What Changed My Life

Chapter One

Come on. Come on, hurry up! Come oooon. BEEP! Crossing my fingers and squeezing my eyes shut, I pick up the pregnancy test. The lines on this little device will either make or break me. Then I see the two lines. Ah, crap! You have got to be fucking kidding me. I'm pregnant?! I'm only 16! I don't even have a car yet, I can't have a baby! My parents are gonna kill me! Luke will freak out and leave me. I won't be able to finish high school or go to college. The baby won't have a father...or a mom who knows what the hell she's doing at that. What do I do? I don't believe in abortion, and I don't want to give my baby up for adoption. Oh god, I need help! I hear Luke's sports car pull in my driveway. How soon do I tell him? Hopefully he'll give being a father a shot before leaving.

I run out of my bathroom, grabbing my favorite book off of my desk on the way to my bed. I curl up just before I hear him come in the door and say, "Hello, sir." To my dad. He's such a dork. We've been dating for almost two years and he still talks all formal to my parents. "Em?"

"In my room!" I call back. By the time he gets up the stairs my heart feels like a hummingbird frantically trying to get out of its cage. The anticipation almost hurts.

"Reading that again? Jeez it's a great book but you might like it a little too much."

"Oh, please. You're just jealous of how many times Jack has made me cry because of how sweet he is." I tease. I'm not really a nerd; in fact, I don't have very good grades at all. But something about reading is amazing. It's an escape out my own life, into another world. I get to know some fantastic people who are too perfect t to really exist.

"Yup." He says while lying down propped up by his elbows. "So, what about tomorrow night? Still going with Alyssa?"

"No, she has to baby-sit." I say, ducking my head so he can reach over me and grab a pillow. He puts it between his back and the headboard of the bed, then brushes away the hair he caused to fall over my eyes. "She's ditching me for little kids."

"I would, except they're not good enough kissers." He jokes, moving in for a kiss. No matter how corny his lines may be, they never fail to make me smile. I debate pushing him away playfully making him wait for a kiss like I sometimes do, but I decided I need this. After the kiss, I lay my head on his chest, hearing his heartbeat. So many times his heartbeat has put me to sleep, but I don't let it this time. Instead I lay there wondering how to go about telling him I'm pregnant with his child. I still haven't gotten used to the thought.

"Luke?"

"Yes?" He replies. After a moment, he pulls me up to look at him, keeping his arms around my waist. "What's wrong, babe?" He heard it in my voice. 

I take a deep, shaky breath and close my eyes to build strength. Then I exhale slowly. "I'm pregnant." Here it comes, he's leaving.

He doesn't say anything for awhile. I almost think he isn't going to respond. "Okay." He says, his eyes trained on mine. I look down at my shaking hands so he doesn't see the tears building up. He places his hand on my cheek and lightly brings my face up so he can look into my eyes again. "Don't cry. Why are you crying?" he asks, confused.

"'Cause I am" Then it clicks.

"If you're thinking I'm gonna leave you because you're pregnant you've gone totally bat shit." He says wiping the tears from my face. "I told you I won't ever let anyone come between us, and I meant it."

"But this is different. You meant my idiotic shallow friends and people trying to date one of us. People who want us to break up."