Disclaimer: I don't own AS or any of it's characters. Nel and her sister Rianna are mine though.
A/N: This is my very first AS fan fic. Could be my last too, I'll just have to see how I feel by the end of this.
*******************
Big Problem
*RIIIIING!!!*
"Hello?"
There was no response, just the sound of nervous breathing.
"Hello? Who is this?" Rianna was about to hang up when she heard her sister's voice.
"R-Rianna, no! Don't hang up."
"Nel?!" Rianna exclaimed, "Where the hell have you been?! No one has seen you in two weeks! Mom's been going crazy and Dad's ready to disown you."
"I...I'm sorry. I called you because I need to talk to you."
Rianna sighed. It seemed every time Nel wanted to "talk to her" Rianna always ended up reaching into her purse to give her sister money.
"How much do you need now?" Rianna asked tiredly, imagining how quickly and stupidly the money would be spent.
"Huh? No, I *really* need to talk to you. Please, Rianna. I'm in trouble."
"You're always in trouble, Nel, that's the story of your life."
"No, Rianna, I'm in serious trouble. I need your help."
Rianna was half tempted to hang up the phone, but there was a note of desperation in her younger sister's voice that she had not heard before. It hinted at a sort of terror that could have been and perhaps was legitimate.
"Where are you?" Rianna asked.
"I'm at Little Betty's diner...the one we used to go to."
"I remember." That was all to be said on that subject. "Stay there, I'll pick you up in ten minutes."
"See you in ten, Rianna."
"Sure."
It took all of Rianna's will not to slam the receiver down as hard she could. "Damn it!" she said as she rushed to get her coat. Once again she would be caught up in another one of Nel's stupid messes and she would have to get herself and her sister out intact. It was the same thing all over again.
Or so she thought....
*************
Seven minutes had passed since she made the call, but it had already begun to seem much longer to Nel.
She sat slumped in a booth near the diner's exit, leaning wearily over a cup of cheap cocoa. Her deep brown bangs fell over her eyes, giving her an almost dazed appearance. She glanced out the window compulsively, occasionally peering over her shoulder at the suspicious waitresses, who were waiting for her to at least pay for the cocoa.
Nel rubbed her belly gently, pausing when she noticed the stare of a particular waitress. Smiling almost viciously, Nel turned her attention back to the passing cars outside. Someone coughed. Someone else complained about the lousy service, but nothing seemed relevant.
Finally, a familiar SUV stopped in front of the diner. Nel slipped quickly out of her booth and in a matter of seconds was gone. She hadn't bothered to pay for the cocoa. It tasted like crap anyway.
*************
Despite how desperate Nel sounded on the phone, she didn't seem in that much of a hurry to talk about what kind of trouble she was in. She asked the usual questions instead. "How's Mom?" "How's Dad?" "How's Dad's new girlfriend and is she pretty?"
"Everyone's fine, Nel," Rianna said, trying to withhold her impatience, "It's you that everyone's worried about, as usual. So what is it that you've gotten yourself into? Do you owe someone money or something?"
"No," Nel muttered, "It doesn't have to do with money."
"Really," Rianna said, looking over at Nel as she drove. "Well, what's up? I hope you aren't going to make me play a guessing game."
"You might want to pull over," Nel stated quietly.
Shrugging, Rianna complied.
Shifting into park, Rianna waited for Nel to drop whatever bomb it was that she was harboring.
"I'm pregnant."
Silence.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again?"
Nel hesitated. "I'm....pregnant," she said, looking away.
Rianna looked at her sister, straight ahead and then back at her sister. Nel's eyes glistened, waiting for the rebuke that was to come. It never did.
Rianna did something that surprised them both. She began to laugh. The more she thought about what her sister had just told her, the harder she laughed. Tears were running down Rianna's cheeks, and she was leaning over the steering wheel, unable to compose herself.
At the laughter Nel's eyes widened, and then narrowed in anger. "What's so damned funny?" She demanded, "Do you think this is a joke? I just told you I was pregnant and now you're laughing at me. I don't have to take this!" Nel tried to open the door to get out, but Rianna stopped her.
"No," she said taking a deep breath, "I'm actually not laughing at you. As cruel as it may sound, I actually expected you to get knocked up way before now. You surprised me."
"Thanks," Nel spat sarcastically.
"Don't mention it," Rianna returned, "so who's the lucky father?"
Nel's sarcasm gave way to a look of despair.
"You *do* know who the father is right? Right, Nel?"
There was no answer.
Rianna ran a frustrated hand through her own dark brown hair.
"Jesus Christ, Nel."
"You shouldn't say the Lord's name in vain."
Rianna looked sideways at her sister. "Whatever. You...have no clue who the father could be? You've been with that many-"
"No," Nel said quickly, "I know who the father is, I just don't know who the father is."
Rianna nodded once and then said, "Great. Now can you explain to me just how that's possible?"
"What I mean is, I know who it was that would have caused me to become pregnant, since that's the only time I've ever not used...well, I know it had to have been that time, a few weeks ago, with this guy I met."
"And let me guess," Rianna said, reaching into her purse for a cigarette, "You had just met this guy, probably at a bar or a party-"
"Party," Nel admitted quietly.
"Figures. Anyway, you hook up with this strange and mysterious guy, go off some place, have sex and the next morning, he doesn't leave you so much as a romantic note. Am I close?"
"Pretty close," Nel admitted, "Except, since that night...."
"What?"
Nel looked cautiously at Rianna, but decided not to mention it, at least then and there.
"Nothing. Look, can I stay with you? Just for a few days, until I can find a place to live?"
"Sure, no problem." Rianna didn't sound enthusiatic, but that hardly mattered to Nel. She really wanted to tell her what exactly was happening and why she went missing for two weeks, but she knew Rianna wouldn't believe her, especially about the baby. Especially the part about the baby who refuses to die.
A/N: I'll get more detailed and you find out who the father is next chapter, if anyone wants to read that far. BP
A/N: This is my very first AS fan fic. Could be my last too, I'll just have to see how I feel by the end of this.
*******************
Big Problem
*RIIIIING!!!*
"Hello?"
There was no response, just the sound of nervous breathing.
"Hello? Who is this?" Rianna was about to hang up when she heard her sister's voice.
"R-Rianna, no! Don't hang up."
"Nel?!" Rianna exclaimed, "Where the hell have you been?! No one has seen you in two weeks! Mom's been going crazy and Dad's ready to disown you."
"I...I'm sorry. I called you because I need to talk to you."
Rianna sighed. It seemed every time Nel wanted to "talk to her" Rianna always ended up reaching into her purse to give her sister money.
"How much do you need now?" Rianna asked tiredly, imagining how quickly and stupidly the money would be spent.
"Huh? No, I *really* need to talk to you. Please, Rianna. I'm in trouble."
"You're always in trouble, Nel, that's the story of your life."
"No, Rianna, I'm in serious trouble. I need your help."
Rianna was half tempted to hang up the phone, but there was a note of desperation in her younger sister's voice that she had not heard before. It hinted at a sort of terror that could have been and perhaps was legitimate.
"Where are you?" Rianna asked.
"I'm at Little Betty's diner...the one we used to go to."
"I remember." That was all to be said on that subject. "Stay there, I'll pick you up in ten minutes."
"See you in ten, Rianna."
"Sure."
It took all of Rianna's will not to slam the receiver down as hard she could. "Damn it!" she said as she rushed to get her coat. Once again she would be caught up in another one of Nel's stupid messes and she would have to get herself and her sister out intact. It was the same thing all over again.
Or so she thought....
*************
Seven minutes had passed since she made the call, but it had already begun to seem much longer to Nel.
She sat slumped in a booth near the diner's exit, leaning wearily over a cup of cheap cocoa. Her deep brown bangs fell over her eyes, giving her an almost dazed appearance. She glanced out the window compulsively, occasionally peering over her shoulder at the suspicious waitresses, who were waiting for her to at least pay for the cocoa.
Nel rubbed her belly gently, pausing when she noticed the stare of a particular waitress. Smiling almost viciously, Nel turned her attention back to the passing cars outside. Someone coughed. Someone else complained about the lousy service, but nothing seemed relevant.
Finally, a familiar SUV stopped in front of the diner. Nel slipped quickly out of her booth and in a matter of seconds was gone. She hadn't bothered to pay for the cocoa. It tasted like crap anyway.
*************
Despite how desperate Nel sounded on the phone, she didn't seem in that much of a hurry to talk about what kind of trouble she was in. She asked the usual questions instead. "How's Mom?" "How's Dad?" "How's Dad's new girlfriend and is she pretty?"
"Everyone's fine, Nel," Rianna said, trying to withhold her impatience, "It's you that everyone's worried about, as usual. So what is it that you've gotten yourself into? Do you owe someone money or something?"
"No," Nel muttered, "It doesn't have to do with money."
"Really," Rianna said, looking over at Nel as she drove. "Well, what's up? I hope you aren't going to make me play a guessing game."
"You might want to pull over," Nel stated quietly.
Shrugging, Rianna complied.
Shifting into park, Rianna waited for Nel to drop whatever bomb it was that she was harboring.
"I'm pregnant."
Silence.
"I'm sorry, could you say that again?"
Nel hesitated. "I'm....pregnant," she said, looking away.
Rianna looked at her sister, straight ahead and then back at her sister. Nel's eyes glistened, waiting for the rebuke that was to come. It never did.
Rianna did something that surprised them both. She began to laugh. The more she thought about what her sister had just told her, the harder she laughed. Tears were running down Rianna's cheeks, and she was leaning over the steering wheel, unable to compose herself.
At the laughter Nel's eyes widened, and then narrowed in anger. "What's so damned funny?" She demanded, "Do you think this is a joke? I just told you I was pregnant and now you're laughing at me. I don't have to take this!" Nel tried to open the door to get out, but Rianna stopped her.
"No," she said taking a deep breath, "I'm actually not laughing at you. As cruel as it may sound, I actually expected you to get knocked up way before now. You surprised me."
"Thanks," Nel spat sarcastically.
"Don't mention it," Rianna returned, "so who's the lucky father?"
Nel's sarcasm gave way to a look of despair.
"You *do* know who the father is right? Right, Nel?"
There was no answer.
Rianna ran a frustrated hand through her own dark brown hair.
"Jesus Christ, Nel."
"You shouldn't say the Lord's name in vain."
Rianna looked sideways at her sister. "Whatever. You...have no clue who the father could be? You've been with that many-"
"No," Nel said quickly, "I know who the father is, I just don't know who the father is."
Rianna nodded once and then said, "Great. Now can you explain to me just how that's possible?"
"What I mean is, I know who it was that would have caused me to become pregnant, since that's the only time I've ever not used...well, I know it had to have been that time, a few weeks ago, with this guy I met."
"And let me guess," Rianna said, reaching into her purse for a cigarette, "You had just met this guy, probably at a bar or a party-"
"Party," Nel admitted quietly.
"Figures. Anyway, you hook up with this strange and mysterious guy, go off some place, have sex and the next morning, he doesn't leave you so much as a romantic note. Am I close?"
"Pretty close," Nel admitted, "Except, since that night...."
"What?"
Nel looked cautiously at Rianna, but decided not to mention it, at least then and there.
"Nothing. Look, can I stay with you? Just for a few days, until I can find a place to live?"
"Sure, no problem." Rianna didn't sound enthusiatic, but that hardly mattered to Nel. She really wanted to tell her what exactly was happening and why she went missing for two weeks, but she knew Rianna wouldn't believe her, especially about the baby. Especially the part about the baby who refuses to die.
A/N: I'll get more detailed and you find out who the father is next chapter, if anyone wants to read that far. BP