Nowhere Kids

Thankful

So far, things have been going well, but I began worrying again as I started to show more.
"Brent, do you think your parents will notice?" I asked as I looked at myself in his mirror. He just walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, kissing my shoulder before looking into my eyes through the reflection.
"Holidays are coming up, maybe we can tell them you just gained some weight?" He suggested with a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him and he chuckled.
"Aren't you funny?" I said. Brent turned me so I faced him and smiled at me.
"Look, it's going to be okay. Yes, eventually they're going to find out, but we'll get through it" he said calmly. I nodded and took a deep breath before laying my head on his shoulder as he held me in his arms.

Brent and I got to school at the usual time to meet up with the others. I wore his sweater in hopes of covering my growing stomach.
"So you two in the sweater stealing stage of the relationship?" Zach asked with a laugh.
"Oh Courtney will be jealous" Eric added.
"I think Courtney finally moved on. Besides, the sweater is only to cover my baby bump, I don't want others seeing" I mumbled.
"Oh come on now, you have nothing to be ashamed of" Zach said.
"Thanks Zach"
"Oh hey! Thanksgiving is coming up. I was thinking you guys can all come over the day before and we can have a Friendsgiving" Barry suggested. We all looked at each other and nodded.
"Sounds good Bear" Brent said. The bell then rang, getting our attention. We all said goodbye and headed to class.

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Brent and I had just gotten home from school and were getting ready to head to Barry's place.
"Wanna bring Beau?" Brent suggested. Beau wagged his tail and looked at me with sad eyes, but I shook my head no.
"I know you guys will be tempted to feed his scraps, and I'm sure he's going to eat enough tomorrow" I said. "Unless you agree to clean up after him if he gets sick"
"No thanks. Hey, were we supposed to bring anything?" He asked.
"Barry didn't say, but I think it's polite to"
"We can run to the store on the way there"
I gave Beau a kiss goodbye before following Brent out to his truck.

Brent and I headed to the grocery store down the street and looked around for something to bring. Brent picked up a veggie tray and looked up at me.
"Good choice babe" I said. He smiled so we headed up front to check out.
"Did Barry say if this was going to be like a traditional thanksgiving dinner?" Brent asked. I shrugged.
"Not sure, but a veggie tray works for any occasion. Once we were checked out we headed back to the car and headed to Barry's house.

"You look nervous J" Brent said as he drove.
"I'm just hoping Barry's parents aren't home. You know, since they were pretty mad when they kicked me out" I explained.
"I'm sure it will be fine. If Barry thought they'd be a problem he wouldn't host it at his house. Besides, we'll protect you" he said. I took a deep breath as he grabbed my hand. He was probably right, I shouldn't worry.

We arrived to Barry's house to see everyone was already there. Barry greeted both of us with a hug before taking the veggie tray from Brent and putting it with the rest of the food. Brent stayed close as we greeted the others. Barry and Zach seemed to be having fun in the kitchen while we talked with Eric and Kellie. Bethany was hanging out with Zach and Barry, helping Zach as he needed it. Barry's parents weren't around, so my anxiety eased as I enjoyed spending time with those closest to me.
"So how have you been feeling Jamie?" Eric asked. Brent put a hand on my stomach as I smiled.
"Good so far" I said. I glanced at Kellie, wondering if Eric told her yet.
"Congrats you two" She said, answering my thought.
"Thank you. We might not have planned this, but we're excited" Brent said. I just cuddled into him and kept quiet. I still wasn't sure how I felt about all this, but his excitement made me feel better.

Once all the food was ready, we all sat at the dining table together. I saw sat between Brent and Barry, and Brent held my hand under the table. I thought he relaxed a bit once telling me his true feelings, but he became protective again once finding out I was pregnant.
"I have an idea, why don't we go around and say what we're thankful for?" Kellie suggested. We all looked around at each other before nodding in agreement. Everyone was giving the usual answer of our family and friends, our new jobs, and all the adventures we've been on. Then it was Brent's turn.
"I'm thankful for you guys, my parents, the diner job giving me money to do more, and for Jamie. Not only did she show me what love actually was, she helped me break free from Courtney and she's giving me an incredible gift I didn't think I was ready for, but now I know I am" He said. I started crying softly by the end of what he had to say. I wasn't ready for him to speak so sweetly of me.

Brent kept at arm around me as I tried calming down.
"You okay J?" Eric asked. I nodded and wiped away my tears.
"Well, it's your turn" Barry added. All eyes were on me as I thought of what to say.
"I'm thankful for the new life you guys gave me. I was always quiet and shy in my hometown, and I was ready for change. You guys all helped me with that. Sure, I didn't think my parents would kick me out, and I definitely wasn't expecting to be pregnant, but I'm happy" I said.

We all enjoyed our time together as we ate and talked. It was a very pleasant afternoon. Once we all finished our meal, I offered to help Barry clean up. We stood in the kitchen doing dishes while the others talked in the living room.
"So, are you nervous?" He asked as he washed a plate
"About what?" I asked as I put some clean dishes away.
"You know" He said, looking down at my stomach.
"Oh, yeah, I am, but Brent is helping me feel more comfortable. I know I'm not doing this alone" I said. Barry smiled and nodded.
"Don't forget, we have your back too. You're family to all of us" He said.
"Thanks Barry"

Once we finished cleaning, we joined the other in the living room. We sat around talking until it got late.
"Brent, can we head home? I have to feed Beau" I whispered to my sleepy boyfriend.
"Oh, right. Yeah, let's head out" he replied. We said goodbye to everyone and headed out to the truck .
"You seem tired, want me to drive?" I asked. He paused a moment to think.
"Yeah, probably a good idea" He mumbled. He pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to me. We both got into the truck and headed off towards home.

"I think I want to tell your parents on Christmas" I told him halfway home. "It could be like a gift"
"Yeah, that's a good idea" Brent said with a yawn. I glanced over and saw his eyes were closed and his head was leaning against the window.
"Are you going to fall asleep before we get there?" I asked with a laugh. He just shrugged so I rolled my eyes. He better not expect me to carry him inside.

We got home so I nudged Brent awake. He yawned and stretched before following me into the house. Beau was pretty excited to see us.
"Hey boy, I missed you" I said.
"Guess my parents went to bed" Brent mumbled, still sounding tired. I fed Beau while Brent headed to bed. After letting Beau run around outside for a bit, I brought him back inside and joined Brent in bed. It's been a long day, but it was a good one