Please Don't Envy Me
Written by: American Idiot's Broken Dreams
Chapter Five
A Heart to Heart
"Hey, babe," Craig called softly, "Paige."
Slowly, I came from my little nap and looked around to see that Craig and I were in the dark, and the television was on. Looking over to the windows, they were black, and I realized that I had slept most of the afternoon. Now I felt so bad that I had left Craig alone to watch television and what not.
"Oh, Craig, why didn't you wake me?" I whined, yawning and stretching.
"Because, you were sleeping, and I figured that it was because of the baby. But, no worries, I caught up on some TV time and had to endure Dylan passing through every hour on the hour to glare at me." Craig grinned a little on the latter part, and I suddenly had an urge to kill Dylan.
"I'm sorry about that," I said sheepishly, "he's just resentful to the fact that you got me pregnant. It'll probably be like this for, oh, about the rest of our lives." I added, smiling.
"It's cool. I'd want to kill the bastard who got my little sister pregnant too. But, I was just waking you to tell you that I've got to get going." As Craig stood, I felt cold and had the strong desire to pull him back down so he could continue to lie in my lap.
"Do you really have too?" My bottom lip poked out in a pretend pout and he smiled, crouching down in front of me.
"Don't worry, I'll be back, snookums," he teased, tweaking my nose.
"Ugh, I'm all for the pet names, but I've got to draw the line at 'snookums'." I laughed.
"Okay, pookie,"
"That one too."
"Bye, Paige," he laughed, and gave me a lingering, sweet kiss. "And goodbye to you too," he added, kissing my stomach.
"Craig," I simpered, giggling.
"What, the child has to know that his or her father cares about 'em." He pulled on his leather jacket and I stood to walk him to the door.
He began to walk out the door, but, getting to the bottom step he turned and murmured, "I love you, Paige."
I felt the tears prick the back of my eyes, but I didn't let them come forward. He'd think I'd lost my mind if I cried every time he told me he loved me. But I did, because each time it was new and made my heart skip a beat, something Spinner could make happen.
"I love you too, Craig," I smiled and watched him walk to his car, get in, and drive off.
"So, I take it he took it well?" someone said form behind me.
Jumping with surprise, I closed the door and leaned against it. Dylan was standing in the door between the foyer and the living room with his arms crossed over his chest. I rolled my eyes, and brushed past him into the kitchen to get something to eat. I was so hungry, it wasn't even funny.
"'Took it' well is an understatement. More like 'completely overjoyed and excited' is the right phrase. Just the way he was so caring when I started crying after I told him, and—oh, Dylan he's so wonderful! I love him, I love him, and I love him!" I exulted, spinning in a small circle as I walked over to the microwave.
"You love who?" Mom asked, walking into the kitchen.
"Craig." I sighed, unable to keep the grin off my face.
"So, how did he react when you told him, if you told him?" Mom questioned.
"Oh my God, Mom, he is in love with the idea of having a family! He's already talking the baby, telling the baby who he is, and, the best part about everything is, we're still together!" Mom smiled at me, happy that things were going so well for me.
"So, are you ready to face school tomorrow?" Dylan asked, sitting next to me at the table.
"Sure, I mean, I'm not showing am I?" I stood to get an accurate response.
Looking down, Dylan began to fiddle with his fingers. Mom looked as if she were trying to find the right words.
"Come on, I'm like, two months along, how big can I be?" I asked, unbeknownst to me that I was really big.
"Mom, Dylan don't pussyfoot around with me. I want to know how big I look." I begged.
"Truthfully, I think you look about four months along. Though, I may be sort of biased because I know you're pregnant. You might want to ask Hazel if she thinks your getting bigger, but don't insinuate your pregnant. Just ask her if you think you're getting fat."
"I don't believe it, I cannot be that huge!" And, with extreme doubt in my mind, I practically ran to the bathroom to examine myself.
As it turned out, Mom wasn't lying. I was HUGE. My belly sort of protruded off my normally slender figure, but not so much that if a stranger saw me, they'd run up to me and congratulating my on being a mother. It looked nice, but I wondered what was going to happen when I walked into school tomorrow morning.
Maybe Mom was right; maybe I should call Hazel, invite her over and have a heart to heart—after all who would be more honest and understanding than your best friend?
"So, what's the occasion?" Hazel grinned, as I let her in about twenty minutes later.
"Hazel, does it have to a special occasion for me to invite my very best friend over?" I smiled warmly.
We traveled up the stairs, talking excitedly about the latest gossip, when Dylan poked his head out of his door.
"Hi, Dylan," Hazel greeted.
"Hey, Haze," he said, a little dismissively. "Paige, can you keep it down to at least an eight? I've got a huge test to study for, okay."
Nodding while I shut my door, Hazel and I settled in for a long night of talking, laughing, and girl talk. I knew I had to tell her that I was pregnant before tomorrow, and I had planned ease into it, but unfortunately, lately people seemed to have a knack for catching me before I wanted to tell them.
"Paige, not to be a total hag or anything, but you're looking kind of, well, you know, thick around the middle." Hazel said uncomfortable.
"Well, how big do I look?" I asked, trying my best to sound offended.
"Like you've been packing down a lot of Ben and Jerry's." she replied critically.
Sighing, I sat down on the bed next to Hazel, and wrapped my arms around her neck, and leaned my head on her shoulder. I prepared myself once again, for anything.
"Hazel, what would you say if someone had a boyfriend that was beginning to become a really bad boyfriend, by making you pay him back for something you did on the spur of the moment, so that someone found someone better who didn't care what your slipups were and vice versa, and those two someones secretly became a couple behind the bad boyfriend's back.
"So, after a while of dating, the two someones made love at a person's party. Then, today, the someone with a bad boyfriend found out she was pregnant, and told you, what would you say?" I said secretly concealing me and Craig's identities.
"I'd wonder what that someone was thinking and I'd wonder when's the right time to call her a slut." Hazel said crudely.
Warm, pitiful tears gather in my eyes as I took my head from Hazel's shoulder to look her straight in the eye. I took a deep breath and told Hazel the truth.
"What if I told you that someone was me?"
Hazel's mouth fell open and her eyes read nothing but shock. Again, I found myself crying and feeling so ashamed of myself.
"Paige, you're pregnant!" Hazel exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders.
I nodded miserably, and hung my head.
"Paige, what were you thinking? How could you and Spinner take such a big step, without completely thinking through everything?" Hazel was now pacing around my room, talking with her hands.
"Spinner? Haze, didn't you listen to the story? I'm the someone with a bad boyfriend who made me pay him back after I wrecked his car! I'm the someone who found someone better! And I'm the someone who made love with the better someone at a person's party!" I yelled with frustration.
Hazel stopped pacing for a moment, and stared.
"The baby isn't for Spinner?" she inquired weakly.
"No," A small sob rose in my throat and I covered my mouth.
"Oh, Paige," Hazel murmured, immediately rushing to my side.
She hugged my tightly, and hugged her back. This was why Hazel was my best friend. She was always there for me, no matter what. Even though I could tell she was foreseeing some problems I had yet to think of, I didn't care because she was providing the shoulder I needed to cry on when Craig wasn't there.
"Hazel, I don't know how everyone's going to react. The father knows, and he's totally acceptant of it—he loves the baby already, and we're still together, but what about everyone else?"
"Well, who's the father?" Hazel asked gently.
"Promise you won't overact?" I prodded softly.
"I promise," she replied eagerly.
"The baby's father is Craig Manning."
There was a moment of silence before Hazel spoke.
"CRAIG MANNING!" Hazel exploded, leaping back.
"You promised you wouldn't overact, Hazel!"
"Paige, this is Craig Manning you're talking about! Craig Manning is the father of your child! Doesn't this tell you something?" Hazel snapped, almost hysterically.
"You don't know him, Hazel!"
"I know that he's done this before, to Ash, and to Manny! Paige, he'll cheat on you like he's cheat on Ash with Manny. He's not considerate of your feelings and he'll just leave you once the next hottest, skanky girl passes in front of him, and you'll be stuck—sixteen and raising a baby." Hazel spat.
"Hazel Aden! Don't you dare talk about Craig that way! If he didn't love me, then why are we still together and why are we going to raise a baby together?" I screamed furiously.
"Paige, look at this realistically! What sixteen year old boy wants to be tied down with a baby and a girlfriend, when he could out, living the time of his life?"
It was more than I could take. I just burst into tears, and despondently sunk to the floor. Why would Craig accept this baby, but not Hazel? Why would she find some many things to nitpick at, why couldn't she just be happy for me? Eventually, my sobs became lesser and drier as Hazel stood firm in front of me.
"Craig loves me, okay. He wouldn't tell me that he still wants to be with me, still loves me, and wants this baby, if he didn't mean it. He's not the sick dog you think he is, alright." I defended Craig with everything I had in me.
Hazel kneeled down in front of me, and looked me straight in the eye.
"How sure can you be about something like this, Paige. Look what happened with Manny." Hazel pushed.
"It didn't happen like you think, Hazel." I informed.
"How'd it happen?" she droned sardonically.
"For you information, Craig wanted his and Manny's baby too. But, Manny's mother made her get an abortion, or she would put her out. Hadn't you noticed like a couple weeks ago, that she looked like the most depressed girl at Degrassi?"
"Well, yeah, I noticed that at practice, she was kind of down and not trying, but I figured that she was just upset that Craig broke up with her, not upset over the abortion." Hazel said thoughtfully.
"You see. Craig isn't the insensitive jerk you think he is, why you think he's so thrilled about this baby." I said.
"I see…" Hazel said slowly.
I wiped discreetly my smeared eyeliner and mascara, while Hazel looked thoughtful of my statements. Maybe I had finally got through to her; maybe she would stop finding every possible thing that could go wrong.
"I'm sorry, Paige, I-I don't know why I acted the way I did. Truthfully, I'm happy for you and Craig and I can't wait to be Auntie Hazel." Hazel grinned, holding out her arms for me to crawl into.
Gladly, I accepted her peace offering and when we pulled back, we were both teary and smiling.
"So, you know what this means don't you?" Hazel said solemnly.
"Hazel, don't you dare get pregnant so we can relate!" I half-joked, smiling.
"No, silly! I meant that you've got to quit Spirit Squad."
The words slammed into me like a ton of bricks. Quit Spirit Squad? How could anyone suggest something like that? I was the one who founded the Squad and I couldn't just hand it to anyone. But, as much as I wanted to deny it, Hazel was right. If I was putting this baby first, and making sure everything went smoothly in this pregnancy, I couldn't do anything dangerous that would jeopardize the baby.
"You're right, but it's going to be so hard. I'm glad to know you'll be there to make sure the team stays as if I was still in charge." I sighed dejectedly.
"Me! Paige, I can't take over this squad!" Hazel exclaimed.
"Sure you can. You're my best friend and through you, it'll be just like I'm still there." I said, as though it was the most obvious choice ever.
"That's part of the problem. If you make me the captain, everyone will know it was a biased choice and that's not fair to the other girls. Plus, there someone else that's way better than I could ever be and she deserves to be captain since you are dropping the Squad."
All the possible choices for captain raced through my mind. Who was so exceptionally good that she could fill my shoes perfectly? My shoulders sunk down so low, I thought they would touch my knees when I thought the girl who could take over the Squad when I left came to my mind. Making her captain would require me telling her why I was dropping the Squad, something that I didn't want to do.
"Do I really have to, Hazel?" I whined pitifully.
"Yes, you know who you have to make captain don't you." Hazel said knowingly.
"Manny Santos," I muttered, pouting.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be the worst day of my life.
Disclaimer: See chapter one
Ooh, chapter five is going to be good! A Manny-Paige confrontation is the perfect zest, don't you think? It's going to satisfy your taste for catfights for a while, until the next, crucial one comes up! Stay tuned and keep reviewing!
Reviewers
Meditated and Dedicated- Since you hate Spaige fics so much, not that I hadn't already planned this, there a serious, damaging confrontation between Paige and Spinner. But, things aren't always going to be a basket of roses for Craig and Paige. They're both sixteen and about be parents, so that doesn't mean they're lovey-dovey all the time. Keep reading and reviewing to see what I'm talking about.
Maibe Josie- I love constructive criticism, because it helps me improve as a writer and let's me know what my readers want. In my opinion, anyone who doesn't appreciate constructive criticism doesn't want to do their best when writing. Keep the CC coming in your reviews, cause I love it!
Remember people, things can only get juicier and more dramatic if you do one thing: REVIEW! Come on, you know it's true!