A Do Or Die Situation (Sequel to To Offset The Shakes) // Andy Hurley/Trohley

The Ringer (Andy's POV)

"Joe, it's been a few weeks and Libbie still isn't herself..." I sighed, sitting on the couch next to him.

"Well, I'm not saying I don't blame her, but I'm also worried about her too. I mean, she hasn't gone to school either," Joe said.

"I'm getting worried about that too, she hasn't done any of the schoolwork that we've picked up for her. I mentioned it to her the other day and that just set her off..."

"And not to mention that I think she's so depressed and down that she's making herself sick. She's barely eating as well," Joe said after we both heard Libbie run to the bathroom for the second time today. "I'm at a loss of what to do. Pete and Patrick even keep asking me if she's okay, babe."

"Should we try talking to her?" I asked, not knowing what else to do.

"We've tried that already," he sighed. "And we both know that a therapist is out of the question. It's not like they help much anyway."

"Well, we'll just have to keep talking to her. It's bound to help at some point," I said, getting up and taking Joe's hand in mine.

We walked down the hallway to Libbie's room. I gently knocked, and we heard a faint voice telling us to come in. We walked in and saw Libbie curled up on her bed facing the wall, her eyes half closed. We sat on the edge of her bed, me closest to her. I rubbed her back gently, asking how she felt. She opened her eyes all the way, sitting up and just looking at me. The look said it all - she felt like anyone but herself. I sighed, still rubbing her back. 

"I know you don't want to talk much, but we do need to talk," I said. "Listen ... Joe and I really think you should go back to school. Your grades are suffering, your relationships with your teachers ... everything. And if you don't want to go back just yet, then please make ends meet by at least doing some of your homework. I know it's the last thing you want to do, and I know all of this has taken a huge strain on you, but you still need to be a student, Lib. You still have to do the things you're told to do ... Do you understand?" I explained.

"I do," she said, sitting up a little more. 

"You know you can always talk to Joe and I, right?" I asked. 

"Of course," she nodded.

"Then ... why haven't you?" I asked, trying not to sound as harsh as it did.

"I-I don't know," she said, her voice breaking. "T-Things have just been so hard for me. I don't expect you to understand. I-I let things get to me way too much, obviously, and I just don't know how to handle them. And because of that, I feel like others don't know how to handle them/me, either."

"Babe," I said, pulling her into my lap and wiping a tear that was falling down her cheek. "You know that we'll at least try. Pete and Patrick will try too, if you choose to talk to them. You're surrounded by people who are so willing to help, you just have to ask for it," I said.

"I know, but some things I just don't want to talk about, you know?" she added.

"I totally get that. Hell, there are things that Joe and I don't even tell each other," I said.

"There are?!" Joe asked, trying not to smile. I hit him lightly on his shoulder, making Libbie let out a quiet chuckle.

"Of course there are. Lib, you don't have to tell everyone in your life what's going on with you at all times. If you ask for the help or if they offer, just tell them what you want to tell them. No one will make you tell them everything down to the last detail. And, if they do, I'm sure Joe and I will fuck 'em up a little," I chuckled.

"T-Thanks," she chuckled. "T-There is something I do want to mention ... I don't know how you guys w-will take i-it," she said, her voice breaking again, making me worried.

"What is it? What's wrong, hun?" I asked, rubbing her back again.

"I-I," was all she could get out. Joe and I looked at her, not saying anything, not wanting to push her. "G-God dammit, you're going to kill me."

"D-Did you cut again...?" Joe asked, trying to guess what she was going to tell us.

"W-Well," she stuttered. "Y-Yes, but that's not what I want to tell you."

"Is it about your 'friends?' Because I swear if they did anything or said anything to you, they won't know what hit 'em," Joe threatened. 

"Well, it's kind of about one of them," she answered, sitting up in my lap a little. 

"What did they do?" I asked.

"Gage..." she said, putting her head down. "H-He did something worse than that night we got together ... Well, we both kind of did."

That's when my heart sank. I figured out what she was trying to tell us. I wasn't too sure if Joe had figured it out yet, but judging by the look on his face, I figured he might have. We both looked at her, our faces blank. I cleared my throat, then looked at her.

"L-Libbie ...?" I said, almost in a question. 

She broke down, gripping my shirt and crying into it. I looked at Joe while I wrapped my arms around her. He had a look of disappointment on his face, but also confusion. I was sure I had the same. My baby girl was still a baby, and because of that one night, my baby girl was going to be a mother now. I didn't know how to feel about it. I had to admit that I was disappointed in her. I didn't want her to necessarily know that right from the start, because these next eight or nine months would probably be hard enough for her to handle.

"I-I don't know how it happened. In fact, it all happened so fast, I don't know what to think," she cried. "I'm only sixteen and I'm f-fucking pregnant," she cried harder.

"Hun, we'll discuss this when you're feeling better," I said, gently setting her back on her bed. "I'll bring you some ibuprofen and some water so maybe the morning sickness-" which now made so much more sense "-will ease up, okay?" I told her, disappointment in my voice. She nodded, trying to stifle her crying.

Joe and I walked out of her room and went straight back to the living room. I sat on the edge of the couch and held my head in my hands. 

"What the fuck," I said, sighing.

"I'm at as much a loss as you are," Joe said, resting his hand on my back.

"I don't know what to do!" I said loudly, scaring Joe slightly. "Natalie never let me around her when she was pregnant ... I don't know how to handle it, what help to get her, nothing! My baby girl is having a baby, what am I supposed to think? I-Is this my fault?" I asked him, on the verge of tears.

"Don't you dare think this is your fault," Joe said, pulling me into his lap. "It's not, it's not yours, it's not mine, it's Libbie and Gage's. This is a lesson in life, babe. It may be a shitty one, but it's still a lesson. It's her body, her decision. If she chooses to go along with this, then so be it. Just, her and Gage will have to rely on each other to give this baby their very best love and care. Of course we'll stand by her, even if we're upset with her," he explained. "But, don't you dare for a second think you could have prevented this. Libbie made the choice to drink, she made the choice to do what she did with Gage, and though it wasn't her choice to get pregnant, it was a consequence of their actions."

"Y-You're right ..." I said, wiping my tears. "Of course I'll be there for her, I just don't know how to wrap my head around this. I can't even imagine how she's feeling right now. Everything makes so much sense to me now, after hearing that come out of her mouth. I'm just disappointed in her ..."

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okay shitty chapter, I'm so sorry .-. buT YAY PLOTLINE 

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