Promises...

Chapter 7

Gloria wasn't exactly comforting with my pregnancy situation.

"Your parents are going to go ape shit once they found out that you fucked Adam and he got you preggo, dude!"

"Listen, Gloria, I know you're trying to be comforting and all, but I'm already freaking out as it is. Adam isn't in the picture, my parents are still trying to get over Hannah's death, and I'm going to be on my ass in the middle of winter. How in the hell am I going to break the news to them?"

"I have an idea."

"Share!"

"Just tell them."

"Wow, so original. Any other bright ideas, Mary Poppins?"

"Nope, that's all I've got."

"Gloria, you have to have something better!"

"Does Henry know?"

"I kind of haven't told him yet..."

"Stephanie!"

"I know, I'm a horrible friend, but I can't just tell him. He's going to beat the shit out of Adam!"

"You mean attempt, fail, and end up hospitalized."

"Yeah, something like that."

"How about this, I go get Henry, we tell him together, get his advice, then him and I can go beat up Adam?"

"Violence isn't the answer here, Gloria."

"He hurt my best friend, violence is the answer."

"I'll call Henry."

"That's my girl!"

I dial the number, my fingers slipping off every button due to my hands shaking so rapidly. One ring, two rings, three, voicemail.

"Hey, it's the Henmyster! I'm probably banging my smokin' hot BF at the moment, so leave a message and I might call you back depending on your importance to me. Deuces." With that, I hang up the phone.

I decided not to leave a message and let him call me back.

"That asshole just ignored you?"

"Yep."

"Hang on, he's scared of me," she says, dialing his number again. There isn't much silence before I hear, "Henry, get your lazy ass over to Steph's house ASAP; this is really important!" She hangs up the phone, "Three, two, one," the doorbell rings. "That's Henry."

I go to the door and slam it open. He frantically runs in screaming, "What's wrong? Is everyone okay?!"

"Yeah, we just have something to tell you..." I trail off.

"Okay..." He says in confusion. We walk to the couch and all sit down, Gloria and myself in front of Henry.

"Henry, I need to tell you something that is so important, and I need you to promise me you won't get mad..." I say with concern in my voice.

"Alright..." He says, sounding even more worried than before.

"Henry, I'm pregnant."

"Who do I need to kill?" He says, angrily.

"Adam," Gloria says. Henry jumps up from the couch and goes to bolt out the door, but I grab his forearm before he can.

"Henry, no, I'll be fine. I just need to figure out how to break it to my parents."

"You mean you haven't told them yet?"

"Yes, of course I've told them and that's exactly why I'm having anxiety attacks trying to figure out how to tell them," I say in the most sarcastic tone ever used by another person.

"Damn, Steph, no need to be a bitch about it."

"That was just the stupidest question I've ever heard."

"I'm just trying to help. It's not my fault that you jumped in the sack with a guy you claim to be in love with."

"What are you saying, Henry?"

"I'm saying you're a little slut and you walked yourself right into this situation."

I look Henry dead in the eyes as I say, "Gloria, I give you permission."

She walks up to Henry, turns his chin toward her, waves, and punches him square in the face. "Don't you ever call my best friend a slut and say it's her fault she's pregnant. Adam should have had a condom with him. When you're caught up in the moment, pregnancy is the last thing a girl thinks about."

"That's the problem you don't see, Gloria. If a we carry condoms when we go out with a girl, we get shit because we shouldn't expect to get in bed with them. If we don't have one and they end up pregnant, we get shit because we should have had one with us. We can't win."

"How the hell would you know what it's like to be with a guy? You're gay."

"I play it off well, don't I?" He evilly smirks at us.

"What are you talking about?"

"Stupid and blind. Huh, great combination."

"Henry, what the hell?"

"I've been dating Tasha for three years."

"Why have you pretended to be gay then?"

"Because I wanted other girls to hop off and let me be with Tasha."

"And you wanted them to be comfortable coming to you with seeing their boobs and stuff. I hate to say it, but that was a brilliant plan," I tell him.

"You perv," Gloria says as she slaps him again.

"Call me what you wish, mosquito bites."

"That tears it!" Gloria kicks him in the balls and punches him hard enough for him to fall to the ground. She waits a minute for his grunts to stop before saying, "Get out. I never want to see your lying ass around me or Stephanie ever again."

"Fine. But first, a little phone call," he groans, pulling out his phone and dialing. "Hello, Mrs. Patter. How have you been? Oh, that sounds fantastic. Yes, yes, we are all doing just fine. Yes, I actually do have something to share. Yes, it's about Stephanie. Oh, but of course. Yes, your daughter is actually-"