Author´s Note: Welcome back, welcome back! I've spent the entire day playing in an Argentine Volleyball tournament with my classmates, and we won!! I taught them a few American cheers, and they had so much fun with them. Every 2 minutes they asked me for another one.

So I have your next chapter right here, as a blank page before me as I write these words, yet they will flow. Alas, so poetic. Screw that. New chappy headin' your way.

Goku and I had decided that we hadn't gone on a date recently enough so he bought tickets for a play. The play was at the high school, and it was supposed to be really funny. It was called "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: abridged".

I put on my best pair of baggy jeans, my school sweatshirt and waited patiently in the kitchen for Goku to finish getting ready. I was becoming impatient. What was taking him so long? I furrowed my eyebrow and waited for ten more minutes before shouting angrily at him to hurry up. It wasn´t long until he was downstairs.

We arrived at the high school and I looked around a bit. It was crazy to think that only three months ago I was a student here. I walked around and found my locker. I tried the combination and it still worked. My eyes filled with tears and suddenly all the bad memories of high school left me. I wanted to be a normal teenager again. Why did Goku do this to me? He made me pregnant.

We sat through the entire play and it was funny after all. During intermission we received odd stares and I could hear whispering. I felt so much older than all of them. I felt older than Goku, despite the fact he was turning 18 in only 2 weeks.

It was then I realized I was truly unhappy.

We drove back to the house in silence. I think he knew that I was upset, and he knew better than to ask me what was wrong while I was upset.

I lay on my bed thinking for hours. Around 2 am, I decided to do something. I called my dad's cell phone. I knew he was asleep but this couldn't wait. I needed out.

"Hello?" A gruff voice said.

"Daddy?" I said weakly.

"Chi-Chi?"

"Daddy…." I said with my voice quivering. "I miss you so much!" I sobbed and he waited until I finished my fit. "Can I…go home with you now?"

"Move up here?" He asked, surprised.

"Yes."

It was silent for a while. "Yes, you can."

I told him that I could get on a bus tomorrow afternoon and be there late tomorrow night. He agreed and said he couldn't wait to see me again. In a flurry, I took out my suitcase and packed everything I owned. When I thought I had gotten everything out of my closet I looked to the extreme left and saw one thing left on a hanger.

It was my wedding dress. Was I about to leave him because of how unhappy I was? Hadn't he treated me well? Sure, he bothered me from time to time….

The answer was a plain and simple yes. I closed my closet doors.

"Where are you heading?" I heard a voice come from the door. I jumped. Goku was standing there in navy sweatpants and a grey sweatshirt. His hands were jammed deep in his pockets.

"I…" I managed to stutter out. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I heard you talking to your Dad." He said, walking into my room and sitting on my bed. "I didn't know. If you're really that upset…" He swallowed hard and blinked rapidly. "Please go home, all I want is for you to be happy."

I couldn't help it anymore. I tears raced forward and I buried my face in his chest. I cried to him how much I loved him and how much I didn't want to leave him, but I couldn't stay here.

He held me and listened until I stopped talking. It was then his turn. He explained to me how he honestly couldn't imagine living without me anymore and how it felt to even think about me leaving. He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me…to never leave my side and to try to make me the happiest girl in the world.

We fell asleep in each others arms that night.

The next morning I looked at Goku and felt a surge of guilt. I got up and called a taxi to take me to the bus station. I didn´t bother to take a shower since I had taken one the night before. I dragged my suitcase out into the hallway and turned to see Goku still asleep on my bed. I walked back to him, kissed his forehead and whispered to him again how much I loved him.

I couldn't stop crying in the bus terminal. I was going to leave…to go with my father.

The bus ride was a long 5 hours, but I wasn't bored. I was too deep in thought to be bored. I played out every scenario in my head, yet none seemed to work. I would be unhappy either way.

When I arrived at my final destination, I stepped off the bus and grabbed my bag from the cargo hold. I dug through my pockets for my cell phone and my father's new cell phone number. I stared at the number for what felt like eternity. Finally I dialled and heard my father. He was coming to pick me up now.

I stood outside on the curb and rubbed my only slightly larger tummy. Dad was thrilled to see me. He drove me past where the house was being built at the current time. It was coming along great and it was truly beautiful. Dad had been renting an apartment while this house was being built. It was small, but it's not like we had a large family. Just us.

When we arrived at the apartment complex, a lady greeted my father at the door. She was thin with sandy tan hair and muddy brown eyes. "Why, I can't believe my eyes! Is this the girl I've seen from all these pictures?"

"In the flesh." My father said.

I rubbed my tummy again. For some reason it gave me comfort and wisdom.

The woman squealed and hugged me. I shivered. "My name is Cecil and I'm a friend of your father's. I can't believe I've finally met you! And look at you! You're starting to get a belly now!" She patted my stomach. I shivered again. "Boy or girl."

"Oh, I don't know." I said quietly.

"Well what do you think?"

"Girl." I lied. I honestly didn't put much thought into it, but I knew this woman wouldn't be satisfied until I gave her a straight answer.

Daddy and her made small chit-chat for a few more minutes. Suddenly, she clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Great! Well, you must be tired. I'll let you get to your new home now. Bye!"

Walking up three flights of stairs with a bulky suitcase proved to be very difficult. When we finally arrived, he told me to set my things nearly the couch. It was a hide-a-bed and there wasn't any place else for me to stay.

I didn't sleep that night. I sat on my hide-a-bed watching TV and spinning my ring on my left ring finger. I flipped through channel after channel, still not finding anything worth while. I stopped on an infomercial advertising some sort of wax to prevent hair growth.

The clock struck 4 am, and I was still awake. Dad began to stir around five and left at six. I was still awake. Giving up any hope of sleeping, I went into the shower and cleaned myself up a bit. I returned to the TV and saw the Today Show. My eyes stung as I remembered.

"Hey! Can we be on TV?" He asked.

"Can you be a little more straightforward?"

"Not by much."

I swallowed the lump in my throat and watched until the show had ended. I was interested in what was being said, but it reminded me of where I came from.

Around ten, I had decided to take my father's bike and tour the town a bit. The town was called Traverse City, and we had gone there on vacation a few times. When I was 7, I lived with my grandparents here for the summer. It was the summer before my Mom died and the summer before I met Goku too.

I must have gone miles upon miles. I stopped at my favourite restaurant in town and asked for just a glass of Coke and a cinnamon roll. The waitress was not pleased, but I left her a generous tip.

I went to the beach, despite the fact that it was Mid-March and still absolutely freezing. I closed my eyes and remembered the times from over the years. Riding bikes with Grandpa, getting ice cream and it stuck to my face after I was done, the wretched sunburns I'd get, but it really didn't matter when all was said and done. I was a free spirit.

I opened my eyes and saw the grey sky. It was reality again. I stayed there on the beach and watched a barge move in. It docked about an hour later and I realized I should probably be getting home. I started slowly on my way back on my father's bike.

I was nearly home until I saw it, my neighbourhood's high school and then it hit me: I could start school again. With some hard work I could finish up my Junior year. The baby was due in late August to early September, so I could start school maybe about a month late. This will work! I can go back to school!

Considerably more cheerful I peddled on to the apartment. It all seemed to work until I remembered that with me in school and my father working, I'd be leaving a newborn baby all alone. Who would be there to take care of it. The most obvious option was my Dad's friend…what's her name again? Ah yeah, Cecil. That's not going to happen, might I add.

I reached the house and realized I locked myself out of the apartment. Thinking, I paced around the hallway. I wasn't going to try to crawl in the window.…

"Do you need help there, darling?" I heard Cecil say from a few doors down.

"Uh, yeah. I locked myself out. Do you possibly have a spare key?"

"Sure do!" She said. I noticed she had the key on her key ring, meaning she must have entered quite often without my father's knowing.

After I got in, I thanked her and closed the door. I walked into the kitchen to a note on the table.

Chi-Chi:

I had to go to work today and I won't be back in time for supper. There's a plate of noodles in the fridge, and if you'd like to have some beef, cook some up on the George Foreman grill. I'll be home around midnight.

Dad

Cool, then. I made up my dinner and sat on the couch watching some old episodes of Friends. When I finished, I felt empowered. A feeling that I had rarely ever felt before. I got up and started cleaning around the house. I kitchen sparkled, my Dad's bed was made, the living room looked awesome (except for the stain…I didn't know how the hell that got there).

I slept well that night, but I woke up early, at about 6 am and couldn't get myself back to sleep. Knowing that my father would be up very soon, I decided to make him some breakfast.

He stumbled out of his bedroom and saw the breakfast. He gave me a sleepy smile.

"Ya know, I haven't had a breakfast before work in years?" He said.

We both sat down and watched the morning news. Car crash, fire, blah blah. Does anyone report happy news anymore?

"Dad, why does Cecil have a key to your house?"

He dropped his fork with a clatter. "What do you mean?"

"Well, yesterday I was locked out of the house and she helped me in with a key. Your key. And it was on her key ring, meaning she goes in often."

He looked down his plate. "Well," he said slowly. "she has a key because she just moved out." I blinked. "As in…her and I shared the apartment."

There was silence.

"Dad, what was the relationship you had with her?" I asked slowly, trying to keep the rage in my voice low.

"Chi-Chi, she's my girlfriend."

My world came crashing down.

My dad got up from the table, but I didn't. I continued to watch the news from the table until he left. I didn't want him to be here when I cried.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, I don't think I could ever get anything done. EVER. This took forever and quite a few days. Please, hit me.

Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS TOO YOU ALL, and Happy Hanukkah (I know it's passed, I'm Jewish too ya know!), and definitely good luck in the New Year. For Christmas, I will try to get your new chapter up. It's half way written. It was originally going to be part of this chapter, but I figured it would be better as a 'stand alone'. So check back soon! Goodbye!

Annie Bacchi