17 & Pregnant [ORIGINAL VERSION}

Chapter 39

ROB

Shit happens.

That's what I used to say to myself whenever I messed up. I just went with the flow of things, as though life didn't have consequences. At times, I wish I could go back in time and slap myself.

I looked across the large conference room table at Tracy, and the lawyer that sat beside her. It amazed me how, after all these years, she couldn't get past her selfish, conniving nature.

"You can't just show up like this, Tracy. We had a deal. Julia should understand that," Amanda told her, organizing her files.

Tracy looked at me, "I'm here for you, Robby. Julia just wants her old life back. You two-"

"Stop the crap, Trace. She wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for me," I looked out of the window, trying to keep myself from exploding with frustration.

It was during moments like this when I wished I'd listened to my parents more. I did some really stupid stuff, thinking it was for the greater good. I trusted the wrong people, and now I was paying for it.

"We have set our terms in this outline. We're open to negotiating," one of her lawyers, Gerry, said as he pushed a small package in front of Amanda.

She looked down at it and scoffed, "negotiate..."

"We'll need some time to look over this," Alex said, nodding to Tracy and her team.

Tracy and the two men in suits got up. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder, glancing at me before they walked out of the conference room.

I let out a long held breath, running my hand through my hair, "geez..."

"Gold diggers, huh?" Alex said, with a head shake. Amanda and I looked at Alex, "really, Alex?"

"Anyway, let's just get rid of this girl once and for all," Amanda told us, looking over the papers she'd been given. "We don't want this to ruin you and Liv."

"How long are we going to be here?" I asked her.

She sighed, shrugging, "I don't know. It's already two in the afternoon. If all goes well, we'll be out of here by... Seven, at the earliest."

Amanda and Alex must have noticed my disappointed as I rubbed my temples, sinking slightly into my chair. I just couldn't believe this. Instead of being with my family on this beautiful Saturday, I was stuck in Kingston, in a conference room, because some people were good at finding loopholes in contracts.

"I'll order some lunch," Amanda said as she got up with her phone. "Chinese?"

I nodded somberly, and Alex exclaimed, "yes!"

All of a sudden, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw a picture of Liv's smiling face on my screen.

I could still remember the day I took that picture. She'd been so surprised when I showed it to her later on. Seeing her like that made my heart skip a beat; she's everything to me.

I answered the phone right before it vibrated a fifth time, "babe..."

Her giggling radiated through the line, bringing a smile to my lips. "How's work?"

A pang of guilt came into my chest at her mention of my little lie. I couldn't have told her where I really was, what I was doing. Why. She would never look at me the same way.

"It's boring, uneventful. I miss you, though."

"I miss you too," I heard her putting away some dishes on the other side of the line. "You wanna say hi to the kids?"