What We Keep Hidden (Jai Brooks- Ariana Grande)

Pregnant

So this chapter is basically just how everyone (except of course Ari) found out Ariana is pregnant. 😊 and I have no idea what the boys' fathers name is (yes I know he left when they were young but it made sense for him to leave after his son got his friend pregnant, no?) so I'm going to make one up☺️

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Ben Brooks peered distastefully at the tray of puffy little pastries as his wife Gina removed them from the oven.

"What is it?" He asked the question as if he was looking at some unidentified slimy creature, clinging to the underside of a rock.

Gina started to carefully move the pastries to a serving platter. "They're cranberry-brie bites and they're delicious."

"Mmmm. So are potato skins. Especially the ones you make with cheddar cheese, bacon bits and sour cream." He was staring at her with those sweet puppy dog eyes.

"Ben, I am not making potato skins for Edward and Joan. This is not a tail-gate party", she said sternly.

"So what is this ... exactly?"

Gina let out a breath. "To be honest, Ben, I have no idea. Joan called me up an hour ago and virtually insisted that they come over tonight."

"Wow, and you whipped up these puffy cheese things that fast?"

"Oh, be serious... They're frozen. I bought them at Trader Joe's."

Ben's eyes narrowed in understanding. "You mean you keep stuff like this in our freezer? Just in case the parents of Jai and Luke's best friend calls to see if we can patch things up between them."

"Yes and I don't really know why they're coming over, but I really do hope it's something like that. I don't know what happened between the two of them, but I don't think the three have talked since the end of the summer and that was almost four months ago. Whatever their reasons... but it must be serious if Edward is coming, considering he lives across town."

The sound of the doorbell interrupted them.

"I'll get it", Ben announced as he snatched a cranberry-brie bite off the tray on his way.

He was almost to the door when he called with his mouth full. "Hey, this is good."

Gina took a few more minutes to rearrange the platter to disguise the missing pastry and start the kettle on the stove for the tea. Joan loved tea.

When she entered the living room, she immediately knew that this wasn't a casual visit. Ben was standing awkwardly by the doorway as if he didn't want to enter the room. Joan was sitting with Ariana on the sofa, her arm wrapped around the girl in comfort. The girl had obviously been crying and if Gina wasn't mistaken, so had her mother.

"Where's the boy?", asked Edward Butera. He stood by the mantel, a scowl on his worried face. He and his wife were divorced, yes, but Joan had called him earlier with the news and he was furious. Both at his daughter and her friend.

"Jai? Or Luke?", Gina questioned him. She put the platter down on the coffee table in front of the two Grande women and then backed away. Something was very wrong.

"What's going on here, Ed?" Ben asked as he finally entered the room. After all, this was his house. These people couldn't just come in and take over like this.

"Let's wait until Jai gets here", was Edward's only response.

Ben quickly walked over to the stairs and yelled up for his son. Gina had already told him and Luke that Ariana and her parents were coming over, but that didn't make Jai any faster to respond to the call. If anything, it probably made him move more slowly.

"Yeah, Dad?", Jai addressed his father without looking at the others in the room.

"Sit down, son, and let's find out what's going on."

Of all the things that were running through Gina's head at this moment - Jai bullying Ariana at school, Jai ignoring Ariana at school, Jai turning his back on his old friend because of Luke (that was the one she was betting on), what she heard come out of Edward's mouth clearly trumped any of those thoughts.

"Ariana's pregnant."

Ben got this incredulous look on his face and then, to the shock of everyone else in the room, started laughing. "Ha! You thought you had me, didn't you, Ed? Ariana...pregnant! That's a good one."

No one else in the room was laughing, certainly not the Grande's and certainly not Jai, who sank back into the chair like his bones had just liquefied. Gina wasn't laughing either because she happened to be watching her son at the instant Edward made his announcement. And the look on Jai's face, told her everything she needed to know.

"Jai...", she said to her son in a low, controlled, and yet still, menacing voice.

Ben was merrily wiping the tears from his eyes, tears of uncontrolled laughter when he noticed the look that was passing between his wife and son. Ariana had started crying real tears and her mother was hugging her, tying her best to comfort her distraught daughter, holding her own tears back.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Mom", Jai mumbled, looking down at the floor, unable to bare her scrutiny. "It's just ... we ..." He trailed off, unable to think of anything else to say.

"I'm sorry", whispered Ariana, apparently to anyone who would listen, as she was also staring at the floor. "I'm so sorry." Then, she turned into her mother and buried her face into her neck, whimpering softly as Joan tightened her arms around her.

"She's keeping it." Her voice was soft, tired. "She's already over four months along and we don't feel it would be morally right ... at this point ... to ..." There was no need to finish the sentence.

"Four months?", Gina asked, disbelievingly. "When did you find out?"

"You think this is something we would have kept from you?", snapped Edward. "We only found out today. Ariana... would you like to explain yourself to these good people?"

She shook her head emphatically as she slowly took her face out of the comfort of her mothers neck and said in a small voice, one that reminded everyone how very young she was, "I was scared." And then, once again. "I'm soooo sorry."

"This is serious?", Ben was finally coming to grips with the conversation. "The two of you are only 13 years old! What the hell were you doing having sex?!"

Ariana and Jai both jumped as if his words were a physical blow to them. Unable to handle the intense scrutiny, Ariana stood and hastily ran out of the house, pausing for only an instant to lock eyes with Jai. Pain was reflected equally in both of their eyes. Jai wordlessly rose and walked silently upstairs. Joan watched her daughter worriedly and quickly got up to run after her.

"Let them go", Ben said distractedly. "What I need to say will be easier without either one of them."

Gina was able to maintain a semblance of calm, although later she would have no idea how she managed it.

"What are we going to do?" She used the word, 'we', to, hopefully, convey to Edward that they were all in this together.

"We aren't doing anything." Ben snapped at her then turned back to Edward. "Listen, we want nothing to do with this at all. Your daughter got herself into this mess. I don't want some slut to ruin my boys chance at living a normal life."

Edwards jaw clenched as he stared at Ben in anger, slowly walking toward him. "Watch your mouth. My daughter is not a slut. Your son probably seduced my daughter into sleeping with him. And we don't even need your help." He pushed past him in anger and stormed out of the house, slamming their front door.

Gina stood back and silently stared at her untouched platter of cranberry-brie bites and felt the loss of innocence reverberating through the room.