I Called You Mine

My world

Riley's POV

I consider what my world is made up of. My family is my mom and sister, my stepdad kind of hangs like a weird branch of a tree. Maybe I'm the misshapen piece though. I don't have the same last name as them because I was born with Mom's maiden name and didn't change it when she got married. I didn't want anything to do with my stepdad back then. That's why my step family doesn't really like me. Beyond my family is my only friend and girlfriend Blake, but I can pretend to be friends with lots of people from school if I have to. I know that my world is going to expand considerably by the end of the month. The DNA test results will come back and connect me to my dad and I'll meet my mom's side of the family for thanksgiving. I don't know how I feel about it, because I'm excited to have an actual extended family, but there's already been so much lost time. Will they treat me like an outsider the way my step family does? My world will likely still be just as big physically, fitting in Greater Atlanta.

I start working on a paper flower bouquet for Blake. Unlike the flower she gave me, it will never die. Izzy will probably be mad at me later for taking her precious colored paper, but I don't think she owns it exclusively. I can take some if I need to. I'm going to give it to her when she comes over tomorrow to do schoolwork with me since we're virtual tomorrow. I love virtual days because we only get two hours of schoolwork and then we can do whatever we want. While I'm working I play Taylor Swift in the background. Like clockwork, Izzy comes into my room very upset about the paper. So I get up from my project, gaslight her into thinking her concerns are invalid and put her to sleep. Or at least attempt to, because even though it is her bedtime she won't go to sleep.

"You're my favorite grown up" Izzy says as I'm leaving her room. I stop in the doorway and look back at her.

"I'm not a grown up though" I say.

"You are Riley!" Izzy declares "Cause you're big and I'm small."

I grab my flower project from my room and go back to sit with Izzy.

"Not all big people are grown ups" I say, "and some grown ups are very small."

"What are you?" Izzy asks

"I'm a kid like you, but bigger." I say, "but some people say I'm a little grown up."

"I'm a little kid" Izzy says, "Cause I'm two."

Izzy then asks me to read her a story so I pick up one of my favorites, A Gold Star For Zog, and start reading.

"I want to be a flying doctor princess like Princess Pearl." Izzy says when I finish reading. I smile at her, give her a pat on the back, and leave the room with my half done flowers. I remember I gave these to mom on Mother's Day when I was seven. They're really easy to make.

When Blake comes over on Thursday I meet her at the door with paper flowers and she tells me she might be an aunt next July.

Blake's POV

Dad just left the house, hopefully just to take a walk and calm down, but it's still scary to watch your dad leave after your older brother dropped a pregnancy bomb. Christian and Ethan are fighting, Ethan's angry at me for telling Christian to say it, and Cameron is trying to deescalate the situation. I can't believe we were getting along so well not even three hours ago but now it's just chaos. My world feels like it is on the brink of collapse and I am powerless to it all. I only sit on the stairs and wish for quiet.

After a few minutes, my brothers and I find peace again. Dad still hasn't come home though. We all sit on the stairs staring at the front door waiting.

"Did you actually think you could get to Virginia and back without Dad killing you for taking the car?" I ask, "That's like fourteen hours of driving."

"It's the closest state that we're sure allows it." Ethan says, "I think the fact that it was closest made me underestimate how far it really is."

"If you think about it the Supreme Court is unconstitutional." Christian says, "It has such low approval ratings but it's supposed to be for the people."

"Who's going to stop the court though?" I ask, "The entire political system is messed up."

"This is depressing." Cameron says.

"Why did you make me take the fall for something Cameron's hiding?" Christian asks me, shifting the conversation.

"I made a deal with him a year and a half ago." I say

"Technically you didn't have to lie to Dad about whose they were." Cameron says, "You only said you'd tell mom that."

"You want me to tell Dad you've had those under your bed for at least two years?" I ask, "I was being nice to you by throwing Christian under the bus."

Cameron looks down and shakes his head, Christian gives me a death stare because he got the short end of the stick.

Dad eventually comes back through the front door after a half hour of him wandering the neighborhood. He beckons Ethan to the living room and we silently wish him luck. Dad shoos us to our rooms, he doesn't want us to overhear, but we want to eavesdrop so we stay on the stairs.

"What the hell were you thinking" Dad says, his otherwise unnoticeable southern accent coming out. "I wish this was something where I could say you made your grave, now lie in it, but I can't."

Ethan mutters an "I'm sorry."

"Don't look down at the floor like a little kid getting scolded. You have a child on the way." Dad says, "and I know you plan to abort it, but until then it's on the way."

Ethan must have looked up or something because Dad says "Better" and keeps talking.

"Now about this trip, how were you planning on doing it?" Dad asks, "Do you realize how far Virginia is? You clearly were planning on going before you even told me she was pregnant because your siblings knew."

"I thought I could take your car on a day you're working from home and face the consequences later." Ethan says, "I was hoping it could be a day trip."

"But you know now that it's too far to do in a day. What is your plan now?" Dad asks.

"I don't know" Ethan says.

"You better come up with a plan on your own because I'm not helping you get out of this." Dad says. This surprises us, because we thought that Dad would keep us from becoming teen parents. Ethan protests this and argues that he's only sixteen, he can't raise a child. He says that Dad said he couldn't make him lie in his grave, but it feels like that's what's happening.

"You should have thought about the consequences before you slept with her." Dad says, "You got yourself into this, you're responsible for getting out of it."

Dad leaves the living room and sees us running from where we were sitting and yells at us about eavesdropping.