closet space
ONE

...

She stared at the empty parking lot, the sparse cars littering the vacant spots. She sighed. Leaning back on her hands she inhaled the January air was cold, but as California weather had it, she was glad there was no snow. Her stomach protruded against her red band uniform and she was hungry.

That was an understatement.

The exhaustion from band practice assaulted her and she could feel nothing but her feet crying in pain. Her head hurt. If she was only allowed to take aspirin…

She glanced at her watch. The time read five-thirty. Ben was late.

Exasperatedly Amy yanked her cell phone from her bag, dialling the familiar number of the boy who was always there. He didn't answer.

Amy felt the anxiety rising within her. He said he was going to be here a half an hour ago. She knew she could have called her dad, maybe even her mom, but with enough tension rising in the house she didn't need them adding to their own problems.

High school life was hectic enough without being pregnant, but with life's unexpectedness the Richter scale of her life was beyond a ten. For just five seconds of her life, she just wanted to be Amy. Just Amy. Not pregnant Amy. Not Ben's girlfriend Amy. Not the daughter of a cheating father, Amy. Not Ricky's child bearing one-night-stand Amy.

Just Amy, Amy Jeurgens.

If she could rewind she wouldn't have been such a stupid child. Shutting her eyes she relaxed her body, allowing the gentle breeze to blow through the strands of her hair. Maybe, for five seconds she'd try. Only, as soon as her muscles began to relax into a soothing feeling a car door echoed through the air.

It didn't matter how much she pretended. She was pregnant. To prove her point further, Ricky Underwood stood by the door of his silver car just twenty feet away. He smirked in her direction, and with his hands in his pockets he slowly walked towards her, "Still here, Jeurgens?"

She opened her mouth, shut it, then whirled her head in the other direction. She did not want to talk to him. He had spent the last few months avoiding her like the plague; two could play at this game. If he was ignorant to the situation at hand, she could forget he ever existed.

Plopping himself down beside her, Amy fidgeted around with the contents of her bag, but once the familiar ring tone of her phone rang out she delved deep into her bag to find the device. Yanking it open she excited answered, "Ben! I've been waiting for…"

"This is pathetic Amy, I have to resort to calling your phone for you to even acknowledge me?"

Slamming her phone shot, she turned her direction to Ricky who happily put his phone back into his pocket. He started tapping away a beat on his knees. He was a drummer of course. Always banging away…

Amy shook her head, sexual innuendoes were not needed. Through gritted teeth, she angrily responded, "What are you doing here?"

Ricky chortled, "It's a free country, I can do what I want."

"Apparently so, do whatever you want and not care," Amy mumbled under her breath. A silence once again fell over the two, the uncomfortable feeling filling Amy. Her phone rang again. She glared at Ricky, "Sometimes, you just don't know when to stop!"

"That isn't me," he responded.

Quickly Amy answered her phone, and realizing it was Ben on the other hand, released her breath feeling relieved.

"Hey," she happily greeted.

"Amy! I feel like such an idiot! I'm sorry, I know I was supposed to get there, but my driver experienced a flat tire and I just…I'm so sorry! I should have called earlier but my phone died and…are you alright? If you wait another thirty minutes I'm sure I can get there!"

Amy shook her head, like he could see her anyway, "I really wish you told me earlier, but it's okay…I'll get a way home, I'm sure someone's still around school."

At that statement Ricky smirked, she rolled her eyes.

"Do you hate me, Ames?" Ben asked.

"No, I don't. I was just…worried," she replied.

"I love you, okay? I'll make it up to you."

"Thanks. Bye, Ben."

"Bye."

Hanging up her phone, Amy rested her head in her hands. It was getting cold, but slowly getting to her feet she grabbed her bag.

"You need a ride?"

Shocked by the voice, Amy had just remembered that Ricky was beside her. Spinning his car keys around on his finger, he rested his head in his left hand, staring up at her. Brushing a strand of hair behind her right ear, she got up lifting her instrument with her, and walked down the steps onto the sidewalk.

Calling back to him she yelled, "I don't need anything from you."

Strolling across the parking lot she felt a hand grip onto her wrist, "Aw, come on Amy, it's late. The last thing anyone needs is to have you all defenceless walking home. Look, I'm trying to be nice."

"I'm not Grace, I don't need your help. Frankly, I don't need my life flashed on the news either! Besides, the last time I let you be nice, this happened," she placed a hand on her stomach and gave him a grimace. He took his hands off of her and stepped back, "Look, I know I haven't helped you, but hey, I'm trying…now."

"I'm fifteen, I'll be fine. I'm not some baby!"

"But…you're carrying…my baby," he stated, running a hand through his hair.

Amy was taken aback by his sentence, her mouth felt dry. He took a step closer, she stepped back.

"I want to help."

No longer was it about a ride home or carrying her French Horn. His sentence meant more, held more, showed more. All the awkwardness and walls between them had suddenly broken down with one sentence and Amy didn't like it one bit.

"Ricky, I don't need your help. I appreciate the offer, but you've spent the last four months avoiding me, I think it's best we leave it that way. I have Ben, I like it this way."

He screamed, then composing himself he looked at her with cold eyes, "You have spent the last few months complaining about how I have taken no responsibility with this situation! And here I am, trying to bring you home because I know you're tired. I'm not looking for a commitment Amy! I'm just trying to help and do my part! I want to be a part of his or her life!"

She shook her head violently than silently whispered, "It's too late."

Without another word she stalked off down the road, walking in the cold night air. She could hear the sound of his car door slamming violently, and his engine revving up. She awaited the screeching of his wheels racing down the road, but it never came. Instead she could hear the slow sound of wheels riding up towards to her.

Turning towards the silver car she transformed her eyes into slits, ignoring him as he rolled his window down and called out for her. Ricky had always been the predator, and girls had always been the prey. He enjoyed having them flock at his feet like wounded creatures, but Amy wasn't wounded…or at least she wouldn't show him how badly she was dealing with this. She was smarter than that. This cat and mouse game would go on for a while.

"Stop being so stubborn and get in the car. You're going to hurt yourself walking home."

She shook my head and continued walking, "The only thing that's going to get hurt around here is your pride..."

A car honked its horn as it zoomed past Ricky's going-five-miles-an-hour car.

"Amy, get in the car. You know you're tired. I saw you at practice today. You were wilting..."

She shook her head once more. For five minutes he continued on his antics, following her down each street and turn, calling for her, pleading with her, begging her. She wouldn't listen.

"Ricky, what kind of pathetic game are you playing? This isn't the "Game of Life". This is reality. And in my reality you aren't a part of it, okay? I have Ben! He's been there for me from the beginning! He didn't run away when he found out I was pregnant, especially when the baby wasn't his! Yet, you did! You scratched me off that list of yours and left me to deal with this on my own. Go ahead and hang with Adrian or...Grace...or whoever else is on that list of yours! You thought I was alone, guess again...the only lonely person I see is you! Ricky, just stay out of my life!"

His car stopped and she turned around after taking a few more steps to see his knuckles turning white as he gripped onto the wheel. She was relieved he had stopped playing the 'stalker' card.

"Try as you might Amy, that baby is mine just as well. Push me away as far as you want, but you'll always carry a piece of me around with you. I'm the father of that child."

"Ricky, I thought you of all people would know that genes don't make someone a father."

As a sudden cool wind blew Amy's hair in different directions, she stared silently at Ricky. Within a second the car disappeared before her and raced down the street, the boy with brown hair leaving her once again. She stood still underneath the shade of a tree alone.

She was used to it.