*Eight Summers Ago*

Every year I look forward to my senior year, so I can finally graduate high school and work towards my dream career of being a magazine Editor. Since I was a kid I dreamed of having my own magazine that everyone would love to read not only because it would have tons of celebrity gossip but the best of best make up tips, hair styles, and tons of fashion advice. I never thought that I would be in this position, right now i'm in the bathroom waiting for this clock to turn another minute so I can I look at a test I never planned on taking at eighteen. As soon as the clock ticks away I look at it, this stick has two lines on it. Two. What the hell does that mean? I search for the box I threw in the trash look it over and then almost faint, I want to die. My whole life is going to be different now. I have to tell Ezra. I look at myself in the mirror, my hair is golden brown with a hint of strawberry blonde in it, I take it and throw it on top of my head into a thin scrunchy, my face is clear for once, refreshed from the previous night. I grab the test that I threw into the box so I can have them both handy and then head out of the house, keys in hand avoiding my parents. I can't do this right now, I'd rather deal with them afterwards, right now I need to see my boyfriend. The father of my child.

As I drive down the street, I turn on the radio to distract me and of course the song on the radio is Madonna "Papa Don't Preach", how ironic of the radio. I turn it off and decide to stay focused on driving. When I finally pull up to Ezra's house I see him playing basketball with his brother in the backyard court they had built two years ago. As soon as he sees me, he stops the game and walks towards my car. I get out and lean against the driver's door putting that idiotic box in the glove department before exiting. I catch my breath as he walks by and kisses me softly on my lips. "What's up? You didn't tell me you were coming over," he says. "Thought I surprise you, let's take a ride," I tell him, contemplating on how I should tell him. "Ok, let me change real quick," he adds to his part of the conversation. "Sure," I look at him, hiding my eyes a little. "I'll wait for you out here." I tell him, he walks back to his house inside to change out of his sweaty clothes and I guess take a quick shower to make himself decent.

When Ezra gets into the passenger seat next to me, I instantly smell Estee Lauder Pleasures For Men, my favorite scent on him. I lean in to kiss him and we share a passionate kiss. As soon as we're done, I start the car and head towards the park it's a few streets over and it's one of the places where we liked to hang out and just talk. We always talked about everything from Shakespeare to the LA Lakers, everything under the moon. So thats why its a little hard for me to do this. There's silence for five minutes and then he speaks. "Is something wrong? You haven't spoken since you parked." He asks me with concern in his voice, I look at him and then break down in tears. Its all towing down on me now, this isn't just going to affect my life it's going to affect his life and our parents. He grabs me and holds me tight. "Maggie, what's wrong? Did you cheat on me? Tell me..." I can't take this anymore, so I blurt it out. "I'm pregnant. I took this test less than an hour ago, it's in the glove department if you want to double check. I'm so sorry..." I tell him backing away from him and looking him in the eyes and he does exactly what I didn't expect of him. "Your pregnant? Are you sure? Sometimes those test aren't correct?" He asks me, I look at him straight in the eyes, tears still flowing out. "This was the third test in two days, they were all positive. We can always go to the doctors to confirm it." "Let's do that, we shouldn't make any rash decisions right now while we're not extremely positive."

"And if I really am pregnant, what do you want to do?" I asks fearing the answer. "I...I'm not sure...We just graduated high school and we're too young to have a kid. I mean, i'm still trying to take care of myself. But we'll discuss that further with our parents if it comes to that. Until then we'll have each other." He hugs me again, making me melt in his arms.

The next day we went to the doctors anticipating but understanding the obvious. I am pregnant. The doctor explained to us the options we had, the things we already knew. We can either carry the baby to term and raise it together, separately, whatever it takes, give it up for adoption or there was always abortion. I would never expect myself to ever be considering that last option, but I can't make my dreams come true with a child. Ezra and I discuss the options together in my car, again at the park. He said that he didn't care as long as I was happy and he was involved with the child if I had it. But the hardest part of this whole situation is going to be telling our parents. We drove to my house because we assumed that they would take it much easier than his parents. Surprisingly they weren't as shocked as I thought they would be, my father was actually calm and happy for me, unlike my mother who was a little upset but was understanding. In the end, I knew I had their blessing with any decision we made.

But right now, sitting in his parents house on their couch, knowing what Ezra's about to tell them I feel my heart drop down to my stomach, my stomach flipping in a thousand flips. As I looked from Dianne and Richard Fitzgerald, in her diamond ensemble to his suit and tie on a casual Saturday afternoon. They've always made me feel uncomfortable, that's why we spent most times at my place or the park. He was raised from money and didn't want nothing to do with it. He felt that it made his family feel like the world is handed to them, that's one of the reasons why I love him. "Mom, dad," I hear him begin to tell them. "There's something that we need to tell you... Maggie's pregnant" His mother's face drops, realizing what he just said. "You didn't..." Dianne lets in a harsh tone, "Ezra how could you, with this white trash whore. You have your whole life ahead of you..." Richard then bumps into the conversation, "Dianne calm down." He tells her, she begins to take slow breaths. "They are adults now, they have to deal with their consequences." Richard than stands and leaves the room, Ezra doesn't even try to stop his father because he knew that was true, he is an adult and he has to live with this. "Mom, don't talk to her like that, I love her," he tells his mother. Dianne looks at me, Ezra throws his arm in front of me, protecting me from this Rottweiler of a mother. "You did this to him, you knew what you were doing and you ruined my son's life," she says and leaves the room behind her husband. I break down in tears. Ezra looks at me, protecting me from the world. "We're going to be fine," he whispers to me, and I believe him.

After what happened I hadn't been back to the Fitzgeralds house and neither has Ezra, he grabbed a handful of things and has been sleeping at my house. We've been talking a lot about our futures and college. He was accepted to a local college and was attending this fall, I was going to U Penn, with a scholarship so I couldn't be distracted with a child. I needed to figure out what I was going to do before it was too late. Right now i'm going over my acceptance letter from Penn for the millionth time, my dream is a footstep away. Ezra went to his house to grab the rest of his things, he was going to leave for college in a few days and needed to make sure he had everything. I planned on leaving in a few weeks to get settled before classes start and even visit my older sister Loretta, who has graduated college and engaged to a future doctor, she lives near the campus and works there in admissions as well as a councilor. I hear a knock on the door and head to it, I open it and see Dianne Fitzgerald standing there I begin to close the door when she stops me with words. "We need to talk," she says in a firm understanding tone. I open the door wide and look at her.

"You don't have to invite me in, I won't be long," she tells me. She opens up her Dolce and Gabbana purse and grabs out a huge wad of money in an envelope and hands it to me. "This is for you to take care of that thing," I look at her, not knowing exactly what's going on. "What?" I asks with confusion. "I want you to take this money, it's enough for you to end that pregnancy and live on, for all I care. I want you to take it and leave early. I know your attending Penn in the fall, I know a few people who can make your attendance there just disappear if you don't do as told." I look at her, stern in the face, trying to let all this sink in, she's bribing me to leave early and 'take care' of my unborn child. "When I tell Ezra what you did he's going to hate you," I let her know that i'm more in control of this situation than she thinks I am. "Poor Maggie, if you know what's best for you and your dream college you won't tell Ezra anything. That fetus is a mistake and you know that. Your life won't be easy if you keep it, you won't be able to do all the things your suppose to do when your in college. Disappear or i'll make it happen." She hands over the envelope I grab it and look it over as she walks away. There's more than money in there than I can count.

I thought about telling Ezra about everything but I couldn't...I packed up everything I needed and left. I headed towards my sisters house until I got there. I knew he wouldn't look for me here, because I as of today I can't talk to him again. If I do I fear that his mother will come after me like piranhas in feeding. I left a note for my parents telling them I was going to get a head start on college and i'll call them when I can. As of that day I was no longer involved in Ezra Fitzgerald's life.