Hopelessy Devoted

Chapter Eight: Truth Be Told

I ended up dropping Daryl off halfway between my house and his. He keeps begging me to stay away from his house no matter what. As tempting as it is to defy is wishes, I listen to his warning because that house in general has always scared me. It's presence on this long dirt road has always sent shivers down my spine and the longer I think about it, the more frightened I get. As I sit in my truck and watch Daryl walk off home, I can't help but smile at how much he means to me. His personality at times may make me want to kill myself, but his caring nature is one of the greatest things I have ever experienced.

Once I see him enter his property, I drive the rest of the hundred yards to my house and park my truck. Tiredly sitting in the drivers seat, I pull out the sauna gram picture and gaze down at my baby. Zach will come around. I know he will. It always happens. Once I tell him he will be nicer and more in love with me. He has too. He can't get any worse. Can he?

Noticing a blue Escape pull in beside me, I quickly shove the picture in my backpack and get out of the car. In minutes, Maggie has glued herself to me in a hug and a strange Asian guy just smiles at me. I had no idea Maggie was coming home from college so soon. I just hope she doesn't snoop around.

"Hey! How have ya been?"

"I've been good Maggie...umm..."

"Oh Beth, this is my boyfriend Glenn Rhee." Glenn sticks his hand out for me to shake and I politely give him my hand. "So daddy told me you won Homecoming Queen and you and Zach are dating!! How exciting!"

"Sure. If you say so. Listen, I have homework I have to do so I'll catch up with you both at dinner." I smile softly and then race off upstairs to my room. Once I get in there I puke my brains out into my toilet and feel as if my whole world is caving in. Can I do this? Can I have a baby at 17? I mean, it's happening. I'm not getting an abortion, but maybe I could adopt them out. But then I'll always think of them. I wish I knew if it was a boy or a girl. He or she needs to be properly addressed instead of he or she or them I refuse to use it. It is a demeaning way to speak about someone.

Flushing the toilet and washing my mouth out with mouth wash, I go to my bed and just crash. I have to tell my Dad about the baby. Sure he'll be mad, but he'll come around...right? I mean he can't hate his grandchild...can he? God, I need answers.

My phone goes off and it startles me to the point I almost fall off the bed. Zach. Huh, I don't wanna talk to him right now.

Babe, where were you today? We were supposed to have lunch on the Quad and you didn't show. The fuck?

Shaking my migrained head, I hate how stupid he is. If he didn't see me for the first two periods of the day and part of the third, why would he think I would come for lunch and fourth period? Idiot.

Sorry, had a doctors appointment. Oh and we need to talk later.

Should I have said that? Or should I have just told him I want to hang out? I wish life was easier like the Sims where a bubble of options pop up.

I have a party to go too- we can talk there.

This guy doesn't get it. There could be a billboard in front of him advertising watches and he'd ask if it was for pizza. Gosh.

I'd prefer someplace private.

Moron.

Oh...I get ya. ;) Meet me at the Quarry.

Of course.

K.

Tossing my phone to the other end of the bed, I place my hands on my tiny stomach and inhale deeply. I need to just calm down. I need to catch my breath. Why am I hyperventilating? Why is my room spinning? Vortex? Twister? No. No. This is me over thinking everything. I need to relax. I need to relax.

***

Standing by a tree at the quarry, my heart pounds and stomps around in my chest. A whole band of drums beat in my ears and all I can do is try and breath- even if the breaths aren't deep enough to sustain life in my lungs, I need the air to cool me. I hear him coming, his dirt bike going, that cocky piece of metal I freaking hate. Okay, we can do this. We can do this lil baby.

"Woooohoooo!!!! Yeah!" He yells like  an ass as he hops off his bike. Coming over to me, he grabs me and forces his tongue down my throat. Gross! "Hey babe! What'd you wanna talk about?"

"Umm..." Find the words! Find the words!!!! "Zach, I have something important I have to tell you."

"Kay?" He pins me to the tree and forces his hips into me.

"Hmmm, I'm pregnant." There it is. Released into the universe. Take it with pride and...shit, he looks angry. Oh no.

"Fuck did you say?"

"I'm pregnant from you raping me." Shit don't say that. Don't say rape even though that's what it was.

"I didn't rape you if you liked it."

"I didn't. I asked you to stop and you didn't so that is rape, Zach. And now I'm pregnant and you have to help me with a baby." Why is my mouth being courageous today? Why am I so bold all of a sudden?

"You know what...yer right. Come on. I'll take you back to yer house. You shouldn't have to walk all the way there." He sweetly says. Maybe I was right about him. Getting on his bike, he helps me on and starts driving. As he goes up a high trail, I start realizing this isn't the trail to my house, though there are many of them. "You just couldn't fucking shut up. Could you?"

"Wha...what?" As he gets to the peak that over looks the steep side of the quarry, which descends to a bed of flat sheet rock and very little water, he stops the bike and my blood begins to race. He gets off the bike and stands on the opposite side of it facing the quarry. Before I know what's going on, he pulls his father's hand gun out and points it at my face. Trying to get away, I feel a pain in my head and I fall from the bike, down the sharp quarry side and everything I know goes blank.