Baby be Mine

Chapter 14

[Lila]

In a rare turn of events, we were sitting having tea together tonight. I know my parents would like this to be a nightly occurrence but now it's more a weekly or bi-weekly thing. As Cal and I get older we tend to spend more time out. Quite often in an attempt to avoid these nights.

Cal was mum's little prince and since my coming out it was more pronounced. Thankfully he never acted like that and saw our parents for the flawed humans they were. We had each other's backs and no-one would get in the way of our bond. I think if I was an only child, I would have gone crazy living with my parents. They were never overly cruel to me but it was clear that Cal could do no wrong.

Sometimes I felt guilty from stopping Cal receiving the adjuration that they wanted to heap on him. Like I was keeping him from our parent's love. He told me to shut up during those moments. That he would rather spend his time with me than have them overly fawn him. I know he'd tried over the years to get my parents to put more focus on me but it never stuck. It didn't stop me from feeling like I was letting him miss out.

Most nights we didn't really have any plans, we'd just walk around to delay getting home. Now we had the car we had driven around a few times just listening to music.

I wish I could have avoided this night. Mum, dad, Cal and I, are all sat around the table as Cal regales every one of his day. It's usual for Cal to take up most of the conversation. He's always been the chatter box whereas I'm the quiet twin that gets dragged along for the ride.

Today though the conversation gets my blood boiling.

"There's this girl in school, she's been getting a load of abuse lately. Today though this guy purposely knocked her over, she's only this tiny thing and he proper cut into her path to trip her up. I couldn't let some douche do that though so I shoved him out the way then helped her pick-up her things. I even walked her to class just to make sure he wouldn't do it again."

"That's sweet of you son. Why have people been bulling her? Do the teachers know?" Their mum asks.

"Everyone's calling her a slut because someone found out she had a kid during the summer."

No, she didn't. Why am I the only one who sees that?

"She's a mother?" Mum asks shocked. "How old is she?"

"Our age I think." He says with a shrug. God bless Cal for not seeing the bigoted way everyone else looks at this picture.

A bunch of teenagers that are probably sleeping around. A load of adults that probably lost their virginity as a teen. Yet they still see a teenage mother as a slut or a failing of the parents. Not that Mic is a teen mum but still. Anyone of them could be in that boat yet they act all smug that fate hasn't handed them that card.

Hypocrites.

"She's seventeen and has a child. Cal, I don't want you getting involved with this girl." Mum says almost shrill.

Internally I roll my eyes. She's judging Mic as a teen mother but had nothing to say to dad who was a teen father. Dad didn't even acknowledge Ewan as a kid. He may say he regrets it now that Ewan is in our lives but he still left him.

"What? I'm not going to leave Mic to deal with the abuse she's getting alone."

"Bet most of those kids bullying her are sexually active themselves." Dad says, before taking a bite of his meal. I've barely touched any of the food on my plate, the fork squeezed tightly in my hand.

"Exactly." Cal says, like dad's word settles this mess.

"Don't encourage them."

"They know about sex. They're not idiots, they know to be safe." My dad argues.