Zustin - A new start

Justin's POV:

I stare at myself in the mirror, picking apart every little detail like I'm about to be judged by a panel of experts. The way my shirt hangs just a little too loose around my waist, that one rebellious strand of hair that just won't stay put no matter how many times I shove it back—every fucking thing annoys me right now.

Yeah, I know I look good. I've got that classic bad boy vibe—handsome face, solid body, blah blah blah. But starting at a new school in a new city? It's like a twisted game where all I can do is stare at the shit that's wrong with me. The acne on my cheeks is flaring up like it knows I'm stressed. I try to cover it with some concealer, but of course, I've got no clue how to blend it right, so I just end up looking like a dirt-smudged idiot. Fuck it. I'm a teenager, for God's sake. I'm allowed to have a few flaws.

I give myself a half-assed pep talk, mumbling lines I might use today like a broken record. But honestly, fuck, I'm nervous as hell.

Once I'm finally dressed and pretending to be ready, I step out of the bathroom, shut the door, and head to the room across the hall. I pause at the door, just watching for a second. Noelle's there, peacefully asleep. I cross the room, flick on the moon-shaped lamp, letting a soft, calming light wash over her.

I sit on the edge of her bed, taking a moment to just watch her, my fingers gently tracing her cheek. 

"Morning, angel. Time to wake up," I whisper, my voice soft as I keep caressing her perfect little face.

Fuck, I still can't believe how lucky I got. How did I help create this tiny, amazing human? She's half me, and I still can't wrap my head around it. She's two and a half now, and I'm still pinching myself to make sure she's real.

Being a single dad at 18 isn't exactly a walk in the park, but damn if it isn't worth it.

When Cara dropped the bomb that she was pregnant—six months in—she hadn't even realized because her belly barely showed, and her periods were always messed up. She only found out after fainting in gym class and ending up in the hospital. Suddenly, I'm three months away from being a dad.

I laughed when she told me. No way in hell could this be real. A one-night stand with some girl I barely knew, and now I was going to be a dad in less than 90 days.

But yeah, it was real. A few months later, Noelle was born, and holy shit, she was perfect.

Everything else in my life? It didn't matter anymore. It was her. It was always her. It was always supposed to be her.

After Noelle was born, Cara didn't change. Still partying, drinking, smoking—living her life like nothing had happened. She figured out pretty quick that being a mom wasn't her thing. Like, at all. There wasn't even a debate. She handed over full custody of Noelle faster than you could say "deadbeat." It wasn't a hard process—she just straight-up didn't want to be a mom.

Since Noelle was two months old, it's been just us. And here we are, more than two years later, still just us. She's my entire world, and I've never been more grateful.

Noelle slowly blinks her eyes open, a sleepy smile spreading across her face. It takes her a minute to fully wake up, then she's reaching out for me, wanting to be held.

I scoop her up, and we cuddle for a while before heading to the kitchen.

I sit her down in her high chair and start whipping up some oatmeal pancakes with banana and blueberries. She eats most of it, and I finish off what she doesn't. My stomach's too knotted with nerves to eat much anyway.

We get through her usual morning routine quicker than normal, so we sit down to watch some weird-ass kids' show. I have no idea what's going on with all these dancing, singing animals, but Noelle's into it, so whatever.