Screwed

Chapter Twelve

(12)

"I told them," Jade tells Beck when he picks her up the next day.

Beck raises an eyebrow. He doesn't have to ask what she's referring to, she wouldn't make a big deal about anything else. "Really? How'd they are it?"

"Cat was...well Cat," Jade says with a small smile. "Tori was...well."

"She was upset?" Beck is honestly surprised. He would think that Tori would be the most supportive of their friends.

a Jade shrugged her shoulders. "She asked valid questions and raised valid concerns. She thinks that I should get and abortion."

Beck almost slams his feet on the breaks. "She told you that?" When Jade nods his grip on the wheel tighten. Why the hell would she say that. How could Tori say that?

He feels Jade's hand on his thigh. "Don't worry babe, I told her that I'm not getting one," Jade tells him.

"She shouldn't have brought it up in the first place," Beck mutters. Then Beck remembers what Jade had said before.

"What did she say that you thought were valid concerns?"

"College, jobs, things that we've glossed over but never really talked about. And we should, if you want to keep it."

Beck sighs as he rubs his forehead. "I know. I know," he pauses, before he says, "And we should tell my parents."

He doesn't want to, but he knows that he can't fight the inevitable.

Jade tenses as she takes her hand from his thighs and rings her hands together. "Do you really think we should?"

"You know that we have to. But no matter what babe, it's me and you."

Jade sighs as she leans against the headrest. "You know, we say that a lot. That's it me and you, that we can take this one day at a time, but you know what I realized? It's not. It's not just me and you, we're having a baby, another human being that's completely dependent on us, and we can't take this one day at a time because what we do now determined the life that this kid is gonna have. And if we can't start making those decisions then..."

"Then what?" Beck asks. "We should give the baby up for adoption?"

Jade looks down at her hands. "Would you give up college for this baby?" she asks.

"In a heartbeat," he replies without hesitation.

"And what about jobs after that? Without a college diploma we would be working at In-And-Out for the rest of our lives."

"We could take online classes."

"With a newborn? Who's gonna be crying at all hours of the night?"

Beck swallows as he runs his fingers through his hair. "Why does is sound like you want to give this baby up?"

Jade sighs. "That's not what I want. Babe, believe me when I say that's the last thing I want. But I want our baby to have a great future."

"And you don't think that's with us?"

Jade chews on her bottom lip before she admits, "I don't know."

Beck scoffs. He knows that Jade has insecurities in herself, in them (she's had them even before they ended up in this predicament) but he doesn't.

"You know what, you're right, we don't have everything figured out. But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to take care of that baby. Because that's my kid and I already love them," Beck assures her, his hand rubbing up and down Jade's thigh. When the brunette doesn't say anything, Beck pushes, "I truly believe that we could do this Jade. We could be a family."

Jade swallows thickly before she turns toward Beck. "Can we get something to eat? I'm hungry."
.

.
Jade throws her overnight bag on the floor once she walks into her house. "JASPER?!" she shouts, looking around the living room for her little brother. "I got you food!"

"Your brother has already eaten."

Jade turns on her heel, her eyes going wide as she sees her father standing there. "What-What're you doing here?" she asks.

"This is my house," the older man replies with a shrug.

"Well excuse me, sometimes I forget. You know, because you aren't around much," Jade bites out, before she makes her way to go to her room.

Her father isn't a man to let her hand the last word, never was, so he asks,

"Is that what you're gonna blame your teen pregnancy on? My absence?"

Jade turns on her heel. "How do you know about that?"

Her father raises an eyebrow. "I got a call from the insurance company about prenatal vitamins," he pauses crosses his arms across his chest. "Surprisingly, you weren't even my first thought. Naturally, my first thought was your mother, but she's had her tubes tied after Jasper. And then I thought of you, my delinquent daughter who thinks directing and acting is a lucrative career-"

"Don't! Don't start," Jade warns.

"You do realize that little dream is going out of the window, right?" her father asks. "Because you can't raise a kid and try to be an actor. Not at your age. Unless you give the kid up."

"And you would love that wouldn't you?" Jade snarls.

"I would, because you are not fit to be anyone mother. You clearly can't even take care of yourself or you wouldn't be in this position."

"I have been taking care of myself for years," Jade cries. "When mom was drunk off her ass and you were God knows where, I was taking care of myself. And when mom had Jasper, I was taking care of him too. I was changing his diaper, I was there comforting him when you and mom didn't give a shit about us and argued and broke stuff around the house. I'm the one who taught Jasper how to ride a bike. Me. So don't you dare tell me that I don't know how to take care of myself and that I don't know how to take care of others, because newsflash dad, I've been doing it all my life."

The silence that follows is overwhelming.

It makes her want to leave, and she starts to, heads toward the door to get the hell out of that house when she hears,

"Jadey?"

She turns, sees her brother standing there. She swallows, "Hey Jas."

"Are you leaving? You're supposed to help me with my project."

"Yes Jadelyn, why don't you stay? And then we can have a family dinner," her father says, walking towards his office before he says, "oh, and invite Beck."

I've always imagined Jade's dad to be a dick. But maybe he'll help Bade out somehow? Or maybe he's just a dickie grandpa.