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

In The Night [Part 2] (Andy's POV)

I awoke around two in the morning and got out of bed, not being able to sleep after a night of tossing and turning. I made sure not to disturb Joe, who was sound asleep and snoring beside me. I closed our bedroom door quietly behind me and walked down the hall, peering into Summer's room to make sure she was still asleep. I made my way to Libbie's room and looked inside, seeing her blankets scrunched up on her bed. She seemed alright, so I gently closed her door and made my way to the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of water and sat at the half wall, flipping through yesterday morning's newspaper. 

Almost a half hour later, I was startled by the front door creaking open slightly. I put my cup down and looked behind me, seeing Libbie sneaking through the doorway. I became confused, because I thought she was in bed. I stood up, folding my arms. As the door closed, I cleared my throat, making her jump and cover her mouth.

"D-Dad, I-"

"Elizabeth, it's two-thirty in the morning, what on earth are you doing out?" I asked.

"Gage," she said. "He needed to talk to me, and since we both couldn't sleep, we decided to meet at the park by school," she explained. "I-I'm sorry, it was stupid to go out this late. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

I sighed, taking her hand and sitting her on the couch next to me. She looked at me, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. I pulled her into my lap and asked her what was wrong, stroking her hair.

She chuckled, crying a little, "Nothing's wrong, besides what's normally wrong, anyway. I'm just happy, happier than I've ever been in the past few weeks."

"What happened?" I asked, pulling her out of my lap.

She began to tell me that her and Gage met at the park and that he apologized for everything that happened and how he told her how he really felt about her. She told me that she had the courage to tell him that she was pregnant with his child, and that after she told him, he bolted, which I frowned at. She said she went after him and found him in the clearing in the woods, crying about everything. She told me they talked things out, and afterwards, ended it with a kiss. She went on about how she was actually still figuring things out about herself, since she thought she only liked girls, but now is crushing on her best guy friend. She said she walked Gage home after that, then came home and had a smile on her face the whole time. She ended everything by telling me that she thinks she's in love with Gage.

"Whoa, love?" I asked.

"Dad, I know it sounds dumb and you think I'm probably too young to know what love is, but I think i really do ..." she sighed, smiling. "If only you could see the way he treats me, like truly treats me. He was the only friend out of our group that never put me down, that never talked down to me. Do you know how much that means to me? He always made sure I was okay and cared about me. He always stood up for me when people put me down, just everything," she explained.

"So, you're in love with the guy that knocked you up, unintentionally, but still, ignored you for weeks, and seemed to not care about you for the longest time?" I asked.

"I know how it sounds, and you're right, but he needed time to figure himself out too, dad, you gotta realize that," she said. "We both fucked up that night, and we both needed time for ourselves, even as much as we wanted to reach out to the other person."

"I suppose you're right," I shrugged. "But, I swear to god, if he hurts you in any way, shape, or form, he won't know what hit him," I threatened.

"Don't worry about it, dad, okay? I can handle myself. And, after all, I've got to learn to grow that backbone you're always telling me I need," she chuckled. "I'm going to have to face people at school, in town, wherever, when they judge me about my baby."

I sighed, realizing how much backlash she probably would get due to the circumstances. I didn't want to see my baby hurt, and though I knew I couldn't always protect her, I had to believe in her and trust her enough to know that she could handle herself. I wasn't necessarily doubting her, but I had seen how much bullying had affected her before, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to see her relive that again - maybe ten times worse.

"I want to go back to school," she sighed, crossing her arms on her thighs. "I've actually been working on a little work here and there, even though you guys didn't know, and I'm mostly caught up. I think I'm ready."

"Lib, are you sure? I know Joe and I were kind of stern with you earlier, but we're not forcing you to go back, not yet anyway," I said.

"I'm sure," she replied. "I'll go back Monday, I'll hand in all my work, and everything will be peachy keen."

"Really?" I chuckled.

"Okay, maybe not everything, but I'm going to try and be positive. I can do this, right?" she asked.

"Of course you can," I smiled, pulling her into my lap again and kissing her head. "I have no doubt that you can, and like I said, you know Joe and I will kick some ass if needed, alright?"

"Okay, dad," she laughed. "I think I'm going to head to bed," she yawned. "Haven't slept well in a while. I love you."

"I love you too, baby girl," I kissed her head once more, then sent her on her way. 

I cleaned up my mess on the half wall, then decided I should turn in as well. I shut the small light off that I had on before, then made my way back to mine and Joe's room. I quietly crawled back into bed, trying not to disturb Joe. I heard him rustle beside me, making my mentally curse myself. He rolled over and put his arm around me.

"Mm, where were you?" he mumbled.

"Kitchen," I chuckled. 

"Did I hear you and Lib talking? She okay?" he asked.

"Well, she snuck out, fell in love, came back home, opened up to me about everything, told me she did some of her schoolwork, and said she's ready to go back to school," I explained.

"What?" he asked, sitting up.

"I'll explain in the morning, I'm going to bed," I chuckled, closing my eyes, falling asleep with a smile on my face.