the list { jace norman }

seven

It was that absolute sickening feeling you get when you're about to do something you feel that you'll regret for the rest of your life.

It was what was going on in the both of us at that exact moment.

Together, we understood that keeping the pregnancy from our parents wasn't going to do anything but add stress to the situation, for us and them. 

So here we were, sitting on Jaces couch, adrenaline and butterflies flying around the room as we sit to wait for his parents to come home.

"You're sure we should do this now?" I glance over at him.

He nods, swallowing harshly as his eyes meet mine,
"We gotta tell them"

I swallow down all that I wanted to say, resting my head on his shoulder,

"I'm just scared"

"Me too" He grabs my hand, "But we're in it together, remember. You're here right now, I'll be right next to you when we tell yours."

"How did we get ourselves into this"

"Because I forgot the-"

"I know how it happened, Jace. I just don't know when we got so dumb"

"We're kids"

"Exactly"

He holds in his breath, nodding. He was equally as anxious as I was, a little more so, it was his parents.
We sit in silence, taking in every moment of silence between us. Every splitting moment grew nauseous, time ticking, anxiety of his parents walking through the door, and having to tell him everything. 

"My parents still think I'm a virgin" He chuckles, wanting something to distract us from the silence.

"Yeah, mine too" I sigh, resting my head in my hands, "And, I'm not supposed to be seeing you. When they find out I was seeing you, and I got pregnant" I shake my head, "They're gonna flip".

"Its going to be okay, baby"

"I know. You're here. Thank you for not making me go through this alone"

"Its my baby too. My responsibility too."

Our heads turn towards the door as its pushed open from the outside. His mom trailing in after it, hands filled with several grocery bags from each finger. 

She passes us, heading to the kitchen,
"Hi Emily, how are you doing sweetie?"

"Im doing okay, how are you Mrs. Norman?"

"Getting through" Her tone is flat, and tired. She takes her time putting away the groceries to their spots. Once shes done, she walks into the living room. Our eyes widen with nerves as she makes herself comfortable on the couch across from us.

Her eyes meet us, suspicious something was going on.
"Whats up with you guys?"

"Where's dad?" Jace asks towards his mom.

"Hes outside, messing the the car. Something came unplugged on the way home. He'll be in soon."

Jace nods, moving himself to the edge of the cushions. resting his elbows to his knees, not breaking eye contact with the floor. My hand finds his legs, gripping onto the fabric of his jeans. Not wanting to be too far from his contact with my nerves flying around the way they were.

His mom glances down at my hand, gripped so tight, and the nerves spread across Jace's face. Noticing something off,
"Are you guys okay?"

I glance over at Jace, his head shaking, no.

"Whats going on?" She dropped the magazine she had picked up earlier, next to her on the couch.

"I want to wait for dad to come in to tell you" He lifts his head to look at her.

She nods in uncertainty. Her face quickly showing the same anxious anticipation as ours did as we wait silently for his dad to walk in.

By the time his dad walked through the front door, I felt everything I had even eaten come up at once, but not dare to enter my mouth, leaving the stinging taste of iron in my mouth.

Jace finds my hands from his leg, holding it tight enough to secure my trembling fingers, his hands much sturdier, as if he had gained confidence that I had been loosing as we waited.

"Hey hun, can you come and sit for a minute? The kids want to talk to us about something" His mom calls for Mr. Norman, as he shuts the front door behind him.

"About what?" He comes to sit next to his wife. 

She looks over at us for the answer. I watch silently as both of their eyes pierce ours. 

My mouth opens to say the simple words, but they don't come out, I choke. 

Jace glances towards my silence, then back at his parents.
"Emily's pregnant"

My grip on his hand tightens at his bluntness. 

"And, its yours?" His mom looks strictly at her son, but her voice calm. 

He nods as her shocked face shows, almost unexpecting his answer.

 I watch as his dad stands up, angrily leaving the room, like a child.  

"Jace, what the hell are you thinking? You're seventeen, do you even know the responsibility it takes to raise a kid?" His mom starts to yell. But so does he

"Its not like it was on purpose!" 

"Mrs. Norman" my voice is gentle within the tension building in the room.,

"It was an accident. It wasn't Jace's fault"

"It was our fault" He interrupts

"It was our fault" I whisper back.

"Are you keeping it?" His mom connects her eyes with mine, unable to be read. 

I look over at Jace, his eyes widen as if he couldn't believe I was still debating it after our talk. He looks back at his mom with his same expression, mad that she had even said something along those lines.

"What the hell mom. Yes, we're keeping it."

"You don't even know if you guys are going to be together out of high school"

"I'm in love with Em. I'm staying with her."

I grin slightly at his words, watching the ground to not show his mom emotion. It was that one word that got me every time. He loved me. And he had admitted it to his mom.

"Jace, you're seventeen. You don't know what love is" Her head shakes.

"Oh I do" His eyes meet mine kindly, "I know that when you're in love you get lost in their eyes every time like it was the first time you've seen them. When they start to hurt, you hurt and when they're happy, nothing makes you happier. And that you just feel as if you've never seen anyone more beautiful in your life, and god is she beautiful" He smiles with his eyes, but his mouth stays stoned to a mad frown, he looks back at his mom.
"So don't try to tell me that I don't know what love is, I do."