Alaska

Chapter Thirty-Six

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

When Lexi went home, she had inspiration brimming from the top of her brain.  It took her twenty minutes to finalize her Alaska project and look it over three times.  Finally, with a deep breath, she padded down the stairs, carrying her laptop and entered Anthony's study to use the printer.

As she watched her project coming to life in paper form, Angel strolled into the room with a stack of books in her hands.  She smiled when she saw Lexi and set them down onto a bookshelf, instantly.

"What's up?" She asked, amicably.

"I'm printing up my project," Lexi replied with a grin.  "I don't know if I'll win, but to be honest I don't even care anymore.  I've got Ashton back and he's moving with me."

Angel's blue eyes rounded and her jaw dropped.  "Really?  Is that who you were with all day?"

Lexi nodded her head ecstatically and turned to collect her finished project, gathering up the papers and stapling them with a stapler she found on Anthony's mahogany table.

"What are you talking about?  He's moving to Pennsylvania?  Isn't he going to jail?" Angel questioned, her eyebrows furrowed.

Lexi shrugged.  "He got community service.  I'm sure he can do it Pennsylvania."

"And where's he going to live?" Angel continued, hands on her hips.

"He's getting his own place."

Angel exhaled, shaking her head and looking like she wasn't understanding something.  She was clearly worried, something she did best.

"It's fine.  I love him and he loves me.  And he wants to be the father of my baby.  You told me yourself that I'm mature enough to make decisions.  So let me make this one," Lexi said. 

Angel hesitated, considering, then she nodded and gave a small smirk, indicating her acceptance and support...

***

Thirty-one weeks...

Over the next week, Lexi had nothing to worry about, which felt ironic considering how worried she had been during the past few months.  She had everything she could ever want.  Friends, a loving boyfriend, a home and a plan of how she was going to care for her baby.  She didn't even have to worry about her project, because it had been handed in and she promised herself that she wouldn't even think about winning...  After all, it was more likely that a better adapted girl with a vast imagination and larger vocabulary would win....

On Friday the twenty-first of June, during a scalding hot and sunny afternoon, Lexi was found standing in Angel's backyard pushing her niece on a swing with a glass of iced lemonade clasped in her right hand.  She was nearing eight months in her pregnancy and being uncomfortable was the only thing that nagged at her, so she needed as much distraction as possible.

This however, came immediately.

Anthony and Angel were fussing over their new barbecue that they had bought for a fourth of July party they were hosting, and they decided that tonight was the perfect night to test it out.  They had brought out the kitchen table onto the freshly mowed grass and mosquito repelling candles were flickering in the still air.

As the sun began setting behind a patch of old oak trees, Lexi heard the doorbell ring and a small rumble that sounded like a bunch of cars pulled over into the cul-de-sac.  She glanced at Angel who had straightened up and watched her disappear inside to answer the door.

It was a few minutes before she appeared again, however she was not alone.  Behind her were at least twenty people, all holding gifts wrapped in flamboyant colours with extravagant bows tied to them.  Lexi's jaw dropped as her eyes found Ashton who was leading the group of people.  He was holding a bouquet of balloons, all in a different shade of pink, and a wrapped gift in his left hand.