"River you be careful," I warn as he and a few other kids start to play a little rough. I continue to push Hailey as Ashley pushes Emma on the squeaky old swings. Mercedes is on the tier swing with two other girls while poor Mason has to push them.
My sister sighs and I glance over at her. Her hair is in a horrible bun, she's wearing my jeans and a sweatshirt of mine, she has big dark glasses on, and looks like hell. "You know I don't mean for you to have her a lot." She says in a raspy voice.
"Then why is it that I see her more than you do?" I ask in a calm voice.
"Because you have your sh*t together." She says sounding frustrated.
"Yeah, I do and you need to pull yourself together and give Emma some stability. She needs her mom and the way you're headed she's not going to have one." I say and she shakes her head.
"You don't understand how hard it is living on your own. There's too much pressure." She says and wipes under her sunglasses.
"Ashley, I get that Emma wasn't what you were expecting, but you are going to have to find a way to make it work. You put yourself in this predicament and now you need to find a way to live with it." I say tired of trying to be nice with her. It doesn't seem to be helping her.
"I'm trying, god. You're my sister, you're supposed to be on my side and help me out." She says and I take a deep breath.
"I am on your side Ashley and I think taking Emma while you're out counts as helping you out, but I'm not your personal bail person. You are taking Emma, you won't be going out because you need to focus on work, getting back into school, and making sure you are trying your hardest to give Emma the life she deserves." I say looking over at her.
"It's not that easy." She says and I shake my head.
"If you can't stop wasting your money at the bar you shouldn't have Emma. If you're not going to try and give her the life she deserves I will take her and raise her and you can go on living your pathetic life." I say getting annoyed. This is her child and her responsibility. If she wanted to live a normal 20-year-old life she should have thought about that before she got pregnant.
"Don't you talk to me like you know everything like you know what's best for us." She stops pushing Emma and walks closer to me.
"Then prove to me you know what's best for her," I say and she shakes her head before turning away from me again.
"Why Autumn? Why can't you just help me out? I just need a little money." She says bringing the money topic up again.
"Because I know what you are going to use it for," I say pushing both Hailey and Emma. They both are too lost in the swinging to notice Ashley and me talking.
"No, you don't," Ashley yells causing Emma to begin crying. Ashley turns to her and lifts her out of the swing. Emma continues to cry and Ashley holds her to her chest trying to rock her. "Shhh, baby. I'm sorry." She says, but Emma continues to cry. I stop pushing Hailey and take Emma from her arms. I walk her back and forth and she begins to settle down.
Ashley stares at me and holds out her hands. I hand Emma back over and she lays on her shoulder. Ashley's eyes water as her baby begins to fall asleep on her shoulder. "What if I mess something up?" She asks looking at me. I begin pushing Hailey as she wants to go higher.
"Then you make a mistake. It's alright to make mistakes, you'll learn from them, and I know you have co-workers that have children. If you have any questions you can ask them." I say and Ashley smiles down at her little baby. I smile hoping that Ashley finally understands.
Ashley then walks over to a tree and sits down holding Emma close to her. Hailey begins to whine and I stop the swing. "Side?" She asks holding her arms up.
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Teen FictionAutumn is a Junior in high school. She has six siblings that she cares for, always on her toes and can't seem to catch a break with anything whether it be work, school, or family. She had to learn to grow up and be there for her family, while all th...
