Anger Issues

thirty nine

Austin

Her hands were trembling. She was shaking, all of her. She looked up, giving me a look I couldn't define.

"Austin.."

If I hadn't reacted quicker, she would've collapsed on the ground. I quickly jolted forward, holding her body against mine. Her arms were crossed between our chests, and she immediately began sobbing.

I reached for the test, pulling it out of her hands, and reading the digital writing.

Pregnant

Without saying anything else, I kept my arms around her, and kissed her head.

"It's okay," I softly said. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out," I added.

She was unable to speak. The only thing she could do was sob, and tighten her arms around me.

I gripped the test in my hand, resting my chin on top of her head. Looking up, I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes.

Minutes passed, but she still hadn't stopped sobbing.

"Babe, relax," I softly said. "We're gonna be alright, okay? We can do something, whatever you want," I said.

Still, she kept going.

"Jess, c'mon," I said, rubbing my hands up and down her arms.

I walked both of us to her bed, sitting down without letting go of her.

"Babe, please," I pleaded. "I can't," she croaked.

"It's okay," I whispered to her. She moved her arms, wrapping them around my neck and burying her head on my shoulder.

After much more time, she finally calmed down. Her breathing was now steady, and there was no more than soft sniffles coming from her.

"Babe," I softly called. She nodded her head. "I love you, so much," I told her. "I love you, too," she weakly said.

"I'll help you do whatever you want, okay?" I said.

She reached for my hand, softly squeezing it.

Without saying anything more, we stayed in that position. Once I heard soft snores coming from her, I realized she was asleep.

I gently laid her against the pillows, pulling the blankets over her.

Taking the test along with the box, I took off my jacket and hid it inside, before setting it on the chair.

"Babe?" I heard her softly mumble. I turned around quickly, sitting beside her.

"Please stay with me," she said, moving over. Without hesitation, I laid beside her.

She rested her head on my chest, with her arm around my torso.

After seconds of silence, she spoke.

"Are you scared?" She asked.

I thought about it for a second. How did I feel?

"I'm more nervous than anything," I truthfully said. "What do you think we should do?" She asked.

I took a deep breath, keeping my arm around her. "I don't know," I started. "But I'm gonna respect whatever you choose to do. I'll help you no matter what," I said.

She sniffled. "I don't know, though," she said. "You don't need to know right now," I explained. "We have a little bit of time. There's no rush," I said.

She was about to speak, but I cut her off. "Just relax for now, babe," I told her. "We can talk about everything later."

I softly ran my fingers through her long hair, trying to get her to fall asleep quicker. Once she was, I fell asleep myself.

Holy shit.

By the time I woke up, Jess was already awake, too. I heard chatter downstairs, meaning her family was home, too.

She was fixing her makeup in the mirror, probably trying her best to hide the tear stains from her family.

I stood up, and walked over to her.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. "No," she shook her head. "But what can we do?" She shrugged.

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to get you something?" I asked her. She was about to say no, but then stopped herself, and said no anyway.

"You're lying," I said.

But then I thought about it. She wasn't giving in to the cravings. Either way, she ignored my comment.

"Are you gonna take another one?" I quietly asked her. She nodded her head. "My dads downstairs. I'm waiting for him to get distracted with something," she said.

At the mention of her dad, I immediately grew nervous. He already hated me. And if he got even the slightest hint of what was going on.. I don't even know what to expect from it.

"Relax, it'll happen soon enough," she said, noticing my uneasy expression.

"Where's the first one?" She asked me. I reached for my jacket and pulled it out, subtly handing it to her.

She walked towards her closet and hid it so deep in that nobody would even bother to look as far as she went. It was a great hiding spot, though.

She sat on her bed again, leaving space for me beside her.

"Should we tell anyone?" She softly asked. "Not until we know for sure.. or are at least more sure of it," I said.

"Who would you tell?" I asked. "Probably Nikki first," she said. "Who would you tell?" She questioned.

"Honestly," I began. "Caleb," I said. I expected her to be at shock, but she had no reaction whatsoever.

"Do you think he'd freak out?" She asked. "Definitely. But he'd also try to help," I said. "Would you tell Noah?" I asked. "Probably," she nodded. "But he wouldn't be the first. Unless he finds out somehow," she said.

I nodded, leaning my head on top of hers. We stayed silent, when she noticed less noise coming from downstairs.

"Dad?" She called. No response.

She got up and went to her dresser, then to the bathroom again. Coming back, we sat in the same anxiety as we did before.

"Would you want to keep it?" She softly asked. I thought about it for a few seconds. "I wouldn't mind keeping it at all. I think we'd make amazing parents," I softly smiled.

She leaned against me, sniffing as she wiped a tear. "Would you want to keep it?" I asked. She nodded. "It's our child," she said. "But I can't imagine myself being able to go through the entire thing," she added.

I grabbed her hand, and kissed her head. At this point, I didn't even know what to tell her. We quietly talked until her alarm rang again, as she picked up the test.

This time, she had a different expression.

"What does it say?" I asked. She showed it to me, and I quietly read the digital print aloud.

"Not pregnant..?"

A/N: whaaaaat is going on????