CHAPTER FORTY FOUR
champagne for my real friends,
real pain for my fake friends
-
Clay was an anxious mess but Natalie couldn't judge because she was also severely fucked up, she was just better at hiding it.
"Are you busy?" Natalie received the message from Justin on her phone and smiled slightly.
"Never too busy for you. What's up?" Natalie responds after she finishes up her makeup.
"I'm grounded but is there any chance you can come visit me at work? Need to talk." Justin messaged. Despite loving each other deeply, neither of them asked for help very often. So she knew it was important.
She threw on her denim jacket as she drove to Monet's. He had 20 minutes till his shift started and claimed to The Jensen's that his manager needed him in early. "What the hell? Why are you grounded?" Natalie asks as she sees him.
"It's so good to see you." Justin shakes his head as he gives her a hug. She quickly hugs back before they both sit down. "The Jensen's drug tested us."
"What? Well why are you grounded because of that?" Natalie asks as her voice becomes shaky, she's preparing herself for what the hell is about to happen when he tells her he relapsed.
"I came back clean." Justin says, earning a sigh of relief from Natalie. "But Clay didn't."
Natalie looks at him confused. "I mean I guess it would explain his behavior?"
"He accused me of switching the tests." Justin shook his head in distress. "I think they believed him. It just feels like you're the only person in this world that believes in me."
Natalie felt her heart break at the sight of her favorite person. "Justin, there's no way they believe that. They've seen you going to your meetings and getting help. They tested you but that doesn't mean they don't trust you. They want you and Clay to be the best you can be. I mean you are working so hard to be the best version of yourself."
Natalie reached out for his hand and squeezes it. "I don't know if I can be. I've just got all this on me. And I don't know how to come up from here." He said as his eyes started swelling up. She knew the feeling well.
She walks around the table and gave him a hug, he squeezed his arms around her waist. "I have to tell you something." She said with nervousness in her voice. She took her seat in front of him again. "And I don't wanna make anything worse for you but we don't keep secrets."
"Natalie, baby, spit it out." Justin said anxiously.
"Okay so the first time we did anything, yknow like that, was the night after the dance about a month ago. They took me off birth control after the accident and recently I've been feeling really sick but only in the mornings like before this." Natalie said, causing both of Justin's eyes to widen.
"What are you saying, Nat?" Justin asks and Natalie puts her head down in shame. "Please tell me if you're joking right now." But Natalie's head stayed down. "That's okay, it's okay." He said, trying to reassure both of them.
Natalie hugged him once again but he had no choice but to go to work especially if he was about to have a baby on the way. She hoped it was just a fluke with all her medication differences. But she desperately needed someone to talk too that wasn't Clay, Justin, Zach or Tony who were more concerned about themselves.
Natalie felt something in her heart and her stomach at the same time. Who was the only person who wasn't judgemental when someone they knew ended up pregnant?
Natalie knew Ani wasn't home yet and Diego had football practice and there was no meeting for HO today. She showed up at the Davis house to see both of her parents cars in the driveway. "Fuck." She mumbled to herself.
She gathered up the strength to knock on the door to see Mr. Davis who she had only spoken with maybe two times in the past year. Once on good occasions and once on bad. "Natalie. Hi. I wasn't expecting you."
"Hi Mr. Davis. It's been a while. How's work?" Natalie asks and Jessica raises an eyebrow from her bedroom at the voice.
"Natalie. What are you doing here?" Jessica asks with a nervous and almost panicked tone.
"I was wondering if we could talk." Natalie looked at her with desperate eyes.
Jessica allows her to come back to her room that she was oh so familiar with and Jessica begin to talk. "Please don't tell me you're here to yell at me again. I got the message."
"I think I'm pregnant." Natalie blurts out causing Jessica so much shock, she almost sits down.
"What? And you came to me?" Jessica asks, confused but glad they could talk about it.
"I don't have that many friends, Jess. I have Justin and he's in the same boat of anxiety as I am. And I don't even if he's completely clean so this shit blows." Natalie says as she sits down, happy to see her pictures were still on Jessica's wall.
"What are you gonna do, Natalie? Have you taken a test?" Jessica asks, taking a seat in front of her.
"I don't know. I'm kinda just wishing this thing could just blow over." Natalie shrugs. "But no, I just have a feeling."
"You can't go to the Find Your Drink Party tonight, Natalie. There's too many risks." Jessica took a deep breath. And surprisingly was a good friend and talked her through it until Diego showed up to pick Jessica up for the party.
Natalie thought about just staying home but Justin was working and everybody else was at the party. So she just decided to take the risk. The last thing she wanted was to be alone right now and she didn't even know if she was actually pregnant.
Natalie showed up, causing no surprise to anyone except Jessica. Everyone else was more surprised that they were talking again and that she was sitting next to her during a drinking game.
"What the hell are you doing here, Natalie?" Jessica asks with a worried expression.
"I'm just having a little fun." Natalie shrugged picking up a drink from a football player.
Jessica pulled out her phone to her side pulling up Justin's contact. "I know about Natalie. She's drinking. Please get here soon."
It was the only person she would listen to so all Jessica could do was sit and wait, pretend nothing was bothering her as they played a game of Paranoia.
Natalie chuckled to herself as Winston went back and forth with Jessica until Bryce was brought into it. Natalie sent death glarew at Winston. "You have no idea about Bryce. You didn't know him."
Natalie walked around finishing her third or fourth drink as she saw Clay and Justin start to argue. Natalie heard Clay shit talk on Justin about relapsing. "Low blow, dude." Natalie rolled her eyes at Clay until she stumbled onto Justin.
"What the hell are you doing here, Natalie?" Justin looked at his girlfriend who rolled her eyes.
"I thought you were busy tonight." Natalie crossed her arms.
"Well I called off early when your new best friend told me about how she was worried about you." Justin shook his head.
"Of course she'd call you. Probably waited all day for that." Natalie bitched, drifting right back into her old days.
"Of course she called me because she was worried about you and so am I." He got closer to her and whispered. "Nat, if you're really pregnant, this is a terrible idea."
While Natalie looked at the ground, Diego yelled across the house for everyone to go outside so they could take a shot for Monty. And anything to get away from the awkwardness of now, she pulled Justin outside. Couldn't lecture her in a big crowd.
It was the only time that night that Natalie refused a shot. No way she honored Monty after he fucked her whole life up.
Justin dragged Natalie back up the stairs, presumably to yell at her again but she got distracted watching Clay and Zach sing at the piano. Her standing on the edge of the stairway scared Justin shitless as he grabbed her to back her up. He grabbed the drink out of her hand and threw it in the nearest trash can.
Natalie saw Zach and Chloe walking up the stairs. "Chloe!" Natalie yelled, remembering how much fun they used to have.
Justin followed her to their friends. "Natalie. Hey girl. It's so good to see you." They smiled as they hugged. "Justin, did you hear the good news about Natalie and I possibly going to school together?"
"Interesting. I had no idea." Justin says, causing everyone to go blank.
"Sorry about him. I'll call you later, Chloe. Have a fun night guys but not too much fun." Natalie winked at Zach and Chloe.
After they walked away, Justin looked down at Natalie. "What's she talking about?"
"I'm not going to San Diego State. We just applied together so I told her when I got accepted. I mean Zach, Chloe and I, we were really close." Natalie shook her head.
"I thought we were talking about college together, Natalie. How we gonna do this if you don't talk to me? First, Clay hates me and now you're lying to me." Justin says and Natalie looks up at him.
"That is a lie and we both know that. Justin, we have so much else going on that getting into a college I'm not even going to go too." Natalie shook her head.
"Natalie, we can't even talk to each other. How are we supposed to have a kid?" Justin looked down at her with sad eyes.
Natalie scoffs as she takes a drink off the table and splashes it onto him. "You're a fucking hypocrite. Leave me the hell alone. I don't need a babysitter."
-
While Natalie kept drinking with Zach in the basement, they both were clearly upset. "I'm sorry about Chloe, Zachy. It would've been really nice if you guys worked out."
"Not my first time getting my heartbroken." Zach shrugged as he took another drink.
"Yeah cause Hannah." Natalie shakes her head but he stops her.
"I broke Hannah's heart which broke my heart but I was talking about you." Zach said and Natalie's eyebrows raised.
"What?" Natalie asks as she sets her drink down.
"No big deal, Nat. I mean you had to have known." Zach said and she took a deep breath.
"I mean Bryce always said shit but I didn't know that was true." Natalie looked at the ground.
"I liked you for 10 years, Nat. But things change." Zach shrugged.
"I mean, what changed?" Natalie asks with still no sight in her direction.
"Well first what I did to Bryce. I mean obviously you weren't ever gonna look at me the same." He says as nobody else was in the room. "But I saw how happy you were with Justin. You can't beat that. I'll get there with someone one day."
Natalie looked down at the ground before back up at Zach. She realized she had been drunk thinking all night and not until her conversation with Zach did she realize how much she fucked up. "I'm so sorry, Zach. But I have to go."
-
On the other side of the gigantic house, Justin was drinking alone in the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be with Natalie?"
"Well she fucking hates me. Just like Clay. Just like you." Justin shrugged, taking another sip.
"Take my word for it. Natalie doesn't hate you. Neither do I." Jessica said as she walked too him. "But I suggest not drinking if you're telling Natalie not too. It doesn't seem like an okay thing to do."
"What of any of this is okay? It's just fucking life. My moms been calling and texting." Justin took a deep breath.
"Shit. Does Natalie know that she's back?" Jessica asks.
"I don't think either of us know a lot of what's going on in the other persons life." Justin scoffs. "She's staying in our old neighborhood again. She's in bad, bad shape. She's asking for money. Doesn't give a fuck how I'm doing, probably doesn't care to know she may be a fucking grandmother soon."
"What are you gonna do?" Jessica crosses her arms.
"I'm gonna wake up tomorrow. A new day. I'm gonna get Natalie to love me again, we're gonna have a kid now or five years in the future and I'm gonna keep trying not to die. Try to stay out of jail. Anything for her." Justin looks around the room. Jessica realized now that she had to back off.
Natalie came around the corner quick. "I'm so glad you're here." She didn't even care that Jessica and Justin were there together and she wasn't gonna be jealous because that's not what a mature person would do.
"Natalie." Justin said and Natalie hugged him tightly, wishing nothing more but to stay like this.
"I'm gonna leave you two alone." Jessica grabbed her drink and walked back to Diego.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about fucking San Diego. I'm sorry that you feel like we don't communicate well. I'm sorry that you couldn't tell me about your mom." Natalie says, earning a look from Justin. "I was eavesdropping. But most importantly, I'm sorry I could've just risked a baby by irresponsibly drinking and I'm sorry I irresponsibly possibly got pregnant. I'm gonna get a test tomorrow and I'm gonna fix shit."
"Natalie, slow down. It's okay. We said shit we regret but it's us, you know. None of it matters. I don't care about any of this if you're with me. So we do have a baby? It was gonna happen one day." Justin says as he puts his hand on her cheek.
"Did you mean what you said to Jessica? That you would do anything for me?" Natalie asks as she wraps her arms around his neck. He grabs her hand and shows her the ring.
"I thought I would be alone forever. And when I see you wearing that ring, I know that no matter how bad things get, I always have you." Justin kisses her forehead.
Natalie reached up and kisses him passionately but ends a little bit later remembering they were in the middle of a party. "I've sobered up a little bit if you want to leave or I guess we live close enough to walk to my house. I know you're grounded but we never-" Natalie starts but quickly gets cut off.
"Let's go." Justin says, grabbing his jacket and taking her hand.
When they made it back to her house after not being able to take their hands off each other, they had a much needed night together but in the life of Natalie Walker and Justin Foley, you could not have a good time without a bad time quick to follow.
Natalie woke up to Justin missing and quickly noticed a note next to her. "Thank you for an amazing night. I had to go help Tony out but I'll call you in the morning. Love you, Nat. - Justin."
Natalie checked her phone to see it was 2:30 am and she had a missing call from Lainie, Tony and Jessica. "Oh fuck." She mumbled to herself as she quickly stood up.
-
A/N : So I finally scripted out the ending and I know my next steps which is so relieving for me. This was a crazy chapter but honestly one of my favorites. I have my introduction chapter to my one shot book of the untold stories of Natalie and Justin 'And They Made It' If you want to go ahead and add that to your reading lists, the first chapter will be up tomorrow and you can request prompts on that book. Again, vote, comment and leave feedback if you enjoyed! The rides almost over which is the sole purpose of me creating the second book for a few extra storylines that don't pertain to the show. I love y'all ! Stay safe please!
word count - 2737