tom silently looked at the girl sitting across from him in the booth. The restaurant was almost vacant except for three other people besides Tom and this girl. His eyes moved from her intense stare to the street filled with strangers outside the window. The world outside was dark; the nightlife was in full swing. A paper cup blew with the wind, rolling down the empty street, a road leading nowhere. All the suddenly, Tom wished he did not agree to meet this woman. On the telephone her voice was so urgent, her demand to see him so great that he felt obligate to meet her. He closed his eyes, wishing he could undue so many wrong choices that but him in the present circumstances.
"Tom?" The girl leaned across the table to cover his hand with her own. Tom remain silent. "Tom, I understand how you are feeling," She said slowly, "I know exactly how shocking this is right now. I went through the same thing when I found out the results. I had to tell you though…" The girl sighed and leaned back in her seat. She grabbed the ends of her long dark hair to twist around her finger idly as she watched the boy in front of her. That is all he really was, just a boy and here she is giving him very grown up news. "You have every right to know. '' She continued to stare at Tom, waiting for him to say something, anything then just sit there with that unemotional expression upon his handsome face. "I know what I'm going to do, Tom. I thought about it, I have lost sleep over this Tom. I spent weeks thinking about this, nothing else but this and I know I cannot keep it. I do not want it. I cannot raise it, you understand. Not only can it ruin my life but also I cannot give it a good life. I had no business to be with you. Our ages…well you now what people are like. Besides, I don't love you. I know you don't love me. What we had, it was a mistake and we both are aware of it. Isn't that why you stop coming to visit? '' Still the boy said nothing. The young woman sighed before going on, "I can't give it the life a child needs to brace itself against this world. Do you see those people out there?" She pointed to the fine clothed executives as they rushed to their late dinner parties. Tom glare followed her out stretched finger, "Those people are going somewhere with their lives, Tom. So am I but I can't do it with a kid tagging behind me."
"You're going to abort it then?" Tom barely whispered when he turned to the girl.
"No," She said slowly. "I'll have it but I am getting rid of it as soon as I can. That is…" She looked at him careful. "I mean you are the father Tom. I don't want this child in my life but if you want to…"
"You're just going to forget it then?" Tom titled his head, "Just like that?"
"This isn't something someone can just forget every happen," She shook her head slowly.
"But you don't anything to do with this child's life?" Tom asked.
"Isn't it for the best?" She asked him. "If a woman knows she won't make a good mother, doesn't she get credit for giving it to someone that might give it the love it needs?" She stood up, collecting her purse and slipping the strap over her shoulder. "You have my number, Hun. You have seven months to think about if you want to be a dad at seventeen. If I do not hear from you, I will assume you agree with me. Nevertheless, if you do want it, just call. I am doing everything by the book with this child, I'm not going to hurt it but I am not keeping it." She leaned down and gave Tom a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving him to sit alone in the quite restaurant.
"Your late," Mr hanson barely looked up as his oldest son walked through the door. "Not a little late, not even an hour late but severely late."
"Sorry," Tom mumbled, unloading his books onto the table beside the door.
"That's it? Sorry?" Tom sr glanced up from his work to look at his son. "Where were you?"
"Just out," Tom shrugged.
"Where?"
"Out," Tom sat down across from his father, "I just lost track of time, that's all."
"Tom it's two in the morning. How the hell could you just lose track of time like that?" Tom sr watched his son as he stared at the floorboards in the apartment. "You okay?"
"Yeah." Tom said quickly.
"You sure?" Tom sr asked again.
"Yeah I'm fine." Tom watched from the corner of his eye as his father turned back to his business work.
"Something you want to tell me?" Tom sr asked, not even looking up.
"No."
"You know I am going to ground you for this," Tom sr asked.
"I imagined you would."
"Did you now?" Tom sr sighed and dropped his pen to rub his eyes. "Go to bed."
"Sorry…"
"Tom, you have a cell phone."
"I know."
"You do know how to use it, right?"
"Dad…" Tom looked up from the floorboard.
"What am I suppose to think? You never use the bloody thing; I don't even know why I got it for you!"
"I..didn't charge it." Tom shrugged.
"No but I did."
"Oh…"
Tom sr watched his son for a moment. He wasn't mad at Tom, just furious that he did not bother to call. He had no idea where his son was, if he was safe or if he was hurt. "Go to bed, you are still going to school tomorrow and I don't want you late. Tomorrow you can call your band and tell them the bad news about how you have to cancel practice…"
"Dad…"
"Then you can call Doug and the group to tell them you can't go out on Fridays as you normally would…."
"Why can't I practice?"
"You can, just not for three weeks."
"Three weeks? You grounded me less when I accidentally broke your windshield!"
"I can make it four weeks if you'd like."
"No…" Tom sighed leaving his chair, dragging his feet to his room.
"Did you eat?" Tom sr yelled before Tom could reach his room.
"Yeah." Tom yelled back before shutting the door. He climbed into bed, not bothering to change. He felt exhausted, yet unable sleep.
"What's up with you?" Doug glanced over at his friend as he placed his books in the top locker.
"Nothing," Tom muttered.
"Uh huh," Doug frowned. "You want to talk?"
"About what?" Tom asked.
"About what's wrong." Doug replied.
"Nothing's wrong, Doug."
"Doesn't look as nothing is wrong…"
"I'm grounded…"
"Again? Why." Doug cut in.
"I was out too late last night and dad was home earlier then usual." Tom shrugged.
"How long are you in for?"
"He says three weeks but I'll give it two. If I be a good boy, he'll forget when he actually grounded me and…"
"You are hoping that he would forget all about it." Doug finished. "So what did he take away?"
"Practice and Friday nights."
"Our Fridays?" Doug slammed his locker shut, "You skip two Friday's in a row already!"
"Hey, it's not like I got to pick what he took away from me." Tom glared. "Geez."
"Damn it, Tom," Doug started down the hallway to his next class with Tom following, "What's so hard about being home before eleven? Hell, I have to be in before ten!"
"It's a long story that I don't want to go into…"
"When did you get home?"
"Doesn't tomer, does it?" Tom said.
"You do know the others won't like this…"
"Again, not my fault!" Tom glared.
"Well in a way it is, isn't it?" Doug shook his head.
"Drop it…" Tom pushed passed him into the classroom.
"Remember that kid we convinced he could fly?" Doug pointed his fork at Sharon's direction. "What was his name?"
Sharon frowned before shaking her head, "Doug that was ages ago…." She spooned a mouthful of the school's food into her mouth. "I remember you told him if he ate enough sugar that he would have this sugar rush so strong, it would able him to shoot himself in the air but'' Sharon swallowed her mouthful, "god I can't remember his name."
"Doesn't tomer really," Doug shrugged, "But she's right. The next day I took in one of those five pound bags of sugar and he ate spoonfuls until he was sick…"
"He did get sick too," Sharon wrinkled up her nose.
"Yeah but that was after…." Doug took a sip of his milk.
"After what?" Dennis asked, looking between Sharon and Doug.
"Oh I've heard this one before," Judy smirked, "Mum and Dad were so furious with you!"
"Aye, that they were but I wouldn't have changed anything." Doug sighed with the memory.
"What happen?" Dennis asked again, pushing his lunch tray away from him.
"The kid ran up the slid and flew….." Doug grinned.
"More like glided," Sharon pointed out.
"Yeah, glided then," Doug shrugged, "Gravity unfortunately showed its ugly face and the kid ended up doing this nose dive and smacked right into the pavement…"
"Ouch!" Dennis grimace.
"He lost concussions if I remember right," Blowfish interrupted, "When he finally came through, he threw up all over himself…"
"Do we have to be discussing this now?" Lucy looked at the group, "Really this is the very reason people don't believe me when I say I do eat! Just not during lunch hour because you guys are always bringing up gross stuff…"
"Not always," JACK shook his head.
"Yesterday you were comparing oysters with snot," Lucy stated.
"Well…" Doug scratched his head.
"The day before that you talked about spider guts and the day before that it was maggots, the day before that it was…"
"We get it…" Doug rolled his eyes before turning his attention to Tom's food tray.
"What are you doing?" JACK asked.
"Taking his lunch, not like he's eating it." Doug nodded his head in the blonde's direction. JACK glanced over at his brother who was sleeping soundly with his face in his arms.
"Did you find out why he is bailing on us this Friday?" Lucy asked the younger brother.
"Just that dad grounded him for staying out so late and not telling him where." JACK grabbed Tom's milk carton.
"Dibs on his fruit cup," Dennis leaned over to swipe some of Tom's lunch.
"It's not that he's grounded really. I mean we can't help it that our parents over react on the simplest things, it's the fact that he already ditched us two weeks in a row already. Now add three more to that…" Doug grumbled.
"Bell…." Dennis slurped the last of his milk before heading to the trash as the bell rung, ending school lunch.
Tom woke up and stared at his empty plate in confusion. "I…I didn't…"
"Bell," Doug smiled taking his empty tray from him, placing it under his own.
Tom just made it through the apartment door when the phone started to ring. He empity his arm load of books onto the table before picking the ringing device.
"Ello…Oh hi dad." Tom went to the refrigerator with the phone resting on his shoulder as he poured a glass of milk. "Yeah I'm home. Grounded, remember….of course you do…I…um…" Tom glanced around the small kitchen, darting from one object to another. Finally, his azure eyes rested on the microwave door where a bright yellow sticky note lingered, "Yeah I see it….sure I can do that." Tom nodded even though he was on the phone. "Okay…see you tonight." Tom pressed the hang up bottom on the telephone and placed it on the counter.
He walked over to the microwave and pressed a few buttons to heat the food his father left for him. Then, walking over to the table, he opened his book to finish his homework assignment.
"Hello?" JACK barged through the door.
"In here," Tom yelled from the kitchen.
"Hi…"
"Hello." Tom glanced up from his work.
"Whatcha making?" JACK looked over at the microwave.
"Just some soup…." Tom mumbled, "Hungry?"
"Starving." JACK smiled, taking a seat beside his brother. "So…Tom."
"JACK."
"Um…hey I was wondering if, well you know. Maybe you need someone to talk to about something." JACK picked up an extra pencil and started doodling on the empty page.
"What do you mean?" Tom raised an eyebrow.
"Well…I don't know." JACK shrugged. "The last few days you seemed troubled about something and I thought maybe I could help."
"I don't need help, JACK." Tom glared at his brother.
"I know…I," JACK shrugged, "I just want to let you know that I'm here if you need me."
Tom nodded, barely looking up at his brother.
"Hey I know I'm your kid brother and all but I have some really good advice."
"I'm sure you do…" Tom started to jot down some of his work on a piece of paper.
"And I might not have all the answers to everything…"
"Huh-huh…"
"But sometimes just talking and getting it off your chest can be a big help…."
"JACK…."
"Yeah?"
"Mum's back into those talk shows again, isn't she?"
JACK. frowned, nodding his head, "She's recording them. Watches them all evening….I don't know what to do."
Tom looked at his young brother.
"I'm thinking about killing the television. It's that bad, man!" JACK went on.
"Teek….did you want to watch television here?" Tom asked.
"Can I?" JACK beamed.
"You really don't have to ask…" Tom returned to his homework.
"And can I have some soup too?" JACK stood up to open the beeping microwave.
"Help yourself…Just leave me something!" Tom barked. "Bloody friends at my lunch…."
"You fell asleep," JACK shrugged. "You know there are people in this world that are starving and your food was going to waste. Do you think those starving beings would sleep through a meal or toss it out just because…"
"JACK. you're doing it again…" Tom cut him off.
"Oi…" JACK set a bowl of soup beside his brother. "Hey I'm going into the living room."
"Sure…" Tom mumbled, flipping through his books.
JACK carried his soup and a glass of milk into the living room. Tom heard the television click on and soon he heard voices in the background. He focused on his homework. The next time he looked up, two hours passed. He turned to the ringing phone his brother just grabbed.
"Hello…" JACK grinned, "Nah this is his brother….Yeah that's me….You have? All good then? Am I lucky? I don't know…." JACK looked over at his brother, "I kinda think he's the lucky one…I mean, I am such a wonderful brother and all…" JACK laughed and handed the phone over to his brother, "Some lady is on the phone."
"Hello, this is Tom…" the blonde's brows furied, "Oh hi…No, I'm not disappointed I just didn't think I'd hear from you for awhile…sure I thought about it…" Tom stood up and pushed his brother out of the kitchen. "No I haven't told anyone….because I don't know what I want to do right now….discuss what?"
Outside of the kitchen door, JACK pressed his head against the white surface. Straining to hear his brother's phone conversation. Normal JACK would have left his brother alone but never has Tom actually pushed him out of the kitchen.
"What am I suppose to say?" Tom went on to the woman on the other end. "I just need some time to work it out….I know…."
JACK pulled himself away from the door as Tom went into a silence moment. The younger brother stared at the door, trying to figure out what was being said and what was going on.
"You said I had a few months….I know….Listen…how is everything, I mean….it's okay right?"
JACK peered through the small crack of the door.
"You know Teeks," a voice came from behind him. "It is extremely rude to ease dropped on your brother and his telephone conversations."
JACK turned to look at his father, "Dad…"
"Hmmm.." His father sent the brief case down.
"Dad?" Tom popped his head out of the kitchen door, almost bumping into his brother. "You're home early."
"I wanted to make sure you were sticking around," His father put his hands in his pockets.
"Seriously?" Tom raised his eyebrow, "You don't trust me?"
"I trusted you enough to have faith that you would give me a phone call when you are late…look where it got me. I stayed up until two o'clock wondering if you were okay, if you were safe…"
"Not this again…." Tom rolled his eyes.
"You know I think I better go…" JACK grabbed his books, "You know homework and all…"
"You don't have to leave," His father watch him reach the door.
"Sure I know but Mum is expecting me and…" JACK stopped, remembering the whole reason Tom is grounded because there father was expecting him home.
"See that," Tom sr pointed at JACK, "You could learn something from your little brother!"
"Um…I'll catch up with you tomorrow Tom," JACK nodded, "Night Dad."
"Night JACK, be careful going home."
"Always!" JACK shut the door behind him.
"Where are you going?" Tom sr asked his older son.
"To my room," Tom mumbled. "I really don't want to hear the same stuff I heard last night…."
"Tom."
"I get it!" Tom turned to face his father. "You already gave me this lecture and I get it!" He stormed off, slamming his door to his bedroom shut. He threw his books on the floor and sat on the bed with his hands in his hair.
"Tom…" His father opened the door and walked over to his son. "Listen, I…" Tom sr sat on the bed, placing his hand on Tom's shoulder. "I had a rough time at work and didn't get much sleep…it's no excuse but I am sorry. I should not take it out on you. Your right, I lectured you enough about last night. Please try to understand though," He waited until Tom looked up, "What if you were me? Would you worry if your child were out all night? Not know what happen, if he was all right. It's hard to sit and wait for a phone call that never comes."
"I know and I swear I'm…"
"Sorry, I know." His father brushed Tom's hair away from his forehead. "You know…" Tom sr looked around Tom's room. "You could clean this place up while you're grounded…"
"I should do my homework first," Tom mumbled, leaving the bed to pick up his schoolwork.
Tom sr walked towards the door and paused, "Hey Tom."
"Yeah?" Tom asked, not looking up.
"You do know that your mother and I love you…" Tom sr said softly.
Tom jerked his head up and looked at his father in silence, searching his father's face but read nothing, "Sure. I know." His father nodded his head before shutting the door.
Friday Late Afternoon.
"Guess what I got!" JACK barged through the door to Tom's apartment.
"What are you doing here?" Tom glanced up from the table where he was doing his homework.
"Knowing you and dad, I figure you had nothing enjoyable to eat so I stopped at the restaurant for take out." JACK grinned holding up white foam cartons of food.
"What are you doing here?" Tom repeated himself.
"And I picked up some movies…" JACK took off his Jacket; swing it over the back of a chair.
"JACK." Tom interrupted his brother, "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting," JACK blinked.
"I'm grounded…" Tom frowned, returning to his studies.
"Well yeah but dad's not going to throw me out and besides you may not be able to leave doesn't mean we can't visit."
"Whose we?"
"Well me…" JACK said before turning to the refrigerator for a drink.
"And?"