A/N: Well here's the next chapter. It's not my favorite, but it's at least slightly longer than the other's have been. A huge thanks goes out to all those who listed this story in their favorites, all reviewers, and everyone reading!
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine, not mine. I'm just borrowing.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGabriella cringed outwardly before responding. "Hey Chad," she whispered into the receiver, her voice heavy with everything that had happened in the last six months.
"Oh my God, it's really you," he said breathlessly. She couldn't believe she was talking to him. It had been so long, and so hard on her. Gabriella knew she had brought all the pain on herself, but that did little to stop her heart from aching whenever she glanced casually into a mirror. Her reflection never failed to shock her. She was pregnant. At seventeen. This wasn't what she wanted for herself. Her dreams of college and graduate school were forgotten as she saved money for diapers and baby bottles. Chad's next words snapped her back to reality.
"He's not the same anymore. None of us are, but especially not him," Chad spoke softly as if afraid she would hang up, never to be heard from again. Shame and guilt came back at her full force, making her heart ache. A few minutes passed before Chad finally recognized she wasn't going to respond.
"Why?" he asked quietly, making Gabriella feel horrible. She never realized how hard it would be on everyone. She had thought about Troy, of course, but not any of her other friends.
"I'm sorry, Chad. You have no idea…" she stopped and let out a sob, which racked her body. Gabriella had never dreamed of having children like this. Her first baby was supposed to be born when she had her PhD, a husband, a house of her own. Being a single mother had never even crossed her realm of possibilities. "I can't.." her voice trailed off again and she took a minute before continuing. "I'm sorry, Chad. I just can't," she hung up the phone and cried into her pillow, wishing for a new reality.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGabriella awoke the next morning to her mother gently shaking her shoulder.
"What is it, Mami?" she yawned, stretching her arms and rubbing her eyes.
"I made you some breakfast," she placed a tray with a sky-high stack of pancakes on her daughter's lap. "Miriam told me about the bed rest. I'm sure it won't be bad, darling. You'll be able to read all the pregnancy books we got at the store last week.
Gabriella nodded disbelievingly as her mother said good bye and left for work. She ate her breakfast slowly, thinking back on her conversation with Chad. He sounded so hurt. Were they all in that much pain over her sudden disappearance? Was what he said about Troy really true? She scolded herself for thinking that way. She had screwed up her own life enough by getting pregnant. Troy's future was too bright, she couldn't take that away from him. She rubbed her stomach with the palm of her hand, praying silently that herbabies would have a bright future.
She squeezed her eyes shut at a sudden pain in her stomach. A loud groan escaped her lips and she grabbed her stomach tightly. When her phone shrilled loudly she didn't hesitate to grab it.
"Chad!" she cried between sobs as the pain worsened.
"Gabriella? What is it, what's wrong?" he asked, fear obvious in his voice.
"It's the bab…Oh God it hurts! What do I do?"
"Gabriella, I'm going to call 911. Where are you?" he questioned authoritatively. She gave him her address, occasionally yelling out in pain. He promised to call her back, but when the phone rang again, she was in so much pain she couldn't reach it. All she could remember was her door being forced open before she blacked out.
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Thanks again to everyone whose reading, and please don't hesitate to review!