CHAPTER 2 - CAUGHT!

It's Friday night, Andie waits at the end of the street for Nicky to pick her up. She tries to act calm and cool even though she's nervous as she watches him pull up in his black sports car. "Nice wheels." She tells him as she gets in the passenger seat. Nicky admires Andie's little black dress. She has her hair down and it looks like she curled it. "You look pretty." Nicky tells her.

"Thank you. You look good." She checks out Nicky who has an olive skin tone and straight black hair that falls to his shoulders. He's clean shaven and has full lips like hers. She licks her lips while checking out his kissable lips. He's thin but his arms are muscular from working out. He dreams of being a rock star one day. "I like that you're letting your hair grow." Andie tells him.

"Yeah" He answers. "It's a good look for the band. So, where did you tell your parents you were going tonight?"

"I told them I was going out with my friends Danielle, Tyler and Lucas. I know Danielle would cover for me."

"I hate having to lie" Nicky tells her.

"My parents would be pissed." Andie tells him. "And, I'm pretty sure your mother hates my father more than he hates her."

"That's because you father started that investigation into my family when he called DCSF."

"Is that why your parents ended up getting divorced?" Andie asks.

"It started the ball rolling. All they did was fight after that because my mom told your dad he hit her and your dad told the social worker."

"No wonder your mother hates my father."

Nicky shrugs. "I'm glad my dad left before he started hitting my little sister. She was young when he left but eventually she would have gotten it too."

"So, did your dad hit you? Was my dad right to call the social worker?" Andie asks.

"My dad has a very stressful job. He was under a lot of pressure at work."

"You didn't answer my question. Did your dad beat you? Was my dad right to call the social worker?"

"Can we talk about something else instead of my dad?" Nicky asks.

"We can talk about my dad and how he'll kill me if he finds out I'm dating you and not just because you're Bruce and Leslie's kid."

"What else is there for him to care about?"

"Because you're nineteen and I'm sixteen. I don't think my dad would approve."

Nicky shrugs. "It's only three years, my parents are six years apart."

"Mine are five years apart." Andie tells him.

"So, then what's the problem?" Nicky asks.

"Maybe I'm making it bigger than it is, maybe he won't care about it."

"Good." Nicky answers. "I figured we could get something to eat before the movie. My treat."

"K." Andie smooths down the bottom of her dress.

"Is Mexican okay?" Nicky asks.

"Mexican's good."

Nicky tells Andie. "I have to be home early tonight." He eats his burrito.

"Why?" Andie asks. "Is your car going to turn into a pumpkin?"

"Ha, ha, you're so funny." Nicky teases sarcastically. "My grandma's in town, my mother wants me to spend time with her."

"I didn't think you had any family?" Andie bites into her taco.

"My mom found her biological mother."

"What's she like?" Andie asks.

"She's nice. Her name is Susan and she has red hair."

"My dad's birth mother had red hair too," Andie tells Nicky. "That's where I get it."

"Must be a red-haired birth mother thing." Nicky jokes. "Maybe red-heads are more likely to get pregnant young."

"Hey, don't say that. I'm a young red-head."

"I'm just having fun with ya." Nicky laughs.

"So, you like your grandma?" Andie asks

"She's cool. She told me my mother had a twin brother that was adopted at the same time."

"Cool." Andie says. "Did your mother find him too?"

"Nope," Nicky shakes his head. "She said she doesn't want to. I don't know why."

"My father never sought out his birth family." Andie tells Nicky. "He feels like it would be betraying my grandparents who raised him."

"My mother doesn't speak to the family that raised her so she needed to find her birth mother, besides me and Suzie, that's the only family she has."

"Whatever happened to your dad?"

"He moved to San Diego. Now, he's all about his job. I hardly see him anymore."

"That stinks for you."

"Nah, not really." Nicky sips his beer. "I'm glad he's gone."

"It's really sad that you don't have a relationship with your dad." Andie sips her soda.

"He sends us money. " Nicky shrugs. "I'm good with that. Let's not talk about him anymore. Do you want a sip of my beer?"

"Sure." Andie takes a sip. "That's good stuff." Andie wipes her mouth with her hand.

"You're lying." Nicky laughs. "I could tell by the look on your face, you didn't like it."

"You could?" Andie's embarrassed.

"Yes, I could." Nicky laughs. "Are you ready to see the movie?"

"Yep!" Andie gets up and pulls down on her little black dress.

Cooper looks out the bedroom window. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Charlotte asks as she packs her bag for their overnight trip out of town.

"Who's that older red headed woman next door at Leslie's house?"

"Who cares?" Charlotte scrunches up her face. "Why are you spying on the neighbors?"

"I never saw her around before."

"If you're so curious why don't you just ask the kids? I'm sure they know."

"How would they know?" Cooper asks.

"You really think our kids don't talk to those kids at school?"

"Noah!" Cooper calls down the stairs.

"What dad?" Thirteen year old, Noah asks.

"Come up here a minute!"

Noah runs up the stairs. Cooper tells him, "I'll give you ten bucks if you could tell me who that older lady is sitting on the neighbor's porch with Suzie."

Noah looks out the window. "That's Suzie's grandma."

"I thought they didn't talk to their family?" Charlotte asks Noah.

"It's her mom's birth mother. She hired some guy to find her and it worked out. She's really nice."

"You met her?" Charlotte asks.

"Uh…Bye.." Noah takes the ten dollar bill and runs back downstairs.

Chase walks by his parents bedroom. "Can I have some money? I'm going to Game Stop with Tyler and Lucas tonight."

"I thought Andie was at the movies with Tyler and Lucas tonight?" Charlotte asks.

"No." Chase thinks fast. "Andie was just going to the movies with Danielle. They decided to see some chick flick, so the guys are going to hang out at Game Stop."

"How much do you need?" Cooper takes out his wallet.

"How much are you willing to give me?" Chase smiles.

"Here's fifty but you're staying home with Andie to watch Noah and Drew tomorrow when your mother and I are away."

"I thought Alexis was coming over to watch them?"

"She is." Charlotte says. "But we still want you and Andie to stay in tomorrow night and help her while we're not home. Drew can be a handful."

"Fine. I'll have my fun tonight." Chase counts the money and walks down the hall.

After the movie, Nicky pulls up in front of Andie's house. "You can't drop me off here, my parents might see."

"Okay, I'll drop you off at my house and I'll watch you walk home. I don't want you walking down the street in that sexy black dress all alone."

Andie blushes. They park in Nicky's driveway. "Thank you for dinner and the movie." Andie leans in to kiss Nicky. "What are you doing?" Nicky asks.

"I'm thanking you." Andie presses her lips into his.

"I like your thank you's." He returns the kiss.

Andie moves her hand down Nicky's back, they both jump when they hear a knock on the cars' window. "Grandma?" Nicky opens his window. "What are you doing?"

"Who's your little friend?" The older woman asks.

"This is Andie." Nicky tells her. Andie smiles and waves.

"She looks a little young for you."

"I'm sixteen." Andie tells the woman.

"Nicky's nineteen." The woman tells her.

"I know that." Andie smiles.

"Do your parents know you're kissing Nicky?"

Andie gets out of the car. "I better go now. I'll text you later."

Andie walks in the front door of her house. Cooper and Charlotte are watching TV on the couch. They notice Andie come in wearing the short clingy black dress and heels.

"Where'd you get that outfit?" Cooper asks. "It looks like something a...-" Charlotte punches his arm before he can finish. "Oww." He holds his arm and looks at Charlotte before turning back to Andie. "How was the movie?" Cooper asks.

"It was okay." Andie answers. "Lucas and Tyler liked it better than Danielle and I did."

"Lucas and Tyler are at Game Stop with Chase." Charlotte shoots.

"Uh..." Andie looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

"If I call Addison, is she going to tell me Danielle was home with her tonight?"

"Uh…"

"Where were you, Andie?" Cooper asks.

Andie doesn't answer.

"Tell us where you were and who you were with or you're grounded for the rest your life!" Charlotte threatens Andie.

"Okay, I went to the movies with Nicky." Andie confesses

"Nicky from next door?" Cooper asks.

"Yes."

"Why?" Cooper scrunches up his nose.

"Because he's nice and I like him."

"He's three years older than you."

"So? You're five years older than momma."

"You're still in high school. You're only sixteen."

"I'm going upstairs." Andie marches up the stairs.

"We're not done, young lady!" Cooper shouts after her.

"I'll talk to her, Coop. You wait here." Charlotte follows Andie up the steps and into her room. "Are you having sex?" Charlotte deadpans.

"No!" Andie turns on her heel and faces Charlotte. "This was the first time I went out with him."

"Are you going out with him again?"

"I want to."

Charlotte sits on Andie's bed. "Look, I don't approve of you having sex at sixteen, I would prefer if you practiced some self control and waited a little longer but this isn't about me. It's about you and if you decide to have sex now you need to use birth control. I can write you a prescription for the pill but even on the pill, you still have to use condoms no matter what, to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases."

"I know that already, momma."

"I know we had this talk when you were younger but now it's real, Andie. If you're going to have sex, you absolutely have to use a condom."

"I'm not having sex yet, momma."

"Well, when you do, don't let any boy talk you out of using a condom because they say it's better to go without."

"Okay, momma! Are we done yet?"

"This is what I do for a living, Andie. I treat women all the time who have painful warts and diseases they contract from unprotected sex."

"Ewww" Andie scowls.

"All of the women regret it. They were talked into not using a condom by some guy they thought loved them."

"I told you I'm not having sex yet, momma!"

"Not yet, but one day you will and I want you to be aware of all the consequences, not just pregnancy."

"I'm aware, momma."

"Then there's AIDS," Charlotte tells her daughter. "There's all kinds of drugs out now to help AIDS patients live longer but there's no cure. It'll still kill you."

Andie nods her head. "Yes, ma'am, I understand."

"Good, because, I want you to hear my voice telling you to use a condom when you're in the heat of the moment. Don't forget it!" Charlotte's firm.

"Yes, momma."

Charlotte cups Andie's face in her hands. "Do you promise me?"

"I promise, momma."

Charlotte gives Andie a kiss goodnight. She bumps into Cooper as she walks out of Andie's room. "How much did you hear?" Charlotte asks Cooper.

"Enough. I don't want her having sex yet, Charlotte."

"She says she's not, but she needs to be prepared, I gave her a good talkin' to, just in case."

Cooper rubs his hands over his head. "Life was so much easier when they were babies."

"We can't stop 'em from growin' up."

"It's going too fast." Cooper sulks.

"Come on." Charlotte leads Cooper to their bedroom. "Let's pretend like I'm a naughty school girl and you're my older boyfriend."

"Oooh...You naughty momma." Cooper follows Charlotte into the bedroom.