A/N: Thank you to Andraia452, TheLadyOfSouls, Juanita27, and BubblyShell22 for reviewing! Your friendship and loyalty have been greatly appreciated! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2: Fork in the Road

It was the toughest decision I had to make, but I knew she would have a better future than I could give her.

It's has been a tough road. Especially since the father totally bailed after I told him I was pregnant. But I couldn't imagine my life without my son. He is the center of my world.

Finances are pretty tight. I mean raising a child isn't cheap. I'm lucky my mom babysits so I can work two jobs. My angel is so worth it though.

I wasn't ready to be a parent. Hell I was only 14! There was no way I wouldn't have been a good mother. Adoption was the only sane option.

Such selfish people who only think of themselves instead of the innocent baby. It's not their fault you got knocked up. If you weren't ready, you all should have kept your pants on!

I thought that adoption was the best choice but three years later and I still can't stop thinking about her. I wonder what it would have been like to braid her hair and play dolls with her. Watch princess movies with her. Sometimes I feel like I made the wrong choice but it's too late now.

If you weren't ready for the responsibility, you shouldn't have whored yourself. This country is going down the shit-hole cuz of girls like you! Irresponsible tramps!

So much for support. April banged her head against the keyboard, burying her face into her arms. There were indeed some websites that legitimately wanted to help girls like April. They monitored for trolls and had strict anti-bullying policies that were carefully moderated by active admins. Then there were the sites littered with trolls. Not just the annoying, roll-your-eye-at-their-stupidity type, but the really venomously mean, hateful type. The type who blamed you for being all that is wrong with the world today. The type you who wanted to judge you and your choices without knowing who you were. The type who were apparently holier than thou. It all made her head spin and blood boil. In the end, it didn't matter. None the groups made figuring out what to do any easier.

If she put the baby up for adoption, she would definitely be able to complete school without complications. Graduate and become a journalist. No distraction. No worries. No baby to wake her up at insane hours the night before a big exam. But was she being selfish? She would be putting herself before the baby. Or would she? If she can't be a proper parent, what's the point in keeping the baby? A caring couple who can't have a baby would love to take care of hers, right? The baby would be far better off then. But is it a decision she would regret later? So many girls have turned around and had wished they kept their child. What if she did end up regretting her decision? What then?

A tear rolled down her cheek and splashed onto the desk. It almost felt like a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" type of situation. Either way, she'll have the emotional aftermath to deal with.

"Holy shit! Are you pregnant?!"

April's head whipped up and banged into the mouth of her roommate. Her hands instantly grasped at the spot that has smashed into a set of teeth. She spun around and saw her roommate touching her lips and pulling her fingers back to check for blood.

"I'm so sorry, Becca!" April quickly dried her eyes and rushed over to make sure the blonde girl was okay.

"Nah, it's alright. Really! I shouldn't have snuck up on you. I'm truly sorry about that. At least I'm not bleeding and no broken teeth!" Becca gave a bright grin to show she was perfectly fine despite her lips feeling a bit numb. Then her face dropped to a more concerned expression. "So what's the deal with all those single mom forums, anyway? I mean, are you actually pregnant? Please tell me it's a research project or something!"

A thick awkward silence settled into the room. April fiddled with her fingers a bit before releasing a heavy exhale and plopping onto her bed. She bit her lip as she struggled to figure out where to begin.

"Ok, what I'm about to tell you does not leave this room. Got it?!"

Becca eagerly took her spot on the bed, completely willing to lend her ears.

"You know how I have been battling that stomach bug?"

Becca slowly nodded.

"Well, I went in finally to get it checked out a couple days ago. Turns out, I actually am pregnant. That's why I kept throwing up."

"Does your dad know?"

April shook her head and sighed.

"I don't know what to say to him. I'm still trying to figure out if I want to keep the baby or put it up for adoption. I keep going back and forth. I know it'll be hard to finish school while taking care of a baby but what if I regret not keeping the baby. I just don't know."

"What about the father?"

"What about him?" April narrowed her eyes not really wanting to touch that subject.

Becca rolled her eyes. "Have you told him? Does he want to be involved? I mean it might help to know where he stands. You can get financial support if he's the type who would man up. Or…."

"Or?"

"Well, you can just eliminate him from the equation and decide if you actually want to go through with the pregnancy."

Red eyebrows furrowed together as April pondered in confusion at Becca's little riddle.

"I'm not sure I'm following…"

April's statement earned her an exasperated eye roll.

"I mean just terminate the pregnancy. Look, it'll be like nothing ever happened. The procedures are so safe and easy now. And you won't have a kid to hold you back. April, seriously, you have a bright future. You're smart and a talented writer and so good with public speaking. And when you want to find something, you know how to dig for the information. You'll be a great journalist. Don't throw it away over one little bump in the road."

An abortion? That thought never crossed her mind. Then again she never really gave much thought to the hot button issue as it was something she never thought would apply to her. But it was a logical solution….

"I never really considered that option."

"Well, maybe you should. Look, I know you probably need time to think things over. Just let me know if you need anything. If you decide to go through with it, I'd be happy to drive you."

Becca gave a reassuring pat on April's knee to which she only responded with a nod. After a couple minutes of silence, April excused herself to go for a walk. She really needed some fresh air and clarity.

. . .

Wafts of hot herbal tea assaulted her nostrils. Normally tea would soothe her nerves but today the scent was just nauseating. So April resorted to staring at the dark liquid in her cup. The steam danced around each other as the streaks rose from the cup and dissipated into the air. April replayed all her options in her head over and over: keep, adopt, or abort. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she almost didn't register the waitress asking if her tea was okay.

"Huh? Oh yeah it's fine. Just haven't been that feeling well lately. I thought tea would help…"

The waitress smiled warmly at her. "Would you like some crackers? My mom always gave me Saltines when I had stomach issues. Always helped to calm it."

"Um, sure, thank you."

"Of course. I'll be right back."

April watched as the waitress left and disappeared into the kitchen area. As she returned her gaze back to her cup, April caught a glimpse of a curious set of eyes. It peeked out momentarily and disappeared quickly behind a tall man, whose back was facing April. The eyes peeked around again. Piquing her own curiosity, April tilted her head to the side to get a better view and locked her sights on the pair of deep chocolate brown orbs. The little boy gave a quick smile and disappeared again. April tilted her head further and when the little boy's gaze met hers again, April swiftly retreated from his view. A joyful smile tugged at her lips as she heard his hysterical high pitched giggles. This time both April and the boy simultaneously tilted their head sideways. April cupped her hand and gave a small wave. The boy squealed in delight and waved back. The man turned around to see what the little boy was staring at and smiled when he saw April.

"His babysitter has red hair too. You probably remind him of her."

"Oh really?" April replied sweetly still playing peek-a-boo with the toddler, who couldn't contain his giddiness.

"You're pretty good with kids. Bet you'll be a good mother when you have your own."

The statement caught April off guard. She her smile faded into dumbfounded shock but managed to mumble out a soft "Thank you."

"Come on, buddy, time to go see Mama!"

April stared as the man lifted the little boy out of the booster seat and into his arms. The woman who was sitting with the boy rose to join the father-son pair. April was not sure what overcame her, but she couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Hey wait!"

The man turned and stared at her curiously.

"You said you were going to see his mom. I know it's none of my business but I thought she was the mom."

This earned April a slight blush from the woman and a small chuckle from the man.

"It's alright. I'm not with his mom anymore. We actually had already broken up when we found out she was pregnant. But we worked it out and we're helping each other so we can raise Ryan together. It can be rough at times but Crystal," he nodded toward his girlfriend, "has been supportive of our arrangement. And Ryan couldn't be happier with all the love he gets. Isn't that right?" He gave a little tickle on the boys stomach earning him cackles of laughter.

An adoring smile crept to April's lips. The boy was so sweet and his father obviously made him the center of his universe. Was this arrangement also possible for April? Could they make it work too?

"Ryan say bye!"

Ryan raised a chubby hand and waved while clumsily mumbled, "b-bye."

April waved back all the while dreaming what it would feel like to have a little one in her arms. The boy briefly reached out and brushed his soft hand against hers. Maybe he was trying for a high five. She couldn't be sure, but the action still melted her heart causing tears to well up, instantly blurring her vision. Damn it! Will she ever run out of tears? April quickly wiped them away before they could fall - just in time for the waitress to return with her crackers.

. . .

Cracking the door open and peeking in, April was relieved to not find Becca in the dorm room. She didn't care where she was but hoped she wouldn't be back anytime soon. The social butterfly was no stranger to late nights out, which usually meant a nice quiet study area for April. But tonight, she needed the silence for other reasons. April sat down on her bed and pulled her phone out of her bag. She had finally decided to make the call – determined to get a definitive answer from him - but now that she was holding the phone in her hand, her resolve suddenly weakened. She fumbled with the contacts list and stared at the number. She hadn't spoken a word to him since Christmas. How was she supposed to start? Would he want to talk to her?

As if her fingers had a mind of their own, her thumb pressed his number and the phone began dialing. Each dial seemed to last far too long with even longer bouts of silence in between.

What do I say? Do I ask how he's been first? Do I just cut to the chase and not beat around the bush?

"Leave a message at the beep."

Oh shit! Voicemail!

Beep!

"Uh…h-hey….um…Casey, w-we need to talk…"