Forced to have the Player's Kid (Book One of The Great Age Plague Series)

Chapter Thirty

Keon and I sat in the back of Josh's Mini Cooper, laughing over the cat pictures on his phone. Looking up nervously, I saw Josh smiling his pearly-white smile at the sight of me finally brightening up. I smiled back timidly, seeing my crooked teeth in the mirror. Of course, I adverted my eyes-- I really hated my smile.

With a swift turn, the Mini Cooper slid up the winding drive and into the main garage that was just brimming with cars. I had seen them before during my duration of time with Josh, but Keon's eyes widened as he emerged from the car. Proudly, I gestured to the light yellow VW bug Josh had bought me a month ago while I was sad and Josh chuckled, happy to see me happy I suppose. Beside that was a line of beautiful cars, most of which had belonged to Josh's parents, including Mercedes and Jeeps and other luxury brands. All of the cars were glossy under the industrial lighting of the long garage, but behind them were a series of decorations Josh's dad had secured, including vintage license plates, bikes, and toys.

"Like my baby? Josh made me leave it at home for the party," I said with glee. Upon mention of the party, the group seemed to feel a momentary awkwardness, and I mentally face-palmed at my social faux-pas. Yeesh, couldn't I get anything right? With a breathy sigh, I turned and retreated to the house, both boys following me obediently.

When I entered the house, I began to feel funny. My mind immediately panicked, as I knew what was about to happen. Feeling the taste of pennies in my mouth, I rushed to the bathroom, pulling back my hair in a pony tail as I speed-walked. I found the nearest bathroom-- the guest bathroom-- and leaned over the toilet expectantly. At last my stomach lurched, and I threw up what little food was in my system.

While I was retching in the toilet, Josh and Keon made their ways to the bathroom door and stood in the frame, each looking worried. When I finally stopped, I wiped my mouth, flushed the toilet, and sat up, facing both of them.

"Well," said Josh, with a ghost of a smile gracing his soft, supple lips "Looks like your bug isn't your only baby." At this the tension immediately lightened and we all three laughed in relief. Standing up, I pushed past both of the boys into the living room, then down the hall into the bathroom Josh and I shared. My toothbrush. I needed it. Neither followed me, much to my relief, and I brushed my teeth thoughtfully.

Sometimes, it seemed unreal that I was pregnant, until moments like morning sickness reminded me quite brutally. I lifted up my shirt, looking at the hard lump that was my tummy more closely. I looked really, really big for someone as early in the pregnancy as me. My tummy lump looked more like an actual baby bump now, my skin taunt again the already-forming baby inside me. Great. I was definitely going to get stretch marks, I could already see it. Pushing my shirt down, a light knock at the door lifted me from my wandering mind.

Keon stood there with a grin on his face, his lip ring looking extra black in comparison to his pale skin in the rising moonlight streaming in through the window. He took my breath away-- he was so cute. I spit out the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth, trying to look lady-like but ultimately failing. Keon didn't seem to mind though, and he approached me slowly in the way that one might approach a deer or some other skittish creature.

"How are you feeling? Josh sent me to check on you," he said. My disappointment must have registered because Keon's eyes flooded with panic "No, no, I was worried too! I mean, not like... It's his baby but... Yeah. Sorry. Glad you're okay--bye!" And with that, Keon skittered out of the room, making me chuckle. That kid was way more shy than me, and that was impressive. Thinking about Keon, I wandered out of the bathroom into my room, my hand on my stomach. Keon really was a good friend thus far, at least in the short amount of time I had known him. But why did he fascinate me so much? There was a definite... attraction. But I wasn't suppose to have that-- I was married. I had given my virginity to Josh! But in the end, had I really dedicated anything to Josh? And just because I gave my virginity to one man didn't mean that he, well, owned me. Which was a weird thought for me, of course, because I had always assumed I would save my virginity for my forever-life partner, someone I was so comfortable with I wouldn't have to question if I made the right choice or not. Did that even exist in this world? Feeling confused and mad and worried, I laid on my bed, covering my face with my hands. New topic. I had to think about something not-romance related. I didn't need romance in my life right now, as it was too complicated and, at this point, not useful.

I thought about my baby, my mother, and wondered idly if I could start a journal. Feeling motivated, I grabbed a pen from my desk and rummaged through the drawers for a notebook. To my delight, I found a diary-like book with a floral cover. Inside there were a few grocery lists, so I just ripped them out and threw them away. Inside the diary, I started by writing the events of the day, titling the entry with "Dear Mom," then getting into more detail about the dilemma I had with Josh, the worries I had about my stomach growing so fast, and what Keon meant to me thus far. Immediately, I felt relief, so I tucked the diary away and padded downstairs to socialize.

In the den, Josh sat on the couch conversing with Keon, who was cooking in the kitchen like a little house wife, all the way down to wearing my apron. I giggled into my palm and hid behind the corner, just watching for a few seconds.

"I absolutely love that book. It inspired me to write some free-form poetry," said Keon, to which Josh nodded sagely.

"Yeah, Leaves of Grass was great. I actually kind of want Adira to name our kid Whit, after Walt Whitman," said Josh with a big smile. Keon turned his back on him for a moment to pick up a spice, and as he turned back around he spoke to Josh as he mixed up the spices in a bowl.

"That would be pretty cool, man," said Keon as he whisked "So what do you guys want to do after high school? Aren't you worried about college or something?" My heart sped up at this question, as I honestly did not have an answer anymore. Ever since my mother died, life was spent living moment to moment for me, just trying to survive. I flashed back to the day Josh showed me his fake stars and my heart squeezed. It had been so long since I had been that sure about anything. Did I still want to go to college? Did Josh? To my disappointment, Josh just shrugged.

"Not sure yet. You?" asked Josh, deflecting the question with what appeared to be genuine interest. Still, I saw that flash in his eyes, that moment of worry and sadness. Keon shrugged as well, but didn't have the dark demeanor Josh had materialized around him like a dark cloud.

"College. Maybe. I don't know," he said, looking down at his hands shyly. When a silence fell on them both, I decided to make my entrance.

"Hi boys," I said, walking in with a little pep in my step, hoping to brighten the mood. Josh gave me a predatory look and smirked, his old ways showing up through all the drama of the night.

"Well hello princess, you're looking a lot less green," he said confidently. At this, Keon let out a choked chuckle, as if trying to hold it in and failing. I sent both a look that could make plants wilt and made my way into the kitchen, examining Keon's magnificent lasagna in the oven.

"Whoa, that looks amazing," I said, kneeling down. Keon shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets as if hiding them could hide his embarrassment. My stomach growled and I gave Keon an evil grin before training my eyes on the lasagna.

"But still," I said with a slight chuckle "It could use some cheese puffs."

A/N-- Sorry for the short chapter everyone, my film stuffs been picking up lately. So as you all know, I'm working quite busily on edits for this story, so updates will now only come Monday-Wednesday, as I hope to use the other days for editing. Thanks for the support! P.S. Saying "update" in a comment, or message will not make me update faster. Since my writing schedule is now set, I hope to stick to it. I will tell you guys if I'm not going to. Thanks again.