| Chapter 1 The whispers died down as soon as she set foot in the large girls restroom and she hurried to the mirror, ignoring the large group of girls unwavering stares. Her hands trembled as she pulled them through her hair in one quick motion, and applied a fresh coat of lipstick. One of the girls behind her snickered and in the reflection of the mirror she could see her whisper something to one of the other girls there, but she ignored them, stepping back instead and smoothing the wrinkles out of the shirt she wore, her hand brushed the small, unobvious curve of her abdomen and she paused, leaving her hand there only for a second before moving it away. “Only whores wear that color red.” Her voice came high and tight, from behind her, and Carly winced at the barb, but quickly recovered, turning around to face her, and leaning back casually, against the sink. “Really,” she replied, “so...” she paused, leaning forward to inspect the others girls face before continuing, “...why aren’t you wearing it?” The other girl laughed, obviously annoyed. “Oh..Carly,” she said waving her hand dismissively, as she leaned against the sink beside her. “Oh Angel,” Carly replied. She fell silent, studying, Angel, as Angel studied her, and braced herself when Angel broke the silence. “You know..” she began slowly, her eyes darting to the group of girls who stood a few feet away from them, watching...waiting, for what, Carly did not know. “….I, always knew what a slut you where, Caroline” she said pausing, a grimace spreading across her face as if speaking her name had left a foul taste in her mouth, “but, I never could quite prove it.” “To Sonny, right,” Carly cut in, rolling her eyes. Angel nodded, her smile faltering just a bit, before she continued, “..and then you go..” she turned and placed her hand, lightly on Carly’s stomach, “..and prove it to the whole school all by yourself.” Carly smiled briefly before bringing her hand up, then down hard across Angels face. She stumbled back, her face coloring deep red from embarrassment and Carly’s assault. Carly stepped forward, calming herself, before speaking, even though her rage still remained in her voice. “I may be pregnant,” she spoke, confirming what they already knew, “but approach me again and I’ll kick you’re ass. Approach Sonny ever again, and I’ll kick you’re ass. And if you ever so much as breathe in my, or my kid’s direction again, I. Will. Kick. Your. Ass.” She paused and locked eyes with Angel, smirking at the fear she saw there. “Understood”. When Angel didn’t answer right away she took a step forward. Angel immediately took a step back and nodded quietly, hers and Carly’s breathing the only sound to be heard in the now silent restroom. “English little girl,” Carly snapped. “Yes..yeah..okay,” she stammered in reply and Carly smiled ,her body visably relaxing, before she turned and retrieved her book from the counter top. The bathroom remained silent behind her as she stepped out into the crowded hallway and started for the large front doors. She needed to go home. She had just confirmed her pregnancy to one of the most loud mouthed people in the school, and had no doubt that it would be public knowledge an hour from now. She had to tell her mother before that happened. @@@ She jumped startled, when she heard the door downstairs, slam shut, and reached blindly for the knob to turn the shower off. Goosebumps covered her naked flesh, when she stepped from the bathtub to the cold tiled floor. The tv downstairs came on. She studied her figure in the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, ignoring the fear that reared up inside of her. Beneath her clothes, the curve of her stomach, swollen by seven weeks of pregnancy, wasn’t obvious, but now it was. She smiled and let her hand graze of the slick flesh. A sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. “Carly?” “Oh..um..yeah,” she stammered. “It’s me sweetheart,” Bobbie’s voice called from the other side of the door. “I just wanted to let you know I was home.” “Um..okay mom,” she replied and listened as her footsteps disappeared down the hallway. After drying off, she dressed quickly and made her way down the stairs. The smell of food and the sound of her mother humming, drifted up the stairs. She paused at the bottom of the stairs swallowing a fear that wouldn’t go away. “Mo..mom,” she forced out, shuffling quietly into the small kitchen. Her mother glanced over her shoulder away from the stove and replied, ”yes sweetie.” “I need...I need to talk to you” she continued quietly. The smile that Bobbie wore faded at the sight of the seriousness on her daughters face, and she took a seat in the chair beside Carly’s. “Carly..” she said quietly, placing a hand on her daughters trembling knee, “..what is it?” “Something happened mom. I made a stupid..stupid mistake,” Carly forced out, looking away from her, trying to brace herself for the disappointment that would come. Even though she knew in reality she couldn’t. “Sweetie,” Bobbie’s voice came quietly and Carly felt hot tears sting her eyes. She could also feel hesitation rising up in her chest so she took a deep breath. And let the words come. “I’m pregnant”. @@@ He climbed the steps slowly. He could already hear the sound of arguing inside, and he paused to take a breath before he entered. @@@ “How could you! How could you do something so..so stupid!” Bobbie screamed from the doorway of Carly bedroom, watching as she tossed another shirt into her already stuffed bag. Carly paused ignoring her mother’s rant, to look around the room. Nodding, she turned back to her bag and zipped it up, then swung it over her shoulder. “Where are you going!?” Bobbie asked incredulously, as she followed her down the stairs. She grabbed her arm, stopping her in mid-stride on the stairs. “Where are you going!?” she asked again her anger evident in her voice. “Anywhere away from this house mother” she retorted sharply, ripping her arm from her grasp. “Anywhere away from you!”. Bobbie eyes went wide and her top lipped curled up in rising anger. “Oh..so not only do you want to be some unwed teenaged mother, now you want to be homeless.” “No..I’ll stay with Sonny,” she replied calmly. “Oh that’s great,” Bobbie spat back at her, Carly’s calmness having no effect on her, ”you’re going to shack up with the boy who’s made you the towns resident slu..” She was cut off by a sharp slap across the face from Carly. They both fell silent and Bobbie watched the first feelings of guilt creeping up on her as tears filled Carly’s eyes. The sound of a car door slamming outside was not missed by either of them. “Carly..” Carly glanced over her shoulder, down the stairs at the front door. They both knew who it was. “Carly” Bobbie tried again, breathing a sigh of relief when she looked back up at her. “I’m just saying..the last thing you need in your life right now is this boy and his baby.” A tear slid down Carly’s cheek and she descended the remaining steps, stopping at the door to look back up at Bobbie, who hadn’t moved. “No mother..” she replied pulling open the door, to find Sonny standing there silently, listening. “Obviously, the last thing I need in my life is you”. Bobbie sank down to the steps, as the door slammed shut behind her daughter. @@@ He let her bag drop to the floor beside the door of his small apartment and flipped the light on. He had been living on his own for almost a year now and he had never been more grateful for that before in his life until now. He watched quietly as Carly flopped down on the bed and went to take a seat beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly, brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead. Her eyes were closed and she took a moment before replying. “No, but I will be.” She yawned loudly and Sonny stretched out behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and smiled when he felt the slight swell of her stomach. Sighing he looked around the small room and the sparse furniture. “This is only temporary, you know,” he whispered quietly into her ear. “When I get more money we can find a bigger place.” “It doesn’t matter,” she replied sleepily, turning over and burying her face in his neck. “No?” he questioned quietly, kissing her lightly on her forehead and smiling against her skin. “Uh uh,” she continued quietly. “As long as you’re here.” She yawned again. “We, the baby and me, we’ll be okay.” Sonny nodded and watched as she drifted off to sleep. @@@ He eased his arm from beneath her and stood quietly, grabbing a clean pair of jeans and a shirt and pulled them on before tiptoeing to the door. He quickly finished buttoning his shirt out in the hallway and pulled on his tennis shoes then started down the stairs. He didn’t want to leave Carly alone, but he had a meeting. Besides, she would be alright alone. ‘They’, he corrected himself, ’they would be alright alone’. @@@ His knee shook nervously and he watched as the older man took a seat and the smile he shot him seemed to curb some of the uneasiness he felt. It was no secret to Sonny what he did but he had already asked for overtime at the auto shop and he knew the money he would eventually earn there wouldn’t be enough to support a family. So, despite his extreme hesitation, he had come. “So,” he asked calmly, “what can I do for you kid?”. Sonny swallowed hard, before speaking. “Sorel, I..uh..I need a job.” |