Good Times, Bad Times

Prologue - June 1988

- June 1988 -

Tony rubbed a hand over his face.

"Pregnant?"

Anna only nodded.

God, he was screwed, he was so screwed. His father would fucking kill him.

Tony and Anna had never actually dated. They were more like friends that sometimes slept together, being each other's firsts in many ways and bonding right after they met.

She was an orphan with no brothers and sister and a half-ass job in a cafeteria on the campus. She wasn't a student – she couldn't afford school yet – but it was easy to find her around some groups when she was out of work, especially by Tony's side.

"You're pregnant," he repeated to himself. "And it's mine."

"I haven't slept with anyone else since we met, Tony," she reminded him. "It's yours. You can have a paternity test if you want to, I don't mind."

But he wasn't worried about that. Anna could be broke as fuck, but she would never try to scam him in any way, especially with a baby.

"What are you gonna do, now?" she asked in a low voice.

"Get married?" he pondered.

Anna just looked at him dead in the eye.

"Tony, you're a great friend, but there is no way I will ever want to marry into your family. We don't even love each other that way."

And she was right. One of the perks of their relationship was the simple fact the two of them were very good friends and nothing more.

"My dad is gonna kill me," he affirmed.

"Kill you? No, he needs an heir," she corrected him. "No. He's gonna send me out of the country with a bag and a hundred bucks in my pocket before I can say the word banana."

Anna was Tony's age, a few weeks younger, in this case. They were just 18, and she was fresh out of school and a crappy orphanage. They were different to the extreme: Money, background, current life situation... They couldn't be more different. Maybe that was why they had bonded so well. Being who she was, however, proved her point. While Howard wouldn't suggest an abortion or anything extreme, he would for sure try to get her away from their lives and cover the story as soon as possible.

"I'm not gonna let him," he affirmed. "That's my baby and you are my friend."

The young woman stood up, walking around the room of the flat. They were in her place, a three-room flat that only had space enough for an old couch, no TV. It was the cheapest place she had found, and – minus food, water and energy- the rest of her money was directed to her school funds. Hopefully, in two years, Anna would be able to start studying, get a degree and then a nice job.

Tony had offered her money once – he had a lot of that, and wouldn't miss it according to himself – but she had never accepted it. She was very stubborn, and he couldn't say he didn't like it, although it could be annoying sometimes.

"We are 18," she reminded him. "Do you really think we can raise a kid?"

"Younger people had done so," he shrugged. "It can't be that hard right?"

She sighed.

"We really should have checked that condom's expiration date."