Metamorphosis

Lectures from Loved Ones

Chapter 15

Lectures from Loved Ones

Paige stopped her car in front of her house. Sara had Les Miserables auditions and Mira had her brother pick her up from school, so she had the evening to herself. She planned to go inside and take a good long nap, then devise a plan to get back at Seth and Ashley.

Just as she was about to get out of the car, the front door opened and Zack came running out toward the car.

"Paige, I need a ride to Marli's! She just called and said there was an emergency at home! Please-"

"What's the emergency?" she asked. The boy sighed.

"Just drive me there. It's an emergency" Paige pointed to the front seat.

"Get in, brat." The younger boy ran around the car and slipped into the front seat. He clicked in his seatbelt as his sister pulled out of the driveway

"So is it true?" Zack asked.

"What?" Paige asked.

"Is Mira really pregnant?" the older teen's eyes widened.

"How did you..."

"Jacqueline Warner has been spreading rumors. Marli hasn't told me personally, but I know something is up. So is she?" Paige sighed and quickly drove around a car going way under the speed limit, causing them to honk. She stuck her hand out the window, middle finger raised.

"Stupid asshole!" she exclaimed, "and whether or not Mira is pregnant isn't any of your business!"

Zack crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows; looks like he had his answer.

When the Taylors reached the Pascals house, they were met by an unusual sight. The second Zack got out of the car; Marli came sprinting out of the house and into his arms.

Marli Pascal, the toughest girl he knew, was sobbing against his chest. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around her back.

Paige got out of the car and stared with bewilderment at the two younger teens hugging.

"What's going on? Where's Mira?" Marli glared at her over Zack's shoulder.

"Don't say her name! This is all her fault!" Paige raised her eyebrows before running up to the house. She saw Audrey Pascal sitting on the couch sobbing with Matt trying to comfort her.

"Matt? What's going on? Where's Mira?" the older brother looked up.

"In her room." The platinum blonde raced up the stairs toward the door with the giant Leonardo Dicaprio poster on it. She tapped her fist on it lightly.

"Go away!" her best friend's muffled voice called.

"Mira it's me!" she said back. She grabbed the doorknob and swung it open, only to find her friend curled up in her bed, the room completely dark. Paige walked in and sat on the edge of the mattress.

"What are you doing? What's going on?" Mira muttered something into her tearstained pillow. "What?" the expecting teen sat up.

"I said 'I fucked up everything!'"

"What happened?" Mira burst into tears again.

"My-my-my d-daddy left us-s!" she managed to say in between breaths. Paige gasped.

"What?" she breathed.

"He s-said that he ca-can't deal with m-m-me having a ba-by"

"Oh, Mira," she began softly. Mira lets out another weak sob.

"Marli blames me. When I got h-home, he had al-ready left. Marli shoved me and screamed that it's my fault. Mom won't stop crying. And Matt apparently ran after his car, chucking rocks, and calling him all kinds of names." Paige ran her hand up and down her friend's arm soothingly.

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," she replied softly, "I am so fucking stupid. I never should have let this happen! I destroyed my entire family!"

Paige plucked a tissue from the box on the bedside table and handed it to Mira.

"I am so sick of this," she continued, "I can't do this. I broke up my family, the whole school is talking about this, Seth thinks this stress will kill his mom and he's not going to help me, and I'm pretty sure my siblings and mother hate me! I'm only 16!"

Before Paige could figure out what she was saying, Mira said something that made her jaw drop.

"I'm getting an abortion; I'm not going to have this baby."

"Dude, did you hear?" Brian Samuels asked Seth. Brian had just arrived at 'Stake n Shake' during Seth's shift.

"Don't you have the day off?" Brian plopped down on one of the seats at the counter and leaned forward.

"Yeah. But listen, rumor has it Mira Pascal's pregnant." Seth raised his eyebrows and turned back to refilling the condiments.

"Uh, yeah I heard about that." He answered nonchalantly.

"Well, get this: it's yours!" Seth blinked and shrugged.

"Hmm, how bout that." Brian's eyes widened.

"Why aren't you freaked out?" he exclaimed.

"Cause I've known for almost six weeks."

"Shit!" he yelled, causing customers to turn and give him dirty looks. "Why the fuck didn't you say anything?"

"Will you shut the fuck up?" he hissed. "I'm not talking about this. Ever. I told Mira that I'm done being involved. Ashley isn't talking to me and the school won't leave me alone! I'm not losing my future because of her!" Brian raised his eyebrows.

"You said that to her?" Seth nods, "Dude, she's fucking pregnant! Any idiot knows not to make a pregnant girl upset like that!"

"Dude, it's not my fault! She-"

"No, it's both your faults. But to abandon her like that is just... wrong! You're actually willing to ditch the poor girl and your own kid for your own reputation and to keep your girlfriend? What kind of selfish asshole does that?"

Seth stared, stunned, at his friend.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"I don't think I wanna know anymore!" With that, Brian stood up and stormed out of the restaurant.