Apologising

"Do you need another tissue?" Bob asked AJ after she had come out of the toilets. He didn't have to ask what the news was, he knew by her expressions that she was pregnant.

"No, I really should go." AJ shook her head, using the wet tissue she had been using the entire time to dry the tears that kept coming.

"Sweetie, I'm not gonna let you go home like this." Bob said. They were sitting in the break room in the back where he'd taken her after she'd came out of the toilets. He'd gotten to know her over the past few months that she'd been with Punk. He figured she probably felt pretty alone at the minute.

"I don't know what to do." AJ cried. It wasn't something she could even wrap her head around. It was so overwhelming and terrifying to think that she was actually pregnant with a baby.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're gonna have to tell your parents about this." Bob nodded, "And you know fine well you're gonna have to tell Phil." Bob said.

"I can't tell my parents." AJ shook her head, "And Phil… what… what is he gonna think?" AJ shook her head.

"Weren't you being safe?" Bob questioned.

"Yes." AJ nodded, even though she knew she'd messed up her pills a few times. She really didn't want to fault herself at the minute, it was the last thing she needed.

"The best thing right now is for you to not freak out." Bob said as AJ turned to him.

"Are you kidding?" AJ shook her head, "I'm seventeen years old and I am pregnant." She said, finding it hard to say out loud.

"Hey, and you're not alone." Bob nodded, "This wasn't just you who did this. You need to tell him." He said, "And figure this out. See a doctor." He said as AJ took a deep breath.

"I can't believe this is happening." AJ shook her head, "What about school? I… I can't have this baby." AJ said as Bob looked at her. He really felt bad for her, especially when it appeared she was so alone.

"Can you tell your parents about this?" Bob asked.

"No." AJ cried, covering her eyes, "I can't talk to them about this." She shook her head.

"You need to talk to Phil-"

"And what if he leaves? What if he runs away? He always talks about it. Maybe this will encourage him to split right away." AJ said, panicking pretty much about everything.

"Phil will not leave you like this. I know the kid. He's not like that." Bob nodded, "He needs to know about this. You can't keep it a secret." He said.

"I have… I have to be at the football game tonight." AJ shook her head as Bob looked at her, "I can't tell him tonight."

"April, trust me, you will feel a lot better when you tell him." Bob nodded as AJ dried her tears, "And I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to tell your parents."

"I have to go get ready for the game." AJ stood up, drying her face, "I'm so sorry for doing this to you." She shook her head, embarrassed by herself and the situation she was in.

"April." Bob stood up, watching as she had already rushed out of the back room and left the store.

"What's wrong with you tonight?" Eve asked, standing on the side-lines of the football field, turning to her friend who looked as pale as ever and was barely doing any cheering, "You look terrible."

"Thank you." AJ nodded. She was trying so hard to keep herself together and put on a front, but this front was just too hard to make believable, especially when she knew Punk was sitting with his friends in the crowd. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and see him.

"You've not cheered once." Eve said, "You're sticking out." She said.

"Fine. I'll leave." AJ spat, throwing the pom poms down and storming back to the locker rooms as Eve shook her head with confusion.

"What's up with her?" Jamie asked Punk who noticed AJ leaving the game and heading back to the locker rooms.

"I… I don't know." Punk shook his head.

"Well go check." Chuck shoved him as Punk nodded, getting up from the bleachers and walking down onto the field, turning into the side and walking through to the locker room.

He paused at the door, looking over at AJ sitting on the bench crying, shaking his head with confusion and worry.

"April." Punk walked further into the room, stepping over the bags and clothes.

AJ looked up, barely been able to stop crying, wiping her face, struggling to catch a breath with how much she was crying, "I'm fine." She shook her head, even though she wondered why she was bothering.

"April, what's wrong?" Punk shook his head, crouching down in front of her, "Why are you crying? Has someone hurt you?" He asked her.

"No." AJ shook her head.

"Then what's wrong?" Punk asked with confusion, "Did Eve say something to you? I saw her talking to you."

"No, it's not that." AJ cried, standing up and beginning to pace as Punk stood back up and watched her.

"Then what's wrong? Talk to me." Punk shook his head, "You're hysterical." He said. He was worried as to what was making her so upset. Had someone hurt her? Said something to her? Done something to her? He wasn't leaving until he found out.

"I'm fine, I'm just having a bad day." AJ shrugged, wiping her wet face, trying to convince him, but she knew it was a weak attempt.

"April, c'mon. I'm not stupid. You're upset over something." Punk nodded, "What is it?" He asked her as she cried some more, turning away from him as he walked over to her.

"I'm pregnant." She turned around, looking up at him as he paused his movement, "I'm pregnant." She nodded as he stared at her.

He heard her, both times, but he was just trying to understand what it actually meant, standing still, speechless with absolutely nothing to say. Of all the things he was worried about, this hadn't even crossed his mind.

"W-What?" Punk shook his head, "How can you be pregnant?" He asked her, "You take stuff."

"I don't know." She cried, wiping her nose and face, "I don't know, the days must have gotten mixed up, I don't know." She said as he stumbled back a little, finding the bench and sitting down before he collapsed over.

"You… You know definitely?" Punk asked her as she nodded.

"I done six tests." She nodded as Punk placed his hands over his face, "And I can't tell my parents, or Eve, or anyone." She shook her head as Punk turned to her watching her turn back around, placing her hands on the table and putting her head down as she cried.

He'd never saw her this upset or this terrified before and he was sure that's what was scaring him the most. Of course the part about getting her pregnant was pretty hard to digest too.

"Uh… let's go." Punk stood up, "Where is your bag?" He asked her as she turned around.

"What?" AJ shook her head.

"The game is gonna finish and everyone is gonna come back here so let's just go." He nodded, packing up her things as she watched him. She was wondering why he wasn't crying or freaking out like her.

"Where are we going to go?" AJ asked him.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head, zipping her bag up and grabbing her hoodie from her locker, helping her into it, "Let's just go." He nodded, placing his hand at the small of her back and leaving the locker room with her. He couldn't think properly with all the cheering and yelling coming from outside.

"I don't have money for this." AJ whispered, leaning her head on his shoulder as they sat in a booth in Frank's diner, looking on at the milkshake and burger she'd just ate and drank.

"Neither do I." Punk admitted truthfully with a sigh. It was the first place he thought of. It was quiet with no one around, but his head was so far in the clouds, he forgot they needed money to pay with at the end. They were so dazed that they weren't even fussed that they didn't have the money for it. They had bigger problems, clearly.

"What are we going to do?" AJ asked him. They hadn't actually spoke about it properly, neither knew what to say.

"I don't know." Punk shook his head honestly. He was trying to find anything comforting to say, but there was nothing he could say to help their situation, "You need to tell your parents." Punk nodded. He knew that for sure.

"Phil, I can't tell them." She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him, "I can't." She shook her head, "They'll kill your or… they'll kill me." AJ shook her head.

"Well… they're gonna find out. You need to. I'll come with you if you want." He nodded.

"That's not gonna end well." AJ shook her head.

"We could leave." Punk nodded as AJ looked at him.

"We have no money." AJ reminded him, "And no place to live and no jobs." AJ said.

"And what are our options when we stay here? Huh?" Punk asked her as she sighed, "Go on, tell me."

"Stop it." She said quietly as he rolled his head back against the booth, "I don't know what to do but I know running isn't going to help us, at all." She made clear.

"We know fine well what your parents are gonna make you do." Punk nodded as AJ looked at him.

"What if that's our only option?" AJ asked him, "I mean I… I go to school, I can't have a baby." AJ said, "Maybe it's the best thing."

"You're not even gonna think about it?" Punk shook his head.

"What do we have to offer a baby?" AJ asked, "We are children."

"It's still our decision." Punk said, "And I don't think it should be made in a day." He said as AJ sighed. She wasn't thinking straight, Punk was right. To make a decision with how she was feeling would have been wrong.

"They won't let you near me ever again." AJ said, "My parents." She nodded, "I'm serious. They'll go as far as restraining orders." She nodded as Punk sighed to himself.

"You could come and stay with me." Punk sighed. It was the last thing he ever wanted to say to her. Right now, they were just thinking out loud, trying to be mature about something they knew absolutely nothing about, trying their best not to freak out.

"You told me you'd never take me to your house." AJ said.

"Well things are a little different now." Punk shook his head as AJ sighed.

"I don't know." AJ shook her head, "I don't know what we're supposed to do." She said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"We'll figure this out." Punk nodded, trying so hard to be positive when really, he had never been more terrified, "I promise we will figure all of this out." He said, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her tight as she wrapped her arms around his body. The only comfort she was getting was from him and the fact they were in the same position. A position of fear.

"Here you kids go." Frank, the owner of the diner walked over with the cheque, sitting it down on the table and walking away as AJ looked at the cheque which read 7 dollars, crying to herself and pushing the cheque away as Punk sighed, kissing her head.

"It's ok." Punk said softly, "It's gonna be ok." He nodded, kissing her head.

"Hey, is there a manager or someone who works here?" Rey asked, pulling up outside the garage as Dean looked at her.

"You look familiar." Dean nodded as Rey groaned, opening up her jacket to show the hooters t-shirt, "Oh, yeah. Hooter girl." He said, "You got punched in the face."

"That's me." Rey said.

"You're looking for a manager?" Dean asked as she nodded, "Yeah, give me a minute." He said, walking into the back, "Philip, girl outside looking for you." Dean patted his brother on the back as Punk nodded.

He walked out of the back office and into the garage, looking over at the girl standing outside the garage, kicking at one of the cars that was parked.

"That leaves marks, you know." Punk walked over to her as Rey turned around.

"Oh, sorry." Rey shook her head.

"Can I help you?" He asked her.

"Uh yeah, my… friend… he was supposed to start working here today, I just wanted to know if he showed up?" Rey asked him.

"Zac?" Punk asked as she nodded, "No, he didn't. Let me guess… you're the girl he owes stuff to." He said.

"He said that to you?" Rey asked.

"Yeah. I was hopeful for him but… he never showed this morning." Punk shrugged, "If you see him, tell him he blew it." He said as she nodded.

"Yeah." Rey nodded, "Well I'm sorry on behalf of him for wasting your time." She said, "I could have advised you not to give him a chance." She said as Punk just smiled.

"Well, we all deserve a chance." Punk nodded, "But unfortunately he's blown it." He said as Rey nodded.

"Yeah, well I'm sorry for wasting your time." Rey said.

"Not your fault." Punk said as she smiled.

"Can I… take one of these?" Rey asked, pointing to the mints sitting on the small desk at the front.

"Uh… sure." Punk shook his head, watching her reach over and grab a handful of them as he shook his head.

"When I get a car, and I crash it." Rey nodded positively, eating one of the mints, "I'll be sure to put it in here." She said.

"Great." Punk shook his head, "Do you want another mint?" Punk asked her sarcastically as he looked at the handful already in her hands.

"Yeah." Rey nodded, reaching over and grabbing another handful as Punk just shook his head.

"Yeah alright kid, you want any missing car parts while you're at it?" He asked her sarcastically, "Get out of here." He nodded as she threw a mint at him.

"For your troubles." She nodded, walking away with two handful of mints as he shook his head, walking off back into the office where Dean was.

"What'd she want?" Dean asked.

"Apologising for that kid who never showed up." Punk shook his head, "Oh and took all our mints." He said as Dean shook his head.