13.
Flashback: Four years ago.
"Edward. I need to talk to you."
I look up from my laptop and see my sister standing near the entrance of the living room. "Yeah Rose?" I ask distractedly. "What's up kid?"
Her eyes are puffy red and she looks at me with guilt. "I don't know how I'll tell you this", she whispers. "You'll hate me."
"You know that I can never hate you. You're my little sister so I'll always love you."
I wonder what's wrong. Rosalie never gets afraid of me.
In fact, she's the opposite. She respects me more than any sixteen year girl would respect her older brother but still, she's always been really honest with me and we're quite close.
"I didn't think this might happen", she says. "I swear I didn't do this on purpose."
"What are you talking about?"
She looks at the floor.
"I'm so sorry", she chokes.
"Rosie, what is it?" I say. "You know that you can tell me anything."
"I'm….." she doesn't complete her sentence.
"You're….?" I encourage.
She's silent.
"I'm pregnant."
.
.
.
I blink. I slam my laptop's screen shut with more force than needed and stare at my sister to make sure this isn't some kind of joke.
I mean, how could she be pregnant? She's in the tenth grade! She's too young.
"Are you sure?" I ask calmly. I'm actually surprised that I'm not yelling at her.
"Yes", she says shakily. "I took three pregnancy tests and they all came out positive. My period is also late."
Her period is late? She took three tests?
Shit.
She can't be.
But she is.
This explains all the vomiting throughout the last few weeks. It isn't the stomach flu.
It's morning sickness.
"It's Emmett's, isn't it?"
She nods.
"Does he know?" I say, surprised how I'm still calm despite the anger rising up in me.
"No", she answers. "He'll hate me too. What have I done? His parents. God. His parents will kill me!"
"You're not that far along", I say. "You can get an abortion." The idea doesn't sound right to me but I don't know what else we can do. Rosalie can't possibly want to keep it.
She looks stricken. "An abortion?"
"Yes. You don't look pregnant but it won't be long before you start to show. We'll go to the clinic tomorrow and we'll get it done." This sounds so wrong. So truly wrong. This is my niece or nephew we're talking about.
"I can't." She shakes her head. "I just can't."
"You don't want to … to terminate it?"
She starts crying. "It's a poor defenseless baby! Edward, I can't kill him or her."
"What about adoption? We could find a good family and they can-"
She interrupts me. "That won't work either."
What is she suggesting? The way she's talking seems as if she wants to keep it. No. She can't be thinking that. She's just a teenager. She doesn't want a kid.
"I want to keep it." What? Did she read my thoughts?
"Did you just say that you want to have a child?" I shout.
She cowers back and she looks shocked at my outburst.
"Edward…"
I silence her. "Rosalie Lillian Cullen, what are you trying to tell me? You break the news that you're pregnant and you've already decided you want to be a teenage mother at sixteen! What are you thinking? You're out of your mind."
"I'll manage!" she mumbles. "I'll move out as soon as I can find a place and I'll take care of the baby. I won't cause you any embarrassment. I'll leave."
"You will do no such thing!" I yell. "You're not leaving this house Rosalie. You will be staying here for the rest of your life and I'll make sure that you don't get to take a step out of here."
Her eyes widen. "What?" she stutters.
"I can't", I start. "How did I? I should have. Now." I know that I'm not making any sense but I just don't know what to do. What can I do?
"I'll tell Emmett tomorrow", she says.
"No you won't. You'll never see that boy's face again!" All this time, my anger was directed towards Rosalie but now that she's mentioned her boyfriend's name I want to head over to the McCarty's and break his face.
It's his fault too.
Don't think too badly of Edward at this point. He has every right to be upset because his sister is pregnant and wants to keep the baby.
Bella will enter in the next one.