Pregnant with the Bad Boy - Second Book

Chapter 16

“Spare me, please….” I rubbed my temples, trying to get the pain to leave for what seemed to be forever when Dad returned. Right now, he was yelling at everyone that moved, not just me and Mom; no. he was screaming at the police officers that seemed to be on their last stretch of patience.

“How could she be so stupid??” I was hissing it, leaning back more on the sofa where I had been the last hours, just wanting my ungrateful sister to come back and not make our parents scream even more than what they already had when dad came back, driving like a madman to get here and searching for Mandy that was still just as gone, disappeared. Magic.

Mom was stepping out into the hallway, hungover when she wasn’t hiding it, seeing me, and looking even worse when I wasn’t even hiding just how much I wasn’t speaking with her. Not for a second.

“Hey….” I scoffed and looked at my phone, not even caring what was on it, she was the worst mother in the world, and she knew it!

“Jennifer… I’m sorry… I just… lost it…” She was taking deep breaths between the words when I still hadn’t looked up again, seeing her face look different without makeup and her hair up, almost like she was relaxed again, and I had no idea why? Dad and she was still breaking things up again, and….it wasn’t good.

“Do you know how hot it was, do you?” I finally raised my eyes, gazing at the guilt-struck woman that looked like she wanted to die from hearing me accuse her of throwing me out.

Good.

“Too hot…. Don’t you think I understand what I did? Oh god…. Please…. I just got so angry; you told Dad to leave me and….” She stopped when I smirked, so that was why? I was supposed to die on the dirt road alone with my child because she was angry at me, telling her that they sucked together and always would?

“Yeah, I got that part; Lorraine picked me up, so don’t expect people to know what happened….” I couldn’t care less; I didn’t have a reputation to care about, unlike her; it was all she had to be honest.

“s**t….” Mom sat on the other side, her head back, complaining loudly like it would help. Mandy was still gone, and I hadn’t forgiven her for calling me difficult, insane, and everything else that had happened, not for a second.

I was still rubbing my belly, wanting to get back to the new place I got when Travis had left with my stuff when I had stayed behind, Mom sobering up. Dad driving over the speed limit to make it back here.

“I lost the baby.” I didn’t say anything back, just took a deep breath, same, like her; that part was pretty obvious, Mom would do a lot, but she didn’t drink being pregnant, she wanted that baby, and I knew that more than anyone, except dad … but… yeah…

“I know.” I didn’t say more when she smiled like it was funny, trying to laugh when she started to cry instead, just small hiccups when I wasn’t going to do more than just sit here and let her cry; I was drained from the emotional trauma she was part of!

“I just wanted…. Something… Your dad and I could start over….” She was still crying, hearing Dad out on the porch, trying not to get arrested for doing something stupid to the lawmen that hadn’t even stepped inside our home; maybe they knew just how f****d up it was and didn’t want to get stained by it.

“What? What did you want so bad?!” I was accusing her again, she threw me out, and she wasn’t even sorry, not how a mom should be for tossing out their child being pregnant and defenseless!

“A boy….” She said it breathlessly to my offended face, a boy?? What the f**k did that even mean?? I was just about to start yelling at her for acting like a selfish b***h when Dad walked inside, looking like he was broken down from being back here and from not finding my idiotic sister that wasn’t any better than my mom, just wanting something for themself! A least now I knew where I got mine from!

“Gracie… don’t start that again, not now….” Dad was still standing when she looked up at my pain, so he knew, and that’s why he left; he couldn’t take it anymore, and they were not having a baby, so he left again…. I didn’t say anything. What could I say? That I was sorry? I was, but I needed to start to get selfish too, just like they were still staring at each other like they wanted to say something, but none were strong enough…. I scoffed again, f**k them both.

“What did they say?” I wasn’t going to sit through another one of their fights when Dad was the first to shift his eyes to me from Mom, who was still staring at him, angry, sad, and upset. Yeah, things were not the greatest.

“They can’t do s**t, that’s what they are telling me… that she ran away on her own and… that she will probably come back….” Dad sank down beside me when I sighed; that would never happen.

“So that’s it!? My baby is out there, and they are what?? giving up!” Mom was up again, unhappy that Dad couldn’t fix this, clenching her perfect white teeth and wanting to tear someone up for not getting Mandy back here instantly.

“Grace, she will be back… when she’s ready…. always was a wildfire that one….” Dad sounded sad again when I nodded, yes…. I didn’t like it either, but Mandy wasn’t easy to control; she did what she wanted and didn’t care.

“Ready?? Are you f*****g kidding me, Ed!? She is seventeen and just ran off with that asshole I thought would be good for Jennifer since she needed a friend!” I held my breath, seeing Mom's face scowl, glaring at dads. That was sad, so this was my fault?? That Liam had just turned coats and switched to Mandy when he arrived; it wasn’t!

“Yes, I know! He is a good kid, and I have no idea why they would just do this; he is smarter than that?!” Dad was barking it back when I was closing my eyes, sitting just in the crossfire, feeling Lilly move from the shouting; I wanted to get out before it got worse.

“Jennifer! You know him; where would they go!?” Mom wasn’t letting me stay out of their fight when I shrugged, not knowing what to say? That I didn’t know Liam as well as I thought I did? That he just shared some secrets with me, and that was it?

“I don’t know…. Mom, please…. We were just… stupid, and I don’t know him….” I whispered the last part to Mom’s face going darker; she did not like crossing her arms around her tighter like she was trying to suffocate the pain she was carrying over my sister being gone and everything else.

“Call Dylan.” Dad was the first one to make a sound; it was mocking and loud like he would rather eat nails than let me speak to the same guy whose baby I was carrying and still married to.

“Gracie, no! there is no f*****g way we are talking to that son of b***h; he can’t do s**t from where he is anyway!” I still hadn’t said anything, seeing my parents both stand up and shout it, not caring. I was still in the room and hearing every word.

“Yes, he can! He can call Amanda and tell her to come back; she listens to him; I’ve seen it, like Jennifer, isn’t that right!?” Mom’s eyes were back on me, she was desperate, and I understood; it’s not like I wanted Mandy to get hurt; she was just a stupid kid, the same as Liam.

“Don’t ask her that; she doesn’t know, same as me; I just know that Dylan Hopper is a good-for-nothing asshole that will not be part of our lives!” I sighed, hearing Dad; I didn’t know why he hated Dylan so bad, more than a mom who wasn’t listening, not when she had some hope to grasp; she wanted Mandy back!

“Then what do you suggest?? tell me that, Ed, and then get back to me that my ideas are insane!” Mom was shrieking it when I had my hands over my ears, just wanting some peace and not feeling my baby kicking harder for every second they were fighting before me.

“I’m going to write to Dylan and…. Now I’m going home…” I got up slowly, taking help from the sofa rather than any of my parents looking like they didn’t understand that I was not living here, mom being sober again or not.

“What??” Dad wasn’t looking too okay with me being alone; in fact, he had even tried to get Travis to take back my stuff; that hadn’t gone so well since I had paid him to get my things back to the apartment, and that is where I was going to sleep tonight!

“You heard me; I’m not staying. Me being here doesn’t bring back Mandy, and I don’t want to listen to you too traumatize Lilly before she is even born!” I was walking out, none of them saying anything to my relief and pain; I wanted to leave, and still, it was hard to live alone, and I already knew that.

“Wait! Jennifer, let me drive you back….” Mom was already walking past me, taking her purse and not wanting to look at Dad anymore. I wasn’t sure what to say either; everyone was so lost.

“Yeah, I thought that Dad could….” I couldn’t even finish feeling Mom’s hand around my wrist, not caring that I was pleading with the big guy to drive me instead of the insane woman who had just gotten sober!

“I’m going to head back to Linda….” Mom scoffed when Dad was coming after us, seeing Mom lock the door, and that just felt weird; Dad wasn’t staying, and she wasn’t stopping him, not this time.

“Good; I don’t want to see you unless it's about Amanda.” Mom was walking down to her car, and I was giving Dad one last look when he sighed and started to walk back to his truck, leaving me standing on the porch like a goddam kid seeing my parents not looking at each other for the first time in their life.

Omg.

They were not going to try again.

I just stood there baffled over that when Mom started to honk for me to move, and Dad was already driving off, giving me a smile that I didn’t reply to getting down the steps.

They were over.

Done.

Finished.

I got inside Mom’s car, got my seat belt on, and stared at her serious face when she was driving around the driveway. I didn’t say anything, knowing I was still shocked by what happened.

“Did you just….?” I wasn’t sure what I was asking anymore to her frown. I had seen them fight so many times, but they always looked back, wanting to get back together until today, like nothing was worth fighting for. That was scaring the crap out of me.

“Yes, we're going to get a real divorce this time, and Jennifer…. Don’t make my mistake… don’t wait around your whole f*****g life for some guy that can’t keep it in his pants….” She was talking about Dylan, and I knew that the small glimpse of her eyes meeting mine was ashamed and hers full of sorrow.

“f**k…” Mom was driving faster when I wasn’t talking anymore, and she didn’t mind; none of us really wanted to say anything more than her wanting to find out where I lived. I knew that, too; I couldn’t keep anything from her.

I got out and was happy to see some light on when I was walking closer to the apartment on the bottom floor, and mom’s frowned when she was getting closer; not really like the older house that I had decided to live in, but I didn’t care. This was my home, and she was going back to hers.

“I hope that Travis guy didn’t rob you when you handed over everything….” She thought I was stupid to my snort, but I was stupid, no matter what people believed. Travis was friendly compared to most guys I had met.

“If he did, he would be rich on baby stuff and my old clothes….” I snorted more when she rolled her eyes, followed me inside when I unlocked the door and was surprised when everything was already done; holy s**t! Did Travis help me with this, or had someone enchanted mice and birds, making them arrange the small amount of furniture and stuff I had brought along??

“Oh…. “Mom’s face was shocked too; she was expecting to help me out, she did, and she wasn’t even hiding it; she couldn’t resist helping me out when she didn’t want o bite my head off.

“Travis… omg…” I was almost laughing seeing the place look so good; he was a nice guy, right? No matter that he wanted my money for doing things, it wasn’t more than fair.

“You got lucky, that’s for sure…” Mom looked around for a few minutes before giving me a small smile like she could breathe for one minute that I wasn’t left in some dirty place where she couldn’t keep track of me; it was something.

“Yeah…” Still stunned, I was saying back when mom snickered, giving me the plastic bag that had been in her purse all this time when I took it and made a sigh seeing the bottles of pills that were mine and not hers, even if she had them.

“Don’t forget your meds….and if I find out you are skipping them, I’m coming back and forcing them down your neck, got that, Jennifer?” I still held the bag when she suddenly sounded serious again, like she was talking about Mandy being gone; she would keep track of me no matter where I lived.

“Yes, Mom… please…” I was trying to get her to not worry about that part, I was doing better, and I don’t think that it was the meds; it was me… they might have helped… but yes, me mostly.

“Don’t mom me, you take them as prescribed, and you eat food, hungry or not, okay?” she was still serious when I nodded, knowing that she was trying so hard not to drag me right back and put me inside my old bedroom where she could keep me safe.

The soft knock on the still-open front door made us both look back, seeing the man that had taken everything over and was watching us from afar, like he had been standing there all along and didn’t want to interrupt. Great! So now even Travis knew that I was crazy and needed medication.

“Oh… hello…” Mom was the first one to speak when I was too embarrassed; it wasn’t like it was fun getting people I barely knew to know that you were on these pills that were supposed to make you feel better when most of the time, they didn’t!

“Hello, just wanted to check in to see if you needed more help, Jennifer?” Travis smiled when I shook my head, not wanting to talk anymore. I was good.

“She’s fine… just…. She forgets to eat and take her meds sometimes….” Mom was giving him a gentle smile like she was talking about the f*****g weather and not my mental health; what the f**k!?

“Ahh yes, might have heard that part… sorry….” Travis smiled more when I scoffed, wanting him to leave; whatever gratitude I felt was gone when he looked slightly smug over standing in the doorway and looking like he didn’t want to leave.

“Oh, it's fine, it’s no secret… this is Perryville….” Mom giggled when I wasn’t laughing, wasn’t she supposed to leave me and go home anyway?

“Mom, I’m tired….” I wasn’t going to stand here all night when she nodded like she understood and came back to my side, giving me a quick hug; I didn’t really want when I was still angry at her for so much, and nothing was over just because I didn’t want to fight anymore.

“Call me baby, okay? Just… call me…” she was worried, taking steps back towards the door when I nodded, okay. I would call if that made her happy.

“Sure.” I watched her come to the door, and Travis still standing there when she smiled and walked past him, closing the door after her, and I turned around, walking to the bedroom that finally had a bed.