and-

“Hey, don’t look so worried.” She called, nudging my elbow.

I sighed heavily, standing from the bed and grabbing my bag limply in my hand.

“Come back here once you’re done.” She ordered, guiding me towards the closed door leading into the main office. “I’ll write you a pass for your last class.”

I nodded, unable to find my voice as the tears started back up. I sniffled, taking the tissues she held out to me before holding my breath and slowly walking through the dreaded wooden door. Once it closed behind me, I forced myself to look up and meet the eyes of Mr. Wilkin’s secretary only for her to point right towards his closed office door to her right. I sucked in a shaky breath and dragged my feet the ten steps over to his office. Looking down, I bit my cheek and stared into the light grey material of my sweats before hesitantly knocking two times.

“Come in!”

I grimaced, reluctantly twisting the doorknob and pushing the heavy door open. Gulping uncomfortably, I kept my eyes glued to my converse and slipped through the door carefully. It closed behind me loudly and I coughed awkwardly in the silent room, inching my feet towards the chair closest to me.

“Thank you for finally joining us, Mr. Barakat.” Principle Wilkins greeted.

“Sorry.” I muttered shyly, feeling my face flush once I registered his words.

Nervous butterflies raced through my stomach and I glanced to my left, instantly feeling the color drain from my face.

“What’s this about?” Alex demanded rudely.

I sat stiffly, hearing nothing but a dull buzzing in my ears as my eyes fell over his slumped form. His fingers twitched around the white string connected to the deep purple hoodie as he pressed the tip between his lips much like he did in the cafeteria. I pressed my lips together, dropping my gaze down to his bouncing knee immediately after I felt his gaze hit me. Spit pooled back to the front of my mouth and I dropped my bag by my feet in order to cradle my twisting stomach.

He has to know why we’re here. He can’t be that stupid. He’s got to know I haven’t gone through with what we wanted. If I had, I would be at home recovering and not passing him in the hall every dreadful day since my mom refused to let it happen.

“Shut up, Gaskarth.” Principle Wilkins warned, pointing between us. “You’re lucky I don’t expel you. Either of you.”

“What?” I gawked, clutching the tissue in my fist tightly.

“You have to know why you’re here.” He continued, staring me down before raising an eyebrow at Alex. “You really don’t think-”

“I can’t be expelled.” I blurted, feeling my lips tremble. “Please, Mr. Wilkins. I didn’t do anything wrong and-”

“You didn’t do anything wrong?” He interrupted, holding his hand up. “You surely surprised me, Mr. Barakat. Now, I’d rather not get back into detail, but I’ll have you both know that you’re each going to be suspended.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, tightening my grip on my elbows over my stomach while my eyes trailed back over to Alex in confusion.

“Suspended?” He scoffed, tugging at his hood. “What am I suspended for?”

“For this!” Principle Wilkins exasperated, snatching a clicker from his desk and pointing it towards the right corner of the office.

I jumped from the sudden aggression, looking up instinctively when light static filled the tense room. I choked on my spit, my eyes nearly falling from their sockets as a black and white version of myself appeared on the small television screen stumbling from the supply closet with Alex right behind me. My hands flew over my mouth as I watched myself adjust my hair through the screen, my face growing unnaturally hot as Alex’s past-self pulled out some cash from his wallet before chasing me down.

“This is highly unacceptable!” Mr. Wilkins exclaimed.

I swallowed hard, horribly sick to my stomach as realization dawned on me and before I could manage to explain that the scene displaying before our eyes wasn’t what he must be thinking, an uncontrollable spew of hot vomit rose up my throat and right between my fingers.

“Oh shit!” Alex exclaimed, practically ripping my hands from covering my mouth. “Look down.”

I tilted my head down, dry-heaving in disgust as the warmth of vomit spread down my chest and over my hands. I whimpered, barely registering the sounds coming from my mouth as I coughed out the thick spit remaining in my mouth after the short spurt of puking came to a stop. I sniffled, my throat scratching painfully while my whole body burned with embarrassment and there was no stopping the tears falling from my eyes as I continued to gag over my lap. I tried to press my lips closed, failing miserably as my chest heaved for air that couldn’t get into my mouth fast enough. A light pressure on my hands distracted me for a spilt second and I stared down through my blurred vision, butterflies fluttering hard when I found Alex’s thumbs circling over my puke covered hands.

“I’ll get Mrs. Kent.”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Mom.” I panicked, feeling my heartbeat pick up.

“Oh, stop it.” She scolded, cutting the engine and unclicking her seatbelt. “You’re being dramatic.”

“This is unnecessary!” I exclaimed, the stress getting the best of me. “I’m telling you already-”

“If he doesn’t want anything to do with this then why wait until the baby is almost here?” She pressed, undoing my own seatbelt for me. “Besides, you need to give that dirty money back and I want to speak with his parents. He got you suspended.”

I gulped, pressing my lips together firmly as my eyes lifted back up towards the windshield. Multiple apartment buildings met my eyes, almost none of them looking like something anyone should be living in with the rotting brick and chipping parking lots. The car door shutting beside me knocked me back into reality and I groaned, face flushing nervously as I slowly stepped out of the car behind her.

“Did Mr. Wilkins give us the right address?” She questioned, pulling me more into her side as we walked up the cracked sidewalk leading towards an opened entrance.

“How would I know?” I mumbled, feeling my fingers shake with anticipation.

“Okay, this says the third floor up. Apartment three hundred and seventeen.” She directed, leading me towards the first set of concrete steps.

I shuddered, slowly climbing up the stairs behind her while my fingers twisted in the grey drawstrings attached to the black joggers Parker lent me last night. Nerves bubbled in my gut and it almost feels like a repeat of yesterday might happen. Just thinking about it made me shudder harder, earning a light slap from Mom as we got halfway up the third flight of stairs.

“Quit it.” She scolded quietly. “You should’ve been more careful if you’re this afraid to deal with consequences.”

I huffed, a ping of annoyance running through me and surprisingly helping the nerves right when we got to the third floor. I crossed my arms over my chest, letting my curiosity get the best of me as my eyes raised from my feet. Paint chipped off of the doors and the bricking between apartments looked almost as bad as it did on the outside of the building, making me wonder if Mr. Wilkins really did give us someone else’s address.

“Jack.” Mom called, hauling me to a stop in front of a particularly badly chipping door.

317

I held my breath once she knocked, and emptiness forming in my stomach as the nerves made it feel like everything fell to my feet.

“Get the fucking door!”

I jumped, subconsciously stepping closer into Mom’s side while loud footsteps thundered from the other side of the door. I brought my fingers up to my mouth, biting at my nail lightly right as the door flew open. Light wind hit my face along with the smell of stale smoke and something unrecognizable, making me cough and cover my mouth while my eyes met a warm brown pair.

“Um, hello?” A girl as tall as me greeted, almost looking familiar.

Long brown hair thrown in a bun and pretty brown eyes surrounded by makeup made her seem the same age, but the skimpy tank top and shorts had me wondering if she’s older than she appears.

“I’m looking for the parents of Alex Gaskarth.” Mom spoke kindly.

I stood off to the side silently, biting my nail anxiously as confusion washed over her face. Swallowing hard, I prayed we had the wrong people, but the look taking over her face made me think otherwise.

“Oh God.” She laughed, trailing her eyes over me briefly before looking back to Mom. “What’d he do now?”

“I’d really like to see your parents.” She spoke sternly, causing the girl’s eyes to get wide.

“Dee Dee!” She shouted over her shoulder, scratching the back of her neck. “Someone’s here for you!”

“I’m on the-”

I gulped, watching silently as loud footsteps grew closer before another figure appeared next to the girl with an old school phone hanging from his hand.

“Never mind, he fucking hung up.” He scoffed, turning to face us. “Who the fuck are you?”

I froze, taking in the familiar traits of his face before my eyes shot over towards Mom’s shocked expression.

“I’m Jane Barakat and this is my son, Jack.” She introduced politely, shooting me a reassuring smile. “We’re here because of the suspension and-”

“Woah woah woah.” Mr. Gaskarth interrupted, holding the hand with the phone out to stop her. “Suspension? What suspension?”

“The three-day suspension our boys got for being caught on school cameras coming out of a supply closet.” Mom informed, my cheeks no doubt turning into tomatoes.

Mr. Gaskarth’s eye twitched before his head turned to the girl beside him. She shrugged, and made a face before he was turning his back to us and leaning his head more inside of the apartment.

“Alexander William fucking Gaskarth!”

I cringed, the churning in my stomach returning at full force when Mr. Gaskarth turned back to face us with a wild look taking over his once calm expression. It was them that I noticed his hand hovering over his stomach and with one look down, I realized his hand wasn’t hovering. No. It was resting on a rather large bump.

“Wha- oh shit.”

I blinked rapidly, looking away from the sight only to find Alex peering out between them. His usually hidden hair was a mess on top of his head and the lit cigarette between his lips spewed endless smoke right in the general direction of my face. I bit down harder on my nail, forcing the sick feeling as far as possible while my eyes trailed over his bare chest until I met his bloodshot eyes. Within seconds, realization washed over his face and his tan skin tone visibly paled.

“Oh shit?” Mr. Gaskarth repeated. “What the fuck is going on and why am I finding out from a stranger that you’re suspended?”

“You didn’t do it.” He stated, ignoring his dad in order to stare back at me.

I licked my lips, keeping my hand over my mouth while I let my head move just enough to confirm his assumption. He inhaled deeply, running his hands through his crazy hair while the girl next to him looked me over more closely than before.

“He’s three months, of course he didn’t.” Mom jumped in, pulling the folded cash out of nowhere and thrusting it towards him. “Take your money back.”

“Wait, what?” The girl exclaimed, cackling as Alex scrambled to catch the money.

“Get out of here, Alyssa.” Mr. Gaskarth ordered, motioning for her to get away before his hard eyes landed on me. “You’re pregnant?”

“Uh…” I stammered, swallowing thickly. “Y-yes sir.”

I gasped, not expecting his hand to swing up and smack Alex across the back of his head hard enough to echo through the empty hall.

“You fucking moron!” He shouted, smacking the back of his neck two more times before he shoved his shoulder roughly. “You fucking knocked somebody up?! What the hell is wrong with you? And why don’t I know about your suspension, huh? Did you fucking switch our numbers so I wouldn’t know? One more fucking time and you’re done, Alexander! I’m so sick of you fucking everything up and now I’ve got to deal with your fucking baby drama when I’m three months away from having another one of you shitheads running around-”

“Oh-fucking-kay!” Alex yelled back, holding his arm up to block his dad’s smacks. “I didn’t fucking mean to get him pregnant!”

“There’s a thing called condoms.” He said, sighing heavily as he turned back towards us.

“He felt better without it.” Alex quipped, making my cheeks darken considerably.

I cringed, hearing the loud smack echo once again before reluctantly looking back to Alex. He grimaced, rubbing the back of his head gingerly while his dad yanked the money from his right hand.

“Dee.” He complained, dodging the raised hand quick and pressing himself against the opposite side of the door wall.

“You think your dad is going to take this like a joke?” He snapped, all hints of amusement falling from Alex’s face quickly. “You’re gonna fucking tell him right when he gets home. And you can tell him that it felt better without the condom. See if he doesn’t kick your ass.”

“He was supposed to get an abortion.” Alex muttered, avoiding eye contact with me as he took a longer drag of his cigarette.

“Yeah, well I was supposed to get a fucking abortion with you and it was too late.” He retorted, scoffing. “And Alyssa popped out after you so you better fucking hope you didn’t give the kid twins. Your father is good at that so you probably are too.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Mom started, giving my forearm a comforting squeeze. “But I’m really just here to figure out a plan. We want to know what to expect. Jack might not want to keep the baby when he or she is born and in that case, we need everything to get signed for the adoption agency and whatnot.”

“Fuck no.” Alex scoffed, huffing a mouthful of dark smoke in front of his dad’s face.

“Excuse me?” Mom chuckled incredulously.

“My kids not getting fucking adopted, lady.” He refused, pointing towards me. “You don’t want it? I’ll fucking take it.”

Notes

Ahhhhh ABRUPT ENDING but it continues where it left off nexxt chapter! I hope you loves still enjoy this!

Did anybody expect Alex to be like this?

We get a little insight of Alex's hole family and how stuff works with them as well as how different they are from Jack's family! I hope you all enjoyed!!