Too Sweet To Last

I Wish You Could See The Good In You

I stumbled out of my room at four in the morning, surprisingly wide awake after being asleep for a few hours. I decided that it was time to get up when I rolled over to the side where Jason usually sleeps but he was nowhere to be found.

I sat on the couch for a few minutes, waiting for my brain to begin thinking clearly. Jason left with Kris almost twelve hours ago…what could they be doing that he couldn’t even check in with me from time to time?

My instincts caused me to pound on Austin’s bedroom door. I hated myself for it, but it situations like these I like to have others around me to ensure that everything is going to be okay.

“What?” Austin answered, extremely sleepy.

“Sorry to wake you up, but Jason still hasn’t come home and I’m really worried about him,” I say really quickly.

Austin sighs. “They’re high school friends, they have lots of crazy times to catch up on, stop being so paranoid.”

He was about to slam the door in my face when I place my hand on my stomach and look from him to my barely-there baby bump.

Austin finally teeters out of his room. “I’ll call him, okay? But he probably won’t answer.”

“Thank you,” I mutter, even though I don’t feel like he’s being very helpful. I mean, I could’ve called Jason too.

“Straight to voicemail,” Austin tells me, slamming his phone down. “He’s such a douche, with a baby on the way…”

I just look at him, surprised that he cares so much about me and the baby.

“I’m sorry,” Austin says. “I just don’t want this to become some messed up situation that you see all the time. This could become bad Leah…do you even understand that?”

“How would it become messed up?” I ask, completely confused. “Jason and I are madly in love, we couldn’t possibly be more excited to have a child together, and I know that we’ll be able to provide for our baby. What could go wrong?”

Austin sighs. “You really aren’t getting this, are you?”

I shake my head. “Maybe if you would explain it to me?”

“My brother is drinking too much. He was so drunk he punched himself in the eye, and that’s a nasty bruise he gave himself. Now he’s out partying with Kris for twelve hours…imagine how wasted he could be with that amount of time. If he doesn’t break this habit, your baby will grow up with one parent that’s an alcoholic.”

I jump one Austin says the last part of his thoughts. Grow up with one parent that’s an alcoholic. “No way,” I state. “My child is not growing up with a parent like that. I’ve been there, and it isn’t pretty. Especially when you’re that young.”

“I’m sorry…”Austin says. “I didn’t mean to hit home like that.”

“I’m glad you did,” I say.”This needs to stop.”

Austin was nice enough to stay up with me the rest of the time, lying next to me on the couch and talking me out of being so scared.

We both jump up when we hear the front door open, dashing to the other room. We come face to face with Jason draped over Kris’s shoulders. When he notices me, he fights to stand up on his own, but his legs quickly give out and he’s laying on the kitchen table.

I cover my mouth as it drops open. “What happened to him?”

“He has the world’s worst hangover,” Kris explains, like it’s no big deal.