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Chapter Two

Chapter Two:
Actions Come with Consequences

six weeks ago
"Happy anniversary sweetheart." He smiled, standing at the threshold of my apartment, holding a bouquet of English marigold's– my all time favorite flowers.

"Happy anniversary babe." I mocked, "So what big plans do you have in mind for our anniversary this year? Dinner and a movie– or movie and dinner?"

"Well, I thought we could do dinner and a movie this time." he laughed, going along with my sarcastic joke, "So ... take out. Pizza or Chinese?"

"If you really need to ask me that then why are we still together?" 

He let out a quiet cackle and picked up the phone,"Chinese it is." 

*Two hours later*

They usually always had movie marathons like these. It was nothing special, it was what they did. They would go back and forth on movie picks and, basically every movie one picked, the other hated, but dealt with anyhow. Maya was a real sap when it came to movies. Practically her every choice was an 80's romantic comedy. But Lucas was into action, and adventure; not crying or getting butterflies over a couple on tv when he did enough of that in real life. He got over it eventually but at first, he would make snarky comments and mock their comments in every movie, it made Maya hate watching them with him until she realized to just ignore his annoying behavior and he'll stop. 

Lucas' movie pick was finally over when she started another one,"The Notebook" it was Maya's favorite and as much as he hated chick flicks, he couldn't do anything about it.

Twenty minutes into the movie his hands were traveling all over her body. There was no telling whether the movie put him in the mood or whether he just wanted an excuse not to watch it but Maya thought long and hard about the circumstances as his palms massaged her body. They'd been together for four years long and not once had he ever pressured her to do anything she wasn't ready to do. But this time she thought it might be different. 

That's four years he's gone without touching her body and maybe he was expecting it. They're in high school, almost done with it, even. Most people in their school are going off to parties and having sex with the first person they get their hands on, in a relationship or not– but not Maya and Lucus, no.

'So what harm could this do? I love him, he loves me. We're at a good place in our relationship and this could even improve that more.'

Regardless of what either of them happened to be thinking, all actions come with consequences.

 

"When did you find out? I mean, are you even sure? Maybe the pregnancy test was wrong. Have you told anyone yet? Have you told the father?"

She's obviously in shock, even though she's trying to hide it as best as she can. Still setting me off, saying "the father" as if I had slept with someone other than Lucas, though.

"When has a pregnancy test ever been falsely positive, Riles? Now if you could please lose it with the twenty-one questions, that'd be great."

She gave me that stupid look of sympathy that I dreaded from anyone and everyone. I've received it all my life and it is absolutely sickening.

'oh, the poor girl without a father, the poor girl deprived of life, the poor girl, the poor girl, the poor, poor girl.'

If I was given a dime right now for each time someone gave me that look in the past, I'd never need another penny for the rest of my life and I'd still be wealthy till the day I died.

"When I'm ready to tell everyone or anyone for that matter, I will. Hell, I wasn't even ready for you Riley. Much less, parents or Lucas.

"Okay. But Maya ... he should be the first to know– well technically second– but you know what I'm getting at. He's the father, don't let him find out from someone else, okay?"

I shook my head but my eyes were locked on my bedroom floor as I was trying to hold back the tears. This is real. This is really happening and it's not going away: I'm pregnant. I'm seventeen and I'm pregnant.

I am everything I swore to myself that I never would be.