A/N – Here is a short but (hopefully) startling chapter. Please please
please review!!! Thanks a bunch!
"What?" Kevin asked, his jaw dropping as he wheeled himself backwards into the room.
"You heard what I said," Joan replied sullenly.
Kevin positioned himself in front of her chair again, and blinked several times. He shook his head slowly.
"Oh my God," he said. "Joan - you're sixteen years old!"
Joan's eyes filled with tears, and her body deflated again.
"Hey," he said, remorsefully, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Look at me," he urged, his tone sincere.
Joan lifted her head and looked at Kevin.
"Don't...worry, I'm going to help you, okay?" he said with a sense of big-brother loyalty.
"Are you sure you're-"
Joan nodded submissively.
"It's Adam, right?"
"God, yes, Kevin! Who do you think I am?!" Joan exploded.
"Ssshhh!" Kevin hissed, jerking his head in the direction of their sleeping sibling. "And for that matter, I obviously don't know who you are! I didn't think you were the kind of girl who'd end up pregnant before senior year!"
Joan bowed her head.
"Like you're one to talk," she retorted.
"I never got anybody pregnant, did I?" Kevin said evenly. "I was always responsible."
"Oh, God, Kevin, don't do this. I'm going to have to hear those words being bellowed from Dad's mouth soon enough," Joan groaned.
"So is Adam the only one who knows? Besides me, I mean?" Kevin asked.
"No," Joan said. "Grace knows too. But other than that, yes."
"When did you find out?" Kevin continued, as strategically as a doctor.
"Yesterday," Joan whispered.
"How...when...how far along..." Kevin stammered.
"Like a month is all, I think," Joan replied, the awkwardness of the situation like a bad taste in her mouth.
"Wow...you're in deep sh-" Kevin exhaled, his head still spinning.
"Thanks, beacuse I really didn't know that yet," Joan spat. She sighed. She hadn't meant to lash out at him -- he was only speaking the truth.
"Kevin, how am I going to tell Mom and Dad? They're going to hate me!" she cried.
"They will not hate you," Kevin insisted. "I made a stupid mistake too, and they don't hate me, do they?" Kevin paused. "Do they?"
"Shut up," Joan said. "This is different. I mean, this is like, life- changing, forever, permanent..."
Her voice trailed off as Kevin's eyebrows raised.
"Okay, so maybe it's not that different, but still, it's different," she pouted.
"Do you know what you want to do yet?" Kevin asked somberly.
"I don't have any choice. Adam will hate me if I do anything less than keep it. I swear, he's the one who's glowing," Joan said.
Kevin's jaw set with slight aggravation.
"Which reminds me, I'll have to have a little chat with him," he said.
"Um, Kevin, don't you think it's a little late for that?" Joan asked.
Kevin grinned sardonically.
"Oh my God, Kevin! My life is over!" Joan squealed in exasperation.
"Huh?!" Luke murmured, jolting upright on the couch.
"Aw, now look what you've done," Kevin said. "Then again, you might as well tell him now, too."
"Tell me what?" Luke asked, adjusting his glasses and turning towards the two, who looked guilty.
Joan looked at Luke, then at Kevin.
"Go for it," she surrendered. "I'm sick of saying it."
"Our sister is pregnant," Kevin announced with faux pride, embellishing the statement with a flourish of his hand.
Luke smiled, and rubbed his eyes.
"Uh, I must still be in REM sleep, because I know I didn't just hear you tell me that Joan is...is..."
"Pregnant," Joan finished. "And yeah. You did. He did. I am."
"Oh my God!" Luke screeched like a schoolgirl. "Are you kidding me?! Joan, Mom and Dad are going to freak!"
Joan leaned her head back over the back of the chair, and covered her eyes wiht her hands. Maybe she and Adam should just run off to Vegas...
"It's by Adam Rove, isn't it?" Luke continued. "See, I had a premonition, way back when I saw that pregnancy test and thought it was yours and I even talked to Adam about it and made a complete idiot out of myself, but I was right, I saw it coming, it was a scientific notion, I'm telling you-"
"Shut up, Luke!" Kevin and Joan yelled in unison.
Luke nodded, and closed his mouth. But not for long.
"That's why Grace ran out of here, right? You told her, didn't you?" he blurted.
"She was just overwhelmed, that's all!" Joan insisted, hoping that her brother didn't know as much as she did...it would break his pitiful little virgin heart.
"You're kidding...the fact that you're going to have a baby is in no way overwhelming, Sis. And I'm sure Mom and Dad will be the first to agree with me," Luke said sarcastically.
"Luke, shut up. She's dealing with enough as it is...we should be the ones helping her out," Kevin seethed.
Joan was surprised by how supportive Kevin was being. Surprised, but grateful. Now if only she could convince him to tell their parents for her...
Luke paused, startled by Kevin's reprimand.
"You're right," Luke said. "Joan, I'm sorry. If you need anything, you know..."
"I know. Thank you guys, a lot. It's too bad this is going to be our last night together, considering that Mom and Dad will probably lynch me when I tell them."
"Not exactly."
Their three heads snapped simulataneously to the living room doorway. There stood Helen and Will, looking completely aghast.
A/N – Sorry about the cliffie, couldn't help myself. =) Reviews, please and thank you! =)
"What?" Kevin asked, his jaw dropping as he wheeled himself backwards into the room.
"You heard what I said," Joan replied sullenly.
Kevin positioned himself in front of her chair again, and blinked several times. He shook his head slowly.
"Oh my God," he said. "Joan - you're sixteen years old!"
Joan's eyes filled with tears, and her body deflated again.
"Hey," he said, remorsefully, putting his hands on her shoulders.
"Look at me," he urged, his tone sincere.
Joan lifted her head and looked at Kevin.
"Don't...worry, I'm going to help you, okay?" he said with a sense of big-brother loyalty.
"Are you sure you're-"
Joan nodded submissively.
"It's Adam, right?"
"God, yes, Kevin! Who do you think I am?!" Joan exploded.
"Ssshhh!" Kevin hissed, jerking his head in the direction of their sleeping sibling. "And for that matter, I obviously don't know who you are! I didn't think you were the kind of girl who'd end up pregnant before senior year!"
Joan bowed her head.
"Like you're one to talk," she retorted.
"I never got anybody pregnant, did I?" Kevin said evenly. "I was always responsible."
"Oh, God, Kevin, don't do this. I'm going to have to hear those words being bellowed from Dad's mouth soon enough," Joan groaned.
"So is Adam the only one who knows? Besides me, I mean?" Kevin asked.
"No," Joan said. "Grace knows too. But other than that, yes."
"When did you find out?" Kevin continued, as strategically as a doctor.
"Yesterday," Joan whispered.
"How...when...how far along..." Kevin stammered.
"Like a month is all, I think," Joan replied, the awkwardness of the situation like a bad taste in her mouth.
"Wow...you're in deep sh-" Kevin exhaled, his head still spinning.
"Thanks, beacuse I really didn't know that yet," Joan spat. She sighed. She hadn't meant to lash out at him -- he was only speaking the truth.
"Kevin, how am I going to tell Mom and Dad? They're going to hate me!" she cried.
"They will not hate you," Kevin insisted. "I made a stupid mistake too, and they don't hate me, do they?" Kevin paused. "Do they?"
"Shut up," Joan said. "This is different. I mean, this is like, life- changing, forever, permanent..."
Her voice trailed off as Kevin's eyebrows raised.
"Okay, so maybe it's not that different, but still, it's different," she pouted.
"Do you know what you want to do yet?" Kevin asked somberly.
"I don't have any choice. Adam will hate me if I do anything less than keep it. I swear, he's the one who's glowing," Joan said.
Kevin's jaw set with slight aggravation.
"Which reminds me, I'll have to have a little chat with him," he said.
"Um, Kevin, don't you think it's a little late for that?" Joan asked.
Kevin grinned sardonically.
"Oh my God, Kevin! My life is over!" Joan squealed in exasperation.
"Huh?!" Luke murmured, jolting upright on the couch.
"Aw, now look what you've done," Kevin said. "Then again, you might as well tell him now, too."
"Tell me what?" Luke asked, adjusting his glasses and turning towards the two, who looked guilty.
Joan looked at Luke, then at Kevin.
"Go for it," she surrendered. "I'm sick of saying it."
"Our sister is pregnant," Kevin announced with faux pride, embellishing the statement with a flourish of his hand.
Luke smiled, and rubbed his eyes.
"Uh, I must still be in REM sleep, because I know I didn't just hear you tell me that Joan is...is..."
"Pregnant," Joan finished. "And yeah. You did. He did. I am."
"Oh my God!" Luke screeched like a schoolgirl. "Are you kidding me?! Joan, Mom and Dad are going to freak!"
Joan leaned her head back over the back of the chair, and covered her eyes wiht her hands. Maybe she and Adam should just run off to Vegas...
"It's by Adam Rove, isn't it?" Luke continued. "See, I had a premonition, way back when I saw that pregnancy test and thought it was yours and I even talked to Adam about it and made a complete idiot out of myself, but I was right, I saw it coming, it was a scientific notion, I'm telling you-"
"Shut up, Luke!" Kevin and Joan yelled in unison.
Luke nodded, and closed his mouth. But not for long.
"That's why Grace ran out of here, right? You told her, didn't you?" he blurted.
"She was just overwhelmed, that's all!" Joan insisted, hoping that her brother didn't know as much as she did...it would break his pitiful little virgin heart.
"You're kidding...the fact that you're going to have a baby is in no way overwhelming, Sis. And I'm sure Mom and Dad will be the first to agree with me," Luke said sarcastically.
"Luke, shut up. She's dealing with enough as it is...we should be the ones helping her out," Kevin seethed.
Joan was surprised by how supportive Kevin was being. Surprised, but grateful. Now if only she could convince him to tell their parents for her...
Luke paused, startled by Kevin's reprimand.
"You're right," Luke said. "Joan, I'm sorry. If you need anything, you know..."
"I know. Thank you guys, a lot. It's too bad this is going to be our last night together, considering that Mom and Dad will probably lynch me when I tell them."
"Not exactly."
Their three heads snapped simulataneously to the living room doorway. There stood Helen and Will, looking completely aghast.
A/N – Sorry about the cliffie, couldn't help myself. =) Reviews, please and thank you! =)