Isabella deeply exhaled, mustering up the courage to finally tell her mother something she was dreading to reveal.
“Mom.. Do you have a second?”
“What is it dear?” Isabella’s mother asked in a weary voice as she continued on washing the dishes that were piled up in the sink.
“I need to talk to you.” Isabella said as she rolled her long sleeves up and proceeded to help her mother out. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. It’s kinda really important.”
“How important is it Bella? I’m a little busy right now, dear. Don’t forget that I still have to get ready to go to work.”
“Oh right…Then it’s okay. I’ll just tell you later. Why don’t you go and get ready for your job? I’ll finish washing the dishes and I’ll clean the kitchen up.”
Leaning over, Isabella pecked her mother’s cheek, taking notice of the evident dark circles under her eyes.
Isabella felt a pang in her heart, realizing how the news she had would probably end up hurting her mother more.
“Thank you dear.” Isabella’s mother smiled warmly, gently grabbing and holding her daughter’s hand in her grasp. “And I’m really sorry if I’ve been so distant from you and Aiden lately. Work’s been hectic and managing everything in the house alone has been a challenge for me.”
Isabella felt tears form in her eyes, as she wrapped her arms around her mother, slowly rubbing her back. “You don’t have to apologize mom. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I miss dad too. I can’t believe it’s almost going to be a year since his passing.”
Isabella heard her mother choke back tears, as she embraced her daughter tighter.
“I love you mom. Even though we lost dad, he’ll still always be with us. Even if we can’t see him. It’s painful now, but it’ll get better. I know it.”
Isabella’s mother pecked her daughter’s cheek, wiping Isabella’s tears that managed to escape from her tearful eyes. “I love you, my sweet Isabella. I’m proud to have a daughter like you.”
Isabella chuckled nervously, trying to force a genuine smile on her face, her mother’s words echoing in her head.
“Okay.” Isabella’s mother deeply exhaled. “I’m going to go finish getting ready. I’ll leave some money so you can buy some pizza for you and Aiden.”
Isabella nodded. “Okay. Thank you mom.”
Her mother smiled brightly, her tired eyes creasing in the corners.
Isabella continued washing the dishes while looking through the corner of her eye, seeing her mother leave the kitchen and make her way upstairs.
Once she heard her mother’s bedroom door close, she quickly grabbed her phone from her back pocket, dialing Piper’s phone number.
“Hello?” She heard Piper’s voice from the other end.
“I tried to tell my mom Piper”, Isabella’s voice croaked, as she ran her hand through her hair in frustration. “I need to tell her, but it’s not the perfect time to give her these news. I- I don’t know what to do Piper! I just know I’m going to disappoint mom and Linda! W-we’re all still in a bad state of mind and it’s not the right time for me to be pregnant!”
She felt her chest heave up and down, feeling tears leak out of her eyes.
“What do I do Piper? Should I tell Jayden now?” Isabella chuckled nervously. “I don’t even know how he’ll react. He told me that his home situation isn’t good at this time either. I- I just think that I’ve really <fuzzy teddy-bear>ed up big time!”
“Bella.” Piper’s soft voice called out from the other end. “First things first, you need to calm down. Take a deep breath in and out. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.” Isabella nodded as she slowly breathed in, holding her breathe for a few seconds, before exhaling.
“Good. Okay.. now here’s what I think. You should tell Jayden now. Tell your mom later once the baby’s dad knows, okay? And don’t worry, Jayden is a really sweet guy who loves you. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. Everything will be okay, okay Bella? Whatever happens, I’m here for you. You did nothing wrong. A baby is a true blessing.”
Isabella nodded, sniffling in the process. “Okay. I’ll tell Jayden later today. Thanks Piper. I really appreciate your support.”
“Everything will be okay. I love you.”
“I love you too.” Isabella sniffled, tears streaming down her face as she hung up the phone.
“Okay. Everything is going to be okay. Piper’s right. Just think positive Bella. You got this.” She mumbled to herself as she continued washing the dishes.
~ ~
“Bella? Bella, are you okay?”
Isabella closed her eyes while breathing slowly, as she tried dismissing from her mind the constant flashbacks she had of when she was filled with fear due to her own pregnancy.
She deeply exhaled before opening her eyes and seeing her younger brother standing in front of her, holding her hand.
“Oh, uh I’m okay.” She blinked, before smiling. “Sorry about zoning out. So.. how do you feel?”
“How do I feel about what?” Aiden asked confused, causing Isabella to chuckle.
“You know, the fact that your girlfriend is expecting a baby. Aren’t you happy? A baby is a blessing Aiden. You should know that.”
“Oh right. Uh well I’m really nervous, you know? We’re both only seventeen. I don’t know what’s going to happen now. I-I know I messed up real bad.. But I’m obviously all for Claire having the baby.. Still, I’m sorry. I just don’t know what to do, Bella.”
Isabella softly smiled, slowly standing up in front of her brother. She chuckled at the fact that he was now taller than her.
“Listen Aiden. Everything is going to be okay.” She said, remembering Piper’s words to her when she was in this exact situation.
“Whatever happens, just know that we’re all here for you, okay? I know you said you messed up and I’m just going to be honest and say, you did. But that doesn’t matter anymore. What matters now is that there is a baby on the way and you should be thrilled about that, do you understand?”
“But what if I’m not a good dad? I mean I don’t even know how to take care of myself, so how will I even take care of another human being?”
“I understand what you mean, Aiden. I myself am scared that I won’t know how to take care of my daughter, but I know that I won’t be alone in the process. I have you, mom, Linda, Piper, and Jayden to give me an extra hand. The same thing will happen with you guys, okay? You should never be afraid to ask for help when you need it.”
“Wait, you’re going to have a baby girl?” Aiden beamed, his doe eyes wide with excitement.
“Oh right. I forgot to tell you guys.” Isabella mumbled to herself, before smiling brightly. “Yes, I’m going to be having a girl! I’m so ecstatic!”
“Oh my gosh, that’s amazing!” Aiden exclaimed with joy, as he wrapped his arms around his older sister in a loving manner.
“Aww thanks.” Isabella smiled, hugging her brother back while rubbing his back softly.
The moment of silence was interrupted by the loud ringing of the clock in the kitchen, signaling that it was 7 o’clock.
“Oh gosh, that clock rings every hour and scares me at times when everything’s silent.” Isabella chuckled, as she grabbed the dirty dishes and placed them in the dishwasher.
“Hey sis, um do you think I can stay the night? I told mom I was staying at my friend’s house, but I don’t really feel the motivation to go.”
“Yeah, you can stay. I obviously don’t mind. It’s been long since we’ve last hung out.” Isabella smiled, as grabbed her hair into a messy bun. “Wait, so how did you get here again?”
“I took a taxi.” Aiden answered, grabbing the opened bag of Doritos on the table and stuffing a few in his mouth.
“How long has Claire been pregnant?”
“Um, I think it’s about to be.. two weeks? Yeah, two weeks.” Aiden answered, licking the cheese dust off his fingers.
“Mhmm okay. I think Jayden left some of his clean clothes here, so you can go ahead and use them.”
Isabella led the way into her room, scavenging through her drawers and taking out one of Jayden's t-shirt and sweats.
“Here ya go.” Isabella threw the clothes at her unsuspecting brother, chuckling as it landed perfectly on his face.
“Bruh.”
Isabella giggled grabbing her pajamas and towel. “You can go ahead and watch TV in the living room. I’m going to take a shower.”
Aiden nodded, making his way back into the living room, while Isabella made her way into the bathroom, planning to take a long, steamy shower.
~ ~
“What are you watching?” Isabella asked, sitting down on the sofa, as she looked at the TV and saw a gory scene appear.
“Just a horror movie.” Aiden answered, as he gobbled down some popcorn.
“Where did you get that?”
“Oh it was in the bag you were carrying. These are so bomb!”
“What the <basement>! Jayden got those for me. Those are my favorite, you buffon!” Isabella exclaimed, snatching the bag away from him.
“Okay, so? Haven’t you heard that sharing is caring?” Aiden groaned, leaning over to try and grab at the bag, making Isabella smack him on the head with a cushion.
“Ow?! What the heck, Bella?” Aiden whined, crossing his arms over his chest, while sticking his tongue out at her.
“Ugh, you’re still so annoying!” Isabella teased, as she munched on some popcorn.
“And you’re still so rude!” Aiden “hmphed”, as he pulled out a pack of gummies from his pocket.
“Wait a <super> minute. Have you been eating everything that was in the bag?!” Isabella exclaimed, taking notice of all the opened bags of chips and candies hidden under a cushion.
“Uhhh… No?”
“Oh Aiden, just why?” Isabella rolled her eyes, leaning back on the couch as she looked at he horror movie that was playing on the screen.
“Tomorrow’s Friday. Aren’t you supposed to go to school?” Isabella asked, as Aiden shook his head.
“Tomorrow is a student free day.”
“Aww lucky. I remember having those back in high school. We don’t have those anymore in college.”
“Ha, sucks for you!”
Isabella flipped him off, before continuing to eat her favorite popcorn while watching the somewhat interesting horror movie that was playing in front of their eyes.
~
“I’m going to sleep now.” Isabella covered her mouth as she yawned. “Are you fine with sleeping on the couch?”
“Yeah, I'm fine.” Aiden answered, turning off the TV before yawning loudly.
“Okay. Well I have extra toothbrushes under the sink. If anything happens, just let me know, okay?”
“Hey Bella? Can I ask you something?”
Isabella nodded, as she stood up and looked at his tired figure that was laying on the couch.
“How did Jayden react when you told him that you were pregnant? I don’t think you ever told me. I just want to know if my reaction was similar to his.”
Isabella’s eyes widen as she nervously chuckled. “Well, first things first, how did you react?”
“Oh well... Um at first, I didn’t know how to react. I was feeling a lot of different emotions. I was scared, angry, disappointed, and happy all at the same time… I wanted to just disappear when Claire told me. She was crying when she told me because she said she was so afraid that I would leave her. I felt a pang in my heart as I saw her sob into my arms and I realized that I couldn’t do that to her... Or the baby. I hugged and kissed her and I told her that I wouldn’t leave her. That I would stay with her until the end of our times.”
Isabella smiled, feeling proud of her brother’s mature response to his girlfriend’s pregnancy.
Oh how she wished her experience was like that.
“Aiden, I am so proud of you. I just know that Claire doesn’t feel alone because she has you. You have a good heart and I know everything will be just fine.”
“Really?” Aiden asked, getting tear-eyed. “You really think so?”
“Yes, I know so.” Isabella smiled, her love for her brother growing more.
“Did Jayden react that same way? Mom did say that you told her that he was very supportive and happy too.”
Isabella forced a smile onto her face, nodding in the process. “Yes. Jayden was thrilled that I was expecting. He held my hand and told me that he would be with me every step of the way. He told me so tenderly and I was happy.”
“That’s great. From what I’ve seen and heard, Jayden is a nice guy. I know you love him just as much as he loves you. I’m glad that he’s your boyfriend because I’ve constantly heard that it’s hard to find decent men like him. So I guess you hit the jackpot.” Aiden softly chuckled, as he rubbed his tired eyes.
Isabella chuckled awkwardly, feeling guilty that she keeps on lying to everyone about her boyfriend.
“Um, so I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, Aiden. Sleep well.” Isabella smiled, as she leaned down and kissed her brother’s cheek softly.
“Goodnight.” He yawned, his eyes barely open as he hugged a cushion close to his body. She remembered how he couldn’t go to sleep unless he hugged something, which was really cute.
Isabella grabbed a clean blanket from the laundry basket and placed it over his body, taking notice of how exhausted he really was.
She smiled, before making her way to the front door, making sure it was locked. Once she was done, she made her way to her bedroom, grabbing her phone from her bedside table. She sighed once she saw that there were no new messages from Jayden.
“He’s probably just so busy at work.” She mumbled to herself, as she got into bed, wrapping herself with her blankets.
Turning off the light on the bedside table, Isabella deeply sighed while staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
As much as she tried to forget about the events that happened that day in which she told Jayden about her pregnancy, she couldn’t. It was just something that was constantly on her mind and no matter how hard she tried to forget, she knew that she never would.
*6 months ago*
Taking a deep breath, Isabella rang the doorbell. She quickly smoothed down her hair, while hiding the small gift bag behind her back.
A few moments later, the door opened, and Jayden’s older brother, Nate, stood in front of her.
“Oh hey Bella. It’s been a while. How are you?” Nate smiled, pulling her into a hug.
“Hi Nate. I-I’ve been good.” Isabella cursed at herself for sounding so nervous, as she heard Nate chuckle. “How have you been?”
She found out that Nate had a liking for her when she was Jayden’s girlfriend. Of course, he knew that she was his brother’s girlfriend and thankfully didn’t do anything to intervene. But there was an instance when he did try to kiss her while drunk, which completely scared her.
Luckily, she managed to get him back to his senses with a good ol’ slap which resulted in him apologizing to her profusely. Isabella accepted his apology and he made her promise him that she’ll never tell Jayden. Isabella agreed and from then on, Nate never tried to do anything to his brother’s girlfriend again.
“I’m good. I was just watching a movie with my girlfriend”, he smiled. “What brings you here?”
“Oh, I wanted to go talk to Jayden. Is that okay? Or should I come back some other time?” Isabella said, noticing the distinct figure of a girl sitting done on the couch, while scrolling through a phone.
“Why would you come back later, when you’re already here, silly? Come on in. Jayden’s in his room.”
“Okay thanks.” Isabella smiled, closing the door behind her. “I’ll just go up there then.”
“Yeah of course, go on ahead. Wait, what’s in the bag?”
Isabella looked down at the bag she held in her hand as she smiled. “It’s a present. For Jayden. I uh hope he likes it.”
“Oooh what is it? Come on, show it to me.” Nate teased, trying to grab the bag from her hand as she held it behind her.
“I can’t. It’s for Jayden.”
“Aww that’s mean. Oh is it-”
“Nate! Are you coming or what? You’re going to miss the good part!”
“I’m going babe!” Nate said as he smiled at the girl sitting on the couch before turning around to look back at Isabella.
“Well I should get going now. It was nice seeing you again, Bella.”
“It was nice seeing you too Nate. I’ll uh just head on up now.”
Isabella smiled, before turning her heel and making her way up the stairs.
She made a left and ran straight into a hard chest, causing her to drop the gift bag in shock.
She looked up and was met with her grinning boyfriend.
“Oh Jesus, you scared me Jay!” Isabella exclaimed, feeling her heart beat rapidly, as he chuckled, pulling her smaller frame closer to him.
“I’m glad you’re here. I missed you babe.” He said, pecking her forehead as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
“I missed you too. I hope you’re feeling better. How’s work?”
“Well, I'm still getting used to working there. I think it’s going to almost be a month now. I never thought I would go from working at a cafe with you to working at my dad’s company now. I’m going to be honest and say that I feel lonely without you there with me.”
“Aww Jay. I miss us working together. Everyone at Jamie’s Cafe misses you too. Even Jamie and you remember what she was like haha. She says you were her best employee, and everyone gets flabbergasted, so she says she’s joking. But I don’t think she’s kidding.”
“That’s funny. Then I’ll make sure to email her a photo of myself with the title “Jamie’s best employee”.”
“Oh stop.” Isabella giggled, as she playfully pushed him.
Jayden smiled at her, before shifting his eyes to look at the small gift bag on the floor.
“What’s that?” Jayden asked, referring to the bag, as he leaned down to pick it up.
Isabella felt her eyes widen, as she quickly leaped down and snatched the bag from the floor before he did.
“Oh t-this?.. It’s uh a gift.. It’s for you. But I think we should go and get some privacy.”
“Privacy, huh? I think I have a feeling on what it could be.” Jayden smirked at her making Isabella’s face flush.
“It’s not what you think, weirdo. Come on then.” Isabella said, grabbing his hand in hers and leading him to his bedroom.
Closing the door behind her, Isabella deeply exhaled before turning around and seeing Jayden standing a few feet away from her.
Isabella made her way up to him, softly smiling up at him, as he gazed into her brown eyes so lovingly.
“You’re so beautiful.” Jayden said, his hand softly caressing her cheek.
Isabella bit the inside of her lip, before slightly standing up on her tiptoes and kissing his lips.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, while Jayden’s arms wrapped around her waist.
“I love you.” Isabella managed to say, as they kept on kissing each other passionately.
She felt Jayden smile against her lips. “I love you too, Bella.”
Isabella felt her heart beat faster, now hopeful that her boyfriend would take her news in a good way.
“Jayden..” Isabella breathed out as she broke apart the kiss, took his hand, and led him to the edge of his bed.
“What is it, love?” Jayden asked as they both sat down.
“There’s something important you need to know.”
She handed him the gift bag, feeling her heart race as he took it.
Isabella motioned him to open it, as she anxiously played with her fingers, feeling her palms sweaty as she awaited his reaction.
Biting her nails due to her anxiety, she felt her heart accelerate once he took out the pregnancy test she took two days ago. Her boyfriend held in his hands one of the five pregnancy tests that said the same thing on it: “Pregnant”.
Isabella felt her chest heave up and down as she stared at her boyfriend’s confused face.
“Jayden..I’m pregnant.”
She started feeling tears welling up in her eyes, unsure of why Jayden wasn’t saying anything as he stared at the test in his hand.
“Jayden?...Are you okay?”
She gasped in shock as Jayden suddenly wrapped his arms around her nervous body, pulling her closer to him.
“Oh Bella. It’s going to be okay.” Jayden tenderly said, softly stroking her back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be there every step of the way, babe.”
“Really? You won’t leave me?” Isabella chuckled, feeling tears of relief and happiness fall down her cheeks. “I know that things are hard right now, but I know we’ll be great parents to our baby.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Jayden asked baffled, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked at his smiling girlfriend. “You’re getting an abortion, right?”
Isabella’s smile quickly vanished as she looked at her boyfriend in bewilderment. “What do you mean? I’m not getting an abortion. I’m not. Wait...did you think I was?”
“You’re not?!” Jayden exclaimed, staring at her in disbelief.
“I’m not. What the <basement>, Jayden! How could you even say that? It’s our baby. You’re going to be a dad! Aren’t you-”
“What the <fuzzy teddy-bear>! Are you not <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing thinking Isabella?!” Jayden screamed at her, before standing up and running his hands through his hair in frustration.
Isabella felt her heart race in fear, as she sat there in shock. She had never seen Jayden this angry, which frightened her.
Jayden turned around and leaned down to her level, grabbing her arms as he glared at her in pure rage.
“Aren’t you <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing thinking?! We can’t have a kid right now! Both of our lives are already <fuzzy teddy-bear>ed up enough, Bella! Just think for a <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing second! For a <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing second!”
“Get your hands off me, Jayden!” Isabella exclaimed in fear and anger, as she pushed him off of her with all her might.
She stood up, tears streaming down her cheeks while her chest heaved up and down. She ran her hands through her hair as she glowered at her boyfriend.
“Why the <basement> are you making it seem like this is all my fault?! You told me last time that you <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing used protection, so why the did this happen then, huh?!”
“I don’t <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing know, Bella! We were both wasted, but we can still <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing fix this if you just get an abortion!”
“I’m not getting an abortion Jayden! Who the <basement> are you to tell me what I should or should not do?! There’s a living being in my stomach right now and I’m not going to kill them!”
Jayden stepped closer to her, towering over her trembling figure.
“You’re so <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing stupid Bella! You’re <fuzzy teddy-bear>ing ruining my life!” He yelled at her, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
Isabella squeaked in fear once she saw his hands come up, afraid that he was going to hit her, as she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. Her hands instinctively shot up, covering her face.
She sobbed into her hands, terrified that she didn’t recognize the man in front of her as her once loving boyfriend anymore.
She saw Jayden come closer to her as she cried, scooting away from him. “Stop, Jayden. Just stay away from me.” Isabella’s voice cracked as she wiped her tears away.
She saw a guilty look on his face as he stopped in his tracks and stared down at her quivering figure.
“Bella...” She heard Jayden trail off, as he crouched down in front of her.
He slowly brought his hand up to her tear-streaked cheeks, wiping some tears away, while she tensed up at his touch.
Jayden stroked her hair softly, kissing her forehead. “I-I’m sorry, Bella. I didn’t mean to-”
“What the <basement> is going on here, Jayden?” Isabella heard Nate ask as she looked to the left and saw him standing inside the bedroom, his arms crossed over his chest.
Isabella blinked, slapping Jayden’s hand away from her, as she stood up and walked away.
“Are you okay, Bella?” Nate asked as Isabella passed by him.
Isabella nodded, slightly smiling at him.
“Yeah, I-I’m okay. I just got to get out of here. Bye.” Isabella quickly dashed out of the bedroom before he could say anything.
“Bella, I’m sorry!” She heard Jayden exclaim in remorse.
She bit her inner lip, ignoring his cries, as she ran down the stairs and out of the house.
Once she was far away from Jayden’s neighborhood, she broke down in tears.
She continued walking, her heart in pain, as she tried to muffle her sobs with her hands.
“Everything did NOT turn out okay!” She said to herself, wiping her runny nose away as she sniffled. “Jayden’s right. I’m so stupid! Maybe I should just get an abortion and everything will be alright again.”
Wiping her tears away with her sleeves, she deeply sighed, as she continued walking to get home, feeling absolutely nothing but despair.
~ ~
Isabella felt a couple of tears slide down her cheeks as she lay in bed, remembering Jayden’s painful words that fateful day.
“Why am I still thinking about that?” She said to herself angrily. “It happened in the past. I know that Jayden is not like that anymore. Why can’t my mind just shut up and let me sleep?!”
Isabella grabbed a pillow, muffling her cries and groaning angrily.
“Stop thinking.. Just go to sleep. Sleep. Just think about sleep. Don’t think about anything else. Just sleep…” She mumbled to herself, closing her eyes.
Any comments/suggestions are always appreciated! <3
