Alaska

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

Ryan stopped, his face turning serious, his jawline tensing and his green eyes shifting from left to right in confusion.

"You're...  What?" He questioned.

Lexi's heart came to a halt and colour washed away from her face.  What had come over her?!  How had she blurted out the thoughts on her mind without realizing what she was doing?  She gulped, trying to find her voice but it seemed that she was frozen in shock and panic.

"Lexi?" Ryan asked uncertainly, raising a perfect eyebrow.

Lexi felt nothing but the squeeze of Meagen's hand in hers, and the hard pounding of her heart against her chest.

Ryan shook his head and turned away, facing the beach over the stone banister.

"If you don't wanna kiss me, just tell me.  Don't scare me like that!" He muttered and Lexi frowned in defeat.

She took a deep breath and hoisted Meagen up into her arms then paced over beside him, so that they were both over-looking the freezing beach below that was covered with white spots of snow.  It was high time that she took responsibility for her actions and acted mature about the whole situation.

"Ryan," she began.  "I'm pregnant.  I found out over a week ago and it is your baby.  I haven't been with anyone in the way that we were together.  My parent's don't know.  My sister and you are the only ones that know.  We need to discuss what we want to do."

Ryan turned to her, his bottom lip quivering, a glassy look in his leaf green eyes.

"I'm eighteen.  You think I wanna be a dad?  I'm going to college next fall!" He spat.

Lexi scowled, feeling a certain tightness in her throat, but she kept her cool despite her increasing desire to break down and cry.

"I didn't ask for this, either.  I'm two years younger than you.  I'm not even a Junior in high school yet and I'm having a baby.  You had a right to know, and that's why I'm telling you!" She said.

He shook his head, running a hand through his voluptuous brown hair.  "So, what.  You're planning on keeping this baby?  You're not gonna get an abortion?"

Lexi closed her eyes.  It was clear that he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby.

"I haven't even told my parent's, yet.  I need to pluck up the courage to do so because they are going to react the worst in all of this.  They don't believe in abortion, and neither do I.  We weren't careful enough, Ryan and now we need to take charge of another human being," she said.

He snorted.  "You need to take charge of another human being.  You should have told me that you weren't on the pill, otherwise I would have been more careful.  I'm fine with having an abortion.  We're teenagers in high school, so if I don't want a kid and you do, it's your kid.  Not ours."

"How could you say that?" Lexi snapped.  "How could you just stand there and blame this on me?!"

"You're the one that's pregnant and not wanting an abortion, Alexia.  Not me.  So I accept full responsibility, yes.  But I don't want a kid!" He growled.

"You have no choice," came a voice.

They both turned and Lexi's heart skipped a beat when she saw Angel standing in the doorway of the glass doors, her arms crossed.  She had tears in her eyes.

"How long have you been standing there?" Lexi questioned.

"A while enough to realize what a bastard the father of your baby is," she replied, staring at Ryan with a look of hatred.