Disclaimer: Seriously? Why do I even put this anymore?

Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of weeks. I just started school and a new job so I've been pretty busy. Anyways, here is Chapter 12!


THREE MONTHS LATER


"He's almost here!" I say giddily as I adjust my long brown ringlets in the mirror.

The month of May couldn't have come faster. For the past three months, all I could do was sit alone, in the house, doing absolutely nothing. Well, I shouldn't say absolutely anything; I got to learn how to knit sweater vests… with my mom.

Sure, I'd get the odd visit from Chris, but they'd be only a few minutes long and I was usually donned in baggy sweats. It wasn't very visually appealing.

So, you could imagine my excitement that this dinner has finally arrived. I'm dressed in my best little red dress with matching flats. Although, I will say that the dress doesn't quite fit me right, on account of my stomach looking like a beach ball.

I swear, it's like once I hit the sixth month mark in this pregnancy, I blew up like a blow fish! I can barely sit down, let alone get around.

Oh, and my cravings have gotten worse too. I've been craving the weirdest food combinations, like bananas and ranch dressing, or hot dogs and chocolate. Don't ask me how I came up with that one.

On the Brightside, my morning sickness has completely stopped!

Anyways, like I was saying before, I'm finally able to see Chris for more than a minute today. I just hope that nothing goes wrong…

Twirling around, I check myself out in the mirror and smile.

The doorbell rings and my heart leaps into my throat.

Carefully, I skip down the stairs and stop in front of the door.

I take a deep breath in and swing the large door open.

There he is; standing in front of me and practically looking like a stranger.

He's wearing a pale grey suit, complete with polished black shoes and a long black tie. In his one hand he holds a bouquet of roses, in the other, a box of chocolates.

His scruffy hair shines in the sun and his ocean eyes sparkle with happiness.

His pink lips are pulled into his signature goofy grin, showcasing his big pearly whites.

I look him up and down a few times. My heart swells, as does my smile.

I then grab the sleeve of his jacket and pull him into me. I wrap my arms around his neck and crush my lips against his.

He pushes away, still smiling, "it feels like forever."

I sigh, "it has been forever. I've seen you like, twice, in the past three months."

"Well, happy almost eighteenth birthday." he says while handing me the flowers and chocolate.

"Thank you!" I say happily accepting the presents.

Chris puts his warm hands on my belly, "walkin' talkin' Jesus, how big is your belly?"

I slug his shoulder, "shut up! I'm seven months pregnant, what do you expect?"

He raises his hands in defence, "hey, I didn't mean to offend you. You look beautiful."

I intertwine his arm in mine and we start walking towards the living room.

"So, how's school been holding up without my much needed presence?" I jokingly say.

He shrugs, "it's been pretty boring. Rachel's the new head cheerleader and our school's new president."

I put up my hand to stop him, "please, can we have a nice evening without mentioning her name?"

He nods, "done."

I smile, nod, and we continue walking. However, I stop when I feel a poke from the inside of my swollen belly.

Chris' eyebrows furrow together in concern, "what's wrong?"

I look down at my belly and softly rest my hand on top.

Just then, a small kick hits the palm of my hand. I inhale sharply.

"Grace, is everything okay?" Chris persists.

Without saying a word, I grab his hand and place it on my stomach.

After a second, his eyes light up in astonishment and a smile appears on his face.

"…Is that…is that the baby?" he asks slowly, as if unsure of what is happening inside of me.

I nod furiously.

All of these emotions have suddenly just swum up to the surface from deep in me. I feel like laughing and crying. But, most of all, I feel content.

I look to Chris, who is still smiling, and then to my belly. The image of all three of us could be in a picture frame it's so perfect. Everything around me feels right and wonderful.

Suddenly, I blurt out, "I want to keep the baby."

His smile disappears and his hand leaves my stomach.

He narrows his eyes at me, "what? I thought you were going to give the baby up for adoption?"

I roll my eyes, "that's what my mom wants. I will admit that, in the beginning, I wasn't sure about what to do. But now, I really want to raise this baby."

He shakes his head, "I don't know about this…"

I take his head in my hands, "Chris, I'm not the same person that I was seven months ago. I'm now a person who actually cares about things, you know, other than how well a shade of lip-gloss matches an outfit."

He chuckles and nods in understanding.

I go on, "you made that happen. You could have run for the hills a long time ago, but you didn't. You stood by me through all of the shit that I put you through. You make me want to be a better person. In fact, you have made me a better person."

I can feel the warmth of his eyes as they stare into mine.

"I don't care what my parents say, screw them. I can do this…I know I can. " my voice is barely above a whisper.

Chris sighs and brings me as close to his chest as possible; kissing the top of my head.

"I believe in you."

I smile at him and take his hand in mine. We both then make our way towards the living room.

My father grins as he sees us enter the room. He quickly gets up from the couch, while ironing down the wrinkles in his black suit.

He comes over and extends his hand, giving Chris a firm shake.

"It's very nice to see you again Christopher. I can remember when you were just a little boy."

Chris nods, "time sure has flown."

They both smile at each other and relief sweeps over me.

Thank God they like each other. Now, for my mother…

Just then, the door to the kitchen bursts open and my mother, in a tight, knee length purple dress, emerges.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear

She clears her throat and folds her arms while looking only at my father, "dinner is ready."

Without another word, she turns and heads for the kitchen; her black heels clapping on the marble floor.

I sigh deeply and shrug at Chris as we make our way into the dinning room.

This is going to be a long night…


"And that's when I told him…that's no test tube, that's my wife!"

I roll my eyes and pick at my chicken as my father bellows deeply at his own joke.

I look to Chris, who is pretending to laugh, and smile.

He notices and smiles back, taking hold of my hand underneath the wooden table.

So far, the night has been going pretty good. Chris and my dad have certainly gotten along; my dad's been telling his always terrible jokes while Chris "laughs". They've talked about cars and girls. I think that they're actually bonding.

My mother, on the other hand, hasn't said two words. She's just been sitting there, chewing her food the entire night. Although, I think a few times during the dinner, she's had this look like she's wanted to say something, but has stopped herself. Maybe that's a good thing.

I look to my mother, trying to get her to at least acknowledge that Chris is in the room, so I mention his intelligence, "Mom, did I tell you that Chris got accepted into the University of Oregon?"

My father chimes in, "U of O, very nice. What are you studying?"

But before Chris can speak, my mother interrupts.

"Is your father still an alcoholic?"

I drop my fork in disbelief; it clangs loudly on the glass plate.

"Mom!" I spit at her in anger.

Chris looks at me reassuringly, smiles faintly and mouths, "its okay."

He clears his throat and hesitates, unsure of how to answer her blunt question.

"Well...yes, he is, unfortunately. However, I try not to worry about it. I'll be leaving soon and won't have to deal with it anymore."

My father tries to change the subject, "so, what will you be studying at the University?"

However, my mother, still unconvinced, pursues the matter, "but, if he's 'in the condition that he's in', how are you going to be able to pay for college?"

I glare at her and grit my teeth together. Why does she have to be such a shit starter?

"I have a job and over the years I've saved up enough money to get by. I've also been awarded some scholarships from the University itself to help pay for my education."

She raises her eyebrows and sucks her teeth. She was far from done yet.

"And your brothers…" she starts.

I sigh and my face becomes red with embarrassment.

I look at Chris whose face looks exactly like mine. His right fist is clenched into a ball, trying not to get worked up. My mom has hit a nerve and she knows it.

Chris' oldest brother, Charlie, who's in his late twenties, has been in prison for the past couple of years. He'd been charged with raping a teenage girl while he was drunk.

Eyeball, who's in his early twenties, is part of the local gang The Cobras. He does what typical gang people do; steal stuff, threaten people and be an all around jerk.

Both of his brothers are horrible people, Chris is nothing like them.

I speak up, hoping that she'll shut up, "mom, stop it."

Chris puts his hand up to stop me. He swallows hard, his Adam's apple bobbing down then up.

"I know both of my brother's have delved into certain activities in the past. However, I try not to associate myself with them."

I hold my breath in, starring intently at her, waiting for any kind of a response.

After about a minute she claps her hands together and pushes out her chair. She stands up and begins grabbing empty plates.

"I'll be in out in a minute with dessert." She says coldly.

As soon as she leaves, I push my chair back and struggle to get up.

I turn to my father and Chris who are now silent at the table, "I'll be right back."

My dad gives me a warning look, "honey, don't start anything…"

"I'm not, I promise." I lie.

I then angrily waddle my way to the kitchen.

I push open the door and see my mother standing at the counter, slowly cutting a large chocolate cake into pieces.

"What do you think you're doing?" I confront her.

She looks at me, her eyes filled with innocence, "what do you mean?"

I roll my eyes at her act, "I'm not stupid. Why are you treating Chris like this?"

"I was just curious about his home life."

"No, you weren't, you just wanted to piss me off, and guess what? It worked."

She drops the knife in her hand and glares at me, "one, don't you dare use that kind of language with me young lady. Two, I was merely trying to get to know him, like you asked."

I groan in frustration, "yes, I did ask you to get to know him. But, I wanted you to be nice about it. You're jumping down his throat by berating him with personal, uncomfortable questions."

I sigh, "you're not even giving him a chance…"

She chuckles and shrugs, "why should I? He's just another bump in the road for you. Honey, right now, your body is releasing and storing all of these hormones that you can't control. Trust me, once you've given birth, you'll realize that you don't have any feelings for this boy."

My eyes widen. How could she possibly know how I feel about him, "what are you getting at?"

"Oh come on Grace, he's a detriment to society! Sure, he's smart and ambitious now, but before you know it, he's going to be just like his father and his brothers. He always was and he'll always be a low life Chambers kid. I'm merely helping you see this before a big mistake blows up in your face."

I bite my lip, trying hard not to let the tears flow from my eyes, "so basically, the only reason you even had this dinner was to convince me to break up with him.

She purses her lips together and sighs, "yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have dessert to hand out."

Nonchalantly, she brushes passed me leaving my dazed body standing motionless in the kitchen.

How could she do that to me? Her own daughter for God sake! I mean, Chris would never be like his father or older brothers. She knows nothing about him!

I clench my fists together, turn and exit through the kitchen door, unable to fathom the fact that my mother can be so manipulative.

She really is the devil