Paul Lahote's entire life shifts at the sight at Valentina Thurston. Her warmth and kindness effectively forces him to reconsider his bad boy persona he'd put on for so long. Though, she does have her own small, ever-growing, obstacles to overcome...
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In the fifth month of her sixteenth year, Valentina Thurston was three months pregnant. Her stomach was hardened and only slightly rounded, only noticeable to her. The expectant mother sat on a chair on her front porch, watching as movers hauled her stuff into a large truck, bound for Forks, Washington. Nausea crept up on the teen, a symptom she couldn't wait to get rid of.
Valentina's parents were busy getting smaller, more valuable items into their own car. Her slender fingers played with the pieces of the tawny hair which had fallen from her loose bun atop her head as she waited for the movers to finish. A flash of red hair running from the sidewalk caused a large smile to appear on Valentina's face.
Nina, the Thurston's smallest neighbor, barrelled up the short driveway, searching for Valentina. The teen had been babysitting for the Grove family since Nina was three. Pale, freckled arms wrapped tightly around Valentina's slightly expanded torso.
"I'll miss you the most," Nina stated, restating the phrase which Valentina had said to the child as long as she could remember.
"Doubt it," Valentina said, bending down to her neighbor's height and hugging her tightly.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until Daniela, Valentina's mother, explained that they had to leave. The teen gave Nina a kiss on the cheek, then told her to go home before her parents got worried. Daniela gave her own daughter a kiss on the cheek before asking if she preferred to drive or have her father drive her car.
"I think I'll drive; it's not that far and I just really need time to think," Valentina smiled at her mother before grabbing a small duffle bag she had packed with essentials she would need for the night.
"So you'll follow us?" Daniela reaffirmed. When her daughter nodded she warned, "Be careful, don't get too thoughtful." Valentina nodded and headed towards her car, which she backed out of her driveway, sending a sorrowful wave to Nina, then following her parents.
For the two hour duration from Valentina's hometown of Olympia, Washington to Forks, at least one of the teen's hands rested on her stomach. While she knew to keep both hands on the wheel, one couldn't help but stray to the swell of her belly. Her own heart crumbled at the disappointment her parents must be feeling. Valentina hadn't planned on getting pregnant, or consequently having to move far enough away where no one would recognize the pregnant teen.
The reputation of trust and honestly she had built with her parents, she figured, was long gone by now. Although, they had been young parents themselves, but they were also married and financially stable. Her older sister's presence was made known shortly after her parents were married at 19. Though, the three year difference made the situation that much worse.
Once the 'Welcome to Forks' sign had passed, Valentina followed her parents to a large white house. Valentina chuckled at the sight of her mother's new project. Daniela always needed something to keep busy, and surely a house that size would do it. The tiffany blue shutters barely clung to the frames of the house and the large oak door didn't seem to shut all the way in the entrance.
"Well?" Daniela's accented voice asked.
"I think it has plenty of potential." Chris, Valentina's father, kissed his wife on the cheek, making his way into the house.
"Does Adelina know we're living in a death trap?" the brunette teen joked.
"I haven't had time to talk to your sister. She's all busy in New York and whatnot," Daniela said, waving her hand about.
"Is she gonna visit? Or is she waiting until we go back to France?" Valentina's head cocked to a different side dramatically with each question. Her mother smiled and rolled her eyes, kissing her youngest daughter's forehead before going inside. Valentina's eyebrows furrowed as she looked around, mumbling, "I wasn't joking."
As she stared into her vanity mirror that night, Valentina couldn't help but wonder what her baby would look like. She wondered if they would sport her own light brown locks, or maybe her mother's daffodil blonde hair. The expectant mother hoped her child would want to learn their grandmother's native French tongue, or even her father's secondary language, Dutch. Both languages, of course, Valentina were fluent in.
Her mother's light footsteps trailed right to Valentina's room. Daniela's soft voice called out her daughter's name, telling her dinner was ready. The teen's small feet padded down the stairs and into the kitchen, the scent of soupe à l'oignon filling her nostrils. Valentina's pregnancy cravings were intense, leading her to the point of nausea if they weren't met. This scent, however, would be anything but an aversion for her.
When the trio was eating dinner in a comfortable silence, Valentina spoke up. "Does Adelina know, y'know, about this?" she gestured to her stomach, which was covered in a light grey NASA shirt.
Her mother grinned slightly, pushing her hair out of her face and resting her face on her palm, "No, she doesn't. I figured you'd want to tell her yourself."
"You want me to tell my big sister, who I've looked up to my whole life, that I was stupid enough to get pregnant at 16?" her parents nodded at Valentina's dramatics. The brunette sighed heavily, throwing herself back in her chair. "Well this sucks," she mumbled.
Soft lips kissed her forehead and Valentina sighed louder. The rational side of her brain knew she was being dramatic but the irrational side didn't care. Warmth surrounded her body as she entered her bedroom, wanting nothing more than to shower and go to sleep.
A nauseated Valentina spent the next morning with her head in the toilet. Daniela brought cold water and warm toast to her daughter, who groaned dramatically. Her mother smiled and warned her that she would be late if she didn't get up.
"Mom," Valentina complained, "can't we reschedule the appointment?" Her mother's tan hand landed gently on her forehead, whilst her head shook.
"This is a great doctor and I would like to get started on the house as soon as possible. This is hard to do with you not in school. The sooner the doctor, the sooner the school starts," Daniela's pale green eyes locked with her daughter's, hoping she would give in. Valentina sighed and stood up, beginning to clean herself up.
"Chienne," the teen mumbled as she turned the shower on.
"I heard that," her mother yelled as she left the bathroom.
The large white hoodie that Valentina chose to wear made well of hiding what the teen thought to be a very noticeable bump. Her athletic shorts showed off her olive toned legs which she knew would get cold in the hospital waiting room, but didn't care. Valentina's head was pressed up against the cold glass of the window for the duration of the car ride. Knowing her pregnancy status could soon be well known by the small town, her brain was in overdrive.
When her name was called, incorrectly, the youngest Thurston and her mother made their way to the designated room. The nurse, who tried her best not to stare at the young girl's stomach, handed Valentina a gown and pointed to the bathroom.
The pair had waited on the doctor for less than five minutes when a tall, blonde doctor walked into the room. "I'm Dr. Cullen," he introduced himself.
Daniela's eyebrows furrowed and her confused voice spoke, "I thought we were seeing Dr. Mason?"
Dr. Cullen chuckled. "Dr. Mason is out on maternity leave, as of yesterday, actually. She'll be back in a couple of weeks, probably before your next appointment," he gestured to the brunette, "Until then, of course, you'll have to put up with me." Daniela and the doctor laughed and Valentina rolled her eyes.
During her appointment, Valentina couldn't help noticing how cold the doctor's hands were, or how pale he really was. She tried not to stare suspiciously at his topaz eyes but they beckoned her curiosity.
Her mother waved off any suspicions she had about the man after the appointment. Daniela told her daughter to pack her backpack for the following day as she was enrolling her at Forks High. Valentina did as she was told, making sure she had plenty of notebooks and pencils and hoping she wasn't too far behind in the curriculum.
