Teenagers, Love and Pregnancy

Chapter 15

"Joey?" I said. "Is that you?"

"Um, yeah," he mumbled. He was sitting crosslegged on his bed, wearing a grey T-shirt and plaid pajama pants. The glasses he wore at night were hanging on the bridge of his nose.

I tried to hide my disappointment at the fact that I had answered to my ex-boyfriend's call instead of my current one.

"So what's up?" I asked.

"Ummm, nothing," he said. He hiccuped and laughed like he'd made the funniest joke in the world. " "Oh my gosh," Kelly whispered in my ear. "He is SO drunk."

I nodded. It was pretty clear Joey was well beyond tipsy.

"Look Joey, maybe you should call me back in the morning. . .," I said slowly. "When you're feeling more. . .yourself."

"Alright," he said with a hiccup. "Fine. But first thing's first."

"What?" I asked.

"Kendall's cheating on you."

And with that, the call ended.

*** Two days later, and I had hardly slept at all.

Kendall was cheating on me? Is that really what Joey had Skyped to tell me? I'd hoped he would call me back in the morning when he was sober, but he hadn't answered my calls.

I kept trying to tell myself that Joey was drunk -- that much was obvious -- and the alcohol was doing the talking. But what was that my mom had always warned me of?

When you've been drinking, the truth comes out.

So for the last two days I'd been in a state of panic, calling Joey, then Kendall, then Joey, over and over again.

"I'm sorry little man," I mumbled as I rubbed my now very prominent Week Twenty belly while lying on my bed, trying to fight my bizarre craving for Thanksgiving turkey with orange jelly on top. "I know that when I'm tired, you're tired. I just need to call Daddy and make sure things are okay with him, alright?"

I tried calling Kendall's phone again. No answer. I quickly penned a text to Joey.

"We need to talk. Stat."

After that, I called my mom and asked her if we had any turkey or orange jelly in the house, because I felt too exhausted to walk downstairs and ask her myself. Being the awesome mom she was, in less than ten minutes, she was at the foot of my bed with a slice of deli turkey that had been heated in the microwave.

"No orange jelly," she said. "But we have orange juice?" She held up a glass of O.J. "Good enough?"

"Perfect, Mom," I said, taking the orange juice and drinking it.

She sat down beside me and stroked my hair, pushing it away from my face and then running her fingers through it over and over.

"Is everything okay, honey?" she asked. "You seem a little. . .down."

I shrugged.

"I'm okay," I lied. In reality, I was freaking out. How easy would it be for Kendall to cheat on me with any of the girls in Seattle? He was so far away, I'd never know.

"Look," she said. "I know you're upset that you can't go to college. I get it. But you're going to see how amazing the life of a mommy is. It may not be what you thought you wanted, but everything happens for a reason."

"I know Mom," I said with a smile. "And I'm happy about this baby, really, I am."

"Alright, Kid," she said. "I'm gonna go take a shower." She kissed me on the head and left. As she was walking out, my phone rang. Joey.

"Hello?" I said.

"Cam I am SO sorry about that," Joey immediately said in a rush. "I was out at a party with some of the guys, and we were drinking. Before I went to bed I checked Facebook and I was so drunk I didn't know any better than to not Skype you and tell you."

I took a deep breath and tried to think about what he had just said rationally.

"Wait. . ." I said slowly. "Tell me what exactly?"

Joey sighed heavily into the phone.

"Do you really wanna know?"

"Yes. I want to know, Joey."

"On Facebook. . .there was a picture of Kendall with his arm around some blonde girl."

My heart skipped a beat. And then I could feel it breaking. I didn't have a Facebook. Kendall must have known that when he posted that picture of him and his new girl toy.

"So?" I said, trying to sound confident when really my world felt shattered. "They could be friends."

"She was kissing him on the cheek, Cam. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to tell you. God, if I hadn't been so wasted!" He sounded so full of regret, it physically hurt me.

"No Joey, you were right to tell me, sober or not. Thanks. I have to go now. Goodbye."

I hung up my phone. I felt myself collapse to the floor as heavy sobs racked my body. I picked up my phone and called Kendall one last time. No answer. I left a voicemail.

"You cheating pig," I said, my voice full of anger and pain. "I know what you posted on Facebook. You have one day to explain yourself, or we're done. You will NEVER see your son unless we have to go to court. I will not expose my baby to a lying, unfaithful idiot like yourself. One day Kendall. Or we're DONE."

I slapped the phone shut, putting my head between my knees.

What was I going to do if my son's father, who was supposed to be his role model, was a piece of dirt running with mistresses and who knows what else? I just wanted things to be okay. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew it was going to be hard. But in reality, I had no idea what a struggle it would be.

I rolled onto my side, entwining the carpet in my fingers and crying until tears wouldn't come anymore.

----------------------------------------------------