CHAPTER 6

Rory sat in front of the steps of Graham's dorm. The storm was still howling but the heat still lingered. Rory stared at the horizon, watching the dark clouds roll over the mountains.

Graham leaned against the pillar as he watched the range of emotions storm through Rory's face. His knapsack was still slung over his shoulder. His long sleeved shirt, still wet, clung to his skin. Awkward silence came between the two of them.

"So," Graham asked. "What are you going to do?"

"What am I supposed to do?" Rory asked back. "It's not like I can blink this away," she responded, still staring at her feet.

"So, are you going to tell him?" he asked.

"I don't know," she murmured. She looked at Graham's eyes and tried to read the expression on his face. "Do you think I should?"

"It's your prerogative. I mean, women nowadays have careers and have a family without the baby's father," he reasoned out.

"I grew up without my dad," Rory revealed to him. "I don't think I want my child to grow up the same way. My mom did a great job raising me by herself but I always feel guilty that she hasn't had a decent relationship because of me. That's not a way to live."

"Then tell the father," Graham said, exasperated.

"Then what? Get my fairy tale ending?" Rory questioned.

"Wow," Graham responded, a hint of frustration escaped with the tone of his voice as he ran his hands through his hair, "Tristin was right. You are difficult. You debate yourself until you talk yourself out of trying."

"Leave Tristin out of this," Rory said angrily.

"Why, Rory?" Graham challenged her. "Because he knows you so well and it kills you that he can read you like a book?"

"How did this become about him? This is about me!" Rory responded.

"No, it's about the baby. What are you going to do about it?" Graham asked his deep blue eyes filled with rage.

"I don't know, okay? It's not like I can undo my current situation by snapping my fingers!" she started to yell.

Graham's nostrils flared. His chest was heaving from his breathing.

"Rory, I can't do anything for you if you pretend that this isn't existent," Graham pointed out.

"Who said I am denying it?" Rory countered him. "In a little less than eight months, I will be in a delivery room pushing this baby out. I am a college sophomore whose only job was to be daughter to an almost socialite and girl Friday to my mom when she worked at the Independence Inn, granddaughter to one of the most prestigious pair of grandparents of Hartford and apparently biggest retard who, despite protection, has the worst luck to be in the less than one percent of the population that would get pregnant while using a condom. Other than that, I don't know the first thing about breastfeeding, baby burping, changing diapers and stressing over whether or not the baby's hot or cold. I am scared, Graham, and I am scared to let my mom know about it!" she shouted out, heated tears cascaded down her cheeks. Her frustration gave way to the wave of fear that overtook her.

"Hey, hey," Graham hushed, pulling Rory to his chest to comfort her. "I'm sorry."

Like a baby, Rory wailed her frustrations. She held on to him, inhaling his musky scent combined with the warm rain.

"We'll figure something out," Graham promised, laying a kiss on her forehead.

"I want a cup of coffee. Maybe two," she muttered.

"You can have both eight months from now," he said through her hair.

.xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Tristin let out a loud sigh as he sat on his bed. He was done with his precept for the week. He usually liked the weekly gathering but for some odd reason, he felt antsy and wanted to get away from it all.

Preceptorials were expected from Princeton freshmen and sophomores taking humanities and social sciences. They were interesting. Sometimes they were animated. He loved the debates that took place but only got interested when he pretended that the person he was arguing with was Rory. However, he always got disappointed when the other person utters something so moronic that he knew Rory would never say. Then he'd come down from his high. It made him wonder more often than not if he should change schools just to be close to her.

"Hey, bud, are you going to finish the pizza in the fridge?" his roommate asked.

"It's yours, Matt," he said as he rest his head on his pillow.

"Long day?" Matt asked, gnawing on the cold food.

"Yeah. I found out that I'm going to drive up to New Haven this weekend," he informed his roommate. He rubbed his tired eyes.

"You going to be staying there the whole weekend?" Matt asked as he wiped the grease off of his fingers.

"Yeah. I'm crashing at my cousin's," Tristin added.

"Really? His girlfriend wouldn't mind?" Matt queried.

"I hope not. Dorm room policies wouldn't allow that," Tristin answered, a smile escaping his lips.

"You know that's a bunch of bull. Since we've moved in this room, you've housed more girls in your bed than Hugh Heffner had in his first year in the playboy mansion," Matt dogged him.

"I hope Rory wouldn't mind," Tristin admitted.

"That's what this trip's all about, right? It's not to see your cousin. You want to see the girl. You don't have to front with me," Matt said to him.

"Do you want to tag along?" Tristin asked his roommate.

"Nah, we're cool, man," Matt declined the invite. "I have to work."

"You know what amazes me?" he asked his roommate, "Is how you work as a paramedic and your major is nowhere near the field to medicine."

"My philosophy is graduate in something you may eventually make money in. Work in a field that would give you the opportunity to hate it eventually. That way, you would be glad that you never majored in it," Matt informed as he donned on his uniform.

"And that's a good way to see life," Tristin said.

"Aren't I so optimistic. Now, I have to keep myself in this place," Matt's eyes started roving around the room. "With a 3.7 GPA, I need to make sure I keep my scholarship and at least earn some spending money."

"Well, money isn't everything, bud. Just remember that," Tristin informed him.

"That's rich coming from someone who is set for life," Matt guffawed as he left the room for work.