Jenna Ortega Imagines

You have a child but you're not together anymore

The sun had barely crested the horizon when Y/N woke to the sound of her phone buzzing insistently on the nightstand. She groaned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and reaching for the device. The screen was lit with a message from Jenna Ortega, her ex-partner of almost a decade. A knot tightened in her stomach as she read the words:

Jenna Ortega

I'm home. I'll have my driver drop me off at yours so that I can take Keith for the weekend.

It had been 7 months since Jenna moved to Europe to shoot a new movie and 7 months since Y/N or Keith had last seen her, and the suddenness of the message was like a punch to the gut. She was living the glamorous life of a Hollywood starlet in Europe, while Y/N had remained in their quaint suburban home, raising their six-year-old son. The house was filled with memories of their time together, some joyful, others tinged with pain. The silence of the room was broken only by the distant sound of a bird's song. She took a deep breath and responded with a simple, "Ok".

Keith was already up, his little legs dangling over the side of the bed as he stared at Y/N's phone

. "Is it time for Mommy to come get me?" he asked, his eyes wide with excitement. Y/N nodded, trying to mask the anxiety in her voice. 

"Yes, sweetheart. She'll be here soon."

She knew he'd been looking forward to this weekend for weeks, eager to see the woman who'd been a constant in his life, despite their separation.

Half an hour later the doorbell rang, and Keith shot out of bed like a rocket. 

"Mommy's here!" he yelled, bounding down the stairs.

Y/N took a moment to compose herself, smoothing her hair and wiping the sleep from her eyes before following him. 

Jenna stood on the doorstep, looking as radiant as ever, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders, a warm smile on her lips. But it was the tightness around her eyes, the slightly forced quality of her smile, that betrayed the weight of their history.

"Hi, Keith," she said, crouching down to his level. "I missed you so much. Ready for some fun?"

"Yes!" he squealed, throwing his arms around her neck.

Y/N stepped aside, watching them, her heart in her throat. She felt a strange mix of resentment and relief, knowing that for the next few days, she'd have a break from the constant vigilance of single parenthood. But the thought of Keith with someone else, someone who might not love him as fiercely as she did, was a thorn in her side.

"I don't like Mommy's new friend," Keith whispered in Y/N's ear as they walked to her car. "She's not nice to me."

The words hung in the air, heavy with accusation. Jenna heard her son's words and looked up sharply, a flash of something dark crossing her features before she could hide it. Y/N's grip on Keith's hand tightened. 

"What do you mean, buddy?" she asked gently.

"She's always mean," he said, his voice muffled against his mom's shirt. "She says I'm too loud and that I can't play with Mommy's stuff."

Jenna's eyes narrowed. 

"What new friend?" she asked, her voice tight.

"Your girlfriend," Keith said matter-of-factly.

The tension in the air thickened, and Y/N felt a sudden urge to protect her son from whatever storm was brewing. Also, as much as she tried, she couldn't deny the sinking feeling by the mention of Jenna's new girl. She really did move on. But she held her tongue. This weekend was going to be more complicated than she'd anticipated.