Like yesterday, Ronnie Anne slipped down to the hangout instead of heading for school. This time, Sid was there waiting for her with a hug, firm hands on her shoulders, and words of encouragement.
"You got this, girl." In the midst of all this, Ronnie Anne couldn't have had a better person to be by her side than the energetic and hyper focused girl.
She waited till past nine, fighting off the urge to nap again all the while, before slinking up to the Mercado. She stayed outside in the cold for two whole minutes as she regarded the door. No customers were in. It was the perfect opportunity. She was just getting her nerves ready.
One more sigh and one more attempt to hype herself up, and she opened the door and stepped inside. It dinged to announce her presence. "Hey-" Bobby leaned over the counter, ready to welcome another customer like he always did, but he stopped when he saw it was his sister. "Ronnie Anne?" He looked at her in confusion and then back at the clock he kept mounted high on the wall. "Shouldn't you be at school?" He asked. "Why is your hoody up like that?" He sounded a little concerned.
She walked back around the counter and used her foot to drag over the stool Bobby kept back there to rest his legs on, before sitting down. "Ronnie Anne?" Bobby could definitely tell something was off with his little sister. He knelt down slightly, trying to make eye contact with her, even while she kept her head lowered. "Is everything alright? Should I go get abuela?" That made her raise her head.
"No!" Her reply was so sharp, she made him jump. "Actually…I stayed just to talk to you. It's something really important."
"Oh?" Bobby sounded curious, but also understanding. His little sister didn't confide in him or anyone else very often. If she was, it must've been important. "Alright." With a bit of effort, he lowered himself so he was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of her. "Tell me what's on your mind.," He offered openly.
Here she was. It wasn't too late to make something up and skirt her way out of this. But then she'd be back to square one. Sid was right: she had to tell someone. And Bobby was still was her best shot. She had to take it. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"I stole something from the Mercado when I was here the other day." She admitted, the weight of that guilt dropping off her shoulders. Immediately, Bobby's eyes started to widen in alarm. He jumped up and leaned over the counter, eyes scanning the isles. He was so good at his job that he would've been able to spot something missing. In this case, he probably only missed it because it was something he didn't anticipate she'd steal. If he wasn't married to Lori, he was married to his job. He didn't know he was just twisting the knife in his little sister's guilt.
"Okay." His voice shook, but he tried to look understanding when he turned back to her. "It's one thing, it's no big deal. I'm glad you decided to fess up." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Tell you what, just pay for it now-family discount rate-and I'll forget about it. I'll even buy you a cab so you can get to school."
Ronnie Anne was trying really hard not to be visibly annoyed; she knew she had no right to be when he was already being this forgiving. She'd been kind of hoping he'd ask what she stole, to make the admission a little bit easier. But it looked like she had to do things the hard way. She reached into the front of her hoody and pulled out the tests. She held them out and opened her palm.
"It was these." She mumbled, keeping her eyes focused on them instead of her brother's face. His grip on her shoulder tightened for a second, then went limp. The hand started to tremble as he took it off her shoulder and grasped her fingers, lifting her hand up so he could see better.
"Ronnie Anne…" He started to say something, then trailed off like he was uncertain.
"It was my birthday." She explained, and he flinched, letting go of her hand. "I only started to worry when I got sick on Saturday. I didn't want you to know in case it wasn't true. I'm sorry." She looked back up at him. Bobby was still staring at her open palm. Slowly, he stepped back and turned around, arms over his head. Ronnie Anne tucked the tests back in her hoody pocket and stood up. "You're the first person in the family I've told." She confessed.
Something seemed to jolt her brother upright. In an unusually spry display, he vaulted over the counter and made from for the front door. Vito was just about to come in when Bobby stopped him. "Sorry Vito, the Mercado is closed for the next few hours. It's an emergency."
"Closed?" The old man seemed confused. "This place never closes during the day." Bobby took a moment to compose himself, taking a deep breath and steeling his nerves.
"It is today." He declared, locking the door and flipping the sign on the front to 'closed'. By then, his sister had come out from behind the counter.
"What are you doing?"
"I am closing the store." He answered, spinning her around and pushing her towards the back room, which also led to storage and then an area where the business van was parked. "And you are going to see a doctor to make sure you're uh…you know." He couldn't finish that sentence.
"I already took some tests!" She protested. She already knew, damnit! She didn't want to waste time with more stuff.
"Yeah, well…those things can be wrong. They could just be cheap and faulty."
"I got them here." She reminded him, a low blow that she'd just let slip, and Bobby cringed like his pride had been wounded. "Bobby, I know what I'm talking about." She said more gently.
"A second opinion couldn't hurt." He stuck to his guns. Ronnie Anne growled in annoyance, but didn't argue. If it reassured him, that was less guilt on her conscience. Or maybe it would be more? She didn't know. At the very least, she could make her request on the drive there, since he'd stopped her before she got to it.
And who knew? Maybe, just MAYBE, this was still something else entirely that could be passed up off as just an extremely embarrassing memory a few years from now.
No, she didn't really believe that.
The business van was just about the worst vehicle for discretion but, but like her other annoyances and gripes, she kept it to herself. Before they even left the back alley, Bobby was leaning forward over the steering wheel, looking tense. He kept that expression even has they pulled out onto the street. It was an uncomfortable silence; even the radio was off. It wasn't the best atmosphere to make a pitch, but it was probably her best available opportunity now.
That summed up her life situation right now nicely-terrible options all around.
"I'm telling you because I need your help." She admitted, while they were stopped at a stop light.
"Let's just make sure it's true first." Bobby was insistent.
"I'm going to need help if it is true." She was just as insistent.
"And I really don't want to talk about something like this unless I know it's true." Bobby refused.
"C'mon, Bobby!" Ronnie Anne's voice got a little pleading. "I came to you because I trust you." Her brother let out a loud sigh.
"I know. I get it. Just bear with me on this, cause I'm..REALLY uncomfortable right now." He admitted. He was uncomfortable? This wasn't a misery contest, but she was willing to bet she had more baggage right now. But if it meant he wasn't shouting questions at her, she could live with that guilt. "Ok," He tried to compose himself. "I need to know some things first." He demanded. "So," he started, "when did this happen?" He asked.
"My birthday." She told him again. He must've missed it from shock the first time.
"It was you and Lincoln?" He asked after a moment, his tone changing. She couldn't place it, but there was something emotionally charged in his inquiry.
"…YEAH." She answered incredulously. What kind of question was that? Who else would it have possibly been?
"You guys can't do something like that!" Bobby exclaimed. Couldn't? Or shouldn't? They definitely could and they definitely had. Should they have? Ronnie Anne still thought so. But should this had have happened? No, it definitely shouldn't have. She would've stubbornly insisted it couldn't have neither, but that would fly in the face of what they were doing now.
No, she was not going to let that go.
"We did." She said plainly. "And don't pry into it."
"You came to me for help," Bobby started, "so I do need to know."
"You can read between the lines!" She was getting defensive, staring away out the window, as her cheeks started to burn. "I'm not talking about it."
"I'm just confused." Bobby finally admitted. "I didn't know you guys were that close." Ronnie Anne mumbled something. "What?"
"I said it was the start." She spoke a little louder, still staring out the window.
"Whose idea was it?"
"It was on my birthday. Read between the lines." She said again. He groaned and shook his head. Was that disgust or shock he was feeling? Did she try and stand by her decision? Proclaim it a choice she had all the power to make? Claim maturity? It would all sound stupid and she knew it. She tried to steer the conversation back in her direction. "I want to tell Lincoln in person. I need a way to get to Royal Woods."
"You came to me just because you needed a ride?" Bobby was not stupid, and he sounded hurt.
"Not just because I need a ride!" Ronnie Anne told him. "Sid already knows, and she made me realize I had to tell someone. And I told you because you're my brother and I trust you more than anyone else in the family."
"Aww…" He seemed touched for a moment, then shook his head. "Listen Nini," He struggled for a minute. "Those things can be wrong. It happened to me and Lori. We got all excited and then we got bad news." He explained, sounding wistful. "So, I'm not going to believe anything until a professional says so. We're going to the same one Lori saw. She's good." Bobby explained. "If she says you are, we'll talk. And if she says you're not…we still need to talk,." He said in a tone that clearly indicated he was not looking forward to a conversation about it.
"Okay." Ronnie Anne agreed with an impatient sigh. "But please keep it a secret. No matter what we find out." Bobby was quiet for a moment.
"I got your back." He said. The same exact same thing Sid had said too. He was making her jump through a few hoops and he was acting really awkward about it, but she felt even more reassured that things weren't that bad.
The place Bobby took her to wasn't very telling. The sign outside only said 'Women's Health Clinic', no specified subject declared. It still didn't stop her from slinking up to the entrance directly behind her brother, with her hoody still up and her head down.
Bobby did not show any of the discomfort he'd had in the car once they walked through the doors. He was pleasant, smiling, and cool with the receptionists. He didn't sound freaked out when he handed Ronnie Anne a clipboard and told her there were parts she had to fill out. It took her a moment to notice; she was scoping out the other people in the waiting room. She was definitely the youngest person there. A few of them were looking their way. Whether it was because Bobby was the only male in the building or because her height made her youth obvious, she didn't know. She kept her face hidden anyway.
And while they sat in the waiting room themselves, she kept her head down even as Bobby flipped through some magazines. They got sent back to one of the patient rooms only about fifteen minutes later, and it was another five before the doctor arrived, an Indian looking woman whose name tag said Vadekar.
"Doctor, good afternoon,." Bobby greeted her. "Thanks for seeing us as walk ins, I know you're very busy."
"Hello Mr. Santiago. How is your wife doing?" She asked in slightly accented English.
"Oh, she's great. Rose and Amanda are getting bigger every day too.," Bobby sounded proud. "But I came in today about my sister, actually." He worked his hands nervously.
"Yes, I have her paperwork." She held up the clipboard with Ronnie Anne's information on it. "What brings you here today?"
"Well, there's this…thing…" Bobby tried to explain it, "And it might be nothing, but we just want to be sure, uh…"
"We're here about these." Ronnie Anne interrupted her brother's ramblings and held up the pregnancy tests. "He doesn't think they're right." Bobby's ramblings got completely incoherent as the woman took them. "I'm a month late." The woman nodded.
"We can do proper tests." She affirmed.
"Please." Both Santiago siblings said with very different tones of voice.
She ended up waiting there for half an hour before doing any tests. Of course, she had to pee in something, and they did a blood test too. At least none of the staff here seemed like they were making any judgments. After that, it was another full hour waiting for the results to be processed. And for all that time and effort, they just had Dr. Vadekar tell them the exact same thing Ronnie Anne had already known: she was pregnant.
Bobby looked crestfallen. Sad and disappointed. Ronnie Anne really hoped it wasn't specifically at her.
The doctor stayed completely factual and professional about the whole thing. She talked about setting up follow up appointments, health specialists, things like that. Ronnie Anne really didn't want to hear about any of it. She didn't want to set anything up yet. She still had something she wanted to do before tackling any of that. Each word the woman said just made her eyebrow twitch.
And Bobby didn't want to hear it either. "Listen, Doctor Vadekar,." Bobby cut her off. "Thanks, but we really need to discuss this at home before deciding on anything else."
"Of course." The woman said, handing all the paperwork over. "You know how to reach us."
"Yeah…" He still seemed down. "Come on, Ronnie Anne." She hopped off the examination table to follow him.
Bobby put on one more brave face to finish up with the receptionists. Ronnie Anne looked away guiltily when the discussion of payment came up and Bobby swiped his own card without hesitation. Then they both slunk out of the building back to the van.
"Okay, so…you're actually…pregnant." Bobby sweated, leaning back in his seat.
"Yeah." She'd already known that, but she held in her irritation. She still needed help. She'd gone along with this for her sake, but she still had a goal to get. "Bobby, I'm serious. I need a ride to Royal Woods. Or enough for a bus ticket. I know it's a lot, but I really need it. Please." Her brother didn't answer her. He pulled out his cellphone and selected a contact. "Bobby?" She asked.
"Hey, mom." He held the phone up to his ear. Ronnie Anne's eyes widened in alarm.
"Bobby!" She hissed, grabbing his arm. He used his free one to slap it off. It didn't hurt, but his betrayal did. Bobby carried on with his call.
"Sorry, but you need to come home. It's an emergency." A moment passed. "No, no, the abuelos are fine. It's something else." He didn't say it over the phone, thank God. "Listen, you just need to come home." He insisted. He must've convinced her, because his next and final line was "Alright, see you soon." Next, he called their dad and gave him the same line. She didn't even try to stop him. She crossed her arms and leaned against the window till he was done.
"You're great at keeping secrets…" She muttered.
"Ronnie Anne, I know you," Her brother started. "You like to do things on your own. But trust me, you can't do this. I know. I have two kids. You're going to need help." He stated. "And I'm sorry, but I have my own family now. I can't be the one to do it."
"I wanted to tell Lincoln first!" She shot back. "We could've waited to tell mom and dad till after that!"
"Waiting isn't a good idea." He told her. "And like it or not, mom and dad are your best bet for seeing him." Even if they were, she wasn't going to get anything from them without getting torn into first. She turned away from her brother to stare out the window, ending the conversation there. She watched him regard her in the reflection for a couple of seconds before he started the van and started taking them home.
Ronnie Anne spent the time brainstorming how she was going to get past her parents on this. She'd known from her first suspicions that they'd lose it at even the mere suggestion, and she already decided she wanted them to be among the last to find out. Now they were going to be one of the first. All things considered, getting into this mess was like giving both of her parents a middle finger on each hand, and they were going to react like it too.
If she went into this too headstrong, it was going to backfire badly for her. But at the same time, she didn't think she was going to last long if they wanted to take digs at her for it. Ronnie Anne still had a mission though, and she was going to make that clear.
She'd grown up, fortunately, never having to argue with her parents much. And like most kids, she buckled pretty fast under that kind of pressure. But this might have to be an exception. She was spending less time thinking about arguments and more trying more to psyche herself up.
And while she did that, she didn't miss Bobby glancing her way every time they were stopped behind traffic or at a stoplight. But she was still upset, so she didn't acknowledge him.
They were about halfway home when Bobby's phone on the dash suddenly started ringing, and both siblings jumped a little like they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't be. It did a great deal to dampen the animosity in the van. Since her brother was driving, Ronnie Anne grabbed it and checked the screen. "It's Lori." She told him.
"Babe only calls me between classes…" Bobby seemed confused and concerned. Ronnie hit 'accept' and put it on speaker.
"Boo-boo Bear," Lori's voice was full of worry, "I just got a text from the bank. Someone used our account!" Bobby's brow furled, then his eyes widened like dinner plates and he smacked himself in the head. "Bobby?" Lori heard that.
"Uh…don't worry about it, Babe!" He said loudly. "Listen, I'm driving right now. I'll call you back. Love you!" He made a cutting motion to his sister, and Ronnie Anne ended the call before Lori could say anything.
"What was that?" Ronnie Anne asked, feeling a bit of dread bubbling in her stomach.
"Well…" Bobby started. "A couple of months back, someone stole our info and bought a bunch of stuff. To keep it from happening again, we signed up so we get a notice any time more than $50$ gets spent. We discuss everything we're going to buy beforehand to expect them."
"So, Lori is going to know too?! Bobby! I need to be the one to tell Lincoln! Not her!" She was actually starting to panic a little.
"She doesn't know yet. Calm down nini. I'll talk to her." Bobby assured her. And there was no weariness in his voice. No stress like every other word today. It was that kind of calm reassurance older siblings could give you. Ronnie Anne fell back dramatically in her seat, hands on her face.
"Ugh." This was not her day. First the doctors, then Bobby called their parents, and now this.
"Ronnie Anne, look." Her brother told her. She cracked her fingers and looked out to see they were pulling into a gas station. Bobby stopped in one of the parking spaces, then picked up his phone again. He hit call and held it to his ear. "Hey, Babe! Sorry, I was driving. Listen, don't worry about the charge. Nini was sick, so I took her to a doctor." He listened to Lori on the other end for a few moments, nodding his head all the while. "She's fine. Sorry for not texting, but we were kind of in a rush."
He was covering for her. She was happy, don't get her wrong; Lori was more likely than anyone to spoil things to Lincoln's family. And ever since she'd moved here, she'd thought of herself as a wise big sister, even when Ronnie Anne made it clear she didn't want one. Lori would be all over her if she found out about this, so Ronnie Anne really was glad. But that didn't mean the veil of secrecy wasn't getting thinner and thinner, and her agitation growing bigger and bigger with it.
Bobby went on with his call, devolving into some baby talk that made his sister roll her eyes and look out the window until he finally did hang up. The man who'd just been talking sweetly to his wife was slumped back in his chair, looking miserable. He'd just deceived the most important person in his life and gone against everything he'd always stood for. Just for her, even though she'd been less then than courteous with him all day. This wasn't even asking for help anymore, she was actively intruding on and screwing with his life.
Bobby looked over and saw the guilt spreading across her face. He straightened himself out and tried not to seem as impacted.
"It's not like it's the first time I've lied to her." He was trying to make both of them feel less guilty. "And I guess this is important enough for a change." But it was still weighing heavily on him, she could tell.
"Bobby." Now she put a hand on his shoulder. "I owe you." He was thinking about her first and foremost, even if she didn't agree with how he was doing it. "I'll make this all up to you, I promise."
"Just be honest with mom and dad, and we'll call it even.," He proposed. She started to sulk again. "Ronnie Anne, they're going to find out eventually. And they're not going to be happy if they find out you hid it from them."
"I know!" She sighed in exasperation. She turned away, looking out the window again. "I just didn't want to start out with everyone getting pissed off at me. You know they're going to be mad."
Yeah, well…" Bobby trailed off. "You messed up. You both messed up. Really bad." He hammered it in. "And how do you think Lincoln's going to feel? He's going to be really scared. I hope you know that." She figured and she wouldn't blame him; under all her frustration, she was scared too. But the point, she thought, was that he wasn't going to get angry with her. And if she was going to admit to being scared to anyone, Lincoln topped the list of her confidants.
"Ronnie Anne…" Bobby asked a piercing question. "What do you want to do with it, exactly?"
"I don't know." She said immediately. "Sid asked me the same thing and I told her I didn't know. I just want to tell Lincoln."
"You want to decide together?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know.." His sister repeated. "I just want to tell Lincoln." Bobby contemplated her words for a moment.
"I understand." He said, and he said no more after that. Part of her wanted to ask what he got; even she didn't understand her reason for insisting on it. But the mood had soured so much, any conversation at this point seemed doomed to turn negative. They rode home in silence, Ronnie Anne seriously trying to decide if the day so far had any point to it or if it had just been a complete waste of time.
When they got back to the apartment, she got out first and hurried ahead. Her intention was to hole up in her room for a little while, keeping psyching herself up, and maybe even get in contact with Sid, even though her BFF would still be at school. She thought she still had time before her parents got there.
But the traffic and public transport must've chosen this one day to not be a pain in the ass, because they'd somehow beaten her and Bobby here. They were both sitting at the dining table when she walked into the apartment, and she stopped short in surprise.
They looked surprised to see her here too, during school hours. Those expressions turned hard and they both rose from their seats. Ronnie Anne's heart lurched forward in her chest. Why did they already look mad? Bobby hadn't told them anything over the phone-she'd been listening. She was put on the spot, and none of her bravado came with her.
It was Bobby that came to her rescue for a second time that day. He'd decided to follow her up instead of going straight back to work. He came in, read the situation, and jumped in. "Mom, dad, hey. Thanks for getting here so fast." From behind, he pushed Ronnie Anne forward so he could get into the apartment. "I know the traffic gets really bad during lunch hour." Then he started pushing her with a little more force towards the hallway. She got the hell out of there, making a beeline for her room. Neither of her abuelos were in the apartment at that moment, fortunately.
She got inside and closed the door behind her. And the first thing she did from there was to stalk forward and angrily slam her palms down on her desk.
"Damn it!" But she knew she didn't have time for an extended venting session. Bobby was probably giving their parents a line, and then they were going to come see her. She tried to get herself psyched back up. She reminded herself of what she felt like she absolutely had to do.
Then she sat down on her bed and waited.
It wasn't long. She heard footsteps, then there was a knock on the door, and her parents entered a few seconds later without her reply. They still looked as displeased as she'd seen them briefly before Bobby interrupted.
"Ronnie Anne!" Her mother's voice was stern. "I got a call from your school today. They said you've skipped school these past two days!" So, they knew she'd skipped; that explained their expressions. They were already displeased with her and they didn't even know the full story.
Well, it was time. She wasn't sure if what her brother did had damned her or helped her, but it was time. This was going to suck.
"Here." She sighed. She hadn't said it out loud to Bobby, and she couldn't make herself say it out loud to her parents either. So, she took out the report from the clinic and handed it to them so they could determine it themselves.
"What's this?" Her father asked. "A bad report card?" He guessed. Both her parents started to read the blood test, and Ronnie Anne cast her eyes towards her feet, so she didn't catch their reactions and instead waited for the sky to fall. She didn't see her mother's face start to pale and the sternness turn into horror; she was a nurse, she wrote and read reports just like this every day and knew how to skim through them while taking down all the important bits. She reached the conclusion while her ex-husband was still methodically reading the middle.
"You're pregnant…" Maria said hoarsely.
"What?" Arturo asked, thinking she'd mumbled. The woman pointed towards a part of the paper. "Estrogen and progesterone. Oh, right. Those are the hormones-" And then he went silent, like something had suddenly hit him. The room was dead silent. Ronnie Anne glanced up, saw both her parents looking at her, and quickly looked away again. Her parents quickly flipped to the urine test and it said the same thing.
Their 15-year-old daughter was pregnant.
"My daughter…embarazada?" Arturo asked out loud, stunned. Ronnie Anne sighed.
"Yeah, I am." She admitted, looking up. Her mother was even paler now, a fist held up to her mouth making her seem like she'd lost her voice. Her father was still scanning the paperwork.
"Where did you get these tests?" He demanded.
"I told Bobby before you guys. He took me to a doctor because he thought the pregnancy tests I got from the mercado were wrong. Then he made me tell you."
"And he was right to do so!" Arturo took his son's side immediately. "How long were you hiding this from us?"
"A month." And she could tell that her quick and confident response only did more to upset them.
"Who?" Arturo demanded. Unlike Bobby, Ronnie Anne didn't fault her father for not immediately piecing it together. He was more familiar with the friends she had here in the city. He knew about Lincoln, but he tended to believe his daughter when she acted exasperated at her families teasing during the rare instances Lincoln came up when they were all together. As far as he knew, he was just another one of her regular friends.
"It was Lincoln, wasn't it?" Her mother was not so un-informed. Arturo looked quizzingly at his ex-wife and then his daughter for confirmation.
"It was him." She admitted. Embarrassment started to supplant her honest fear. Ronnie Anne, to be blunt, wanted to cut through the bullshit here and get to the point. She could guess where this interrogation was going, so she decided to cut it off there. She took a deep breath and laid it all out in that same breath. "I wanted to do something on my birthday. It was my idea. We used protection but it didn't work." She stopped and had to take enough breath. "Lincoln doesn't know yet but I want to tell him in person."
"Ronnie Anne!"
"Ronalda!"
Her parents seemed to have gotten hooked on the first two things she said and were scandalized.
"You're…you're 15!" Her mother reminded her. "And he's younger than you!" It wasn't by but a few months, but it still sounded bad when you said it out loud. "Why on Earth would you even think of doing something like that?"
"I didn't think it would be a big deal if we used protection! I didn't know the stupid thing wasn't going to work!"
It got really chaotic after that, with both her parents starting to talk over each other and then getting confused. They never had been good at coordinating.
"Arturo, please." Maria put up a hand to stop her husband while using the other to rub her temple. "Can I speak to our daughter alone for a moment? This is a woman's subject." He couldn't argue with his ex-wife about that. He was a physician, and he did have limited experience with female patients, but he was willing to concede his ex was the better professional on it. And this wasn't a subject he was comfortable with anyway; he'd lectured Ronnie Anne about it, but not to the same scale as her mother.
"I'll go talk to Bobby." He nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him. Now is it was just the teen and her mother. It was better than being grilled by both of her parents, but Ronnie Anne expected that her mother had intense questions ready for her.
Her mother held that pose for several long moments, eyes closed. She either didn't notice or didn't care about her daughter growing increasingly impatient and annoyed. "I am very disappointed in you." She finally said, crossing her arms and opening her eyes to stare intensely at her daughter. Ronnie Anne started to look away just on reflex, but her mother snapped at her. "Look at me, Ronalda!" She stared down her angry mother.
"I know you've always been independent minded. Maybe some of that is my fault.," Her mother started. "And I know how smart you are for your age. Maybe you thought you were mature enough to make that decision." No, she honestly believed she was. "But you're not.," Her mother told her bluntly.
She said nothing, even though the claim irked her.
"You should've known better. Especially after everything me and your father taught you."
"We used protection!" Ronnie Anne didn't want to let that challenge against her intelligence go unanswered. She'd said that three times now, how could they not get it?
"Those don't always work! We told you that."
"Yeah…" She acknowledged, but in a way that unintentionally came off as dismissive. Ronnie Anne thought she was keeping stoic in the face of adversary. Maria thought she wasn't taking it seriously.
"Ronnie Anne, do you even realize the situation you're in?" Her mother asked. "Do you understand the consequences? Or did you forget those too?" Now that was harsh and uncalled for. Ronnie Anne felt that heat build in her chest that she always felt before an angry outburst.
But then it died there. She broke eye contact with her mother. A lump formed in her throat and her chest constricted. Those words had hit something deep. She'd done some research: Costs, statistics, and things like that. Just facts bouncing around her brain now, most of which she wouldn't be able to immediately recall. She actually hadn't thought too deeply into her situation. The brief moments she imagined any future with any other option, it didn't last long because she dismissed it. She'd fixated on one goal and that kept her distracted. She really didn't want to think too deeply on it.
Except the worry that this would irrevocably ruin the connection Lincoln and she had. That kept creeping in, but not with a certain something as a factor. That was what was giving her pause now too.
Ronnie Anne didn't realize it, but she suddenly looked petrified. She'd shown weakness. But only for a second before steeling herself up out of determination. But her mother had seen it. She sighed and sat down on the bed next to her, putting an arm around her daughter, even as she avoided eye contact.
"You told Bobby because you were scared of telling us." She said in a softer tone.
"No," Ronnie Anne refuted. "I wanted to ask him for a ride to Royal Woods so I could tell Lincoln first."
"So, he doesn't know?" Her mother asked. "But you've known for a month?"
"Not exactly a month, okay?" She'd said that earlier, but she'd really just been mixing her facts up in the stress. She was a month along. A month and a half, technically. She'd only really known for three days. Was it really only three days? It felt longer. "I've been late for a month. I took some tests on Tuesday."
"A month?" And Ronnie Anne could place how mother's tone perfectly. It was a 'how could you have been that dense' tone. She tried to push past that before she said something she regretted.
"I want to tell him in person. I can't do it over a call!"
"And after that? What was you plan? How long were you going to hide this from us before Bobby made you tell us?" Her mom demanded.
"I don't know." She answered honestly. "I just wanted to talk to him." She stopped for a second, and then swung her head around to look at her mother. For what the insane thing she was about to request, that was the least courtesy she could give. "Can I just get a ride to Royal Woods. Please?"
Her mother blinked back at her, surprised at her audacity to try and dictate terms, let alone ones so bold.
"Why would I let him near you? Especially now!" Ronnie Anne felt a spike of anxiety in her gut.
"He needs to know." She insisted.
"His parents can tell him when I call them," Her mother told her. "After we finish this conversation." Her stomach seemed to drop entirely. Her mouth and throat went dry. Like her mother, the color started to drain from her face. The new severity on Maria's face receded slightly when she saw such a rapid change in her daughter's outward mood. She sighed again, although it was anyone's guess if it was at herself or Ronnie Anne. "What are you going to say to him?" She teased the prospect now.
"…I don't know." It took the teenager a moment to find her voice. "I just wanted to tell someone who wasn't going to get mad at me."
"And?" Her mother expected a longer answer than that. Ronnie Anne just shrugged. Her mother closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You haven't put anymore thought into this?" She asked. Silence conveyed the teen's answer just as well as actual words. No, she hadn't put anymore thought into it-it terrified her. There was one thing that didn't, and she'd latched onto it. Call it immature or whatever, but it was what it was.
"That's all I got!" She insisted, as her mom's eyes bored into her.
Her mother looked troubled. But she also looked like she was deeply considering something.
"Just wait here, I need to go talk to your father." She stood up and walked briskly out of the room, closing the door behind her. That had been unexpected. She wondered what triggered it? In the apartment outside, she had heard the front door open well before her mother's footsteps would've reached it; someone else had just come home.
"You talked to Bobby already?" She heard her mom ask. It must've been her dad. Ronnie Anne stood up and crept over to her door to eavesdrop.
"He insisted on opening the store back up." Her father answered. "But I could tell he was upset. He drove that boy here, so he feels responsible."
"Bobby!" Ronnie Anne facepalmed. Why did he have to be like that?
"His name is Lincoln," Maria reminded her ex-husband. "And Ronnie Anne says she wants to go see him and tell him."
"Surely we should be keeping them away from each other?" He asked incredulously.
"She's insisting on it," Maria answered, "And I think it could be important. Besides, Lincoln's parents should be made aware. I'll try and take her tomorrow. I have more overtime hours than anyone else on the wing, so they shouldn't deny me a day off." Ronnie Anne was stuck between wanting to do a fist pump and cringe. So, she finally had a ride to Royal Woods, but at what cost? And what was she going to say to Lincoln? Tell him the news then add her mom was downstairs talking to his parents and now all 3 of them wanted to kill him?
"I'll tag along." Arturo insisted, and Ronnie Anne really did cringe then. Now she could see her and Lincoln both getting reamed by all four of their parents at once over this. She was so busy imaging that, she missed part of her parents' conversation.
"-not acting out." Her mom was talking now. "She's always had a crush on him." It wasn't a 'crush', she swore!
"I didn't see it." Her father answered.
"She doesn't announce these kinds of things out loud." Maria reminded him. "I'll explain it to you another time, Arturo. I need to call my supervisor. If you want to talk to Ronnie Anne, go ahead." The named teenager got away from her door and moved back over to her bed. Sure enough, her father came in a few seconds later.
He stood up straight and crossed his arms, and she expected a stern lecture. But after a few seconds, her father lost his gusto. He sighed and sat down beside her, same as her mother had. "I do not understand." He was talking to the air in front of him, but his words were clearly aimed at his daughter. "I've seen girls your age in this situation. Even girls younger than you! But they make these mistakes because they have a poor home life. Because they can't get an education! You're a Straight A student. I know things here at home aren't perfect-"
"No, it's fine!" Ronnie Anne quickly interjected. Both of them were tugging at her heartstrings. "It was nothing here. I just liked a boy." She gagged a little admitting it. "I swear, we used protection. I didn't think it wouldn't work. It's 99%! I'm more likely to get hit by a bus."
"Liking boys is fine. That is not." Arturo said firmly, ignoring her last claim. "But really," He didn't sound pleased at all with what he was saying. "We might have agreed to put you on something if you were honest with us." Ronnie Anne visibly shuddered. She could barely talk to Lincoln about this stuff. Her parents? No chance at all.
"Why do you want to talk to him?" Her dad asked next. "I hope you're not going to let this boy decide your life for you." He looked over at her.
"No! I just want to talk." She swore. "Is Bobby really upset?" She changed the subject. Her dad nodded.
"He is trying to hide it, but he is. I hope you did not give him a hard time." He warned.
"No." But her refusal came off as a little meek. She tried to think of something else to say, but her bedroom door opened, and her mom came back in.
"Are you going to call your work?" She addressed Arturo while not looking directly at their daughter.
"I will call them later. They will understand.," He said confidently. Maria said nothing and pulled her phone out of her pocket before dialing a number.
"Hi, Mrs. Loud? It's Maria." She started while her ex-husband and daughter watched her intensely. "Bobby's mother." She nodded and smiled as the woman on the other end talked, although the lingering paleness in her face betrayed her real mood still. "We're good, thank you."
"Listen, I know this is kind of sudden, but is there any chance my husband and me can come by tomorrow? We'd like to talk about something." She nodded at Arturo. "Oh no, no. Lori and Bobby are just fine." She said quickly. Of course, why would Lincoln's mom expect this was about him and her? Ronnie Anne watched and listened as her mom carried on with some small talk. She was starting to feel angrily impatient again. She was at least a month along, maybe it was mood swings. "Is 3 okay?" Another pause, and Ronnie Anne leaned forward. "Ok, thank you for agreeing on such short notice." Maria sounded relieved too.
If there were words after that, Ronnie Anne tuned them out, falling back dramatically on her bed. She wasn't sure what she wanted to feel. Glad? Upset? Eager? Apprehensive? She got what she wanted in the end, but only after jumping through so many hoops. And she'd have to be stuck in a car with her parents for 6 hours. AND her and Lincoln were going to get chewed out together.
But screw it, she'd rather get chewed out with him than without.
"Goodbye." She did pick up that word and sat back up to see her mom putting her phone away.
"Thanks." Ronnie Anne felt obligated to say it, although it sounded out of place with how charged the situation was.
"It isn't going to be for fun." Her mother's response was immediate. "You are both going to answer a lot of questions. But we're done for now."
"That's it?" Arturo asked.
"That's it?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"No, that is not it." Maria said sternly. "We still have a lot to say to you." Ronnie Anne leaned back slightly. "But we need to talk first." She directed that statement at her ex-husband. So, the onslaught wasn't over, her parents just wanted to coordinate their strategies and hit her hard. That was going to be fucking great. But if it meant even a few hours of reprieve, she'd take it. "You can stay here in your room for the rest of the day." Her mother held out her hand. "Phone." She commanded.
Well, this wasn't really unexpected. Ronnie Anne reluctantly took it from her pocket and handed it over. Her mother grabbed her laptop off her desk and held it under her arm. Looks like she wasn't going to have a video call with Lincoln tonight. Even if she was going to see him in person tomorrow, that stung.
"Don't even think of telling anyone else right now." Her mother warned unnecessarily.
"My lips are sealed." She assured, while both her parents stood over her. Before they left her room though, there was a moment where the hardness in their expressions started to falter. She realized neither of them really wanted to do this or put up this act either.
So there Ronnie Anne Santiago was, confined alone in her room. How long had this day already been? She looked over at her clock and discovered it to only be 12:40 in the afternoon. "Dang it." It was going to be a long one. Well, they said she couldn't leave her room. They didn't say Sid couldn't eventually come to hers it using the fire escape. That would be later. With the current chain of events finally ended, she reflected on how this short day had gone.
She'd gotten what she set out for, hadn't she? It had taken more people finding out than she originally planned, but it was people she would've told soon anyway. She'd known the chewing out was an eventuality. At least some of it was out of the way, right? She tried to spin that into a positive too.
But there was were also the bad parts. Bobby was still upset with her; she hadn't anticipated that. She'd have to make amends. And then there was that moment, however brief, when it seemed like her mom wasn't going to let her see Lincoln again. That made her squirm. Of all the things she imagined happening, that hadn't been one of them. She was glad she'd dodged that bullet, even if she still didn't know why her mom had recanted so quickly.
But it hadn't come to that, so she didn't need to think about it. All she had to think about was what she'd say to Lincoln tomorrow. Once she'd done that, the rest of it could be hashed out with her parents. All the things she didn't want to think about yet. She'd handle them after she talked with Lincoln.
She tried to convince herself she really would.