Alright, I have message for those reading so if you aren't too eager to get to the story below, read this disclaimer please.

TJ's and Ashley A.'s response to their situation, you know, teenage pregnancy, I no way reflects how I personally feel about the subject. In simpler words, I'm not using them to show what I believe should be done in their situation. I am merely typing what the characters would do, not me. Most of you are like 'yeah, we know,' but I felt it was necessary to make this clear because of the subject matter. Okay? Good. That's it. We're done. Onto the story!

Read on!

Journal,

I'm scared.

We're scared. Ashley and I are scared.

This is normal, right? People in our position being scared? We don't have anyone to blame but ourselves for this.

~*~V~*~

Next Saturday came after a long week. The importance of their school work Ashley A. and TJ had paled in comparison to the importance of the decision they hoped they would come to on this day. Though the week went by slow, it was mostly a blur. The pregnancy was on both of their minds, causing everything else important in their lives to be put on hold. Currently, they were in Ashley A. room, with the absence of her father and mother. In his hand, TJ held a notebook, writing down all the options they could think of.

"What do we have so far?" Ashley A. asked. She was laying down, head against one of her pillows and hands rubbing her stomach. She hadn't began to show, but knowing that she was pregnant caused her to do it subconsciously.

"We have three options so far," TJ said, looking over the short list. "One, we could keep the baby and try to raise it ourselves. Two, we could choose to terminate the pregnancy. And three, we could have the baby, but put it but for adoption. What do you think?"

"It'll be hard if we kept the baby," She said, looking over to him. "Expensive too."

"And we won't be able to go to college. Finishing high school will be challenge," He said, lying down next to her. "What about our next option? How do you feel about that?"

"An abortion? I don't know, I never thought about the topic. Now I have to consider it, right? If we choose to have and abortion, we won't have to worry about having a baby, but I'll always wonder what it would've been like."

"Me too. Though a lot of people would say that it would be the best option. Considering how we both feel about have a baby, how does adoption sound? We'll get to have the baby."

"But the baby would go to another family. We'd still wonder what it would be like if kept the baby."

"Good point. Wait, what's that thing called when you give your baby up for adoption, but you stay in contact with the family and you get to stay in contact with the baby as it gets older?"

"I think that's called an open adoption. That sounds nice. We'll be able to know the baby," She said.

"It just wouldn't be with us, but with a family who can take care of it."

"I don't know if I would be able to give the baby away if I hold it," She confessed. "My aunt had a baby and when I held him I didn't want to give him back. I did, but I'm not sure if can with my own baby."

"Right. It sounds like we both like an open adoption or keeping the baby ourselves," TJ said, wrapping his arm around Ashley A. "Personally, I would like to keep the baby and raise it, but it'll be next to impossible for us, so I think an open adoption would be best for the baby and us. What about you?"

"It'll be the hardest thing in the world to give the baby away, but we're not fit to take care of baby, are we? Everything is so expensive these days," She said as she traced circles on her stomach. "I heard it costs $275,000 to raise one child. One. Neither of use have a job, I had one last year, but I was let go because the economy was getting bad. I want our baby to have the best possible life. I don't think that that's possible with two teenage parents. I like the open adoption idea, but I'm afraid I might change my mind. What if I do?"

"….Then I'll get a job and take care of it. Both of you. It'll still be my baby and I'll take care of the two of you. I'm not going to ditch you if you change your mind. Is that what you're afraid of?" He asked. She nodded.

"You always hear stories about girls getting pregnant and the guy bailing out on her or saying it's not theirs. It sticks."

"I'm not going to do that, okay? If you change your mind at the last second I promise you that I'll go out there, get a job, and make sure the baby is taken care of. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I had a son or daughter and I wasn't taking care of 'em. We'll be okay, alright? Do you trust me?"

"Yeah. I trust you," She said. "How did your parents take it when you told them?"

"…I didn't. I do have to? I'll be turning 18 before the baby will be born, so I won't need their opinions about it," He said. "I'll tell them tonight. I hope they won't lose it; I'd hate to start a screaming war in there."

~*~TJ's POV~*~

Me and Ashley hadn't decided one what to do, but we narrowed it down to two options. Either we'll keep the baby, or have and open adoption. It looks like we'll go for the open adoption, but I should get a job in case she changes her mind at any point during the pregnancy. I've been looking for one for quite a while, but no luck. No one's hiring. The economy went to shit while I was locked up. You'd be lucky to have any job at all.

I'd like an open adoption. We'll get to see him or her, but he or she will go ta couple who can give him or her everything they'll need. We can't do that. Not without some assistance. At the end of the day, it's her decision, and I'll stand behind her on which ever she makes.

When I got home I went straight upstairs and into my room. I took my pillows and created a circle on the floor. One by one, I let my bunnies out of their cage and set them inside the circle. If there were half as many, I wouldn't need the circle, but I can't keep track of ten hopping bunnies unless they're in an in-closed area. All their ears are beginning to lop, but are only sticking out to the sides like mini-airplanes. Sometimes I want to take one and fly it across the room like a toy airplane and make the noises. I'm not going to, but it's a funny thought. I'm keeping Energizer and Oatmeal. The rest are going to nice homes. Wonderful homes and wonderful owners.

"What? What do you all want?" I asked the four bunnies that came over to where I was sitting. I pet them before they went back to their brothers and sisters. They're three weeks old. It'll be another five weeks before they can go to new homes. Duracell looks like a giant next to them.

I heard the door opened and saw Zack come in. His arms were crossed and he was pouting. Sitting down next to me he huffed and kept his arm folded.

"What's wrong, Zack?" I asked him.

"TJ, I want a divorce!" He said, throwing his arms up. I don't get kids these days. A divorce? Is he serious? This is….I don't know what this is.

"Why? Aren't you happy being married to Valarie?"

"I did but then my other friend Suzy said she liked me too and Valarie heard her and they started fightin' and I tried to stop them but I got hit. Then they started pulling at my arms until I fell and hurt my knee. Then Valarie said I couldn't be friends with Suzy anymore but I wanted to be friends with her and Valarie got mad at me. If I can't keep my friends then I don't want to be married! How do you get divorced?" How am I going to handle this?

"To divorce someone, you have to….um…shake their hand and you both say 'now we're divorced' and that's it. But both of you have to say it."

"'Kay! I wanna play with the bunnies now!"

I waited until after dinner to tell mom and dad that I have something to tell them. I didn't want Zack to hear, so I made sure he was in bed. I found my parents sitting in the living room, waiting for me. This isn't going to be good. I should've bought earplugs. Then again, maybe when I tell them about our plan, they might calm down.

"I don't know how to say this in a positive way, so I'll just say it," I said, standing in the doorway. "I got my girlfriend pregnant."

They didn't say anything for a minute or two. Mom looked like she was about to cry, and I feel guilty for that. No one want to hear that their son got a girl pregnant before he was married to her. I'm waiting for one of them to say something before I go on and tell them that me and Ashley already have a plan.

"How could you be so stupid?" I heard my dad say. Nice way to keep a clear head through this dad.

"I know, right? I mean, after being a male prostitute to every other guy in juvie I should know to use protection…." I said. "If it makes your blood pressure go back down, me and Ashley are handling this."

"Oh really? And how exactly are the two of you handling this?"

"We're hoping to have an open adoption for the baby. We want the baby to have everything he or she needs but we both know we can't provide that," I told him. "Is that good enough for you?"

"That's not the point. The point is you got a girl pregnant!" He yelled at me.

"Can you stop yelling, please? I'm not trying to wake Zack up," I said. "I know that. I wasn't going to tell you two in the first place. I'll be 18 before the baby is born. A legal adult. It wouldn't be any concern of yours, and it isn't now. Calm down, we're handling this. It's not like I'm asking you for support."

"Good, because we already have a young child to take care of."

"No shit. Glad we had this conversation," I said, turning away and going up the stairs. "I think it went over well." Yep. It went just like I thought it would. Perfect. I would say once it sinks in, the tension will go away, but I can't. then tension between me and my dad will always be there.

"Why were you and daddy screaming at each other?" before I can reach the doorknob to my room, I heard Zack. I turned to his room and saw him peeking outside is room and looking back at me.

"You heard us screaming?" He nodded. Crap. I didn't want him to hear us. I knew it was going to end in argument between me and dad and I didn't want to scare him.

"It's nothing. We had a little fight, but it's over now," I told him, kneeling down to his height. "We didn't mean to wake you up, sorry. You can go back to bed now." He still looked scared.

"Can I sleep with you?" He asked. I can't say now to those puppy dog eyes. I nodded, took his hand, and lead him into my room. I put him into my bed and it took him only a few seconds to doze off. I wish I could go to sleep that fast. I'm going out for a walk. Making sure Zack was tucked in, I left my room, and then the house. I'm not going to be gone for long.

I ended up at the lake, like last time. And I found myself grabbing the same old trashcan and putting dried out branches inside. I lit a match and tossed it inside.

…..

I said I wasn't going to do this again, but here I am. I could quit smoking if I did this everyday as a replacement. This doesn't cause health problems, like smoking does.

That's if you don't count mental problems. I'm beginning to feel the pyromaniac in me come back out. Last week I spent ten minutes at a time asking myself what it would be like to light certain things on fire. A bucket of fireworks, a giant pile of boxes filled with papers, a field of crops. Things that would cause a big fire. I was smirking when I thought about it.

I need to stop. This is going to grow as fast as the fire and…..

It'll turn into something bad.

I can stick to this though, right? Lighting controllable fires out here where no one can find me and putting them out when I'm done. That's safe. No one's getting burned.

"What are you doing, TJ?" Damn. Just as I say I wasn't going to get caught. I turned and saw Spinelli, Vince, Gus, Gretchen, and Mikey standing farther back.

"Nothing," I said, turning back around. "It's nothing."

"It's a fire," I heard Gus say.

"Yes it is."

"You said you were going to try and control this problem," Said Vince.

"I am. The fire isn't out of control," I told them. "It's in a trashcan, where it can't spread."

"But it's still a fire," Said Gretchen.

"It's not going any farther than this, I swear." I stood up and kicked the trashcan into the water, effectively putting it out. I didn't say anything as a walked past them and headed home.

Ooohhh! Do we have something to be worried about over here? I believe so. :)

I'm considering doing the next chapter in someone else's point of view. Only problem is, I don't know who to choose, so I'll let you all pick. Whose point of view should the next chapter be in? All suggestions will be considered.

Please Review!