When Thanksgiving came a couple days later, my family and I had an earlier-than-usual dinner. They had wanted to see one of Ponyboy's football games since he joined the team, but the days just hadn't worked until then, so we were all going after dinner.
"So what number is he again?" Dad questioned. He loved football (especially the Patriots) and got really excited when he found out that Pony was on the team.
"Twenty-three", I answered. "Did you not see the giant number on the back of the jersey I'm wearing?"
"Oh yeah", he said. "Forgot about that."
Mom rolled her eyes, a smirk on her face.
"How is he?" Henry asked.
"I'd say he's really good", I told him, "but you'll have to judge for yourself."
It had been decided that that night, I would stay over the Curtis' house, which I hadn't done in ages because of my schedule. My bag was sitting on my lap.
We pulled into the parking lot and saw the gang and their girlfriends waiting.
"Let's get in before there aren't any seats left", Darry said.
We all unanimously agreed and walked into the bleachers, eventually finding enough seats for all of us and sitting down.
The cheerleaders were practicing at the edge of the field and I could easily spot Cherry's bright red hair amongst all the blondes and brunettes.
Soon, the players rushed out of the locker room, much to the enjoyment of us spectators. Everyone in our group, even Evie, started screaming and cheering.
Both teams got in position and the center snapped the ball back to the quarterback. The game had started.
Whenever our team got points, our side flew into a adrenaline-fueled frenzy and when the other team got one, they went ballistic.
It took almost 2 hours, but we eventually won, triggering everyone from our side to rush on the field and huddle around the players.
When the mob parted enough for me to see Ponyboy, I ran over to him and hugged him before he could notice me.
"You did amazing!" I exclaimed.
A smile broke across his face when he realized it was me. He picked me up and spun me around, making me laugh.
When he stopped spinning me, he looked at me for a moment before kissing me. I normally would have cared that he was all hot and sweaty, but in that moment, I couldn't really have cared less. I even found it kind of attractive.
Someone cleared their throat behind us, causing us to pull apart. Dad was staring at us with an arched eyebrow. Pony and I both flushed a deep shade of red.
We were swarmed by the gang, their girlfriends, and my family, who all sung Ponyboy's praises.
"Thanks, y'all", he laughed as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"You did real good, son", Dad said and clapped his shoulder.
Pony looked startled for a moment before smiling and speaking back. "Thank you, Mr. Smith."
It went on like that for a good 15 minutes before we decided that it would be best to get going. We trickled back to our cars, me going back to my parents' to grab my bag and say goodnight to them. I walked over to the gang's cars to see Pony in the front seat of the truck with a smirk on his face.
"So you're drivin'?" I smiled.
"You bet I am. Hop in."
I got into the passenger seat and strapped myself in, hearing Darry cautioning Pony in a million different ways from the backseat.
"Dar, I'll be fine", Pony assured him, looking at his oldest brother through the rearview mirror. "I've done this before."
"Alright", Darry sighed, making me laugh.
"What's so funny?" Ponyboy asked as he pulled out.
"It's just the fact that we're in the front and we're the youngest and Darry's in the back and he's the oldest", I grinned.
"Oh, hardy-har-har", Darry said sarcastically, but I could tell he was smiling.
When we got back to the Curtis', Pony immediately ducked into the bathroom to take a shower. He came out a few minutes later and I went in. I hadn't done much that day, but I was kind of tired, so I was quick with my shower and scurried into Pony's room to get dressed.
He was lounging on his bed with a book in his hands when I walked in. Looking up, Pony saw me in a towel and blushed, quickly bringing the book up in front of his face so he couldn't see me get dressed.
"Thanks, love", I told him with a slight laugh as I got dressed.
"No problem, Princess", he said, his voice muffled by the book.
A minute later, I was dressed and drying my hair with the towel. "You can look now."
Pony took the book down and looked at me, staring for a bit.
"Why are you staring at me?" I asked.
"Because I love you", he answered simply.
"I love you too", I smiled and started brushing out my hair.
"D'you have work tomorrow?"
"Yep", I chirped as I worked out a particularly tough knot.
"How're you likin' the teaching?"
"The girls are the sweetest little things and they say the funniest questions."
"Like what?"
"The first day, one of them asked me and Melissa how long we've been dancing and we both said fifteen-years. Then Rebecca said we were old", I laughed. "Are you coming to "Swan Lake"?"
"I'm planning on it", he told me. "Why?"
"I dunno. I just like it when you come", I said and leaned against him.
"Well, I like coming", he grinned and kissed my temple.
"I'm really proud of you, honey. You know that, right?"
He blushed. "Thanks darlin'."
"I'm keepin' your jersey, you know."
"I wouldn't want anything else", he smiled.
XxXxXxXxXx
About three weeks later, it was the day of the show. I did my hair and makeup at my house and took my costume with me, carrying it on my lap during the drive to the venue.
Since we only had one little part, we were in the corps de ballet for the swans during the rest of the performance, so we would be performing the entire time.
My makeup for the first part was light and as natural as you could get with stage makeup. My costume for that was a flowy, medieval-looking with dress embellishment with a flower crown attached to a small veil My second costume (and the one that I would wear the most) was a pure white outfit with a pancake tutu made of tulle to look like feathers and faux feathers scattered around bust. There was also a feather headpiece. The makeup for that was dramatic with dark eyes and bright red lips which would contrast my costume. My third costume was a little like the first one, except that it was longer and more regal-looking. We also had a tiara that went with it. The makeup for that would be the same as the first makeup as well.
The venue was the same location that we used for our regular recitals, so when we got there, I made a beeline for the dressing room that I always went to and got ready, some other girls doing the same. Ashlynn showed up a few minutes later.
"How is it that you're always late?" I teased.
"I dunno. Why are you always early?" she laughed.
Everyone in the corps de ballet, along with some more namable characters crowded into the wings. The music began and everything started.
Almost two hours later, we were all taking our curtain calls. I curtsied to the audience with Ashlynn and the two other girls in "Danse des petits cygnes", drowning in the applause. A bright smile couldn't help but make its way onto my face as we bowed.
Soon after, we all went back to our dressing rooms and changed. Ashlynn and I came out and walked to where we would be meeting our families and Soda and Pony.
The Curtis boys were looking for us amongst all the other dancers while the adults and the twins were talking and when they saw us, they rushed at us and gave us huge hugs.
Pony swung me around, making me laugh.
He kissed my cheek when he put me down. "You did amazing, darlin'."
"Thanks, honey", I smiled and kissed his cheek as well, leaving a very obvious red lipstick mark.
"What're you smirkin' about?" he asked. A smirk of his own was playing on his lips.
"Nothin', love", I told him as I tried to hold back a laugh.
He just rolled his eyes and pulled me into a hug.
Ashlynn and I's families quickly realized that we had arrived, and hurried over to us, congratulating us over and over again and gushing over our performance
I leaned up against Pony while he wrapped an arm around me. "So how'd you like 'Swan Lake'?"
"It took me a little while to figure out the story, but once I got it, it was really great. Soda actually stayed fairly still most of the time. Prob'ly for Ashlynn's sake and because he was always looking for her on stage."
"And because there was usually something happening", I added.
"Yeah, that definitely contributed too", Pony admitted.
As I looked over at Ashlynn and Soda, it was obvious that they were in love. They just made each other incredibly happy. It had concerned her for a while that he hadn't said "I love you" yet to her, and I reassured her constantly that he did love her, but since Sandy broke his heart, it was more difficult for him to trust. After a time, she accepted that it was hard for him and dropped it. A little over a year after they started dating, he finally said it and she said it back. She admitted to me on our walk to school a couple days later that she almost started crying when he said it.
XxXxXxXxXx
Christmas and New Year's came and passed, as did Darry's birthday. The winter was a good time for me since my wearing long sleeves all the time wouldn't be questioned. I was still insecure about my scars. Wearing makeup on my arm was helpful, but it got annoying, always making sure it isn't rubbing off and whatnot, so I usually preferred just wearing long sleeves.
One day in February, Ponyboy had a Friday night off from work, so he offered to walk me to work.
"I'll be back to pick you up", he said.
"You can stay, you know", I offered. "I'm sure Madame Evelyn wouldn't mind, especially the girls have never performed on front of an audience before."
He looked hesitant. "Are you sure? I don't wanna get you in trouble, darlin'."
"You'll be fine", I soured him. "Do you want to come in with and ask? Would that make you feel better?"
Pony nodded sheepishly. "Yeah. Kinda."
"Okay. C'mon", I said and tugged him in by his hand.
The woman at the desk waved to me as always, but them looked at me strangely. "Who's that?" she mouthed.
"My boyfriend", I mouthed back.
She nodded in understanding and smiled a little bit at me, then Pony.
We walked to the classroom and I poked my head in to see Madame Evelyn looking through the vinyl next to the record player.
"Madame?" I said to get her attention.
"Oh, hello, dear. Who's that?" she asked, leaning to see Pony who was shying behind me a bit.
"This is my boyfriend. We'd like to know if he can stay here and possibly watch the lesson and class?"
"Of course. The girls will probably perform better in front of an audience", she smiled before looking at Pony. "You can come in, you know, dear. I don't bite."
He looked at me and I laughed and led him into the room.
"Madame Evelyn, this is my boyfriend, Ponyboy Curtis. Pony, this is Madame Evelyn, my teacher."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Ponyboy", she told him as she shook his hand. "I've heard so much about you."
"You too, ma'am", Pony responded.
"The girls will be coming in soon and Melissa should be here momentarily", she said and went back to looking through her records.
Ponyboy went to the bathroom while I got ready. Melissa came not a minute later.
"You brought your boyfriend?" she laughed when I told her that Pony was there.
"Yep."
"Is that allowed?"
"Madame Evelyn said it was", I shrugged.
"Maybe I'll bring mine in at some point. It'll be like show-and-tell."
"Exactly", I smiled.
Melissa, Pony, and I went into the room, she and I bringing our bags with us and setting them down underneath the mirror.
"When I found out that I didn't have to work today, this isn't what I expected I'd be doin' ", Pony told me as he sat down on the floor.
"Well, now you get to spend more time with me", I said and sat down next to him.
"That's very true", he grinned and kissed my head. "And there's no one I'd rather spend my free time with."
I blushed and kissed his cheek before standing back up for when the girls came in, which they did soon after. When the first person in their group saw Pony on the floor, she stopped short, causing everyone else to pile up behind her.
"Who's that?" Tessa asked.
"This is my boyfriend, Ponyboy", I told them and motioned for him to stand up, which he did.
Amy looked skeptically at him. "Your real name's 'Ponyboy'?"
He smirked and knelt down so he was at her height. "Yep. I gotta brother named 'Sodapop' too."
"Really?" Maria asked.
"Really", he nodded.
Lacy tugged on my skirt and I bent down to listen to her.
"Is he Prince Charming?" she asked quietly.
I couldn't help but laugh. "He's my Prince Charming."
Her blue eyes widened. "You're Cinderella?"
"No, I don't think so, sweetie", I smiled.
She nodded, ran over to Pony, and tugged on his hand. He squatted down and she spoke into his ear, making him laugh and look over at me before nodding and saying something back to her.
After a few minutes of chaos, Pony walked over to me and whispered into my ear, "Care to explain why a girl came over to me, called me Prince Charming, and asked me if you were Cinderella?"
"She asked me if you were Prince Charming and when I said that you were my Prince Charming, she asked if I was Cinderella and I said no."
"Well, we might have a problem then."
"And what's that?"
"I told her that you were", he smiled and kissed my cheek.
During the ballet portion of the class, the girls somehow managed to get Pony over to the barre (lots of puppy-dog eyes were involved). He stood there awkwardly, his 6-foot-stature towering over the girls as he tried to follow along with the lesson.
I was laughing so hard, I was almost crying. Just watching him attempt to plié, relevé, and do the 5 basic positions was enough to send Madame Evelyn, Melissa, and I into hysterics and the girls into fits of giggles. He was good-humored about the whole thing though, laughing along with us and admitting several times that he wasn't good at it and that football and track were more up his alley.
There was a moment when I went over to Shirley and fixed her feet. She always mixed up third and fifth position.
"Remember, sweetie, third position is in the middle of your foot. Fifth position is at your toe", I explained, moving her feet to the positions as I said them.
"Okay. Thank you, Miss Lily", she said and stared down at her feet, moving them from third to fifth and back again several times.
"Your welcome, Shirley", I smiled and lightly tugged on one of her curls.
When I turned to see if my boyfriend was miserably failing at ballet once again, seeing him looking down at his feet with a confused expression.
"Do I really have to keep doin' this?" he asked. He looked quite uncomfortable in his attempted first position. His feet were in the right place, but his legs were bent and he was hunched over a bit. He looked like he would topple over any second.
"Of course not", I laughed. "You can go ahead and sit down, though I can't guarantee that the girls won't get you back up again soon."
"Darlin', they did the puppy-dog eyes!" he exclaimed. "How can you resist the puppy-dog eyes?"
"When you have little siblings, you learn to compose yourself around them pretty quickly. Darry probably knows that same thing."
"You heartless monster", he teased.
"If I am, the what are you?"
"A guy who loves a heartless monster", he laughed.
"Gee, thanks, honey. You're really boosting my self-esteem."
"You know I love you", Pony smiled.
"I love you too", I grinned back.
The girls practiced their ballet dance for the show and the ballet part of the class was soon finished and we moved on to tap. Pony sat out for that.
Most of the girls were better at ballet than tap, so Madame Evelyn, Melissa, and I were all helping someone at one point or another.
"Okay, Jackie", I started, "when you do a shuffle, you have to make sure you can hear both sounds."
She looked up at me with her eyebrows scrunched in confusion.
"Like this,", I said before demonstrating. "See? If you remember to make a sound going forward and coming back, you'll be just fine."
Jackie hesitantly brushed her foot forward, the metal on the shoe's bottom clicking on the hardwood floor before brushing it back, the same noise happening.
"There you go, sweetie. That's exactly it", I told her.
We added on to their tap dance and they practiced the routine along with the new steps a few times and seemed to be getting it wonderfully.
"Can you do pointe?" Rebecca asked Melissa and I. Sometimes if there was enough time at the end of a lesson, we would do some things on pointe for them. They always loved it.
"Do we have time?" Melissa asked Madame Evelyn.
"Yes, I think we do", she nodded.
Melissa and I went over to our bags and put a little wrapping around our feet before slipping on our shoes and tying them up.
"What do you want us to do?" I questioned the girls.
"'Swan Lake'!", Amy insisted.
"I'll put the waltz on", Madame Evelyn said and went over to her records, pulling one out and placing it on the record player.
We did the first couple minutes of the waltz that we did in "Swan Lake" and the girls stared at us in awe the entire time, causing us both to smile widely. When I looked over at Pony, I saw that he was looking at me the same way, a goofy smile stretched out over his face.
When we were done, the girls had to leave. They all curtsied to before leaving in the huddle in which they had come. Melissa and I quickly changed into our regular clothes.
Ponyboy wrapped an arm around my waist as we too left the building.
"So, how're you feelin' now that you stayed?" I asked.
"Honestly, I expected it to be worse", he said. "But you were particularly great."
"Why?"
"You're just really great with 'em. It was cute watchin' you."
"Thanks, honey", I said, starting to blush a little bit.
"Is that my sweatshirt?" he suddenly questioned.
I looked down to see the sweatshirt that he had given to me over a year before. "Yep."
"The one you wore to hide the hickey?"
"Yep. Do you want it back?" I asked, moving to take it off.
"No, you can keep it", Pony told me with a smile. "It looks better on you than it ever did on me."
"I somehow doubt that, stud", I told him, knowing it would make him blush (which it most certainly did).
Pony's cheeks and ears were tinted pink, but he laughed nonetheless. "I ain't a stud and you know it."
"You're my stud", I responded, leaning up and giving him a kiss.
XxXxXxXxXx
Months after my birthday, I finally got my license. I had wanted to get it since I turned 16, but I never had the time with school, work and dance.
"You can finally drive me around", Pony laughed when I excitedly told him the news.
"Admit it, you like driving me around", I teased.
"Who ever said I didn't?"
It wasn't like I had a car of my own, but I drove the family car whenever the opportunity arose and occasionally I drove Darry's truck or Two-Bit's car. Steve wouldn't let anyone near his car; a 1955 Ford Thunderbird that had been up for sale in a Soc's yard, claimed to be broken beyond repair. Parts were missing and both the interior and exterior were debatable in looks, but eventually, with bits and bobs he found in the junkyard or had been removed from previous cars at the DX, he souped up the car and got it in working condition again. It was his prized possession, which I had only seen Evie, Soda, and Steve himself behind the wheel of.
A few days after we made our tri-annual trip to Johnny and Dally's graves (that particular one for Johnny's birthday), Ponyboy drove up in front of my house in Darry's truck, smiling like the cat that caught the canary. Ashlynn was in the back seat.
"Ponyboy Michael, did you steal your brother's truck?" I asked him.
"No I didn't, Lily Grace", he teased. "Darry's got a day off."
"How?"
"His bosses said that they decided to give him the day off just because, but we all know they're just bein' cheap and figured that givin' him the day off would save them some money."
"Got it", I nodded. "So, you get the car for the day?"
"Exactly, my dear. Now c'mon in."
I hopped into the passenger seat and put my bag at my feet as I got strapped in.
"Pony, put on the radio", Ashlynn told him.
"Yes, ma'am", he teased, but did as she said before starting to drive.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough started, causing us all to burst into song.
"Listen, baby", Pony sang. "Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough, baby."
"If you need me, call me, no matter where you are. No matter how far", Ashlynn and I sang Tammi Terrell's part.
"Don't worry, baby", he crooned along with Marvin Gaye and nudged me a little with his elbow.
"Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry", Ashlynn and I sang before we all sang along to the chorus.
"…'Cause, baby, there ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no valley low enough, ain't no river wide enough to keep me away from you, baby", Pony, Ashlynn, and I burst out as we drove down the street, continuing to sing until the song ended.
"We should do this more often", Ashlynn laughed when we got to school.
"When one of us gets our own car, then we'll talk", I told her.
She rolled her eyes. "How do you know I don't already have my own car?"
"Ash, I've known you since we were two. I would've known if you got your own car."
"Point taken", she nodded with a smile as she got out of the truck.
"So, darlin', how're you feelin' about the big ACT next week?" Pony asked, getting out of the truck, locking it, and shoving the keys into his pocket before wrapping an arm around my waist.
"Terrified", I responded, shuddering for dramatic effect.
He laughed and kissed my temple. "You'll do just fine and you know it."
"Do I really, though?"
"Yes you do. You'll do fine and I'll do fine and our unbelievably amazing test scores will make headlines across the country and we'll get into our dream colleges and live happily ever after."
Ashlynn and I laughed at his vision.
"Is that so?" I questioned.
"Yes. I say it is, and therefore it is."
"Your word is gospel, O Great One", Ashlynn teased, bending down at the waist in front of him as though bowing.
XxXxXxXxXx
A couple weeks later during lunch, Evie excused herself, Ashlynn, and I and practically dragged us inside the school and into the one-stalled girls' bathroom.
"What's up?" Ashlynn asked.
"Is something-" I was cut off by Evie turning green and kneeling in front of the toilet where she proceeded to throw up.
"Evie!" Ashlynn and I both exclaimed and dropped down next to her. I held back her hair while Ashlynn rubbed her back.
After a minute or so, Evie stopped and sat down on the tile floor, her back against the wall.
"Evie, what's going on?" I asked frantically.
"I've been getting sick for the past few days", she answered. "At first, I thought it was just the flu or somethin', but I ain't never had a flu like this."
"What do you think it is?" Ashlynn asked.
Evie's voice became quiet as she answered. "I think-I think I might be pregnant."
"Pregnant?!" Ashlynn exclaimed, causing Evie and I to both shush her.
"Yeah, Ash, pregnant", Evie whispered.
"And it's Steve's, right?" I questioned.
"Of course it's Steve's!" Evie told me.
"How far along do you think you are?"
"I dunno."
"We can go to the doctor's after school", Ashlynn said.
"What'll we tell the boys? They'll know something's up."
"We'll say we're goin' shopping or whatever", I said.
"But, Lil, you hate shoppin'", Ashlynn reminded me.
"Do you have a better idea?" I hissed frustratedly.
"No", she admitted. "Just act like we're draggin' you shopping. Like you don't really want to come."
"Good idea."
We all headed back out to the school lawn where the boys were leaning against a tree, Steve smoking a cigarette. I saw Evie's eyes widen at this, so I cut in.
"Steve, could you please put that out? The smell is nauseating."
He rolled his eyes, but put out the cigarette, crushing it with his shoe.
"We're goin' shopping after school", Ashlynn said.
"But you hate shopping darlin'" Pony told me.
"I know, but they're insistin' on dragging me", I lied.
"Don't y'all have work?" he questioned.
"We won't be out for long", Evie said as she took a small sip of her water. She hadn't eaten anything for lunch. "Could you drop us of downtown, Steve?"
"Sure, babe", he agreed.
So after school that day, we all piled into Steve's car with Evie riding shotgun and Pony, Ashlynn, and I in the back. He dropped us off downtown and would be going back to the Curtises for a bit before getting himself and Pony to work.
"Okay", I said once they were out of sight. "Let's go."
We all jogged to the clinic and went in
"May I help y'all?" the receptionist asked.
"Yes", I told her and went up to the front desk with Ashlynn and Evie. "She", I started, putting a hand on Evie's shoulder, "needs a pregnancy test."
"Alright, I'll get a nurse", the receptionist said and walked into another room.
Evie looked white as a ghost and I could feel her shaking a bit under my hand.
"Evie", I told her, taking hold of both her shoulders and looking into her eyes since with her 5-inch heels, we were the same height, "you'll be fine, okay? Whatever happens, you'll be fine."
She took a deep, quivering breath. "But what if-what if Steve gets mad? What if he leaves me and the baby?"
"He won't leave you or get mad", Ashlynn assured her. "He loves you and if you're pregnant, he'll love the baby too. It's all gonna be just fine."
Evie nodded, but it was obvious that she didn't totally believe us.
That was when the receptionist came back with a nurse.
"This is the nurse. She'll be giving you your test."
"Follow me", the nurse said and the three of us stepped forward. "All of you're takin' pregnancy tests?"
"No, just me", Evie told her nervously before gesturing to us. "They're my friends."
"Okay", the nurse nodded and led us all to a room, gesturing to a chair. "Miss, you can sit here. I'm gonna take some of your blood, so I'll have to ask you to take your jacket off."
Evie stripped off her jean jacket and Ashlynn and I each took one of her hands.
The nurse rustled through a cabinet, pulling out some things.
"What's your name, dear?"
"Evie."
"Full name, I mean."
"Evie Rivers."
"Now since you're taking a pregnancy test, I'm assuming you've been sexually active?" she asked Evie.
"Yes, ma'am."
"How long have you been with him?"
"Three-and-a-half years."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"And him?"
"Almost twenty."
"Alright, Evie, I'm going to be putting a needle into your vein. It'll feel like a sharp scratch and shouldn't take too long."
"Okay", Evie responded in a shaky voice.
The nurse came over and looked at Evie's arms, tapping different places on the inside to get a vein. During her questioning of Evie, she had taken everything she needed out and washed her hands several times.
She rubbed some rubbing alcohol on Evie's arm and once again washed her hands before pulling on some gloves and grabbing a needle. Evie's eyes widened and she clenched my hand tightly.
"Evie, dear, I'm gonna need you to relax your arm."
Evie did as she said, but still kept my hand in hers as the nurse put the needle in.
We all just stayed in place, not speaking until the blood-taking was done.
"You're all done, Evie", the nurse told her and put a cotton ball and some gauze on her arm. "Come back tomorrow for your results."
"Thank you, ma'am", she said weakly.
The three of us walked out of the clinic, bags slung over our shoulders.
"Let's go get a quick bite to eat before work", I suggested.
Ashlynn and Evie agreed, so we went to the diner where Ashlynn worked. It would make it easier since she wouldn't have to go anywhere after we ate.
We all nibbled from the communal basket of fried in the middle of the table.
"What do you want?" I asked quietly.
"What?" Evie questioned.
"If you're pregnant, do you want a girl or a boy?" I said, my voice hushed.
"I don't really care. If I'm pregnant, the gender of the baby isn't my biggest concern."
"You've got a point", I admitted.
"I'm so scared", Evie whispered, her lip wobbling. I moved from my booth across the table and into the one she and Ashlynn were occupying.
"It's okay, sweetie", I told her. "You'll be okay."
She started crying, tears dribbling down her cheeks, leaving streaks in her perfectly done makeup. Ashlynn and I both engulfed her in a hug.
"Evie, you'll be okay", Ashlynn assured her. "Everything's gonna be okay."
"That's what I hope", Evie responded, wiping under her eyes carefully with a napkin.
"If you're pregnant, you can't keep workin' at the Dingo", I told her. "It's just not safe."
Evie worked at the Dingo as a waitress, which Steve hated since she was constantly getting it on and there were always violent fights going on. In short, it was no place for an expectant mother.
"Where would you suggest I work then? With a baby, I'll need a hell of a lot more money and if Steve stays with me, we'll need more money than just his job at the DX pays."
"You can come work with me and Lizzie here at the diner", Ashlynn offered.
"Or you can work with me at the bookstore", I said.
Evie sighed. "I guess we'll figure all that out tomorrow."
XxXxXxXxXx
The next day after school, we claimed to be going shopping again since "I found a dress I liked and wanted to try it on".
When Steve's car was gone, we once again went down to the clinic, this time running as fast as we could.
We burst through the doors, making the receptionist jump out of her skin.
"Sorry, ma'am", I told her. "We're here for her pregnancy test results." I gestured to Evie as I talked.
"Yes, of course", the receptionist said, looking at us skeptically before shuffling through some files. "What's your name, dear?"
"Evie Rivers", she said, her voice strained.
"Ah, yes, here we go", the receptionist said, pulling out a file and handing it to Evie. "You can go sit down and read it over."
Evie, Ashlynn, and I walked over to the waiting room chairs, Evie going slowly as to delay the inevitable. When she finally sat down, she opened the file sluggishly and scanned over it, her eyes widening and her hand clamping over her mouth.
"Evie, what is it?", I asked frantically. "What does it say?"
"I'm pregnant", she whispered.
Hey, guys! Sorry for the cliffhanger of sorts, but I'll probably be getting the next chapter up soon enough that you won't be worrying for too long. I'm trying to get as many of these done as possible before school starts because I know I won't have much time when it does. I accidentally forgot to put in translations for the last chapter, so here you go:
"Noi stiamo bene. Che cos'é questo?"- "We're fine. What is this?"
"Grazie"- "Thank you"
"Ti amo così tanto, amore mio. Buon anniversario"- "I love you so much, my love. Happy anniversary."
"Te amo tambíen, mi amor. Feliz aniversario."- "I love you too, my love. Happy anniversary."
I love y'all and stay gold!- AthenaRavenclaw13
