Legitimate excuse for not updating….i lost my laptop charger. I had to tear apart my room to find it sooooo yeah. And since it's the end of the year, my teachers think its okay to pile us with ungodly amounts of work. But I have a question…is my story cliché now that Mitchie is pregnant? Can you guys tell me if it is because I don't really like clichés. Oh and…be careful who you call your best friend because it wont be long before they show their true colors. Enough said.
Arranged Love
3 Weeks until the Wedding…
"She's one of the sweetest people I have ever met. She's kind and talented and compassionate and I am so blessed that I get to spend the rest of my life with someone as beautiful as her," I read with a huge smile, setting the Teen Vogue magazine down on my lap. The magazine had just come out yesterday with us on the cover and a six page spread. In the picture, I am wearing the halter dress and fixing Shane's tie while pressed up against him on the wall. Teen Vogue had said it was their bestselling magazine yet.
"Aww, is that really what you think of me?" I giggled, picking up a spoon and scooping up some of the meaty marina sauce that Shane was cooking to put on top of some noodles.
Shane walked over to me, taking the spoon out of my hand and putting it in the sink. "Yes, that is how I truly think but I would appreciate if you didn't eat all of the sauce for our noodles," Shane said, returning to me and rubbing my sides as I sat on the counter.
"Our child is hungry. We can't deny he/she their basic needs before they're even here!" I exclaimed playfully, rubbing my flat stomach. I know this may sound weird but I actually wanted my belly to get bigger. I wanted some proof that there is in fact a child growing inside of me.
"Stop making mommy so hungry," Shane spoke to my stomach, softly kissing it as I laughed and pushed him away.
"That tickles!"
Shane stopped and looked at me with a serious expression. I already know what he was gonna say. He had been bothering me about it since he had found out.
"When are we gonna tell our parents?" he asked as I just shrugged. I was afraid of telling my parents and I had a really legitimate reason why.
"In 15 weeks," I mumbled as Shane rolled his eyes. According to Google, the average pregnant woman started to show after 20 weeks.
"We have to tell them Mitch. You wouldn't want them to hear from Hot Tunes or TMZ, would you?" Shane is trying to make me feel guilty. And since my emotions are on a high, it was kinda working.
"My first ultrasound is tomorrow. We'll fly out to DC with your parents and Sara and then tell my parents. But I'm not telling anyone else until I start to show. It's not fair to my dad because elections are next week," I planned and Shane nodded before he began to plant kisses all over my belly. I giggled and pushed him away again.
"Tomorrow is gonna be so embarrassing," I whined, covering my face with my hands.
"Why?"
"Because I'm ticklish on my stomach which means that I'll be laughing like a hyena when he rubs that gooey stuff on there," I explained as Shane gave me a look as if to say "seriously?"
He looked down at my stomach and rubbed it affectionately. "Your mother is weird."
*Arranged Love*
Dr. Martinez squirted out a clear, thick substance onto my flat stomach and rubbed it in with what I assumed was some sort of x-ray camera (I'm not a doctor). I tried to control my laughter as the moving image appeared on the small screen in front of Shane and me.
"So that is your fetus," he used his other hand to point at a tiny circle on the screen as I squinted, trying to see my child. I panicked, am I going to be a bad mother because I can't find my own child?
"Where do you see it?" I asked as Shane leaned forward, recording everything with his video camera. He called it "making memories".
"Here, I'll move this over," he moved the camera over on my stomach and then pointed to a more prominent shape.
"That is your child. The fetus is not as developed because this is your first trimester but when I see you next month, we should be able to tell a gender," Dr. Martinez explained as my eyes widened.
There truly us a child growing inside of me. My heart swelled and tears sprung to my eyes as Shane held my hand tightly. We had created a child together and this is reality. I have a baby growing inside of me. There is a baby growing inside of me that expects me to nurture and love it and give it my undivided attention. I am going to have to raise a baby from birth to adulthood with Shane. Would our lifestyles allow us to do that?
"Shane, Mitchie, what were you two doing at the doctor's office? Can you confirm the rumor that you're expecting? When's the wedding? Are you happy your dad has a really good chance of winning the election? Are you really pregnant?" I hid my head as Shane helped me into the car, pushing through the paparazzi so he could get to the other side. The pregnancy questions scared me. Did they really know that I am pregnant? Or were they just throwing rumors into the rumor mill? I silently prayed that it was the latter.
"Are you hungry?" Surprisingly no. I am just tired and nervous because at this time tomorrow I will be sitting down to eat with my parents, telling them that in 8 months they were gonna have their first grandchild.
"Um, no. I just wanna go to sleep," I answered, biting down hard on my lip and staring out the window. I have really mixed emotions right now. Even though I think I'm way too young, I'm also kinda happy that I'm having a baby. I'm nervous to tell my parents. I'm scared of what everyone will think. And I'm angry that this happened so soon. But that's how pregnancy is. You have unprotected sex one time and then there's a 50/50 chance that you could be pregnant.
"Mitch, it's gonna be okay. They're your parents. They will understand," Shane's attempt at coaxing me was cute but I didn't want to hear it. He doesn't know my parents like I do.
"How old do you think my mom is?" I asked as Shane's eyebrows sewed together.
"Is this a trick question?"
"No, just answer it," I demanded impatiently.
"42," Shane guessed as I laughed. He was kinda off.
"She's 37," I corrected him as his eyes widened. "She had Ella when she was 16 and me at 19 and she doesn't want me or Ella to have children so young. She's going to be so disappointed in me and so is my dad. And I hate that feeling of disappointment coming from my own parents," I explained, pulling my knees up to my chest and burying my face in them. I would rather have my parents take away all of my electronic accessories and keep them forever than for them to ever be disappointed in me.
"Mitchie, I promise that once they get over the age thing, they'll be overjoyed. At least we're getting married so our child won't be a bastard," Shane pointed out, trying to lighten up the situation.
"It doesn't matter Shane. I shouldn't be pregnant at 18." Point. Blank. Period.
*Arranged Love*
We were in DC on our way to the White House in a limo. Shane is trying to calm me down and Mr. Gray, Denise, and Sara all think that I'm having a seizure while Sophie is sleeping in Shane's lap. Sonny needed some more time to get her life together so Sophie is with us again.
"It's okay," Shane comforted, rubbing my back. I really didn't want to hear that right now.
"If you say that one more time, I will kill you," I threatened dangerously as Shane backed off and I chewed on my bottom lip as the limo pulled up to the most important house in the entire country. That house is about to be turned into hell after I tell my parents about the wonderful bundle of joy that is on the way.
"Welcome back, Mitchie!" John squeezed me really hard as soon as I entered the house and I smiled.
"It feels good to be home," I partially lied as Shane and everyone else came in behind me.
"Is that my baby girl?" I winced at the word baby. I am a baby having a baby. This is awkward.
"Mitchie!" Connie came and wrapped her arms around me in a loving embrace which I quickly returned. I savored the feeling of my mother's touch. I know that after I tell her about my little secret that she won't be hugging me for a while.
"Baby girl, are you crying?" Connie asked as she pulled back and caressed my face.
"No, I just really missed you and dad. Where is he?" I looked around, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my Northface. The ultrasound pictures were in my back pocket.
"He's already in the dining room. I'm assuming Shane and company is already in there with him," Connie answered, placing a hand on my lower back and leading me to our large dining room. I saw my dad first, sitting at the head of the table and quietly talking with Shane as Denise and Sara chattered about wedding plans and Sophie was falling asleep in her salad.
"Hello to you too, daddy," I greeted, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek. Okay, maybe I am sucking up. But wouldn't you be too if you were in my situation?
"Hello Mitchie. What brings you back to the East coast?" he asked as I sat on the other side of Shane and wiped my forehead.
"I'm hungry. What did Rosie make this time?" I asked, putting a forkful of salad into my mouth. Eat first, news later.
"All your favorites…Swai fillet with garlic couscous and steamed spinach. She even made your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream," just as my dad finished explaining the meal; our servers came out with covered trays. They placed them in front of us. They pulled off the cover and I nearly gagged as the smell of fish tickled my nostrils. Everyone else quickly dug in but I couldn't even look down at my plate.
I swallowed deeply before pushing my plate ahead of me and scooting my chair back.
"Mitch, where are you going?" Sara asked as I placed a hand on my churning stomach and used my other hand to cover my mouth. Note to self: my baby does not like fish.
I sprinted out of the dining room to the nearest bathroom, puking up everything that I had eaten prior to coming here into the porcelain bowl. I puked for three more minutes before Shane came and pulled my hair back, rubbing soothing circles on my back as I finished throwing up.
"I'm guessing our child isn't very fond of fish," Shane whispered as I nodded and flushed the toilet. He handed me a bottle of Vernors and I took a sip, letting it digest before leaning my head against the counter.
"Why do they call it morning sickness if it hits you at every second of the day?" I complained as everyone else filed into the bathroom and looked down at Shane and me.
"I thought you loved fish!" Connie exclaimed after Shane had tucked me into my old bed and everyone else sat around me. It was time to give an explanation. The ultrasound pictures were safely hidden in my pillow case.
"Shane and I took pictures yesterday," I started as Shane took a deep breath and helped me sit up.
"If you're talking about the pictures in that teen magazine, we already saw them," my dad said as I shook my head.
"They were uh, a different type of picture," I pulled them out of my pillowcase and handed them to my mom. "I'm a month pregnant."
Silence. I needed someone to say something. Connie passed the pictures to my dad, tears welling up in her eyes. My dad just passed them onto Sara, not even able to look at them. Sara's jaw was on the ground and Denise and Mr. Gray both exchanged looks that I couldn't quite read. Can someone please talk in this room?
"Mom, dad, please don't be disappointed in me," I begged, reaching out for Connie's hand which she quickly snatched away. That really hurt. "Please don't hate me," I dry sobbed as a single tear flowed down Connie's cheeks.
"The one rule that we set for you, you went and broke it," Connie snapped as I looked down at my lap and played with my fingers.
"What did we do wrong?" Denise mumbled as someone's phone began to obnoxiously ring. It was getting annoying.
"Shane, answer the fucking phone," I snapped as Shane rolled his eyes at me and stepped out of the room.
"Dad, please say something. Please don't be disappointed in me. I am so sorry," I stood and attempted to hug my dad but he softly pushed my arms away, standing up and promptly exiting the room.
"I am so disappointed in you Michelle," Connie said before following my dad. Their exit was followed by yelling and I knew that they were yelling at Shane. Tears escaped from my eyes like Niagara Falls as Shane stepped back into the room.
"When we agreed to this arranged marriage, we didn't sign up for Mitchie to get pregnant," Mr. Gray sneered at Sara as Denise bit her tongue and Shane side hugged me.
"We didn't plan this," Sara said quietly as I buried my face in Shane's chest. Everyone is so disappointed in me. I could feel it.
"Trojan, Durex, Lifestyles, Beyond Seven, Trustex, all brands of condoms that you could've used Shane," Denise spat as Shane rubbed my back comfortingly. I wanted to talk to my parents. I wanted them to understand.
"It was an abrupt thing and we didn't have a condom with us," Shane defended as Sara mumbled "obviously".
"Or you could've just kept it in your pants," Mr. Gray pointed out as everyone sighed.
"There are other options…" Sara started as I pulled away from Shane and narrowed my tired eyes at her.
"I'm not getting an abortion. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I had killed a baby that I had created. And I'm not giving my child away from a family full of strangers," I defended, caressing my stomach as if I was holding my baby. Why does everyone want to get rid of you?
"Well this is gonna be one big mess. The press is gonna have a field day when they find out that Shane impregnated the president's daughter!" Sara exclaimed as I rubbed my eyes and shook my head.
"I don't care about the press right now! I care about my parents. Now if you would excuse me, I'm going to make sure that they still want to claim me as their daughter," I yelled, marching through my door and down the hall to my parents' room. I heard my mother sobbing and I wanted to cry myself. I had caused my own mother to cry because of a stupid mistake that shouldn't have happened.
I softly knocked on the door. The sobbing stopped and three mississippis later, my dad pulled the door open. His eyes were cold and distant and not loving, like they usually are when he's looking at me.
"Dad, I want to talk," I softly pleaded. He pulled the door open all the way and let me in. Connie was curled up in a ball on the bed and my father sat next to her. I sat across from them on their couch and fiddled with my zipper.
"I'm sorry," I apologized, placing one hand on my stomach. "I know what you guys expected of me and I'm sorry that I broke those expectations," I choked on my own words and looked up at my parents with blurred vision. They were holding each other and both looked majorly conflicted.
"I know that you're disappointed in me and I know why but I'm gonna keep my baby. I'm gonna raise her into her wonderful adult and teach her the things you taught me. Just when she comes, please don't take your anger and disappointment out on her," I explained.
"It's a girl?" Connie asked quietly. No, but I really want a girl.
"No, but I really want a girl. I boy would be too much like Shane. The world can only handle one Shane Gray at a time," I chuckled as the corners of Connie's lips pulled up into a smile.
"I'm upset that you're so young. You're already getting married in three weeks and now you're gonna have a baby. You're growing up too fast and I don't like it," Connie said, sitting next to me and rubbing my back.
"It was a mistake. I wasn't even supposed to have sex. It just happened but what has come out of it is a blessing," my baby isn't going to be a burden. Everyone needed to accept the fact that this really is happening.
"You sound so mature," Connie gushed with a proud smile. At least I'm not like one of those frantic teen moms on MTV with the dead beat dads and an unplanned future. I had a plan…kind of.
"I don't want my daughter having a child," my dad said out of the blue as my eyes widened and Connie pursed her lips.
"But Steve-"
"I do not want my little girl having a baby by some popstar that used her. You said so yourself, Michelle! Shane doesn't love you and he never will so why would you want a baby coming into the world as a representation of Shane's nonexistent love for you?" Steve exclaimed as I looked down. That hurt…a lot. I know he wanted me to see it in black and white but I couldn't see it that way. Shane has feelings for me. They may not be as strong as mine are for him but somewhere deep inside of him, he likes me.
"Dad, there are no other options," I argued as he scoffed and looked at Connie.
"Do you hear your daughter right now? Of course there are other options! Give the baby away or get rid of it!" I gasped and cowered back. Steve Torres, the President of the United States just basically told his own daughter to get an abortion.
"How dare you? I'm carrying your grandchild and I refuse to kill my baby! If you can't deal with the fact that I'm pregnant then you can stay the hell out of my child's life. In fact, you can stay the hell out of mine and stay in DC and run the country for all I care. I know that I will be the best mother possible because I want the best for my child. If you can't see that…you won't be the first one I call when I go into labor," I sneered, tears falling down my face. How could my own father say those things? Why can't he just get over the fact that I'm 18 and having a child and let me go?
"According to the law, you are not even a legal adult yet. In fact, you are still my child and I am still your legal guardian. In fact, I want to call off this whole arranged marriage and since I am your father, I am telling you that that child will no longer be inside of you. If you can't deal with that then I can personally disown you. I can sign you off to Shane since you think that you're an adult now," Steve suggested without any emotion in his voice. Connie didn't object and at that point, I was done fighting.
"Fine…disown me. I would rather you disown me than murder my own child. Don't expect a call from me ever again and don't expect to ever see your grandchild because I am done with the two of you," with that I stormed out and marched right back into my room. Shane and his parents looked at me expectedly as I grabbed my ultrasound pictures off of the floor and went to grab my suitcase.
"We're leaving right now and not coming back anytime soon," I announced.
Ohana means family. And family means that nobody gets left behind or forgotten.
Well the meaning of family must have changed drastically.
Mitchie's parents are…terrible. They're the first family of the country and yet they cant except the fact that theyre daughter is preggo. Ugh…im so upset and this is my story! Might update again today or tonight or…whenever(: oh and shoutout to my new reviewer! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!