When she was finished, she grabbed her phone and sent a text to Hibiki saying she got home safe and that the party was super fun and thanking him for inviting her. What Lucy didn't know was at that moment when her life would change forever.
The next week Lucy attended class, with Jenny in tow she sat at her desk and began taking out the necessary supplies before class had started. Jenny sat across from her, poking her arm to gain her attention, "Hey there'll be another party this Friday if you're game."
Lucy gave an apologetic smile, "My Dad has a thing planned for this weekend that I can't miss. Sorry."
Jenny stuck her tongue out in retaliation, "All good. Last week was so much fun with you! You could take a shot like a champ! I know a certain someone had a fun time as well."
Lucy's face set ablaze at that comment, remembering bits and pieces of that night. She remembered being pulled up the stairs and landing on the bed. Some of the other details were a tad blurry from the alcohol but given how sore she was the next morning she could guess what activity they had been up to. But from the past week to now, nothing had really changed except the occasional peck from Hibiki and the growing closeness between him and her. The tips of her ears felt as if someone set them on fire and the rest of her face followed suit.
"Nothing to be ashamed of girlie! I remember my first time," Jenny tapped her cheek methodically, "me and the guy were suuuper awkward but as soon as we got more comfortable it was amazing-"
"Can we talk about anything else! Please! I would rather talk about Ren's skin care routine than this!" Lucy lurched out of her seat, steam practically billowing out of her ears at this point.
Jenny's shoulders shook containing her amusement as best she could, but her smile and the playful glint in her eyes gave everything away at a brief glance. She waved off Lucy's embarrassment and changed the subject to what she did the rest of the weekend.
"I mean have haven't really got any new news really," she gave a half shrug, "my father and I had dinner and then I spent the rest of the weekend doing homework or reading. Boring in my opinion."
"Eh, what can you really do? I pretty much did the same, save for the fact that my parents made me and some of my little cousins do a family photo thing. Hated every moment of it. I swear each of those kids are like walking birth control." She rolled her eyes in disdain. "I don't want kids till I'm at least in my late 20's. I wanna live my life first."
"No, I totally get it! I wanna have kids after I become a self published author and have taken off in life. That way I can make sure I can afford and take care of them to the best of my abilities along with their dad."
"With you there sister."
Their conversation came to an end when the homeroom teacher came in and class began to start.
3 weeks pass as Lucy stares at the little white stick with a plus sign staring right back at her. 'No, this can't be happening. This has to be a sick joke. There's no way I'm pregnant.' The sign blurred with unshed tears brimming at the surface of her eyes. She refused, this was not real. She had sex one time, once, that shouldn't be a foolproof plan to become pregnant. Lucy shook her head, attempting to get rid of the invading thoughts that wouldn't cease in the torrent of emotions she was feeling. The strongest emotion she was feeling right now was fear. Fear of what her father would think, what he would do most importantly, and Hibiki. What would he say? Would he take responsibility? What does she do with this information, was there something that she can take? 'Mom, I'm so lost. What do I do?' she thought to herself. Lucy decided that the best thing to do at that moment was to have a breakdown in her bathroom and let the thoughts consume her. Then she would handle whatever situation she had gotten herself into.
The next morning Lucy decided to tell Hibiki first at school when they could talk in person. She entered school full of nerves and her emotions completely shot. She had exhausted herself completely the last night when she found out. She threw away the box and the stick making sure that it was out of sight from the maids and more importantly her father. Spotting Hibiki with their group of friends, she walked over to them with a false sense of calmness that she usually saved for her father or the events he forced her to attend.
"Morning guys!" she plastered on a fake smile that stretched too wide to feel real. Her tone was bubbly and all bravado.
"Morning Lucy!" they all groggily answered back. Some still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.
"Mind if I borrow this one real quick?" she gestured with her head pointing to Hibiki. Not really waiting for a response, she wordlessly grabbed his hand and dragged him to a private corner of the building.
"Now what would we be doing in a place like this?" Hibiki said in a voice filled with smoke and a hint of something more.
"Hibiki, I have to tell you something."
"Oh?" he tilted his head in acknowledgement, reminding her of a puppy tilting their head at a new noise. The smokeness of his voice dissipated for one of concern and it gave her hope that he would receive the news well.
Lucy sucked in a breath to steel her nerves, her hands simultaneously sweating and shaking without her consent. Lucy's stomach flipped and twisted with the combination of morning sickness and anxiety. She has never felt this awful before and wouldn't wish it on her worst enemy.
Wringing her fingers together she confessed with a warbly voice, "Hibiki I…" she paused. Her mauntra for the past day repeated to her in her head. 'I can do this.' "I'm pregnant." There she did it. Meeting his gaze she noticed the unnatural stillness to his being. She didn't even think he was breathing at this point. She watched as his mind short circuited at the not so subtle bomb she just dropped. Maybe she needed to phrase it better and not have been so blunt about it. Her voice was small as she said, "Hibiki?"
She didn't think he heard her and was beginning to say his name again when he finally answered, "You're what?"
"I'm pregnant." She cringed at having to say it again, this time when she looked into his eyes they were sharper than usual, the usual bright light that made his eyes look like warm honey became dark.
Hibiki shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest, "No you're not. Stop playing Lucy, that isn't a very funny joke."
"It's not a joke Hibiki, I am pregnant. You wanna know who the father is? I'm staring right at him."
"There's no way it's me. We havn't even had sex, there's no way it's mine."
Lucy retracted at that statement. He knew fully the activities they had gotten into, everyone in their friend group did too.
"What are you talking about, I've only been with you. You were the one to pull me up those stairs and into that room. It takes two to make a kid, and guess what. You were my partner, now own up to your responsibilities!"
Hibiki took a step back, "No."
"No? What do you mean no?" Lucy scrutinized.
"I mean that you went and whored yourself around and ended up pregnant. I'm not the father and there is no way to prove that."
"What?! Hibiki there is no way you are not the father, I can't believe you would even say that. My father is going to kill me! You think I wanted this?! I don't."
"Sorry Lucy." not sounding the least bit sorry, hibiki began walking the other direction, "you're on your own. No one will believe you, not Jenny, not Eve, hell I doubt anyone will think you're telling the truth over me."
Lucy murmured brokenly, "Why are you doing this."
He stopped then and walked up to her and began invading her personal space, Lucy tried stepping away but found her back against the wall, with no way out she found Hibiki's face inches away from hers, close enough she could feel his heated breath against her lips. "Why." he asked, "Why?! It's because I have a reputation to uphold Lucy, I don't have Daddy's money like you to cover it up. My family is riding on my getting into the best university there is and if they ever found out that I couldn't keep it in my pants and have a kid, bye bye scholarships." his voice dripping with poison and cutting into Lucy's heart, the wounds getting deeper and deeper as he kept talking. "While you sit in your pretty palace I have to keep up my grades, be in sports, and do whatever else I need to, to get by and make sure I can get into college. I don't have luxuries like you do, to do or go wherever you want to without even thinking about the cost. That is why I'm doing this. Good luck Lucy," he said with every ounce of venom he could muster, 'you'll need it."
From that moment on her life at highschool began once as a dream, turned into her own personal hell. Rumors were spread almost immediately, whispering lies about how she slept around with almost every guy in her grade and ended up pregnant because of it. The pregnant slut slander came falling not far behind, but the worst part. The worst part is when her father found out.
Lucy was ushered to her fathers study one day from school, some of the kids had filled her locker with notes saying how much of a whore she was or how easy she is. When she had tried talking to Jenny about what Hibiki had said she brushed her off and said she, "didn't speak to sluts who don't know how to use protection." that had hurt most of all. But as she knocked on the door following with a "Who is it." more a statement than a question and a tentative "Lucy.'' The large dark oak doors opened to see her father's arms folded on the desk and a stern glare in his eye, she took shaky steps into the room noting the smell of fresh ink on paper and a glass of brandy sitting on her fathers work station, the glass half empty.
"Sit." her father motioned.
She did as told, and looked up to him, "Father I-"
"I don't want to hear it."
"But-"
"I said I don't want to hear it!" He roared, the entire room seemed as if it shook when he yelled he slammed a fist on the table, "You expect me to listen to you when I get a phone call from your school telling me about what is being said about you? I wouldn't have cared that much either if I hadn't found the pregnancy test in your trash can. Of all the irresponsible things to do. Is this what you wanted? To waste away all that was good for you. Just because some boy wanted some tail and you have the audacity to not only not use protection but try and conceal it from me?!"
Lucy flinched, her arms quaking at her fathers words, tears built up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall when he was like this. That's what he wanted, for her to show weakness and prove that he was right. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
"From this moment forth you will be in this house for the rest of your term, you will be watched under close supervision, and when that baby is born you will be out of this house permanently."
That got Lucy's attention. "You're kicking me out after I have the baby?"
"Yes, from this point on you are no longer my daughter as you made your choice the day you conceived."
"Father please! Reconsider!" Tears began pouring down her face, her breath caught in her throat, the room was caving in on her and she had no place to run. "Where will I go?"
"That is none of my concern." He made direct eye contact with her, "Your mother would have been so disappointed Lucy." he shook his head, his eyes devils of any pity or love for his daughter standing in front of her.
Lucy couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Where would she go? How would she feed the baby? How would she feed herself?
"You are dismissed."
Lucy got up, her lip quivering and breaths coming in short bursts, not quite able to take a full deep breath. Lucy walked with her head low to her room, where she flung herself onto her bed and began to sob hysterically, her body racking with sobs, her throat torn raw and hoarse, and body completely numb. That night she dreamt of what life would be like if her mother was still around and what she would have said in this scenario. But all that seemed to elude her as what her father had said echoed and followed her into her dreams.
The eight months had been torturous, a private doctor was hired and reported to her father directly and the only thing that he had said is when the time came to see if it was a boy or a girl he said as if he were reading the case reports in the newspaper, "It's a boy." however Lucy was ecstatic, a baby boy. Her baby boy. She rubbed her swollen stomach affectionately. Hearing that gave her something else to think about besides her swollen feet and the painful backaches.
As the last month approached and it was time to meet the little guy Lucy had made a plan on where she would go, since she got her high school diploma through online school her ID was still valid and she was sure that they could live in her car for a while while she found a job. Something where she could keep her baby near.
Lucy woke up to a dampness between her legs and called for the maids, who were on standby at this point waiting for the baby to make its presence known. The doctor was called immediately as the contractions became closer and closer together. Her father nowhere in sight but she preferred that rather than having his hate filled gaze directed at her.
"Get ready to push Lucy." The doctor ordered. "On my go, 1...2...3...push!"
At last after ten hours of pain and tears she was holding her beautiful bundle of joy in her arms where he cried until he wore himself out. "Welcome to the world Kade. I hope you forgive me, but I'll try my best to give you the best life possible."
The doctor left after testing and making sure Kade was fit and healthy, and after 2 weeks of bed rest an envelope was found by the bedside table. It was a letter and a check containing five thousand dollars and saying that that was the last gift she would ever receive and she had 48 hours to pack and leave the house.
Lucy looked at Levy recounting her tale, tears dribbled down her chin at their own violation but all she saw in Levys beautiful brown eyes was sadness for her and the treatment her father gave her.
"Oh Lu." She hugged Lucy, "I am so so sorry for the way people treated you. You are an amazing mother and an even more amazing person. You deserved none of that crap and I...I am just so sorry." Levy began crying with her. Holding her in a tight hug the two just stayed their holding eachother for a while before the tears stopped.
"Okay." Levy said. "Okay. Well now that i get the whole picture I understand your hesitence. But Lucy. Natsu is not that man, he loves you to his very core and if you give him that chance I promise you will not regret it."
"I know but I'm just so scared." Lucy scrubbed the tears off her face. Her eyes puffy and red, with Levy matching her.
"I get that but Lu. You deserve to get that happy ending you always talk about in your books. And I think Natsu can give you that happy ending."
"You think so?"
"I practically know so. You guys were made for eachother. As cheesy as that sounds but you two fit too well together and Kade practically thinks of Natsu as his father already. And think of it this way. It doesn't have to be right away, you guys can go at your own pace and you'll know when you're ready, but give the both of you a chance and if he hurts you, tell Erza and I and we'll sort him out properly." Levy cracked her knuckles for emphasis.
Lucy sucked in a steadying breath. Levy had a point and while they haven't said that they love each other Lucy could feel the urge to a couple times, but didn't act on them out of fear. She wouldn't let fear hold her back anymore.
Telling Levy her story and her comforting Lucy rather than pushing her away was freeing, the burden felt lighter with the shared weight. A smile came onto her face naturally and relief filled her body, relaxing her muscles, and clearing her mind.
"There's the Lu I know. You ready to head back in?" Levy reached her hand out, a smile also gracing her face and lighting up her eyes.
"Yeah, I'm ready."
A/N: Wow! 3000 words! There was so much I had to say in this chapter and to show Lucy growing and becoming an adult too quickly. She was only 18 but at least for me that is still too young to leave the house especially with a newborn baby! Now you have it! I hope you all liked the chapter! Now we'll get back to the real story! Happy 4th of July to those who celebrate and have a great weekend.
Special shoutout to those who reviewed, Wadeparker, Amanny, MaraDragneel3113,, Copperreign12, and FairyTailxFanGirl!