Player

Fourteen - The End of the Beginning

(edited)

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Mom was surprised to see me home the next morning. I told her that I didn't feel good, so I had Jake drive me. She doesn't need to know all about my drama, she has enough to deal with already. I'm sure that she has already seen my hickey, but she hasn't brought it up in conversation yet. Maybe she's saving it for when dad is home. It's unlike her to ignore something sexual.

It was still snowing by the time I had woken up and the news declared no school. Ana texted me as soon as it aired.

You're spending the day with me. Be ready at 9. (Happy Halloween) - Ana

I don't bother answering back, knowing that she'd show up anyway. Instead, I go ahead with my normal morning routine. Shower, breakfast, clothes, and then deodorant and brush teeth. I slip into a pair of jeans and a Kansas tee shirt. I tried my best to cover up my hickey with a shit ton of concealer, but the slight redness is still visible. I brush my hair over my shoulder, hoping it'll stay hidden.

I can hear mom humming the tune of Hey Jude in the kitchen before I make it all the way down the stairs. I like seeing this way. Happy and all giddy as if it's summer and Willow is home from work and we're all up early to eat mom's apple pancakes.

The memory makes me sad. I can't think about Willow without Jake Cross coming into my mind. I hate it. I need today to be one hundred percent Jake free.

I turn into the kitchen and find Ana eating a stack of pancakes at my dinner table. She glows with happiness and she stabs a piece with her fork and gulps it down.

"Hey hun," Mom notices me in the arch between the kitchen and hallway. She gestures to a plate of apple pancakes that she has set aside for me. "Your favorite."

"What's the occasion?" I ask, taking the plate from her and sitting down next to Ana. I whisper a "hey" and she smiles in response, her mouth full of food.

"The first snow day of the year, I figured I'd make you girls something nice for breakfast before you head out for the day," Mom replies. She is very positive this morning and I know that it's not because of the snow. Mom hates the cold. "Eat up!"

I turn back to Ana. She's wearing baggy gray sweatpants and a white tee shirt. She was getting wider in the hips and her ass was definitely gaining a little bit of weight. Her belly was rounding out and it was now pretty obvious that she was pregnant. I'm surprised that she hasn't complained to me about cankles or weird cravings yet.

"How are you feeling?" I ask, cutting my pancakes with the side of my fork. She smiles widely, swallowing the bite in her mouth.

"I told Chuck about the gender. He actually cried." Ana leans back in her chair, thinking and staring off into space. "He was so happy, Manny. He actually chose the name Aiden and then Gage comes from my dad's middle name-"

I listen to every word that she says, relieved that I can think about something else other than Jake and Giselle. It was exhausting. I barely got any sleep last night because I was wide awake, thinking about them together. I wondered if they had been serious about things. Did Jake care about her? I know Giselle feels strongly about Jake... Do they love each other?

~

Ana's idea of a 'girls day' includes milkshakes at the mall and maternity shopping. I'm completely fine with it though. I enjoy helping her pick out all of the floral outfits. Some were fancy and said little quotes like "Not a beer belly" with an arrow pointing towards the belly and one with big green letters that read "This is what happens when you party naked". I thought that they were both great, but Ana went for more comfortable clothes instead.