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Before,July
This was a huge mistake.I never should have come to California, and I have no idea what possessed me to do so. I mean, I haven’t talked to my brother in who the hell knows how long, and I thought it would be a good idea to show up on his doorstep and drop bombs?
Hey, Parker, I ignored your attempts to talk to me for hella long because I was pissed you left me with that vile woman who gave birth to us, and by the way, I’m a junior in high school, pregnant, ran away from home, and oh! Who’s the baby daddy, you ask? None other than the little brother to the asshole who stole and mistreats the girl you’re in love with.
I scrub my hands down my face.
Jesus Christ, how did he not toss me out on my ass right there, or worse…call our mother to come pick me up? Even if I think it, I know he would never, and while I’m stressing over everything, he’s doing the opposite.
Well, he’s probably stressing just the same, but his big brother instincts are second to none. I’ve been a brat, and he’s been nothing but supportive and encouraging.
What’s crazy, his friends have been the same, including me in every little thing they do, and it doesn’t seem forced or leave me feeling like the shadow they can’t get rid of.
They’re all pretty chill and easygoing. Way more tight-knit and meddling in one another’s business than I’m used to, but from what I can tell, there’s nothing malicious about it. More like a little family of friends who actually give a shit.
Still, as I glance from where Parker’s huddled beside a swing with Kenra to the others splashing around in the water not too far from where I stand, it’s clear I don’t belong here.
I’m not…like them.
They’re in swimsuits with wind-dried hair, and the girls wear not a speck of makeup, the norm for a day at the beach I’d assume.
I’m standing at the water’s edge in a designer jumper that hasn’t even been released in stores yet, my face painted as flawlessly as my hair is curled.
They’re laughing and joking and playing around.
I’m sixty seconds from a nervous breakdown and might vomit on my toes.
I’m not a high school graduate on the cusp of college.
I’m not easygoing and free, and I don’t have my whole future ahead of me.
My life is over.
I close my eyes.
Girl, get a grip. You’re pregnant, not dying.
Pregnant.
Holy shit.
There’s a tiny little human growing inside my body.
What the fuck am I going to do?
My breathing picks up and my chest clenches, panic building in my gut. I can’t do this. I can’t handle it. It’s not just my life, but Deaton’s, too. He was offered a scholarship to wrestle at Penn State. He’s so excited.
My lungs shrivel, and I gasp. A baby will ruin everything. I ruined everything and I can. Not. Do. This. I?—
“You know, pretty clothes and prettier hair won’t keep you safe out here.”
My head snaps left, finding the source of the teasing voice.
I should have recognized whose it was instantly, as he’s the one who’s spoken to me the most since I crashed their summer with my drama. He’s grinning playfully as he sweeps a hand through his hair, a darker shade of brown now that it’s dripping wet…as is the rest of his body.
It takes me a moment to realize what he means, and he knows the second I catch on.
That grin on his lips turns wicked, and he circles me like he’s found the perfect prey.
