A/N: This is just a short one shot I came up with after re-watching the later 3A episodes. I hope you enjoy it!
We Were Too Young
Ezra pulled out his new Motorola Razr – one of the hottest cellular devices out there – and tried Maggie's house phone once more.
Hello, you've reached the Cutlers. We are unable to come to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the beep.
Ezra flipped his phone shut and rubbed his forehead. Maggie had been ignoring him for two weeks straight. Every time he called her, she ignored the call. It was the start of summer before college. He knew that he and Maggie weren't going to the same school, so he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before they went their separate ways.
As Ezra sat at his desk, contemplating whether or not to call again, his little brother stormed in to his room.
"Wanna come play Xbox with me?"
"No, Wes," Ezra said, annoyed. He loved his little brother, sure, but sometimes he just wished the kid would grow up. He was only about video games, soccer, and cub scouts. When Ezra was his age, he was already up to his neck in Stephen King books and writing short stories.
Wesley and Ezra were polar opposites.
Wesley shrugged and walked out disappointed. Ezra sighed as he got up to close the door his brother had left wide open. He hated summer because his mom always left it up to him to entertain Wesley. And of course, as kids always are during summer, are bored a mere two weeks into the break.
Ezra sat back down and started getting flustered. Why wasn't she calling him back?
XXXX
Maggie woke up for the second time that morning to heave into her toilet. Ezra's constant calling had made her feel worse. She had a strong feeling why she was throwing up in the morning – every morning, in fact, for the last several days.
She had already called one of her trusted friends to bring her a pregnancy test. She and Ezra had used a condom, but it must have broke. But, an ugly, nagging thought kept coming back to her.
Eight nights after her and Ezra had hooked up, she went to a party with one of her friends and got completely shit faced. She slept with this guy, even though she liked Ezra a lot. She was worried the baby wasn't even his.
The doorbell rang and Maggie wiped her face before running down the hall. She swung open the door and pulled her friend, Amanda, inside.
"Do you have it?" Maggie whispered, even though her parents were out.
Amanda nodded. "Do you really think you're pregnant?"
Maggie ducked her head down. "Let's go find out."
Maggie stared at the stick in disbelief. No. No, this can't be. I'm about to go to college. This can't happen!
"What does it say?" Amanda asked.
Maggie replied, shaking her head, "It's – It's positive."
"Oh, Maggie," Amanda murmured before pulling her friend into a hug. Amanda pulled away as Maggie wiped her eyes.
Amanda patted her shoulder. "What's Ezra gonna say?"
Maggie bit her lip and let out a sob. Through shaky breaths, Maggie questioned, "Can you keep a secret?"
"Of course."
"I don't think it's Ezra's. Remember when we went to that party? I kind of hooked up with a guy…"
"Maggie! What are you going to tell him!"
"I think I'll say it his. That's who I want it to be."
"Maggie – "
"It's my child," Maggie interrupted. Amanda backed down and Maggie whispered to herself, "My child."
XXXX
The next day, Maggie decided she couldn't put it off any longer. She walked to the Fitzgerald's' home and knocked on the door. She knew she was slightly playing God, but she wanted Ezra to be the father. She needed Ezra to be the father.
She and Ezra had been fighting recently, though. He wanted to spend time – a lot of time – together during summer, but she wanted to go to her new college early and get adjusted to her new town. He just didn't get that. And Ezra kept wanting to make the relationship more serious. Maggie only ever saw their relationship as a senior year fling. They were each other's prom dates and hung out on weekends. But, Ezra didn't get that either.
Ezra opened the door and was surprised to see Maggie on the other side. He thought, due to their fights, they were over. Maybe there was a chance after all.
"Ezra, I have to tell you something."
Ezra gulped. "What is it?"
Maggie let the cat out of the bag and blurted, "I'm pregnant."
Ezra's body turned to stone. "Wh- what do we… what do we do?"
Maggie started crying and shook her head vigorously. "I don't know," she choked out.
Ezra saw unsure what to do so he just pulled her into a hug. The two stood there, Maggie crying and Ezra's mind racing, holding each other in the foyer. Wesley ran down stairs but stopped when he saw what was happening.
"Ezra?"
"Wes, go upstairs."
"What's going on?"
"Wesley, go!"
Wesley slowly turned around and ran back up the steps, confused.
"Have you told your parents?"
"No. No, I can't. They'd kill me."
"Do you want to tell my mom?" Ezra asked. He really had no idea why. Dianne and him never saw eye to eye on anything. He didn't want to tell her anything, but she could help.
XXXX
Ezra woke up and prayed that today would be better than last night. Maggie, after crying dozens of tears, went home. They had come up with a plan that the next day, they would go to Ezra's mother for help.
He got out of bed, made up the covers immediately due to it being part of his allowance, and went down stairs. Maggie would be here in one hour.
Maggie had knocked on the door and Ezra let her in. Both of them were clearly scared.
"Are you sure you wanna tell your mom?" Maggie asked.
"I guess."
Ezra led Maggie into the den and sat her down on the Italian leather sofa. He could tell that she was trying not to cry. Ezra still just couldn't believe it. How could this happen? Well, he knew how, but still. He liked Maggie a lot, maybe even loved her, but he didn't want to be tied down to her for the next eighteen plus years.
Ezra left the room to get his mother, who was lounging on the patio, bitching at the maid.
"Mom, can you, um, come inside?"
"What's the matter?"
"Just come inside."
Dianne gave him a knowing look. Ezra huffed and added, "Please?"
"Alright," she gave in. She pulled off her Gucci sunglasses and her son inside. She had a feeling whatever this was about didn't have to require her coming all the way inside. This better be good, she thought.
Ezra went into the den and his mother followed behind. Ezra quickly sat down near Maggie, not daring to sit too close, while his mother took in the scene. Ezra was beyond uncomfortable and Maggie's eyes were puffy and red.
"Hello, Maggie."
"Hi, Mrs. Fitzgerald."
Dianne waved her off, "Ms. Fitzgerald."
Dianne closed the door and sat in one of the chairs across from the sofa.
"Now, what is the problem?" Dianne interrogated.
Neither Maggie nor Ezra spoke up and stayed as still as a statue. Ezra's shoulders drooped as Dianne grasped at her diamond necklace, something she did when she was plotting or nervous.
"Someone say something."
Ezra decided to just go for it and not beat around the bush. "I got Maggie pregnant," he blurted, not putting blame on Maggie.
Maggie's eyes got damper when she heard Ezra's confession. I got Maggie pregnant. In reality, some guy at a party got Maggie pregnant.
Dianne's nostrils flared and she pursed her lips. This was not going to be good.
"Well, then," she clapped her hands together, "what do you two plan to do."
Maggie finally spoke up and cried, "We don't know."
"Who all knows?"
"Just us three," Ezra answered.
"It will stay that way. For now."
Both of the teens looked at each other tense and afraid. What was going to happen?
"How about you two think separately for a while, then come back to conclude," Dianne proposed. Ezra started to interrupt but Dianne held her hand up to stop him from talking back. "Now, Maggie, I'll give you a ride home."
"It's fine, I can walk."
"No, I insist. Come on, let's go."
Ezra started to get up alongside Maggie to leave, but Dianne stopped him. "No, you stay here."
"But,"
"No. Go get your brother some lunch."
Ezra scrunched his eyebrows together and was ready to protest further, but Dianne gave him a devious glare. Ezra decided to back off and sit back down.
XXXX
Dianne drove as slow as possible while Maggie tried to keep from weeping.
Dianne announced, "Maggie, I will give you a proposition, and I expect you to take it."
Maggie turned her head in response.
Ms. Fitzgerald continued, "There can be real world compensations for you."
"What do you mean?"
"If I were to pay you to take care of this? Would you?"
"I don't know. I mean –"
"Don't you want to enjoy college life? Get a nice career? Have a husband then a child?"
"Um-"
"Those things are impossible if you were to have this child."
"I don't want to have an abortion, if that's what you're suggesting. I want to… I want to keep my baby."
"Okay. But, Ezra's not ready, even if you are. You'll go to the college early. Get yourself a nice apartment or dorm, or whatever. I'll pay the expenses of having this child, but you have to stay away from my son."
Maggie couldn't believe her ears. An all expense baby? But, on the other hand, she wanted to keep it and Ezra wasn't even the father. This could work.
"Okay," Maggie whispered.
XXXX
Dianne returned to her house. The second she walked in, Ezra rushed to her, asking questions.
"I took care of it."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you are going to stay away from her."
"What did you do?"
"Maggie chose an abortion," Dianne lied, unconcerned.
"What? Don't you think I should have had a say?"
"Ezra," his mother started. The gears started turning in his head. He remembered how Wesley cheated on some standardized test last year and his mother bribed the school board to ignore it. He remembered how when he was little, he spilled red wine on a rug of one of his mother's friends and she bought them a whole new rug.
Ezra stared at his mother incredulously, "Did you pay her?"
"I'm done talking about this. Go upstairs."
XXXX
For the next several weeks, he called Maggie's house again and again, but never got an answer. He decided to transfer to Hollis – a college in some small town named Rosewood. He despised his mother ever since and truncated his name to Fitz, not wanting anything to do with Dianne and her family. He always wondered about Maggie, but eventually gave up. She clearly moved on, so he decided to, as well.
He understood why she did what she did though. They were too young.