What's the Deal?

Mum's conversation with Mrs Cullen was a short one. It sounded as though she expected my mother to call, and that could only mean one thing; Edward has already told his parents. We are invited over and I am ordered to get up to my room and make myself look presentable. I beg my parents to hold off on the meeting, but I give up when I realise that I will never get a say in any decisions regarding my predicament. My parents have lost all their trust in me and my ability to make mature decisions.

This doesn't stop me from spending an immeasurable amount of time in the shower waiting for a great stalling idea to hit me, but nothing comes. The whole 'good ideas come to you in the shower' is baloney I realise, and I get out. I pick out my favourite pair of jeans and a tee to wear, but my plan is foiled when my jeans won't button up. I try lying down to button them up and celebrate with a rather awkward fist pump when I'm successful, but the moment is short lived when I stand up and the button pops open.

A knock at the door takes my attention away from my dilemma and I ask who it is.

"It's mum."

"Come in!" I call.

She barely makes it through the door when I suddenly burst into tears.

"Oh, Izzy, I know it is scary honey, but it's got to be done, and better that it happens sooner rather than later." My mum puts an arm around me and I lean on her.

"I'm not crying because of that!" I wail.

"Oh, well what's wrong?"

"I can't do my button up." I turn out of her embrace and lift up my shirt to show her my stubborn jeans.

I'm shocked into silence when I notice she's smiling. "Mum, it's not funny."

"I know dear, I know. You're just bloated, that's all."

I explain to her that I've barely eaten today and what I have eaten was brought back up after lunch time and her reply makes me cry anew.

"Not with food, honey, with a baby. You may not look pregnant, but your body is changing, and it's only going to keep on changing … and growing."

She sits on the edge of the bed and pats the space beside her. I sit and lean into her.

"Is there something else bothering you?" she asks cautiously. "Did something happen when you told Edward?" She waits a few seconds before getting to her point. "Did he hurt you, Iz?"

"No! ... Well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking." Fresh tears well and spill as I think about what he said to me earlier today. "He wants me to get rid of it," I whisper. "He wants to forget that this – that we – ever happened."

I am a hot mess. Wave after wave of tears fall effortlessly and I can't seem to make them stop. I cling to my mother as she holds me. Many minutes pass before she speaks again.

"You really like this boy."

"What gave that away," I scoff.

"You've brought his name up a few times and you've always spoken of him with admiration."

I mull this over and try to think of when I would have possibly brought up Edward in conversation with my parents.

"You know, when I found out I was pregnant with your sister, your dad and I didn't know if we could go through with it."

Astonished, I sit up and look at her in shock. She nods and pushes some tear drenched tendrils away from my face. "We were only nineteen, we didn't think we were ready to be parents," she explained.

"And with me?"

"Oh you were a surprise, too." She smiles as if reminiscing. "It was when we first got that old station wagon and your dad wanted to christen–"

"Ugh! Okay." I hold up my hand to stop her. "No need for details."

She chuckles and shoulder bumps me. "Well you asked!"

"Ewww, not for that imagery, thank you very much!"

We both laugh and I feel so much lighter than I did a minute ago.

"All I'm saying is," she's serious again and I turn to face her, "I'm sure Edward didn't mean what he said, he's likely just very scared and needs some time to let it sink in, that's all."

Funny, that's exactly what Jasper said. I begin to wonder if maybe they're right.

"So why are we going there tonight then?" I ask adamantly.

"Because, Iz, we do need to talk seriously about where to go from here."

I look down at my cream carpet, and then at my toes and notice that they need to be repainted. I wriggle them and let my mind drift off, thinking about what colour to do.

"You do know that no matter what anyone says, the choice is yours." Mum's words break my train of thought and I look at her inquisitively. "Your father and I aren't too happy that our baby is having a baby, and Edward may feel that he's not ready for this, but it is your body, and it is your choice. No matter which way you go it is a choice you have to live with for the rest of your life, so you need to think about what you're willing to live with. A baby is for life, but an abortion doesn't always fix things, and sometimes even that can leave you with scars that you'll carry around for life. You have a lot to consider and a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later."

Tears well up again and I try to blink them away but they spill over and I growl in frustration as I wipe at them.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" I groan.

"Aww, honey," she laughs and pulls me into her, "it's just hormones. I would cry at the drop of a hat when I was pregnant with you girls."

I barely have time to imagine my mum as a pregnant hormonal mess before she speaks again.

"Okay," she pats me on the leg and stands up, "find some pants with an elastic waist and get yourself down stairs. We have to get going."

I sigh in defeat and stand up. "Mum?" I catch her just as she's walking out, "thank you."

"It's what I'm here for." She smiles, before closing the door behind her.

It takes me another five minutes to find a pair of leggings I'm happy with and another ten minutes to fix my hair and put some make up on my tear stained face.

Thank you for reading. Thank you two times for those that have reviewed. They're like cream to my crumble.

BDB x