This Little World of Mine

Chp. 7

Dances suck. Just in general, I don't like them. So when Delilah dragged me to one, I wasn't exactly the happiest.

Oh yeah, did I mention I broke up with Diana?

Funny story, actually. She was really clingy and creepy and I finally decided there was no way I could handle it anymore. So yeah, I broke up with her. I mean, it probably didn't help that our relationship relied on my being drunk.

"I am so glad you said yes, Matt. I thought you'd go with Diana, but then I thought that you were you and just, yeah!" Delilah squealed. I put on a fake smile.

"Um, cool," I nodded, pretending to be intrigued.

"Hey, Matthew Chase," I sighed hearing Pace's voice behind me.

"Shut up, Pace," I snapped, partially joking.

"Why should I? Your girlfriend calls you by that name, why can't I?" Pace laughed. I glanced at Delilah before realizing she wasn't paying attention.

I swallowed, "Delilah is my girlfriend."

"Really?" Nolan squinted at her. "She doesn't really look like your type."

I shrugged and kept walking.

I heard wolf whistles behind me, making me want to turn around.

"Tori is in the house!" Nolan howled.

What was my sister doing here?

"Followed closely by a sexy looking Lucy and her friends," Nolan continued.

Honestly, I just really wanted to leave.

"When was this dance?" Harriet asked.

"Tonight." I replied, feeling as though it was slightly obvious.

"Um, okay then carry on," she blushed.

I could see Lucy out of the corner of my eyes. She was looking beautiful. Wow, was she beautiful.

I wanted to talk to her, but I had nothing to say.

"Matthew! Matt!" Tori's six inch heels click-clacked near me. It didn't even stop her when she saw Delilah. "Oh, hi. Delilah, right? You can't be here right now."

Delilah probably protested, but I was grateful for my sister's pushing her away.

"What's wrong, Tori?" Better question: what was my 20 year old sister doing at a high school dance?

"Um, well your girlfriend-"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Then Lucy. Lucy is, uh, compromised?" Tori seemed like she was begging me to understand, but I was lame and didn't.

"Compromised?" I could see Lucy dancing with Arthur, which pissed me off all over again, so I had absolutely so idea what she was referring to.

"Lucy just went into labor, Matt."

"Why is this at all relevant to me?"

"Because she won't leave without you. She's outright denying me the ability to help her."

"What do you expect me to do?" I bit my lip.

"Come on, freckles, you're smart. Figure something out." She spun and walked away, leaving me standing there awkwardly, per usual.

Frustrated, I stomped over to where Lucy was dancing with douchepants, "Lucy, I hear you needed to talk to me?"

I got the biggest glare from jerk face, but I ignored him.

"Lucy is my name," she muttered. "Yeah! I do need to talk to you."

"Then let's go talk." I suggested. I guided her to another spot on the floor. The fake smile on her face masked very obvious pain.

"The baby's kicking," She said, trying desperately to sound happy.

"I think-" I whispered in her ear, "I think we need to leave."

She nodded and death gripped my hand.

.

.

.

My car was a beat up old junker that I bought off some guy for a couple hundred bucks. Tori's, on the other hand, was some high end convertible. And, technically speaking, I couldn't legally drive with Lucy in the car. Plus, Tori is a faster driver.

So, that is how we came to leave jerkface-douchepants at the dance, and Tori driving her car at breakneck speeds down the highway.

"Lucy, it'll be okay. Everything will be okay." Her grip was going to break my hand into tiny pieces.

"You don't really believe that." Lucy insisted.

I didn't believe that. I thought that the experience might break her. What I thought would hurt the most is that there was no way this baby could live with her. She would have to give it up for adoption.

"I do," I squeezed her hand back. "I absolutely believe that."

"You lied to her?" Rich exclaimed.

"It was only, like, two hours ago."

"Your dance started at midnight?" Dug's eyes widened.

I shook my head, "I skipped the boring stuff after I was forced to listen to Nolan. The dance started at about eight."

"Oh," Lila pounded the table, "that makes more sense."

"Yeah." I chewed on my fingernail.

"So, she was in labor at the dance and now is in a hospital room?" Rich looked slightly confused.

"Yeah. That's kind of how that works. She's okay, the pager hasn't-" there was a buzzing in my pocket.

"That sounds like..." Harriet started.

"Pager," I said. "That was my pager. Well, shit."