previously titled "favorite drug"
she has it all... the popularity, the friends... what happens when she falls for someone who is equally as popular... except behind the scenes, he's an absolute train wreck.
i walked up to the front door, holding my baby and knocked. when the person walked up to it and answered it, looking at me in shock.
"what... what're you doing here? and who's baby is this?"
"hi, mrs. atkins." i spoke up. "i, uh, i was wondering if we could talk?"
"come in." she replied. i walked in with analeia and sat down, looking around at all the pictures of jeff, noticing they kept one of me and of him.
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"so... who is this and what brings you by?" she asked me.
"this is analeia foley." i replied, softly smiling.
"as in justin foley?" she asked me.
"yeah. after... after everything, he helped me." i replied.
"he helped you and you got pregnant, but yet you couldn't fathom the thought of keeping my son's child?" she asked me.
"i would never be disrespectful toward you because you're someone i respect more than anything, but don't you remember after jeff died and you guys kicked me out?" i asked her. "i was... i was homeless for a month when i was sixteen and had just found out i was four weeks pregnant. the day i came back here, i'd just got done sleeping on a park bench because i left where i had been staying due to the fact that i didn't want to be a burden to clay and his family. i finally decided i wanted to try to grieve with the people i lived with for seven months because i figured that we were going through a little of the same pain." i began. "i respected you because you and mr. atkins went through so much trouble to have me live with you guys." i told her. "without even knowing my situation, you allowed me into your home because you knew your son loved me. i appreciated that more than anything." i continued. "but when i lost the man i was supposed to have some kind of future with, i thought that we could all get through this and you'd be able to help me raise your grandchild, but imagine my heartbreak after walking up to the house and seeing all of my things on your lawn like i never mattered." i told her. "i figured since you didn't want anything to do with me, i decided i didn't want to be pregnant. especially not if i didn't have the support system i needed for my baby to be healthy and happy." i said, looking down. "i wanted to go through with that pregnancy so bad, mrs. atkins. it was the only piece of jeff i had left."
"we blamed you for his death." she told me, teary eyed. "for the longest time after jeff died, we blamed you." she said. "but eventually, we realized that we shouldn't be blaming anyone. especially you."
"i blamed myself and a few other people as well." i replied. "especially after finding out i was going to be homeless again."
"how old is the baby?" she asked.
"she is going to be three months on the third." i replied. "would you like to hold her?"
"yes, of course." she replied. I softly handed analeia to mrs. atkins and instantly, ana's face lit up.
