"Honey, can you come downstairs for a quick second?"
Iris pretended to not hear her dad's call to her from the bottom of the house. She didn't feel like talking and she knew he would just try to weed out of her what was going on between her and her mother.
He'd made little attempts throughout her first couple of hours being there to get information from her but she wasn't relenting. In her mind, it was none of his business and he should respect that.
As she continued scrolling through her Instagram feed, a text message appeared at the top of her screen.
Dad: Can you please come downstairs, please? We have something to tell you.
She groaned in frustration. She clambered out of bed, quickly slipping on her shoes. Taking her time to walk down the stairs, she saw both her dad and Jeanine sitting on the couch. They both looked scared which in turn caused Iris to worry about what they had to tell her. "Sit down sweetie." Her father motioned towards the opposite loveseat.
She did just that and two minutes of uncomfortable silence followed. "Who died?" She calmly asked, attempting to break the tension. They both looked at her, alarmed. "Oh God no it isn't anything like that!" He told her quickly. Iris was slightly relaxed but was still wary.
Finally, her father held her stepmom's hand in his. "We're pregnant." He let out, a smile spread across his face. Iris's mouth dropped, her eyes immediately going over to Jeanine's stomach.
When she saw the not too present yet baby bump, it took everything in her not to say something. After everything happening with her mother, she now had this to deal with? It's not that she isn't happy for her dad. He always wanted another baby.
As if she wasn't enough.
Iris realized she had been silent for a few seconds and quickly thought of something to say. "That's great!" She plastered on a fake smile and got up to hug the both of them. They welcomed her facade with open arms. "Wow! You and your mother took this well. Wasn't expecting it from either of you if I'm being honest." Her dad told her, squeezing her. Iris wondered if her mother's reaction has been as fake as hers.
"Thank you so much, Iris. I hope you know that this doesn't change anything between us. I still want to be a good stepmom to you." Jeanine told her, releasing from her embrace. Iris gave her a nervous chuckle in response. 'Okay, I need to get the hell out of here.' She thought to herself. She came up with a quick plan. "Um Dad, do you mind if I take the car into town? I'm craving some ice cream."
Her father hesitated only for a second before digging into his pockets and hanging her his keys. "Be safe. And bring me back some rocky road!"
✨✨✨
A half-hour later, Iris sat on the hood of the car in the parking lot of a Marble Slab Creamery. Her ice cream remains sat beside her as she looked out onto the busy town. She acquired a few stares, most unwelcome.
She thought about calling her mother, feeling bad about how she left things. 'No... that'd be stupid.' She thought to herself. Deep down she still felt that her mother wasn't being completely truthful with her. But she knew it had to be for a reason. She and her mother tried their best to be honest with one another and it usually worked.
She just hoped her mother wasn't planning on leaving her with her father for the entire summer.
She lets out a frustrated sigh and climbs down from the hood. As her feet touch the ground, it's as if she's been hit by a truck. The ice cream cup falls from her hand to the ground as she puts her hands against the door of the car to steady herself. She reaches a hand up to her temple, her head pounding and her body suddenly weak.
Iris thought she was going to pass out and prepared for her body to fall to the hard pavement. Just as her legs begin to slump she feels strong, steady hands grab her waist.
"Woah there! Are you okay?" Iris turns her head and is met with a dazzling smile. She first takes in the sight of the girl's eyes. They were a vibrant green with hints of blue and hazel and contrasted beautifully with her dark brown hair and pale skin. "Sorry I didn't mean to scare you. I saw you falling and ran over to grab you." Iris suddenly found her voice gone.
Not literally, of course, but she just didn't know what to say.
The girl looks at her, waiting for a response. "Anyone there?" She smiles at her awkward joke.
Iris steadies her body, breaking out of her silence. "Um yeah, sorry. I'm fine I just... had a dizzy spell." She quickly told her, trying not to seem weird. The girl smiles again. "Well, then you're in no condition to drive right now. How about we go sit in that coffee shop and get you some water until you feel better?"
For some reason, Iris found herself unable to say no. Taking her lack of response as a 'yes', the girl keeps an arm around her waist and guides her towards the coffee shop. The girls walk in and take the closest seat to the door, thankfully the shop is empty. "Is everything alright?" The barista asks, looking over Iris. "Yeah, can you just bring us some Sprite and maybe a cookie, please?" The girl looks back at Iris. "You like cookies right?"
Iris nods her head, beginning to feel better.
The girl smiles and sits across from her. "I'm Mona, by the way." The barista puts down the fountain drink and a chocolate chip cookie. Iris gives her a weak smile and begins sipping the drink. Mona sits in silence as she drinks and takes a nibble of the cookie.
Once Iris finishes, she grins. "Iris Bailey. Sorry about all this. I don't know what happened I haven't had a dizzy spell like that in years." She pushes her hair back behind her ear. "It's okay. I wasn't doing anything today anyway."
Iris stands. "I'm gonna go call my dad real quick, let him know what happened." 'Do you need any help?" Mona begins to rise from her seat. "No it's okay I think I'm fine to stand." Iris gives her a reassuring smile and continues to the restroom, dialing her father's number as she walks.
✨✨✨
"What do you mean you almost fainted?! I'm coming to get you." John freaked out. Iris could hear him rummaging around for his keys. "Dad, I have your car, remember?" She reminds him, holding back a snicker.
There's silence over the phone. "Jeanine where are your car keys?! Iris needs me!"
Iris couldn't help but laugh. "Dad I'm fine, seriously. I'll be back soon, please don't freak out." "Ir-" Iris hangs up and puts her phone in her pocket. She runs the faucet in the restroom sink and splashes some water in her face. Her head was still ringing as she stared at herself in the polished mirror. "Get it together, come on." She musters up some strength, ready to go home and get some sleep. She dried her hands off and exited the bathroom, walking back towards her table with Mona.
Mona's smile faltered as she watched Iris begin to gather her things. "You're not driving are you?" She asked her seriously. Iris gave her a grin. "Yeah my dad's totally freaking, I should get home." Iris rummaged through her mini-bag, trying to find the car keys. Once she found them, she quickly placed her wallet and phone inside the bag and slid them over her back.
Before she walked out the shop door, she felt something and stopped and turned to Mona. "Can I have your number?" She blurted out, not even giving herself time to process what she asked. "Maybe we could hang out when I'm not passing out in parking lots?"
Mona looked surprised but still pulled out her phone and took Iris's number down. The two girls walked together to the car and Iris quickly unlocked the doors and climbed in. Mona watched carefully as Iris buckled her seatbelt and drove off, waving her goodbye as the sun began to set.
✨✨✨
"Dad I told you I was fine." Iris avoided her father picking and prodding as best as she could. "I'm just making sure. Jeanine's making you a plate right now so you can have some food in your system. In the meantime... we should talk."
Iris could feel it coming. She sat down on the living room couch and waited patiently as he sat down next to her.
"So..." He started, seeming more nervous than her. "I could tell you weren't really thrilled when we broke the news." He began, careful with his words.
Iris looked away, feeling a little guilty. 'Maybe I shouldn't have run off like that..' She thought, waiting for him to continue.
"I know I haven't been the best father in the past couple of years. I let you get caught in what was going on between your mother and me. And for that I'm sorry."
Tears were threatening to escape from Iris's eyes as she sat and listened.
"I just want you to know that no matter what you'll always be my little girl. New baby or not I'll always be there for you." He finished, waiting for a response.
Iris was now full-on crying. Her father, unsure what to do, gave her a cautionary hug. His embrace tightened once he felt her lean into his arms. "I love you so much, Iris." Iris continued crying.
The embrace was broken once sniffling was heard from the other side of the room. The both of them looked up to see Jeanine standing there. "I'm sorry I just couldn't help myself."
Iris rose to her feet, drying her face off with her sweater sleeve. She pulled Jeanine in for a hug, being careful to not squeeze her too much. "I can't wait for my little sister to be born." She told her.
Jeanine looked up at her curiously. "How did you know it was a gir-"
The doorbell rang, cutting her off. "Oh yeah... that would be your mom." John let out a nervous chuckle. Iris's jaw dropped. "Dad you didn't..." "Well when you called and then hung up on me I was worried so I called and let her know what was going on!" He told her, going to open the door.
Sarah immediately rushed in looking over Iris from head to toe. "What happened? Are you okay?" She pulled her close to her chest, still examining her. "Mom I'm fine," Iris told her bluntly.
Sarah noticed the tone and hesitantly backed off. "I'm sorry. When your father called I rushed straight back."
John and Jeanine picked up on the tension. "Um, honey can you help me with the thing in the kitchen?" Jeanine gave John a look and motioned towards the opposite side of the house. "Huh?" John turned, confused. "I thought all the food was done."
Sarah stifled a laugh. John had always been clueless.
"John she's asking you to go in the kitchen." She whispered to him, pointing between her and Iris. A few seconds passed before a look of realization crossed over his face. "Oh, that thing in the kitchen. Yes, I can help you with that honey." The two adults quickly scurried into the kitchen leaving the mother and daughter duo alone.
Iris nervously kicked her feet against the soft carpeting. Sarah rubbed her shoulders and looked everywhere but at her daughter.
"I'm sorry," Both started at the same time. They looked bewildered at one another. "What are you apologizing for?" Sarah was confused. "For acting like a brat. I know you have things to worry about besides me and I'm sorry for how I was this morning." Iris awaited her mother's response.
"No. It's my fault. I shouldn't have just dumped you here without explaining where I was going." Iris nodded her head, waiting for her to continue.
Sarah sighed and sat down on the couch. "It's just... Iris soon there are going to be some things I'll have to deal with. And I can't always tell you about these things. It's not because I don't care about you. I just want you to be safe." "Mom, I'm not saying you have to tell me everything. But I don't want to be completely in the dark. I'm almost 18 I can handle stuff."
Sarah gave her a sad smile. "I know honey... You're growing up into a beautiful young woman. I know you can handle things..."
Iris noticed her mother's hesitation. "There are some things we need to talk about when we get home. I went to go visit your aunt Lirio and she gave me some perspective on something."
Iris was now a little peeved. She loved visiting her aunt Lirio and her mother hadn't taken her to see her in forever.
"Did she ask about me?" She asked her, a small smile on her lips. Lirio always made Iris feel safe for some reason. She could never put her finger on it but they just connected. Her presence made her strong and loved.
Sarah grinned. "All we did was talk about you actually," She told her, skating around the truth. Sarah wasn't going to tell her everything just yet. Especially not in John's home.
There was a knock on the living room doorframe. Jeanine poked her head into the open space. "Were you girls wanting to stay for dinner?"
Sarah and Iris turned to look at each other. "Sure," they both said at once. Jeanine smiled and went back into the kitchen, the sound of clattering plates being heard almost immediately after.
"So will you tell me what happened while you were out of the house?" Sarah asked as the both of them began walking to the dining room.
Mona instantly came to Iris's mind and she felt a blush in her cheeks. "I'll tell you in the car."
The rest of the evening went wonderful. Sarah and Jeanine discussed preparation for the baby with Sarah suggesting a lot of home remedies and herbal teas.
John was pleasantly surprised by Sarah's eagerness to help and genuine happiness for the couple. He was also silently thankful she wasn't conforming to the role of the cliche bitter ex-wife. It made him remember why he married her in the first place: her kind soul. As if she could hear his thoughts, Sarah turned to him and gave him a smirk.
John quickly made idle conversation with Iris, asking about her summer plans and enjoying Jeanine's pot roast.
Iris took in the energy of the table, happy about how everything was going. But at the back of her mind, she felt something was coming to ruin everything. She pushed the thought aside, enjoying the peace and love of having her family at her side.
✨✨✨
Hey everyone✨Hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Let me know what you think so far in the comments and I hope you're all having a great October 🎃