High School Hockey Boys

07

Mom took the news better than I thought she would. After Harper left we sat down and she got me to explain just about everything. From when Graham first asked me out to the night of the party.

"So, this Eli boy was dating Cassandra Blair, barely spoke to you while you were with Graham, then the party happened. What changed?" She asked.

"Eli never liked Cassandra. He was forced to go out with her because he was afraid that if he didn't he'd be kicked off the team. I was the one who didn't speak to him because he tried to warn me about Graham and at the time I wouldn't listen."

"Then you found Graham with Kennedy." She finished.

"Yeah. And after having a long talk we sorted thing out and then Graham and Kennedy came out into the backyard close to where we were and Long story short Eli got angry and got in fight with Graham."

"Did he get a few good hits in?" She asked. I laughed and nodded my head.

"He broke Graham's jaw and nose." I was surprised when she began to laugh. My mother is one of those people who are completely against any sort of violence. So to have her laugh at someone getting their jaw broken is odd. She made dinner while we talked. And after a while of joking around I asked her a serious question.

"Mom, when you got pregnant, were you scared?" I asked.

"I was terrified. I wasn't much older than you when I got pregnant the first time." I opened my mouth to speak when her words registered.

"First time?" She sighed.

"This was a few years before I met your father. I was seventeen and dating this boy I'd gone to school with since I was little. The night of graduation, the after party was in a hotel and all the students who attended the party were offered rooms, just in case. Well, we got pretty drunk that night and, we'll I'm sure you can fill in the rest." She explained.

"What happened, to the baby?" I asked.

"When I told him he was going to be a father he was so excited. But when the time came and the baby was born, he left. Just like that. He took our money, everything and disappeared. After two months I was forced to move back in with my parents and give the baby up for adoption." She wiped at her eyes as a few small tears tried to escape.

"What was the baby's name?" I asked.

"James. His name was James."
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I couldn't fall asleep that night. After hearing mom's story about my older brother, I was afraid that Eli would do the same thing. That is, if he doesn't hate me for the rest of his life because he has a kid. How was I even going to tell him? He said he won't be able to talk very much for the next year. And how was school going to work? I could go until I start showing I guess, but then there's Cassandra. There's a good chance she could hit me in the wrong spot and there goes the baby. Ugh, why does being pregnant have to be so difficult. I fell asleep around four-thirty, still stressing over everything.
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Group chat
Delaney, Sophia, Harper, Finley

Finley: would any of you guys be willing to skip school to come over??

Delaney: hell yes!!

Harper: can't I have a presentation

Sophia: screw presentations I'm coming

I set my phone on the counter and gripped the edge of the sink. I'd been stressing all weekend about going to school today so mom let me have the day off. Hadn't exactly helped. I waited roughly thirty minutes for Sophia and Delaney. They burst through the door, as per usual when they're over at the same time.