Alaska

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

The only thing that could be heard in the living room, was the sound of low-tuned Christmas Carols playing from the stereo at the end of the room.

Lexi stared at her parents, pinching the inside of her palm with such hatred for both herself and Ryan.  How could he have told his parents?!  Surely he would have known that they'd contact Lexi's in an instant!

"Alexia Diane Whitmore," Bill Whitmore barked.  "What did I just hear?!"

Lexi's lip trembled and she hated the feeling of all the eyes in the room, piercing her very self with such confusion and disgust.  She felt Angel's arm enclose around her shoulder, protectively.

"Alexia," Pat shrieked.  "Answer your father, right now."

"Oh, come on!  Don't be so hard on the girl.  She looks dead scared!" Grandma K sighed.

"Shut it, Mother.  Right now!" Bill yelled and his mother flinched.

Tears pricked Lexi's blue eyes as she sat on a leather pouffe pathetically, praying that she would wake up from a very humiliating dream of her parent's finding out that she was pregnant in a very harsh way.

She searched her mind for something to say, but her voice box just couldn't adjust.  She was lost for words, just like the previous night.

"SAY SOMETHING!"

The entire room cringed at the raised roar of Bill.  Meagen broke down into fits of scared sobs from the corner of the room and Anthony sighed and picked her up, taking her out of the room paternally.

"Dad, not so loud!" Angel snapped.

"Everybody.  Get.  Out.  Now.  Leave my wife and youngest daughter," Bill said, with clenched teeth.  Veins were appearing on his olive skinned forehead and his nostrils were flared, venomously.

The room emptied slowly, leaving behind; Bill, Pat, Lexi and Angel.

"Angel, this is a discussion between your mother, Alexia and I.  Please get out," Bill said, his voice quivering.  Pat was shaking her head and nervously running her hand through her mane of dirty blonde hair.

"I'm not going anywhere," Angel replied, calmly.  "We're gonna sit down and discuss this issue like a normal family and there is no need to raise your voice and scare Lexi or my daughter."

Pat moaned in terror.  "So there is an issue!"

Angel nodded her head and glanced at Lexi, a look of encouragement on her beautiful face.

Lexi took a deep breath, and finally opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm pregnant," she mumbled and Pat moaned again.  "This was a mistake, and you have no idea how I've been beating myself up about it, as it is.  I really take responsibility, Mom and Dad.  If only you could support me."

Bill stood up and paced around the living room, patting his stubbled chin in thought and Pat was sitting on the main leather sofa, her head in her hands, whimpering every now and then.

"How can we support you when you are only sixteen years old and having a baby!  You're not even in a stable relationship!" Bill roared, after a few minutes.  "What will my colleagues think?  What will your mother's friends think?  What will everyone think!  This is preposterous!"

Pat lifted her head up.  Her cheeks were covered in red blotches and tears were leaking out of her grey eyes.

"You are such a selfish little girl.  You only think about yourself at times.  Do you realize how something like this could affect our family's reputation?" She cried.