The Parent Plan » Harry Styles

Chapter 10

– Monica & Jeff –

   Brothers can be one of two things, very helpful or undeniably annoying – there is really no in-between. Honestly, many dream of a brother who is always by their side, who will get them through their first heart break (of course after beating the living crap out of the lad) and give them that motivational speech about how this is one heart break closer to finding the one you'll spend eternity with and especially a brother that will support, from the beginning, the fact that you're pregnant with the child of the lad who broke your heart. Jeff was all of those things.

   "Damn, kiddo, you've gotten big," the adult male commented while holding the five-year-old, who was trying to contain his giggles, upside down. He has styled light brown, quaffed hair and vibrant hazel (though had a habit of turning green) eyes – which made him seem unrelated to the woman standing in the kitchen arms folded with dark waves flowing past her shoulders and amused dark brown eyes.

   "What have I told you about cursing in front of Jake?" Monica tusked, giggling despite her attempt at being strict.

   "Jeffy, let me down!" Jake squealed between giggles, he covered his mouth and blinked up at his mother, giggling even more since she was upside down. "Mummy, make him stop!"

   "Alright, alright that's enough. We have to get going, don't want to be late," Monica said while approaching the two boys. Jeff chuckled lowly before placing Jake down, making the boy a bit tipsy due to the blood rushing back down from his head.

   "Fine, Buzz Kill. But I'm driving." Jeff snatched the keys out of Monica's hand before throwing Jake over his shoulder, making the boy erupt into another fit of giggles. "This is why I'm his favourite!"

   Monica rolled her eyes but smiled anyways, grateful that her brother paid her a visit.

   Going back to almost six years ago, a twenty-two year old Monica had the weight of telling her family that she was pregnant on her shoulders. It was about two weeks after the father of the child had scurried off claiming that 'it' wasn't his, meaning she was a month pregnant. Monica had cried an awful lot after he left her, he hadn't been returning her calls or texts – not even answering the door of his parents' house when she'd knock – it was beyond heartbreak. She has yet to tell her family that he had run off on her as well.

   She had called Jeffrey earlier this morning and told him to go to their parents' house for some "big news" and usually, when Monica would say "big news" it wasn't really big news, but this time it was but of course, it took a lot of pleading to make Jeff believe that it was big news.

   After standing outside her parents' house for five minutes, she got the courage to enter calling out a huge, "I'm home!" to her parents and Jeff – who was completely unaware about the news she was about to give them.

   Yelling. That was the first response Monica received from her mother. Silence. Is what she got from her father. Wet eyes. Is what she received from Jeff.

   This went on for hours, but there were few moments of silence of just complete exhaustion that was until Monica told them that the child's father had bailed on her. There was more yelling, more silence, but in Jeff's case, his wet eyes morphed into tightened fists.

   Eventually, Monica decided to head home with red, puffy eyes. Simply tired of how much her parents had let her down. Before, other times they'd let her down, it had been nothing big, like not letting her go out or not letting her drive the car or saying that she can't date Daniel Smith because he was "an abomination" but this time it was different. The let her and her child down. That was too much. And Jeff had stormed out after a while; Monica doesn't have a clue why he did so.