Free (Sequel to Trapped)

Ch. 27

Ariana

2 Months Later, Sunday 3:45 pm

"Are you ready for school tomorrow?" Justin asks.

"Me?" Aviella looks at him and he laughs.

"Yes you, silly."

"I'm ready! I need to be prepared!" She squeals, running out of the living room.

"You're lucky. You don't have to go to work for literally like ten years." Justin looks at me.

"It's easy. Just get pregnant."

"I don't think that's possible."

"That's your problem. You don't believe in yourself. You can do anything. And you need to stop complaining. You're a model for fuck's  sake. How do you not wanna go to work?" I tell him.

"Ariana, if you were in my position for a day, you would be tired of it. It is fun for a little while but then it gets very demanding." He replies.

"Okay, Justin."

"God, Ariana. Don't get an attitude."

"Who said I had an attitude?"

"Nobody has to say you have one, it's pretty obvious."

"Whatever." I stand up and he pulls me back down.

"Let me go, Justin." I sigh.

"Are you mad?"

"No." I roll my eyes.

I know being pregnant makes my attitude a million times worse, but it's like I can't control what I say. It just comes out.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Justin. Now, let me go, I have to pee."

"Do you really?"

"I'm pregnant. I think I do."

"That makes sense." He lets me go and I walk to the downstairs bathroom.

3:52 pm

"Justin!" I whine.

"What?" He looks up from his phone.

He's been on it all day. And he's talking about me.

"I miss you." I hold my arms out, like Aviella does.

"You are so bipolar."

"It's not my fault. I wanna cuddle."

"Come here." A smile forms on my face and I scoot over into his lap.

"How's my baby doing?" He asks.

"You mean my baby. And she is doing great."

"How do you know?"

"Because she is inside of me. How would I not know?"

"I don't think that's how it works."

"Fine." I sit in his lap for a little bit, not talking.

"Aviella's too quiet." Justin says, stroking my hair.

"She is. She's most definitely doing something wrong." I reply.

We both get up and walk upstairs.

"Don't fall." Justin puts his hand on my back and I roll my eyes.

"You're not funny."

He laughs as we reach the top of the stairs.

"Aviella Monet, what's going on in this room of yours?" Justin asks.

Aviella's sitting at her table with paper, crayons, and markers.

"Uh... Nothing." She smiles up at us.

"Sure. What have you been doing?" I say.

"I'm just... Being ready for school."

"What does that mean?" I ask.

"I'm practicing my coloring." She lifts up the piece of paper she's working on and shows it to us.

"Avi, that's amazing." I say.

It's a picture of Toulouse digging a hole at the park and Aviella playing in the background. 

"How are you such an amazing artist?" Justin asks.

She shrugs.

"I like to draw. I like the colors and the pictures. Can you hang this one up?"

"Where, though?"

"Right here!" She points to a spot on her wall that isn't already covered in her drawings.

"I'll be back." Justin says.

He disappears from the doorway and I kneel down next to Aviella.

"Baby, would you ever take an art class? You're pretty advanced."

"I though art classes for big kids."

"I'm sure there's some for kids your age too. There's probably something at your school."

"I like that."

"Good. I'll see what I can do. Maybe, when your little sister or brother is born, you can teach them some stuff too. You're really good."

"Maybe. But it's gonna be a girl, right?"

"I hope so. We'll find out soon, though."

"Yay! I really want it to be a girl. Then I can teach her how to play soccer and how to draw and how to get away with stuff by being cute!" She squeals.

I laugh as Justin walks back in and picks up Aviella's picture.

He hangs it up where Aviella wanted it and she smiles.

"Thank you, daddy."

"No problem, princess. Are you ready for school?"

"You already asked that. And obviously I'm ready. Don't you see my picture?"

"Okay then. I guess you are."