mr. mara

•10•

"Maybe I should come with you," he says. "We can just explain everything to your brother together."

"No," I say. "I can't have you there, Nick. He will literally try and kill you. I just need to talk to him alone."

"Well what are we going to do about the whole pregnancy thing?"

"I don't know, Nick," I take a deep breath and I lay down on his bed, "We can't have a kid."

"But we might be."

"What are we supposed to do?" I ask. "If people find out that you knocked me up then we are completely fucked. You'll go to jail and I'll be here raising a child all on my own."

"I'm not going anywhere." He lays down next to me on his bed and we both stare at the ceiling, "We will figure it out like we always do."

"And if we don't?"

He shrugs his shoulders, "Then I guess I go to jail and you raise a baby on your own. We can't change what we have done. What happens is what is going to happen."

I turn to look at him and he turns his head to look at me. Our foreheads touch each others as we continue to lay on his bed, "No matter what happens, please promise me forever."

"Forever," he kisses my forehead, "I promise."

***

"Honey!" My mom says when I walk into the door, "I'm glad you're home. We are going to go dress shopping in a bit."

"Uh, for what?" I ask. I honestly thought my mom would be mad at me for not coming home and for not telling her where the hell I was. She is fine though.

"Prom," she says. "You didn't forget, did you?"

"Oh, no," I say. I did forget. Prom isn't really my thing. I don't like the idea of dancing around in a big dress all night. It's just not my thing. "I'll be ready soon."

I walk away from her and I go to my room. I open the door to see Zion laying on my bed. I knew he would be here.

"Hey," I say.

He sits up, "Glad to see your alive."

I shut the door and I put my things down by my closet, "Look, Zion."

"No," he says. "I'm going to talk and I want you to be completely honest with me. I'm your brother and you can tell me anything."

I nod my head.

"You've been sneaking around forever now. You never want rides from me. You're never home. You said you were coming home last night, but you weren't. I had to cover for your ass last night. Maggie wasn't even home. She was drunk off her ass at Brandon's, but I told mom that's where you were." He starts to play with his shirt, "So please tell me where the hell you have been. Why are you sneaking around so much?"

"Uh, I'm not."

He rolls his eyes, "That's bullshit, Kai!"

"You already know," I say. Tears start to build up in the corner of my eyes, "Don't make me tell you when you already know."

"I want to hear it come out of your mouth. I want to hear it from you," he says. "I keep praying that I'm wrong. I keep praying that you'll tell me something different, so please tell me what it is. I need to hear it from you, Kai."

"Zion, don't do this."

The tears fall down my face super fast. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but I can't help it. After I tell him everything is going to go downhill. It's all going to be destroyed.