All Bets On Her

Part One

 

•Hayden•

"Annie, honey, we're in the kitchen!" My mother's voice rang sweetly as I made my way through our fairly large front entrance. I had just gotten home from school, the best day ever, I might add. Jason Collins had asked me out! He was the most adorable boy ever, I was hardly convinced I was in his league. Daydreaming about Jason all the way towards the kitchen made me completely unaware of something being wrong. I hadn't noticed my father's guarded stance at the table, my mother sitting beside him with a nervous expression on her face; her hand on her stomach.

"Yeah?" I asked hurriedly, itching to run upstairs and text Jason.

"Honey, sit down." Crap, sitting down meant this was going to take longer than a few seconds. Still, I did as my mother said, sitting across the round table in our kitchen. "We have some great news. I'm pregnant." The edges of my mouth sprang up in the hugest grin ever. I was going to have a new baby sister or brother! Oh my gosh!

"Don't get too excited." My father barked. I sneered at him, why was he always such a Debby Downer? I highly doubted he liked me very much, if at all. "There's also some bad news along with it. Well, bad for you, good for me." Way to be blunt, Daddy Dearest.

"Don't be such a jerk, Ted." My mother scolded him. At least she loved me. Turning back to me, she had a sorrowful look on her face. "Annie, dear, you know that both your father and I love you," Ha, mental snort. "But with the new baby and all.."

"We need to get rid of you." My father finished for her rather rudely. My jaw all but hit the table, the chair, then the floor right there and then.

"And by that, you mean..?" I asked expectantly, hoping for the best.

My mother began before my father could, shooting him an evil look while she was at it. "We mean that we're sending you to Arkansas to live with Aunt Melanie and Uncle Brad." Well, that wasn't that bad. Except that it would be halfway across the country, I would lose basically all my friends in the process, and I would have to start all the way over at a new school. What a joy.. Right?

"How long?" I question rigidly.

"Well-"

"How long." I demand more forcefully, falling into my father's demanding personality. This was going to affect my high school social status totally! Not that I was one of those popular girls with a high status. But I was still at a pretty good level and I loved it.

"We're not sure.. It ranges from until the baby's here, to until senior year."

"Why don't you save yourself the airfare and just leave me there?" I snap, bolting upwards, grabbing my backpack, and sprinting upstairs. This is not happening, I kept telling myself. This is not happening.

The thing that sucks is, it was.

*

The flight was long. Comfortable, but long. Too long for me. I had left about a week after my parents had given me the oh-so-wonderful news. Immediately after that, my mother was trying to sweeten me up, telling me all about Arkansas and the town I was moving to; Fayetteville. I just rolled my eyes, shutting myself out from everyone, packing within the sound of blasting music. I said my goodbyes to all my friends, as well as (tear) Jason. He looked heartbroken, honestly, which made me even sadder.

Exiting the plane and seeing my Aunt and Uncle by the luggage pickup was probably the highlight of my day. Aunt Melanie was bouncing on her feet, running up and hugging the life out of me. Uncle Brad just opened his arms wide and gave me the hug that a father should give his daughter. One that I haven't received from even my father since I was eight.