“Put me down!” she cried.
“Why?” I asked.
“I’m fat!” she replied, “I’ll probably throw out your back.”
“Georgia,” I sighed, exiting the bathroom, and using back hallways and employee elevators to get her up to her room which was across the hall from mine.
After getting the door open, I carried her over to the bed and sat her down.
“Wait here.” I instructed, before jogging back to my room, and changing clothes, throwing my soiled ones in the trash before making my way back to her room, carrying my Lakeshore High, sweatshirt.
“hey.” I greeted, “Arms up.”
Looking confused she raised her arms above her head and I pulled off her puke soaked dress and replaced it with my sweatshirt. I then took off her shoes before pulling back the covers and tucking her into bed.
“Thanks.” She sniffed.
“It’ll be okay Georgia.” I sighed.
“I hope so.” She whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Biting my lip I looked around at the large, dark lonely room.
“Do you… do you want me to stay?”
Looking stunned, Georgia glanced across the room at the partially opened dark closet, “You wouldn’t mind?”
“Not at all.” I replied, peeling off my pants and getting into the other side of the bed.
“Thank you.” She whispered.
Scooting closer to her, I pulled her gently against me, careful to avoid her middle. Resting her head on my chest she took a shaky breath.
“Goodnight Ash.” She murmured.
“Goodnight Georgia.” I replied, kissing the top of her head.
(*0*)
“Are you kidding me?!”
Wincing, I squeezed Georgia’s hand as she flinched next to me.
“Do you have an idea what your irresponsible promiscuity has done?! DO you know what kind of mess you’ve just created! We can get rid of you but that won’t fix the problem! We’d have to banish you to hell to be able to sweep this disaster under the rug!”
“I’m sorry.” Georgia whispered.
“You should have thought of that before you went and got yourself knocked up!”
“Hey!” I cried, scowling up at Caroline, “Ease up.”
“Ashton!” Caroline sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, “How can I explain this so you can understand, You will have no fans if people think you’re a father! All appeal for you will go out the window!”
“IF they were really my fan they wouldn’t care.”
“Oh my God, this is a disaster! Do you really want to be known as the slut Ashton Irwin dated then mysteriously dumped as soon as she got pregnant! Because I’d rather slit my wrists to be perfectly….”
“Hey!” I cried, “That is enough!”
“Fine.” Caroline sighed, “You know what fine. We can fix this, we can get rid of this mess, I’ll make some calls, get you an under the table abortion….”
“What?”
“No!” I cried, “She’s not getting an abortion.”
“Why ever not?”
“Because she doesn’t want one and it’s her baby, not yours.”
Pinching the bridge of her nose Caroline sighed, “I know that such big matters have struggle penetrating the minds of children…..”
“We’re twenty.” I spat.
“But!” Caroline continued, “This will ruin you.”
“I don’t care,” I snapped, “I’d rather go home and work at Target or something, and do the right thing, then live the rest of my life knowing I made an innocent girl kill her baby! Who knows, maybe her kid will be president, or win a Nobel prize, or start the next huge band, or save endangered Orangutans!”
“I highly doubt it, Ashton, look at its mother.”
“Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin!” I cried, “Oprah was born downright poor now she could buy you, and everyone else in this building!”
Looking annoyed Caroline, laughed humorlessly, “Well then Mr. Irwin, what do you propose we do? Even if we end your relationship people will put two and two together.”
“Then we won’t end it.” I replied.
“What?” Caroline and Georgia asked in unison.
“You heard me.” I replied, “We’ll keep pretending she’s my girlfriend, she doesn’t have anywhere to go anyway, she’s better off with me.”
“And then what?” Caroline snapped, “You’ll live the rest of your life with her, raising a baby that isn’t yours?”
“No,” I spat, “We’ll tell the truth.”
“I suppose that could work.” Caroline said slowly, “Ashton Irwin’s girlfriend cheats on him, gets knocked up yet he stays. That is genius!”
“She didn’t cheat on me.” I snapped.
“Well she didn’t impregnate herself Ashton, and you’re both calming you haven’t done anything so how would you like to explain this, is she expecting the next Messiah?”
Sighing, I massaged my temples.
“Are you okay?” Georgia whispered.
“No.” I sighed.
“Well?” Caroline demanded, “Was she probed up the butt by an alien? What story are you going with here?”
Biting my lip I looked over at Georgia silently asking if I could tell Caroline the truth, sighing, she nodded.
And so I told Caroline, who stared back at me as icily as ever, for once, completely silent.
“Well?” I asked, after a good two minutes of silence.
“This is great!” Caroline shrieked.
“What?” I demanded.
“This makes you both look like the victim!” She cried, “Poor Ashton and his girlfriend, their youth stolen from them by some maniac in the streets! Oh my God why didn’t you tell me this was the case from the start! This will boost sales, increase views on everything! We can arrange a whole press junket, this is great!”
“What?” I cried, feeling sick, “How is what happened to Georgia a good thing.”
“No one will think of her as a whore now.” Caroline explained in a duh tone, “They’ll go from hating her to rooting for her in an instant! And as for you Georiga, ditch the slutty clothes, loose the tan, and starting acting sad.”
“What?” I demanded.
“Act like that other girl Ashton was with before you, what was her name, Diana, Delilah, Darcy?
“Destiny.” I mumbled.
“Yes!” Caroline cried, “Act like Destiny!”
“But I thought you said I couldn’t be with Destiny for that exact reason!” I cried.
“Times change sweetheart.” Caroline replied, starting for the door, “It’s really too bad it couldn’t be Destiny that’s knocked up, but anyway, this will have to work.”
And then she was gone, sauntering out the door letting it slam behind her.
“Shit.” I muttered.
“Are you okay?” Georgia whispered.
“Do you want an honest answer?”
“No, please lie to me Ash, that’s why I asked.”
Sighing I shook my head, “How did we end up here?”
Sixty-One
Start from the beginning
