Title: One Day At A Time
Pairing: Stacie/Donald
Author's Note: Well, I thought long and hard about what to put in this chapter, and I've decided to mix things up a bit. I know that it's a bit too early to be throwing things into chaos since this is only the second chapter, but, keep in mind that what with the baby on the way, and everything that's going on, things would have to be BAD to make it interesting, if that even makes sense. I just thought it'd be a bit more lively if things start to look like an inevitable break up lining up. But, as the title says, they're going to take it, one day at a time. ;)
-Sux2budude
Chapter Two:
-DS-
…
Stacie cries hysterically for half an hour when she finds her first stretchmark. She knew it would eventually appear (with more to come), but it didn't stop her from nearly having a heart attack when she saw it. She's sitting on the bathroom floor of Donald's apartment, sobbing silently to herself. She doesn't want Donald to see her this way because she had told him that stretchmark's won't bother her. But she never really had any before, so she didn't know it would look so hideous. What if Donald sees my stretchmark's and he's disgusted by the sight? She wonders appallingly. She's pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of a soft knock on the bathroom door, followed by her boyfriend's voice.
"Babe? Are you okay in there?" His voice is full of concern.
Stacie quickly wipes away at her tears as she gets up off the floor. "Yeah, just… uhhh- flossing." She calls back.
"Okay, but you have to hurry or you'll be late to class again."
Stacie turns on the faucet, quickly splashing water onto her face. "I'll be out in a sec." she calls. She listens quietly, and a moment later, she hears the soft thuds of his footsteps drawing away from the door. She lets out a sigh of relief, and she leans up in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. Her eyes trail from her face, down her chest, to rest on her stomach. Her once flat, toned, stomach was now protruding slightly. She's already had six appointments with her OB/GYN, and everything seems fine. The baby's heartbeat is normal, and it's progressively growing inside her. At her most recent appointment, the doctor had told them that their baby's organs are starting to develop. She smiles at the memory of her first appointment where Donald had accompanied her, proudly telling the doctor that he is the father of her baby. Donald had been nothing short of amazing; supporting her, holding her hand, and saying short, sweet, comforting words that helped her get over her nerves. They had both had tears in their eyes when they saw their baby for the first time, Donald going speechless as he stared at the ultrasound picture in front of him. He had only snapped out of his dazed state when the doctor had asked if they wanted a DVD of the ultrasound, Donald quickly nodding, and asking if he could have a wallet-sized picture of the ultrasound as well. He has the ultrasound picture, and a single picture of her, displayed inside his wallet. She wonders if everything would change soon. Because whether they're made for each other or not, things won't always be perfect. And with a baby on the way, Stacie knows that things will only get harder for her and Donald. She just hopes that when they do have big problems, they would both be willing to try to make things work.
…
School is… boring, and exhausting. Stacie still hangs out with Beca, Amy, Cynthia, and even Lilly after dissolving their past problem over Donald. Their company is always welcoming especially now that her stomach is starting to show and every single student at Barden keeps staring at her baby bump.
"Hey, Stace." Beca greets warmly as she plops down beside her in the only class they have together, which is English.
"Hey." Stacie greets back rather tiredly. She hadn't been able to sleep a wink last night because the baby kept kicking her bladder, and she kept getting up every half hour to pee, which eventually woke Donald, who then had stayed up with her, not wanting to go to sleep while she lies awake awaiting the next bathroom emergency.
"You okay? You look exhausted." Beca looks at her worriedly, and for that, Stacie is grateful.
"That's because I am exhausted." She gently rubs her baby bump, looking down at it. "This little one was hyperactive last night and I couldn't sleep."
"I guess you and Donald haven't been having much… fun, lately huh?" Beca wriggles her eyebrows up and down.
Stacie laughs at that, thankful for the little distraction. "You have such a dirty mind… but to answer your question, yes. Donald and I haven't had any … fun, as you put it, at all for the past two weeks." Stacie sighs heavily, leaning back in her desk as more and more of their classmates start filing in one by one. "As a matter of fact, we haven't been getting much sleep either."
Beca gives her a concerned look then, leaning towards her to pat her shoulder. "Sorry… but if it makes you feel any better, the girls and I are going shopping after this class, so come with us. Shopping should take some of that pent up stress outta you."
Stacie smiles gratefully at her friend. "I'd love to, but Donald and I already made plans to have lunch together after this period… maybe next time."
Beca nods in understanding. "Sure." Their conversation is put on pause when their instructor, a new, young, muscular teacher walks into class, smiling his all too white, dazzling smile. "Good afternoon, class." He greets, shrugging off his laptop bag and placing it on top of his desk.
Some of the girls in the front of class start giggling rather loudly, making their instructor, Mr. Dick Van Dyke smile even wider.
Stacie and Beca shake their heads, exchanging looks of boredom. "Mr. Van Dyke is such a horny pervert." Beca whispers to Stacie, who bursts out laughing. This seems to draw attention to herself as Mr. Van Dyke looks to the back where she's seated, squinting a bit, and making every other girl in the class turn to look at her too.
"May I ask what's so funny, Ms. Conrad?" he asks in his extremely posh accent.
Stacie resists the urge to roll her eyes, "Nothing, Mr. Dyke." She says with a smirk, this time, making Beca burst out in a fit of laughter.
"What's so funny, Ms. Mitchell?" he asks, his extremely bushy eyebrows shooting up abnormally on his forehead.
"Nothing."
"Well if nothing is funny, then why are the two of you laughing? Please, do share with the rest of the class, the reason you two are laughing… We'd all love a good laugh."
Stacie almost wanted to reply sarcastically, but chose not to. She doesn't want to have to stay after class and scrape bubblegum off from under the desks. "We're really sorry, Mr. Van Dyke." She says in an apologetic tone that only Beca could tell was fake. "It won't happen again."
This seems to satisfy the young, perverted geezer, and he nods curtly before turning to the dry-erase board.
Beca leans over to Stacie, whispering in a soft, hushed tone, "Not only is he perverted, his unibrow gives him away."
Stacie tries hard to stifle her laugh, but to no avail. She busted out laughing, drawing Mr. Van Dykes attention to her again. "Ms. Conrad, I'd like to see you after class." He tells her, and turns back to continue writing their assignment on the board.
Stacie stops laughing abruptly, turning to throw a glare at Beca. "I'm sure he's more than delighted to see you after class." Beca whispers.
"I have lunch with Donald after this." Stacie whispers to her.
"Don't worry, I'm sure Pervy-Dyke is just going to subtly hit on you, and then let you go once he realizes you're already in love with someone else." Beca winks, turning to copy down the study guide for the quiz next Monday.
Stacie huffs in annoyance, turning to do the same, but she finds Mr. Van Dyke staring at her now. She looks away, immediately feeling creeped out by his stare. By the end of the class, Stacie was just ready to bolt. But, her hopes that Mr. Van Dyke had forgotten about her, are destroyed by him calling her to stay after class.
"Dammit." She mutters under her breath, glaring at Beca.
"Sorry." Beca mouths. "I'll wait for you outside."
After the class has dispersed, Stacie walks to the front of the class, waiting for the instructor to tell her what she's still doing there.
"There seems to be a problem, Stacie." It's the first time he's said her first name, and it kind of scares her how creepy he makes her name sound.
"What problem?"
"You tell me… Do you find my class funny? Or do you just laugh at random things?"
"I laugh at random things." Stacie retorts. "Look, I'm having lunch with my boyfriend in like, ten minutes, and I really don't want to be late." She says quickly, hoping the instructor would get the hint and let her go already… Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to say.
"You need to be tutored."
"Excuse me?"
"You need a tutor, Stacie… And I'm more than delighted to help you out if you want."
Stacie blinks at the instructor for a few moments, wondering if he was joking or not. "Wait, are you serious?"
"Extremely."
"Mr. Van Dyke, no offense, but I don't think it's your call whether I need a tutor, because one, the semester has barely begun. It's only been two weeks. And two, if I needed a tutor, I'd know, and I'd find one… but I really don't think I need one because I'm doing fairly well in this class, so if it's okay with you, I'd rather not be tutored."
"Stacie, I'm saying you need a tutor because of your situation." Van Dyke says, gesturing to her stomach.
"What does a tutor have to do with my pregnancy?"
"Well, I figured that in a couple of months, you'll be giving birth, so I thought you'd like for someone to give you some extra help with your school work so you don't fall too behind on schedule when you become acquainted with other things."
Stacie thinks for a moment, skeptically looking at the instructor. She can't really tell whether he was sincere in his offer, or if he's really just being a pervert… but either way, she thinks he might be right in the fact that she will soon need help with her schoolwork when her pregnancy gets hard. "I—, I uhhh, I'll think about it."
Van Dyke nods, smiling at her. "Good… that's all I'm asking. And when you've made up your mind, just let me know, and we'll go from there."
"Sure… May I leave now?"
"Yes, you may." He nods, and Stacie wastes no more time in leaving the stifling room and stare of her instructor.
…
"What did that perv want?"
Stacie shrugs as she sidles up next to Beca. "He offered to tutor me."
"For what?" Beca asks incredulously. "You're not even failing and it's only the second week of school."
"That's what I told him, but he said I'll need a tutor for when my pregnancy gets difficult, and so I have to pull up my grades high enough so I'll be able to pass this class easily."
"Okay," Beca says slowly, "Either he's extremely caring, or this is a scheme to get one of his perverse fantasies to come true."
"Ew." Stacie wrinkles her nose. "He's not even my type."
"Stacie, you think there are two kinds of types in the world. There's the type you wouldn't date in a million years, and then there's Donald."
Stacie laughs at that, "Okay, I think you're exaggerating just a tad bit."
"No, I'm not… You and Donald are like magnets. The moment you come into contact with each other, it's emotionally and physically impossible to separate you two… although, I've come to a solution for the physical part, which is, to pry you two apart with baby oil and a crowbar."
Stacie thinks for a moment, before realizing, that Beca is absolutely right. (Well, not about the physical prying apart of her and Donald, but about her being immune to every single guy in this world but Donald.) Donald really is the only type she'd be with… Not because he's hot (though his hotness is a perk), but because she loves him with every fiber of her being. But she thinks its okay, because he loves her too. "Fine." Stacie mumbles, scanning the school parking lot for Donald's car.
Beca smirks. "Speaking of Donald, I don't think you should tell him just yet that Mr. Van Dyke offered to tutor you."
"Why not?"
Beca looks at Stacie like it should be obvious. "Because he's your boyfriend."
"And?"
Beca huffs, rolling her eyes. "Let me ask you a question… How would you feel if Donald came up to you and told you that his young, hot, sexy assistant offered to drive him home after work every day?"
Stacie narrows her eyes at her friend, "First of all, Donald doesn't have an assistant. Second, his line of work ensures that he'll only be working in the male department, so I doubt he's interacting with any girls at all. And last, I trust my boyfriend."
Beca sighs heavily, rubbing her forehead. "First of all, you missed my point completely. My question was, how would you feel if Donald told you that he's riding home with his extremely hot co-worker, who happened to be female?"
Stacie shrugs, trying to act nonchalant, though it stings just thinking of that happening. "I guess I'd be upset."
"Exactly… and by telling Donald that your young, perverted instructor offered to tutor you in a class you're not failing, you'll be upsetting Donald. He'll get angry, and bitter, and because he loves you, I know he won't tell you what to do. He'll most likely let you do whatever you want to do, because he feels bad that you're the one who has most of the pressure of the pregnancy, since you're the one carrying the baby, and not him."
"Beca, I can't just lie to him."
"It's not lying, Stacie. Just don't tell him until you've made your decision of whether or not you'll take the tutoring offer from Mr. Van Pervy."
Stacie opens her mouth to answer, but then she spots Donald, pulling into the school parking lot. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter whether I'll get a tutor because I'm not gonna accept Mr. Van Dyke's offer. I'll just ask someone else to tutor me."
Beca shrugs, "Whatever you feel is better." She says, stepping up to Stacie and kissing her cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Will do. And tell the girls I said hi."
"M'kay."
Stacie jogs up to Donald's car, smiling as he jumps out and runs around it to open her door for her. "Didn't chivalry die a while ago?"
Donald laughs, "He did. But I'm still alive, and as long as I'm alive, you won't ever have to open a single door." He leans down, pulling her into a tight embrace and kissing her gently before pulling away to stoop down and kiss her baby bump. "How's my buddy?"
"Awesome as always." Stacie smiles lovingly as Donald straightens back up and helps her climb into his car. "Where are we having lunch today?"
Donald shrugs, "Wherever you want, baby."
Stacie smiles widely, loving this extremely romantic side of Donald. He's always been romantic, but he has those little moments when she feels like she's in a fairytale, where she's the young, beautiful princess, and he's the gentle, sweet, romantic prince who bends over backwards for her. It makes her feel deliriously happy, and warm and tingly inside. "Let's go to Applebee's."
Donald nods, "Right away."
Stacie stares at him for a moment, wondering why he's all overly romantic all of a sudden. "Look at you, Mr. Romantic." She says, laughing a bit.
He glances over at her while he pulls out of the parking lot. "I have great news, babe. And I'll tell you when we get to Applebee's."
"What kind of good news?"
"The kind that makes things a bit easier for us, given our situation."
Stacie is a little confused, but she figures she'll just wait a bit for him to tell her at Applebee's. "Okay."
"How was class?"
"Boring as usual. I kept falling asleep in some of them."
Donald laughs heartily, "You sound like me."
"Yeah well, you're a big bad influence on me."
"Hmm, it's probably been transmitted sexually." He grins, winking at her.
"What is?"
"My pure awesomeness."
Stacie rolls her eyes, but she smiles still. These moments between them are rare. They mostly talk about boring stuff in the car, but today, she can definitely feel the heat spreading quickly through the car. "If your good news is good enough," she begins, making sure her voice is extra seductive, "I might just reward you tonight."
This heightens Donald's interest, his smile forming again and widening quickly. He's almost bouncing up and down in his seat. "Sweet." He says, speeding up a little, eager to get to Applebee's already. Truth be told, he's been kind of bummed out that they haven't had much sex in the past week, and it's definitely frustrating to say the least. They've been so busy lately, Stacie focusing on school, and the baby, and her appointments, and he's been focusing on work, making sure that everything at the Studio is running smoothly since he's in charge of the studio while his boss is away for a business meeting in New York. And then they get home, and they're so tired, that they just go straight to bed. Sometimes they try to have sex, but Stacie keeps pulling away, feeling uncomfortable, achy, and self-conscious. He's told her every chance he gets that she's beautiful and that there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, but then she gets uncomfortable even more, and he has to stop right there because he doesn't want to put any stress and pressure on her. He still has that guilt thing going for him about putting Stacie through a stressful life. She deserves better. And so he tries his hardest to make her happy. As long as she's happy, he's happy too.
-SD-
…
When they've been seated at a table for two in Applebee's, Donald takes the time to tell her the good news. "So, my boss came back from his trip today."
"Really? Didn't he leave like a week ago?"
Donald nods, "Yeah. He had to come back early because his wife gave birth last night."
Stacie's eyebrows shoot up. "Really? And he missed it?"
Donald laughs, "Yeah. It was actually kind of funny because he came to work this morning looking like crap, saying that he got his ass reamed by his wife because he missed their first baby's birth."
Stacie stays silent, but smiles. "Is it a boy or a girl?"
"Girl." Donald grins. "Anyway, when he came into the studio, he took a look around the office and he personally asked me to take care of the studio for him."
Stacie's eyebrows furrow at that, watching as Donald's grin widens. "What do you mean?"
Donald reaches across the table, taking her hand in his. "Baby, you're looking at the new manager of the Atlanta Music Studios."
Stacie's eyes widen like saucers, as a tiny, yet audible gasp leaves her lips. "Oh my God!" she gets up out of her seat, seeing him do the same, and then she's launching herself into her boyfriend's arms. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you, babe!" she really can't believe that he's the manager of the entire Atlanta Music Studios. It's truly an accomplishment that not many rookies get to experience. And though he's fairly new to his job, Donald knows everything there is to know about music, music systems, sound systems, and everything and anything that has to do with music studios.
"Thank you…" he trails off, pulling away as they settle back into their seats, though their hands stay fused together. "I'll always take care of you and our baby, Stacie. I promise."
Stacie smiles lovingly at him, feeling so much joy, relief, and love for her boyfriend. "I know you will. But even if you didn't get that job, I'd still love you. I can't imagine my life with anyone else."
That, is music to Donald's ears. He loves music and everything an instrument and a radio edit has to offer to his ears, but hearing that his girlfriend loves him and only him, is simply the most beautiful sound on planet earth. "Me too, baby."
…
After their dinner, they drive straight to their shared apartment, and Donald excitedly unlocks the door. He's barely set foot inside the house when Stacie practically grabs him by the front of his dress shirt and pushes him against the wall by the door, using her foot to kick the door closed beside them. Her lips are on his before anything else happens, and he's kissing her back with equal passion and urgency.
He's never been one to openly express his belief in God, but as Stacie maneuvers her hand between them to grind the heel of it into his crotch, he can't help but gasp, "Ahhh God," he breathes heavily, his head dropping to rest on her shoulder. "I don't think I'll last long tonight." He admits as he turns his head and kisses the spot right below her ear, the one that drives her crazy. His tongue darts out quickly as his lips latch onto her neck, sucking greedily on the sweet, sweet flesh.
Stacie barely manages to voice her own thoughts, because the words that she wants to say to him in that moment only come out as an incoherent jumble of syllables, moans, and panting.
Donald pulls away, stilling the hand of hers that's still working on grinding into his crotch, and he pulls her hand away gently. She opens her eyes then, looking up worriedly into his face, wondering if she did something wrong. He notices the worried look on her face, and he's quick to assure her with a little pleasurably pained smile. "If you don't stop that, I will surely die here before we've even started." He kisses her, softly, yet urgently, as he begins to pull her deeper into their home.
"Bedroom?" Stacie asks, looking up at the suddenly far away staircase leading up to the seemingly farther away bedroom. Why did they purchase such an inhumanely large house with rooms that are on the second floor, and seemingly miles away from the front door? She wonders incredulously. Truth be told, what with the pregnancy hormones and her usually sexual nature, she's extremely horny tonight, and all she wants is to push Donald on the floor and have her way with him. Luckily for her, Donald is wondering the same thing about the distance of their bedroom, and was suddenly on her like a wild animal, picking her up and kissing her again with bruising force.
"Too far." Donald mutters against her skin.
It's definitely not as comfortable as their large king-sized bed, but the couch in the living room would have to serve as their platform for tonight. They continue to make out for a bit, Stacie wrapping her arms and legs around Donald's body as he sits down on the couch with her in his lap.
Soon enough, making out wasn't enough anymore, and Donald pulls away so he can pull Stacie's blouse up and over her head, throwing it over his shoulder as he goes to kiss the swell of her breasts. Stacie throws her head back, arching into him, as a low moan escapes her lips. She's panting, more so now that she's no longer as fit as she used to be a few months ago, and with the hormones, it feels like Donald's lips were on fire whenever it came into contact with her skin. Even his hands, which are currently massaging her backside, feel like they're trying to scorch through the fabric of her jeans. She's barely able to speak from the moans she's letting out as his fingers trail slowly up her back to unlatch her bra, and leaving a trail of fire in their wake.
As soon as the black lace bra comes off, Donald is falling over her, devouring her again. And dear God, it feels like heaven. She always thought that pregnant women were exaggerating a lot when they say that sex is always amazing when your pregnancy hormones are involved, but… now that she's experiencing this, she must admit they were right. And the sex hasn't even begun yet! But she needs it to begin, like… right now! She pulls Donald's head away from her chest, making sure that his eyes are on her face. He's looking from her to her breasts and back, but that's good enough for her. "In me, now." She practically growls demandingly as her hands go straight to work at pulling his shirt off.
He chuckles softly when she nearly pokes his eye out in the process of getting his shirt off, but he immediately starts unbuckling his belt. As much as he loves the foreplay and everything because it makes the sex super-hot and so damn good, he must admit that he's glad she wants to skip it tonight too, because to be honest, he's pretty sure he'll die if they don't move this along soon.
An hour later, Stacie falls back onto her boyfriend's chest, sweating and panting like she just ran a one-hundred meter marathon. Her legs are trembling, her arms are tired, and her core is still throbbing as Donald carefully slips out of her. "Holy shit." She manages with a little laugh.
Donald joins in, laughing heartily as he wraps his arms around Stacie's waist. "Yeah. You read my mind."
She turns, slipping off his chest and settling back down beside him as her head comes to rest on his chest. He's looking at her, and she can see the smirk on his face. No doubt, feeling quite smug about tonight. "Don't you dare say it." She says half-seriously, though her lips were threatening to split into a grin.
He chuckles lightly, shaking his head. "Say what?"
Her eyes narrow at him, "You know what."
She knows that he knows that she knows that he knows what she's talking about, but he wants to draw this out for as long as he could. "Actually, I don't." he says with as much of an innocent smile as he can muster at the moment.
Stacie starts glaring then, smacking his chest lightly. "Well then don't say it then."
He lets her think triumphantly that he's not going to say it, but he says it anyway, if only to see her reaction. "I told you so." He expected another playful smack, or maybe a light punch to the arm or chest, but what she does instead, is not what he expected, and so much worse.
Stacie smirks up at him as her hand wraps around his rather impressive manhood. "You wanna say that again?"
Donald eyes her nervously, though he's trying to bite back the groan he wants to let out as she squeezes him lightly in her hand. "Sorry, no." he breathes, grabbing her hand and trying to pry it away.
She only squeezes a bit harder, making him gasp. "I didn't quite catch that." She smiles victoriously.
Donald smiles as innocently as he can, his eyes pleading with her. "I said I'm sorry, and that I won't say it again."
She finally lets go, leaning up and kissing him quickly on the lips. "I know. Love you too, baby."
He lets out a relieved sigh as he turns slightly and kisses her again. "I love you more."
She pretends to be sleeping already, but she can't and won't hide the smile on her face.
Things won't always be this way. She knows that. But for tonight, everything is just blissfully perfect, and she wants to savor this moment. So she scoots in closer to him, smiling as his arms wrap around her body. "Goodnight, babe." She hears him whisper, kissing the top of her head before he too starts to relax and let sleep take him.
"Goodnight." She whispers back softly, kissing his neck and letting herself drift off into sleep. Tomorrow, she can go back to being exhausted, bored, annoyed, angry, hormonal, and moody, but right now, she was going to get some damn sleep.
-DS-
…
He's seething with pure, unaltered rage as he storms out of the school building, with Stacie following right behind him. He knows he should probably slow down so she can catch up to him, but he's too fucking angry right now, and he'll lose his mind if he doesn't get out of there soon.
"Donald, wait!" Stacie calls as soon as they make it out of the building.
He screeches to a halt, turning to glare at her. "Why didn't you tell me?" he demands.
She stops too, giving him a fearful glance before averting her eyes. "Because it wasn't important."
"Like hell it is!" Donald yells. "Stacie, he was all over you!"
"He was tutoring me!"
So she decided two weeks ago to take Mr. Van Dyke's offer to tutor her since she couldn't find another person who was willingly offering to tutor her, and Donald was not pleased to walk into the classroom to find Stacie in a desk, with her instructor standing too closely to her, practically hovering over her face. Donald had gone ballistic, storming into the classroom, startling Stacie and the instructor as he walks right up to the guy and punches him… Hard. In the face.
Donald could barely contain his anger as he turns to kick the closest object he could find, which was a plastic trash bin. Plastic bottles, cans, and crumpled up papers go flying in all directions among other things that Stacie doesn't care to identify at the moment. She knows what she did wrong. She had kept this from him. And he knows it.
"Then why did you lie to me?"
"I didn't lie!"
He feels like his head might explode then. "Yes, you did!" he screams. "You told me that you were hanging out with Beca and the girls!" Honestly, it hurts like a fucking knife through his chest, to know that she deliberately lied to him about what she's been doing every Wednesday after her classes. It hurts him and it scares the living shit out of him. "What are you doing with that guy!"
"He's my teacher!"
"Teachers aren't saints, Stacie!"
Her eyes narrow at him, "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you accusing me of something?"
He wants to scream in her face and say yes, he's accusing her of cheating on him with that fucktard inside the building, but even thinking it makes his chest hurt. "I'm accusing that motherfucking retard of a teacher in there of everything!"
Stacie resists the urge to roll her eyes. "This is why I didn't tell you the truth in the first place! Because I knew that this was how you were going to react!" she screams at him.
That, was definitely not the right thing to say to him. He suddenly goes quiet as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his car keys. He walks right over to her, handing them to her, and then he's walking away.
"Where are you going?" Stacie yells out, going after him again.
He doesn't say anything as he speeds right past his car, and across the street. She wants to yank her hair out in frustration as she continues to follow him across the street. He's still speeding, so she has to run a little to catch up. Surely, this wasn't healthy for the baby. The stress, that is. "Donald, where are you going?!" she screams.
He doesn't stop, but this time, he answers her. "I need some fucking time to think!"
"Well I'm coming with you!"
He stops then, turning to glare at her. She doesn't flinch, glaring right back as she continues until she's close enough to reach out and touch him. "You shouldn't be walking anywhere!" he snaps angrily at her. "It's not good for the baby."
"Then let's go back to the car."
"I said I need some damn time to think!"
"Well I'm not going home alone, Donald!"
He doesn't say anything, his jaw clenching as he glares at the road. "Stacie," his voice has turned soft, almost pleading. "I need—I just need some time to calm down, okay?" And it makes Stacie feel like crap because she's really the one who should be pleading with him. She's the one at fault for not telling him about her tutoring sessions. She's the one who should just shut up and apologize, yet he's the one who's trying to walk away if only so he doesn't say anything he's going to regret later. And it makes her heart ache even more. "Donald, please." She says in an almost whisper. "Please just come home with me… We can talk about it."
He shakes his head, sighing heavily. "I really don't want to talk about it."
"We have to talk about it." She points out. "Donald, no matter how hard we try, problems will always be lining up to try to break us apart, and we can't let that happen." Oh the irony! If she had just told him about it, this wouldn't even be a problem. She shakes her head, stepping up to him and pulling his face to look at hers. "We can't just not talk about this."
After a long moment, he nods. He looks away again, still nodding as he begins to walk back towards the car without another word.
This only makes her heart ache even more. He's usually never like this. He always faces his problems head on. But as she watches him walk back to his car with his head down, she realizes that she's hurt him more than she thought she did.
-SD-
…
Author's Note: So Stacie and Donald are in a bad spot right now. I know this chapter is a bit speedy, but don't worry. It's only this chapter. Next one will be about the couple making up again, but things won't be as peachy as before. Donald will be slightly distant in the next chapter, but you'll see why. Anyway, review if you have time, and let me know what you think of the story so far.
-Sux2budude
