Pretty Little Liars: 16 & Pregnant

Who Needs Parents, Anyway?

Two Days Later
Ezra's Pov

I glance at the clock; 10:47am is the time. I open the oven and take out the plate of food I made for Aria. There are pancakes, eggs, sausages, and a separate glass of orange juice. Plus a bowl of fresh blueberries, something that Aria has been craving like crazy lately. I'm still amazed that she didn't wake up from hearing me make everything, but she said she was tired last night.

"Aria," I half-whisper "Wake up." I place my hand lightly on her shoulder.

She jumps slightly and her eyes flutter open "Goodmorning." She says groggily, rubbing her eyes.

"Sorry for waking you," I say guiltily "But I didn't want your food to dry out in the oven."

She looks at the plate in my hand "Thank you," She says as she hugs me "You didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did." I whisper into her hair.

***

I sit back down on the bed after taking Aria's dirty dishes to the sink. She stares down at her phone with a hard expression on her face.

"You okay?" I say, laying my hand on her back.

She looks up quickly "Um, yeah." She says uncertainly.

I raise my eyebrows and smile "Aria," She looks up again "I know something's wrong."

She shrugs "It's not that anything is wrong," She trails off "I'm just trying to make a decision." Her hazel eyes hold a worried expression.

"About what?" I say, leaning back and laying down on the bed.

She does the same, before answering me "About whether or not I should try and talk to my parents, or just wait for them to contact me."

I sigh, pondering the question in my head "Well," I start "I don't want to influence your decision, you should do what you feel is best." She stares at me impatiently "But I will say that some people adjust to things quicker than others. Your parents still might need time to let everything sink in."

She groans "But I want them to be okay with everything now. I feel like I've given them enough time."

I shrug "Maybe it's not time that they need. Maybe they're just waiting for you to make the first move. Just like you're doing with them."

"Ezra," She groans frustratedly "At first you convinced me to do one thing, now you're convincing me to do the opposite."

"Sorry," I say sheepishly "I'm not trying to convince you of anything. I can just see it through both sides."

She giggles, which turns into a groan "Now I really don't know what to do."

Before I can say anything, she grabs her phone "I know what to do!" She exclaims "I'll text Mike and see how my parents have been acting. Then I'll know if I should call them or not."

She texts back and forth with Mike for about ten minutes, and by the end, there's still a look of disappointment on her delicate face.

"What did he say?" I ask, quietly.

Aria shrugs "There was nothing much to say." Her bottom lip forms a pout "Mike says that he's barely said a word to them since I last saw them."

"But how have they been acting, regardless of what he's said to them?" I press on.

"Like zombies," She laughs, but I still see the pain in her eyes "At least that's what Mike says."

"I have an idea." I say, sitting up.

"What?" She asks.

"Invite Mike over," I reply "Why talk to him on the phone if you can just talk to him in person? I know you miss him."

"I do," she admits "But I don't know what to talk to him about anymore."

"Why is it any different than before?" I ask.

"Because," She sighs "Things are different now."

"Yes," I reply "Things are. But don't you think this is a great opportunity to better your relationship with your brother?"

"I guess," She says, contemplating it for a moment "Yeah I guess it is."

"Alright," I say "Call him and see if he wants to come over."

***

Aria's Pov

We slow down and park on the side of the road in front of my old house. I look around for Mike, waiting for him to walk outside. After a few seconds, the garage door opens. At first, I expect it to be my brother, but instead, my dad stands facing away from the road, unaware that we're here.

"Duck!" I whisper-shout, pulling Ezra's arm and leaning forward.

"What?" He asks confusedly, but still ducks anyway.

"My dad's over there," I whisper "He can't know we're here."

"Aria," He says as he sits up normally "He doesn't own this street. We're allowed to be here without hiding."

"I know we're allowed," I say "I still don't want him to see me."

"Fine." He agrees, crouching out of view from anyone outside of the car.

For a moment, I stare into Ezra's grey-blue eyes, thinking that maybe he's right; I'm being ridiculous. It's a public road, I don't have to hide.

"What's so funny?" Ezra asks with a smile on his lips.

"What do you mean?" I say.

"You started to smile." He laughs.

"Oh." I reply, realizing that thinking about my ridiculousness must've made me smile.

Before I can think about anything else, there's a sharp knock on the window. I reluctantly turn around, knowing it must be my dad. But to my great relief, Mike stands outside, a confused look on his face.

I unlock the back door, and Mike slides into the seat. He opens his mouth to say something, but gets cut off by someone else talking.

"Mike?" My dad's voice calls "Who is that? And where are you going?"

Before Mike says anything, I lock eyes with my dad. His facial expression goes blank. He doesn't glare, yet he doesn't smile. I force myself to turn the other way, knowing that if I look at him any longer, I'll burst into tears.

"I'm going with Aria." Mike says blankly before slamming the car door.

"Mike!" My dad says loudly, now that all the doors are shut.

Mike rolls down his window and stares at our dad with a hard expression on his face. Nobody says anything, but Mike's window stays open and the expression on his face stays the same until we're at the end of the street, and our dad is no longer in view.