Different Is Good

Chapter eight

"Lindsey, wake up!" Ruth shook him from his nap. "Barbara Nicks just called in a panic, I think something happened to Stevie!" She jumped back as he sprang out of bed
"Stevie?!" He looked panicked, changing his clothes and quickly fixing his hair before heading out with his family. His mind was racing. What could have happened? When he saw her last, she was fine.
Lindsey ran ahead of his family, banging on the Nicks door as Jess opened it angrily, "How could you do this to her?!" Grabbing Lindsey but the shirt

"Jess, stop it!" Barbara pulled away, letting he hand his family inside. "Lindsey, go talk to Stevie."
He went up to her room and the door opened easily.

"Stevie" he whispered and Stevie began to cry all over again. "Stevie, what's wrong? Your dad said I did something to you. Did I hurt you?"

"No" she whispered. She sat up in bed, and he immediately hugged her. She cried into the crook of his neck.

"Angel..." He moved her face off his shoulder and placed his hands on her cheeks. Tears streamed down her face. "What happened?" he asked.

"I...I'm..." she began before losing her composure.
"Stevie, please tell me..." pulling her back into his arms tightly. He could feel her body trembling.

"I'm-" the words just made her want to gag, she couldn't get it out
She bolted from her room and into the bathroom, diving onto her knees. She was instantly sick and Lindsey followed, wanting to comfort her but not knowing what to do. He swept her hair back, holding it away as she hung her head over the toilet bowl.

"You're sick" he said.

"Pregnant" she said, wiping her mouth with toilet paper.

"Pregnant" he repeated and she nodded. "We're having a baby" A smile began to creep across his lips but quickly faded as she began to cry again.
"My life is over..." she sobbed

"No it's not...its beginning! This is great!" Lindsey encouraged
"It's not great, Lindsey! I'm graduating this year and I'm going to college...I can't do that now"

"We will figure it out." he told her.

"What if my parents want to send me away?" she asked, looking to him for the answers. She was at a loss. She had heard of girls being sent to relatives and the talk around school was always that she had a baby.
"I'll go with you then. We'll raise them together."

"Lindsey, we can't be parents...we aren't ready," she cried, "I'm not ready..."

"What do you want to do?"

"Daddy knows a doctor..."

"For what?"
"Lindsey..."

"No. We can do it, Stevie. Just think about it, please." he begged and she turned away from him. He pulled her up and took her back to her room. She sat down on the bed, her eyes blank. It's like she wasn't in there anymore. "Stevie, Stevie..."
"Lindsey we can't do this..." she finally looked into his eyes, "I'm scared...I don't want to go away...I want to graduate and go to college..."

"I want that for you, but Stevie this is a baby!" He smiled

"No, Lindsey! This is an accident!" It was the first time that she had ever shouted at him
He cowered slightly as she stood and paced about her bedroom. "An...accident"

"This shouldn't have happened."

"But...you love me."

"I do"

"And I love you."
"That doesn't mean that this is the right time...you're sixteen and I'm seventeen. Our lives are over if I have the baby..."

"Stevie...let's talk to our parents about this..."