Insomnia

35| Valentina Rodriguez

Chanel's POV

I was walking home alone today. For the first time in a while I had a shift alone after school. The sun was starting to set into a bright orange sky. I was close to the house and held my backpack close. It's been really cold lately and I forgot my jacket back at the house. I'm always in a rush anyways. Once I got to the front door I walked in and took off my shoes and backpack. I wrapped my arms around myself and went upstairs to Landon's room. When I walked in he didn't notice me. He was completely stuck to the tv and when I looked up I noticed he was watching, "The Bugs Bunny show." I quietly stepped closer to see him holding a bouquet of sunflowers surrounding yellow roses. "Are you expecting someone?"

I asked and his head immediately turned. He stood up with the flowers and smiled. "Just a little someone." He smiled and handed me the flowers. It was four times the size of my hands. "Where'd you get these, they're beautiful." I pushed them up with my knee trying my hardest to hold them up. "A farm out of town I used to go pick them when I was younger." He noticed my struggling and took them for me. "I'll put them in a vase." He laid them down on his desk and I walked up behind and slowly slipped my hands underneath his hoodie. His body was warm against my cold hands. He turned around and I kept my hands inside his hoodie. "Studying Looney tunes now?" I chuckled before slipping my head under his hoodie as well.

I placed soft kisses on his stomach as he rubbed my back slowly. His skin felt perfect against mine. It began to feel like home. A home that couldn't break in the end. "You said you loved it so why not learn to love it too." His voice was a bit muffled through the thick material. I slipped my hands under his arms and rested my hands on his shoulders slightly pulling him closer. "I have work soon you know that." He reminded me. "But it's cold." I whined. "That's why I have lots of hoodies and sweatpants for you to choose from." I didn't want clothes to keep me warm, I wanted him. I wanted to be able to crawl into his skin. I want to never leave him. "No."

The door rang and he instantly knew I wasn't moving. He grabbed my thigh and pulled me up. I wrapped my legs around him and held him tighter before we went down stairs. "You act all tough and fearless but you're really just my baby." He's right, he's always right. I want to be nothing but his baby. "Hey Valentina, what are you doing here?" As soon as he said that, I sighed knowing I'd have to get down. "I was here to talk to Chanel but she seems busy?"

I crossed my feet behind his back and he put his hands underneath me as he held me up. "I'm very busy." I said loudly. "No, she's not. She was just getting down and I was just leaving." I went limp when I heard those words. However eventually I got down and slipped my head out from under his hoodie. I turned to face Valentina as he helped me push my hair back out of my face. "I need to talk to you anyways." I shrugged letting her in. Landon walked around us and went out the door. "I'll be home soon." He said with a kiss to my forehead. I shut the door behind him and followed Valentina into the living room.

"What happened?" I could tell something was wrong. Her hair was wet and she clearly wasn't dressed to impress. Her face looked tired and worn out. She wasn't at school and neither was Travis. Even his sister wouldn't talk to anyone today. She sat down and let out a sigh that was crushing. I stood in front of her, running my hands through her hair and her curls were so damaged from all the times she would straighten her hair.

Valentina has a yellow undertone to her soft brown skin so I could see how red her nose was, from crying. "Everything's going wrong and I'm so tired, Cee." She said quietly. "Tell me what's wrong." I held her face and tilted her head back to look at me. She tried to tell me but words got caught in her throat  and tears fell down her face. "Do you want me to talk instead?" She nodded. Valentina loved helping others with their problems but hated expressing hers. I had nothing to really say besides that I was leaving and I knew that would break her but I had no choice but to tell her eventually.

"Do you know that I love you?" She nodded as I wiped her tears. "So because I love you, I'm going to tell you something okay?" Her eyes widened in horror. "I'm leaving New York with Landon for Vermont after this semester. And Jen said it was okay." She gasped before registering everything. She moved my hands from her face and she started to sob uncontrollably.  I sat down next to her and rubbed her back hoping she'd calm down. "You can't leave me, not right now." She begged. "You and I both know I can't stay here even Ruby wants me to leave. I expected you to be happy." She laid her head back on the couch and covered her face. "You know I would be, you know any other day I'd be happy for you but not today." She cried.

"What's so bad today, that you aren't happy and proud of me?" I knew something was completely wrong if Valentina wasn't happy for me. "I'm pregnant." She sat up and looked at me. I laughed at her and my laugh slowly faded when I noticed how serious she was. "That's not even possible, you're on birth control and we both took a plan b three days ago." She grabbed something out of her pockets. She placed seven pregnancy tests in my hands and each one was positive. "Obviously  it didn't fucking work." I slowly looked through all the tests and even tried rubbing my eyes to make them disappear.

"You're not keeping it are you?" She cried even harder at that question which surprised me. She was always a sucker for kids and always said she wants a big family but she is seventeen and barely making a living. "Travis won't stay with you, you know that right. And he's getting a full ride to Yale like he wanted, he wont drop that for a kid. With how you are reacting I know you didn't tell him, meaning you know he won't stay." I put all the tests on the table and kneeled down in front of her as I wiped her tears. "I need you here to help me through it."

"Valentina you're so smart, I need you to finish school, go to college and get a career because I know you can do it. You have to finish your studies and make something out of yourself. I'm not saying you can't do it with this baby, but it'll only be easier. I'm not as smart as you. I have an offer to publish my book and I want to take it, but I don't want to do it here." As I was talking she slowly stopped crying and it was now just whimpers.

"This is home, I couldn't imagine leaving." She told me. "I don't expect you to. The cabin is paid off and all yours, so you have a home. And if you go down the path of nursing, you're at the age where you can start as an assistant and get paid for it. You don't have to strip all throughout college." Her precious eyes, all wet and brown eyes looked into mine begging for some kind of reassurance. For how she was going I could tell this baby wasn't going anywhere

"Can you leave later this summer?" I let go of her face and ran  my hands down my face. I had no answer. I knew what I wanted and needed but no  idea what to actually do. She put her life on hold so many times for me and I have the intention of paying her back, I just didn't know it would have to be like this. "How does Landon feel about this, about you leaving? You guys got really close, you think he'll just let you leave?" She said looking around. "No he wouldn't." I told her truthfully. "So why would you leave him, he's the first person to make you smile the way you do." I flashed her a quick smile.

"He's coming with me Vee."