Here's chapter 57! I hope you like it! Please R&R! I do not own anything from The Secret Life Of The American Teenager! Thank you! I really appreciate everyone's reviews! :)
Italics=Grace
Bold=Ricky
Plain=Other characters
Meanwhile at the park...
Ben, Amy, and John had finished eating chicken wings and chips.
"Mmm...That was delicious..." Amy said smiling as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Yeah...I knew you would like Buffy's wings...My Dad used to take me there as a kid..." Ben said happily.
"Heh...That's really great and I'll eat wings from almost anywhere..." Amy said sweetly.
"I know...You're my chicken wing girl." Ben said nicely and he gave Amy a kiss on the cheek.
"Mommy! Can we go now? I want ice cream!" John said excited.
"Aww...Ok, John...We'll get you some ice cream." Amy said smiling.
"Ice cream does sound good, buddy...What's your favorite kind?" Ben asked sweetly.
"Chocolate chip! Let's go!" John said happily as he grabbed Amy's hand and jumped.
"All right...But...can we go on a walk first?" Amy said nicely as she stood up from the bench while looking at John.
"Ok...I like the park." John said innocently.
"Heh...He's so funny." Ben said smiling as he picked up their trash.
"Yeah he is...So, what did you think of church?" Amy said seriously after Ben threw away their trash and they started walking on a path.
"I thought it was really good...Forgiveness is a powerful thing..." Ben said honestly.
"That's true...And I did feel more comfort about losing Mimsy by going to church...I guess I felt...God like making me feel better by being there...I've never been that close to God but...Grace has inspired me to want to be closer to Him..." Amy said sincerely.
"I'm glad church helped you feel better, Amy. It usually helps me feel better too...And I think Grace has inspired all of us to be closer to God...But I do feel bad about what I said to Ricky..." Ben said sadly as he grabbed Amy's hand while they walked.
"Grace really has always been a great friend to us...It's just crazy how much she changed though after she slept with Jack...And don't worry about Ricky...You apologized and that's all that matters." Amy said kindly.
"You're right about Grace...She changed a lot...All of us have in just the past four years...Man...It's so crazy how a short amount of time can change you...But one thing that hasn't changed, is that I love you. It's just Ricky pushed my buttons and I shouldn't have said those terrible things to him...I know he's changed a lot too." Ben said seriously.
"I love you too, Ben...I know what you mean about Ricky pushing buttons...He did that to me a lot while we lived together...Ugh...I try to block a lot of those arguments out of my memory cause they were just so unhealthy and we hurt each other so much...However, I am glad that Ricky has been changing even more...He hasn't even had sex with Grace yet." Amy said honestly.
"I know that Ricky hurt you and I never will again...And hopefully Ricky and I can get along better...Just like you and Adrian have...And why do you care if Ricky hasn't had sex with Grace? I would think that's a good thing cause I think that's what Grace always wanted...A relationship without sex until marriage...Now that I think about it, I kind of wish that I had lived by that too...We made way too many mistakes cause we weren't patient enough to wait until we were ready to have sex..." Ben said sincerely.
"I hope you never hurt me again...and I won't hurt you anymore either...Well...Grace almost asked me what sex was like with Ricky...and...she even asked Adrian that question...So I'm not sure if she does want to wait until marriage to sleep with Ricky. You're right about our mistakes and...I was kind of hoping that we could wait until we're in a committed relationship to have sex again." Amy said sweetly.
"Thanks Amy...Wait, what? Grace asked Adrian and you about sex with Ricky? I can't believe that...Maybe she's just confused about what she wants...I know I have been confused when it comes to relationships...Even my Dad has been confused which is why I think he divorced Betty...He thought that he loved her but not enough to stay with her...Plus she did want to be her own person after being controlled by men for so long...And if you want to wait to have sex again, it's perfectly fine with me." Ben said nicely, surprised, and then honestly.
"You're welcome Ben...Hopefully Grace will figure out what she wants...She's always been pretty fickle...Heh...I'm glad your dad and Betty are happy now though...And I think it is best for us to wait...Lauren helped me realize that cause she's the only one of our friends who didn't have sex in high school..." Amy said seriously.
"Yeah...And I hope Chase and Kathy work out too...They seem pretty happy together...I know you care about Kathy a lot cause she's like a third sister to you...Heh...Lauren was a good influence on you but...you sort of ignored her in high school and had sex anyway..." Ben said concerned.
"I'm sure Kathy will be all right...She's a strong girl...It's not easy to give up your baby for adoption...And I'll always be willing to help her out...You're right about Lauren...I guess I kind of forgot about her and Madison cause I just got so caught up in pleasing you or Ricky in whichever way I could...But now, I realize that I need my friends and family to help me get through hard times...I can't do everything on my own." Amy said honestly as they stopped walking by the parking lot.
"You're so beautiful when you talk like this Amy...I really enjoy hearing you open up to me and being honest...You really do make me the happiest guy on Earth...And I will always be here to help you..." Ben said as he smiled slowly and he pulled Amy into a tight hug.
"Aww...Ben...You truly make me the happiest girl on Earth...I love you so much." Amy said sweetly as she looked at Ben while she put her hands on his neck.
"I love you too..." Ben said kindly and he gave Amy a long kiss.
"Mommy! Benny! I want ice cream! Stop kissing!" John said eagerly as he jumped up and down.
"Heh...All right, John...We're going to the car now." Amy said happily as she turned around and walked to the parking lot with Ben as John ran towards their car.
A few hours later in San Diego...
Chloe, Reverend Stone, and Didi were waiting for Jack to wake up at the hospital.
"Thank you for coming Chloe...This isn't easy for any of us..." Reverend Stone said nicely.
"No problem sir...I thought I should come after Ben told me last night...I was kind of dating Jack...but I don't know if I want to stay with him." Chloe said seriously.
"Well, if you don't want to stay with him, then you don't have to." Didi said sweetly.
"Yeah...but...I just feel so bad for all the things he went through because he saved me...But at least his surgery went well..." Chloe said honestly.
"Everything is all right Chloe...We're really proud of Jack for helping you out...And it's not your fault that he got beat up...Hopefully he'll wake up soon." Reverend Stone said kindly as he looked at Chloe.
"You're right...It could have been worse...Mickey could have shot him right in the heart...God...It's crazy how evil some people can be..." Chloe said sadly.
"Well, let's just be grateful that nothing like that happened...And sometimes bad things happen that you can't control..." Reverend Stone said seriously.
"You're right dear...I defiantly wasn't expecting Jack to get hurt during wrestling...I'm just glad that he's ok." Didi said nicely.
"Knock knock." Grace said sweetly as she knocked on the door and then she walked into the room with Ricky.
"Grace! Ricky! It's a pleasure to see you both." Reverend Stone said happily.
"You too, sir...We thought that we should see Jack and our Thanksgiving break starts tomorrow..." Ricky said kindly.
"Yeah...How is he?" Grace asked concerned as she looked at Jack sleeping on the hospital bed.
"His surgery went well and he's been asleep for over ten hours...Hopefully he'll wake up soon." Reverend Stone said seriously.
"Yes...We've tried talking to him but nothing worked..." Chloe said honestly.
"Oh...Maybe Ricky and I can wake him up somehow..." Grace said nicely as she looked at Ricky.
"I don't know about that...But I'm Ricky by the way." Ricky said nicely as he looked at Didi.
"Yeah...I know who you are...You had a son with that Amy Jergens girl...Weren't you two engaged?" Did said sternly as she gave Ricky a mean look.
"Uh...We were but she broke it off...I'm really happy with Grace now." Ricky said awkwardly.
"Hmm...So things are going smoothly for you both?" Did asked concerned while Reverend Stone looked at her in disbelief.
"Yes they are...A lot better than how things went with Jack...Thank you...I am so glad I broke up with him...Heh...And I can't believe that you had the nerve to make me feel guilty about leaving him just because he got hurt by Mickey..." Grace said seriously and then stubbornly as she looked at Didi after rolling her eyes.
Ricky's jaw dropped and Chloe's eyes widened as they looked at Grace.
"Really Didi? Grace has been through a lot and you had to make her feel guilty so she would stay with Jack?" Reverend Stone asked in a disappointed tone.
"It happened a long time ago, dear...I am so sorry Grace...I never meant to make you feel guilty...I just didn't want Jack to get hurt more than he already did...However, it doesn't matter now since he did cheat on you again...I don't blame you for leaving him...You two just aren't meant to be together..." Didi said honestly as she looked at her husband and then at Grace.
"Thank you Mrs. Stone...I do hope that Jack and I can stay friends though..." Grace said nicely as she smiled slowly.
"I do too...You have been a really good influence on him throughout the years...Except for when you two...slept together..." Reverend Stone said seriously.
"Oookay...I'm going to go for a walk..." Chloe said uncomfortably as she got up from her chair and walked out of the room.
"Yes...I realize that now...And that's why I'm trying to wait with Ricky...I want to be a good influence on him." Grace said sweetly as she looked at Reverend Stone and then Ricky.
"Well...I'm happy to hear that...We need to stretch our legs...You two should try talking to Jack." Reverend Stone said nicely as he stood up with Didi and then they walked out of the room.
"I really appreciate you saying that, Grace...But Jack's mom is why you didn't break up with Jack?" Ricky said kindly and then concerned.
"You're welcome...Well...she kind of scared me too when she told me to not break up with Jack...But...yeah...It's not like it matters anymore since he cheated on me...I can't believe how many times I forgave him after he repeated the same mistakes..." Grace said honestly as her eyes got watery while she walked over to Jack's bed with Ricky.
"Hey...It's ok...I forgave Amy after she messed up too but...sometimes it's not enough..." Ricky said sincerely as he gave Grace a side hug and rubbed her back.
"Yeah...I just feel so bad cause I thought Jack kind of...deserved to get hurt during wrestling since he tried to split us up..." Grace said sadly as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
"Oh...Well, Jack didn't deserve this...He did act like a jerk but...he did not deserve to get hurt...And he's going to be ok." Ricky said sincerely as he gave Grace some tissues from his pocket.
"I sure hope so...Can I...talk to him alone?" Grace said slowly as she wiped her face with a tissue.
"Of course...I should probably tell Amy we're here anyway just in case there's a problem with John." Ricky said nicely and he left the room.
Grace took a deep breath and she slowly touched Jack's cheek.
"All right Jack...I don't know if you heard everything we were talking about but...I hope you hear this...I...I'm sorry for being mean to you...And I'm glad that you're recovering...I just hope that we can be friends because we have always cared about each other...We just never loved each other enough to be in a committed relationship...And I am truly thankful that Ricky is willing to be the guy of my dreams...And for the longest time, I thought you were...But you kept hurting me over and over...What was the point of staying with you if you were going to make the same mistakes? Honestly, I do hope that you can find someone who loves you and who you love with all your heart...You deserve that, Jack...After all the crazy stuff that you went through with me, you deserve someone who loves you a lot...And I also hope that you don't just want to be in a relationship for sex...That is what hurt you and me the most...As well as all our friends...We used it to manipulate and hurt each other...That is not why God created it...He made it for two people who are in love, married, and who want to be together for the rest of their lives...It is a very beautiful thing but not when it's used for the wrong reasons...And I also want you to know that...I will always love you Jack and you will always have...a special place in my heart." Grace explained honestly as she wiped her face more with tissues.
Jack slowly began to open his eyes.
"Grace? I...I love you too." Jack said slowly as he looked at her.
"Oh Jack! I'm so glad that you're ok." Grace said sweetly as she gave Jack a hug.
"Aaaah...How long was I asleep?" Jack asked confused in pain.
"I don't know but...you got back surgery...from getting hurt during wrestling..." Grace said concerned.
"Oh man...That's the last thing I remember...Getting slammed on the ground by...this huge guy...It was terrible..." Jack said sadly.
"Yeah but...you're ok now...Your parents and Chloe are here too..." Grace said nicely.
"Chloe? What is she doing here?" Jack asked seriously.
"She wanted to see you...and...she's thought about breaking up with you..." Grace said awkwardly.
"Breaking up with me? But I thought...we were still together." Jack said with a puzzled look on his face.
"Uh...what? No...I'm with Ricky...Remember?" Grace said surprised.
"Heh...Yeah I know...I was joking..." Jack smiled slowly.
"Oh...thank God...That's not funny Jack...I thought you lost some of your memory..." Grace said worried.
"Really Grace? I got hurt on my back, not my head...And I'm truly sorry about trying to hurt you and Ricky and...for almost kissing you..." Jack said honestly.
"Right...I knew you were joking...Heh...I forgive you..." Grace said a little embarrassed and then nicely.
"Heh...You're cute when you're embarrassed...And thanks." Jack said kindly.
"All right...We're just friends, Jack..." Grace said smiling as she rolled her eyes.
"I know but...that doesn't mean I can't call you nice names..." Jack said sweetly as he touched Grace's hand.
"Yeah...I can go get your parents and Chloe...If you want...Ricky's here too." Grace said awkwardly as she moved her hand away from Jack's.
"Oh...I would appreciate that...but...could you get a nurse or doctor too...I'm really hungry and thirsty. Also, you don't have to feel uncomfortable around me...I'm not going to pull a move on you again." Jack said seriously.
"Sure...I hope you're not trying to pull a move on me again...You just apologized so...I'll be back." Grace said worried and she left the room.
Meanwhile in New York...
Omar and Adrian had gotten back from the mall and they finished putting all the items they bought for their baby in the nursery.
"What a great day...I love shopping with you Adrian." Omar said happily as they sat on the couch.
"Heh...Yeah...I love shopping with you too...It was quite a work out." Adrian said sweetly.
"No kidding...But I can think of a better work out." Omar smirked.
"Heh...I know what you mean but I'm really not in the mood..." Adrian said sadly.
"What? I thought you always were." Omar said surprised.
"I'm a girl, Omar...I get emotional sometimes...and I don't always want to have sex whenever you want to." Adrian said honestly.
"Yeah...I know...I was joking anyway...Is there something wrong?" Omar asked concerned as he touched Adrian's hand.
"Heh...Very funny...I just don't know how we're going to raise our child...We're both so busy with work and school...I don't want to be like my mom...she was so busy working and she barely had time for me while I was growing up...I don't want to be that kind of parent." Adrian said seriously as she looked at Omar.
"I know you don't,Adrian...and I don't want to be like that either...We'll figure it out...You could take all night classes next year...That way I can take care of the baby while you're in school and you can take care of him or her while I'm at work. Thankfully, we'll have next summer to take care of them together." Omar said sincerely.
"I guess you're right...I could do that...And I could just take classes two days a week instead of five...That would be even better...How long do you get off for summer?" Adrian said as she smiled slowly.
"That's a great idea...I told you that we could figure this out...I get about two and a half months off during the summer...And if you want, we could even go on a small vacation. Like to somewhere in New York." Omar said happily.
"Hmm...That would be fun...But we don't have to figure that out right now...I'm just so excited to be having a baby with you, Omie...I'm sure he or she will be very cute." Adrian said sweetly.
"Of course...Look at us...We're the hottest couple in New York...Ha ha...And Marc and Virginia seemed really nice..." Omar said laughing and then kindly.
"Ha ha ha...You're so funny...They are pretty great people...I defiantly will ask them for help if I need any during my pregnancy...They're going to have a third kid so they know what they're doing..." Adrian said sarcastically and then seriously.
"Yeah...But it's not like you haven't been through this before..." Omar said honestly.
"I know...Hopefully it will work out better this time...I just can't believe Ben and I were together just because of the baby...It was just crazy..." Adrian said sadly.
"True...But at least you're my baby now." Omar smiled as he hugged Adrian.
"Aww! You're too sweet...I love you so much." Adrian said happily and she gave Omar a long kiss.
"Mmm...I love you too..." Omar smiled as he licked his lips and he gave Adrian a short kiss.
A few minutes later Adrian's phone rang.
"Ugh...Hello?" Adrian asked a little irritated as she answered her phone.
"Hey Adrian...I just wanted to let you know that Jack has made a full recovery." Ricky said nicely.
"Oh...Hey Ricky! That's great news! I'm glad he's feeling better. Are you at the hospital?" Adrian asked as she smiled.
"Yeah I am...With Grace, Chloe, and Jack's parents..." Ricky said seriously.
"Ok...Did you need something?" Adrian asked concerned as Omar got up from the couch and walked into the kitchen.
"Uh...I was wondering if...we should go through with the whole death penalty thing with Bob...I've been thinking about it for a long time...and we went to church earlier and the guest speaker talked about forgiveness..." Ricky said honestly.
"Really? So you're wanting to forgive Bob for wanting to kill you instead of giving him what he deserves for hurting and torturing you for years? And he almost killed Omar. There's clearly something wrong with him, Ricky...I wanted him to be dead after you told me about how much pain and suffering that he caused you when you told me about him years ago..." Adrian said sternly.
"I...I don't know what to do Adrian...Maybe he does deserve to die...However, he could stay in prison for the rest of his life but...what good is that going to do if someone bails him out again somehow? You're right...He can't be trusted...Besides, I know that your dad has been working hard to prepare for his trial...I hope it goes well." Ricky said seriously.
"Me too...I know it's going to be very emotional for you, Ricky...so if you need any help at all about what to say for it you can always call me or my Dad...We're going to help you get through this. And of course Grace is there for you too...But I don't think she really understands what it's like to be hurt by a parent...Well, I guess she felt betrayed by her dad after her family found out about him cheating on her mom...but that's different cause she didn't know about it when he was alive..." Adrian said concerned.
"Thanks...but I think I have a general idea of what I'm going to say...And I really appreciate Grace being here for me...She's really helped me become a better person...and that's why I don't want to lose her...You're right about her dad...I still can't believe that he would cheat on Kathleen and have a son half way across the world with...Oh no...What if Grace ends up getting a job in Africa as a doctor and..." Ricky said nicely and then worried.
"No problem...You know...I think Grace helped me become a better person too...and...I feel bad sometimes cause...I did take advantage of her kindness in high school...Geeze...She even told me to not sleep with Ben but...I did it anyway...And she forgave me after I slept with Jack and you...I doubt Grace will cheat on you...I know the entire almost kiss with Jack got a little out of hand but...she loves you, Ricky...She wants to marry you." Adrian said honestly.
"Yeah...I know what you mean...Grace really is such a forgiving person...And all the dumb mistakes we made in the past really don't matter anymore, Adrian...We've all moved on and we're trying to heal and become better people after learning from them...I love Grace too and I'm really glad that she wants to marry me...I feel like with Amy that she didn't want to marry me...It was like pulling teeth with her every time we talked about marriage..." Ricky said seriously.
"Wow...Sounds like you are growing up even more, Ricky...I'm really proud of you...I know that I never really told you that before, but I am...Heh...I knew you were too good for Amy...At least you got out of it before it was too late...Having to go through with divorce is such a pain with all the paper work...I even wanted to marry you...but there's no way that would have worked...We hurt each other too many times and we never trusted each other...But now, I'm glad to be with Omar." Adrian said kindly.
"Heh...I guess I am growing up even more...And I'm proud of you too, Adrian...I am glad that Amy broke up with me...At first it was really painful but...I do think it was for the best...maybe not for John but...for me and Amy...However, I do think that John is happy regardless of what me and Amy are going through. He's just an overall happy kid and I couldn't ask for more than that...I know you really loved me Adrian but we just weren't meant to be either...Maybe if I didn't have John, we could have worked out...I don't know but I'm glad that we're friends." Ricky said sincerely.
"Aww! Thanks, Ricky...I'm glad that John is happy but...don't you wonder what he'll be like when he's older? Someday he's going to ask you about your past relationships...I'm happy that we're friends too...and I thought you didn't like to play what if..." Adrian said sweetly as she smiled.
"No problem...Heh...Well, hopefully John won't be asking me about relationships for a long time...He's only three...And if he does, I'll just have to tell him that they were really complicated...He doesn't need to know everything about them...Yeah...I don't like to play what if but...sometimes I do wonder what my life would be like if I didn't have John...Then again, he makes me very happy and I think he helped me to become a better man." Ricky said nicely.
"Yeah...I'm glad that John makes you happy and he did help you become a great father...But I think Amy, Grace, and I helped you to become a better man, Ricky...And I hope Grace continues to do that...and I'm sure she will since she loves you so much." Adrian said kindly.
"You're right...We're probably going to get going soon so I'll see you soon, Adrian." Ricky said smiling.
"All right...It's always a pleasure to talk to you, Ricky...And I'm really glad that Jack is ok...Omar's cooking dinner so I should probably help him...Bye." Adrian said happily and she hung up.
Meanwhile at Ben's house...
"I'm glad that Jack is doing better." Amy said sweetly.
"Yeah me too...The poor guy has been through a lot with getting hurt." Ben said seriously.
A few minutes later Amy's phone rang.
"Hey Kathy...How are you?" Amy said nicely as she answered her phone.
"Ch...Chase...ch...cheated on me..." Kathy said through her sobbing.
"What? Calm down Kathy...Chase did what?" Amy said shocked as Ben looked at her surprised.
I'm gonna stop there. I know there wasn't much drama in this one but I thought it would be good to have some honest conversations with the major characters. So who did Chase cheat on Kathy with? And Jack's making a full recovery which is good. But did he mean his apology to Grace this time? Amy and Ben sound like they're getting closer and learning from their mistakes. And Omar and Adrian are figuring out how they're going to take care of their baby with their busy schedules but will it work out? Will Ricky change his mind about Bob getting the death penalty? Ricky's and Adrian's friendship is getting better too. Will Chloe stay with Jack? Stay tuned to find out! Let me know what you think! Thank you! :)