Love of the Degenerate Kind
By The Mysterious One
Virgil found Richie sitting at one of the round tables outside the school where kids would hang out, study, or if the days were nice and they were allowed outside, eat their lunches. Presently, the school day was over and students were milling around, chatting, laughing, or goofing off in the bright spring sun.
"Rich, I've been looking all over for you. Where've you been? I thought we were gonna meet at my locker?"
Richie looked up, startled out of some bout of troubled thoughts. "Oh, sorry V, I forgot…"
"What's up?"
"A lot, mostly Bernita."
Virgil shrugged off his backpack and sat down beside him. "You're not second guessing your decision now are you?"
"I am."
Virgil groaned. "Geez, we've been over this ten times already! You dumped her so leave it at that."
"I can't Virg, there's more to it than I originally thought."
"More? Richie, your relationship wasn't working out. Bernita was way too clingy. Plus you had to let her go or she'd find out about you-know-what."
"It's not about that. It's about…" he fished for the way to say it, almost hesitant. "It's about responsibility."
"Responsibility?" Virgil gave him an odd, inquiring look.
Richie sighed while leaning forwards and staring at the table for a moment. He was going to have a hard time saying it, but, he needed to. Virgil was his closest friend, someone he could trust, and that made it easier. "Bernita came up to me after lunch and told me that she was pregnant."
"Wha! What?" Virgil sputtered.
Richie nodded. The hard part already said, he went on, "She thinks I'm the father. V," he looked at him, "I think she's right."
"But how? Don't tell me you two actually did it."
"I think she got me to because she was afraid she was losing me when I kept disappearing on her to go out on patrol after school."
"What were you thinking, man? Are you wacked?"
"Hey, I only came to realize why she wanted to do it after she told me about her pregnancy today!" Richie defended himself, raising his voice.
"Okay, okay!" Virgil tried to calm himself down. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know… She wants to get an abortion but she's scared to, and I don't want to leave her to take care of the baby all by herself."
"Have you ever thought of talking to a counselor about this? You and Bernita both?"
"Not really."
"I can set up a time with my Pops if you want."
"I don't know..." He was indecisive because Mr. Hawkins was someone who knew him rather well. But even talking to a counselor who didn't wasn't any better. "Has he even dealt with this kind of situation before?"
"No clue, I just figured he'd be a good place to start."
A/N This was a one shot sort of thing. It's just an idea that popped into my head suddenly while listening to my Sociology teacher talk about teen pregnancy. I might write more if people show an interest.