Anthony's P.O.V
I got up early the next morning and started getting ready for school. Usually, I dread going to school but for once I'm actually looking forward to going to school. I can't wait to get out of this house and get away from my mom and Kathleen. I went into the bathroom to freshen up. I washed my face and brushed my hair and teeth. I quickly glanced at myself in the mirror before I walked back into my bedroom and got changed.
I put on a pair of black jeans, a white tee shirt, and a black flannel. After I finished getting dressed, I grabbed my gym bag and started packing a few things since I have practice after school. Once I finished doing that, I grabbed bookbag and my gym bag. I made sure to double check that I have everything before I left my room and headed downstairs. I walked into the kitchen to grab something to eat when I saw my mom cooking breakfast.
"Good morning, Anthony." My mom said gruffly.
She hasn't spoken to me since last night. I guess she is still annoyed with me. I was going to ignore her, but I decided not to. Ignoring her would only make her madder at me.
"Good morning, Mom." I said opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water.
"I'm making pancakes. They should be done in a few minutes, if you want some." My mom offered, as she flipped the pancakes.
I smiled. No matter how mad my mom gets at me she always makes sure I have something to eat.
I put my bags down on the floor and took a seat at the kitchen table before saying "Thanks."
We sat there quietly for a few minutes until my mom asked, "Can you do me a favor?"
"It depends. What do you want?" I questioned.
I hope it doesn't have anything to do regarding our conversation yesterday.
"Will you go upstairs, and let your sister and Kathleen know breakfast will be ready soon."
That wasn't what I was expecting her to say but I agreed to do it.
"Sure." I mumbled, before heading upstairs.
I decided to get Ella first since her room is closer. I knocked on her door, before I opened it. I saw Ella sitting on the floor playing with her dolls.
When she noticed it was me, she dropped her dolls, ran over to me, and said "Big brother!"
"Good morning, El." I said hugging her back.
Then I added, "Mom said breakfast is ready. Go downstairs and eat."
"What did mom make?" Ella asked.
"Pancakes."
"Yay! I'm hungry." Ella said excitedly, before she took off running downstairs.
"One down. One to go." I mumbled to myself before walking towards my older brother's room. Well, I guess technically it's Kathleen's room for the time being.
Anyways, I knocked softly on the door, and asked "Can I come in?"
"Hold on, just a minute." She spoke softly.
I heard some shuffling coming from the other side of the door. A minute later, Kathleen opened the door. She looked surprised to see me, but she quickly recovered.
She greeted me by saying, "Good Morning, Anthony."
"Morning." I said back, glancing at her appearance. Her long brown hair is pulled up in a bun. She is wearing an oversized black tee shirt along with some black leggings and a pair of converses.
"Do you need something?" She asked curiously probably wondering what I was doing here.
"No." I mumbled, shaking my head looking away from her.
Then I quickly added "My mom just wanted me to let you know that she made breakfast, if you wanted something to eat."
"Oh. That was nice of her. I just have to grab my phone and I'll head down."
I waited for her to grab her phone, and then we walked downstairs together.
As soon as we walked into the kitchen, I heard my mom say "Good Morning, Kathleen. How did you sleep sweetheart?"
Kathleen smiled at my mom and said "Good Morning, Claire. I slept well, thanks for asking."
Then Ella got up from her seat at the table and ran over to us.
She gave Kathleen a hug and said "I saved you a seat. You can sit next to me," before grabbing Kathleen's hand and dragging her to the table.
I swear my sister likes Kathleen more than she likes me, and she's only known her for a whole two days. I rolled my eyes at my sister's behavior and took a seat at the table across from them.
A few seconds later, my mom placed a plateful of pancakes on the table and said, "Dig in kids."
"Thank you for breakfast Claire," Kathleen said politely to my mom as she put a pancake on her plate.
"Yeah. Thanks Mom." Me and Ella mumbled in unison as we shoveled food into our mouths.
"You're welcome." My mom says as she took a seat next to me.
My mom looked at her watch before and she turned to Ella and said "Hurry up and eat munchkin. We have to leave in ten minutes. I have to get to work, and I have to get you to preschool."
Then she turned to me and Kathleen and said, "And you two have to get to school."
"I know Mom." I said adding some syrup to my pancakes.
It was quiet for a few minutes as we ate. My mom broke the silence by saying "Anthony, will you give Kathleen a ride to school?"
"Do I have too?" I groaned glaring at my mom.
"Yes, you have too."
"Why?" I asked her annoyed.
I really don't want to have to give Kathleen a ride to school. I don't want anyone to see us together.
"Because I said so." She said sternly.
"Fine." I said aggravated.
I decided not to argue with her because I know there's no way I can get out of taking her to school. What my mom says go. She is very stubborn.
I stood up from my seat and threw my plate away. I grabbed my car keys off the countertop and picked my bags up off the floor before I turned to Kathleen and said annoyed, "Let's go, before I change my mind."
Kathleen stood up and said bye to my mom and Ella. Then she said "Anthony wait. I have to grab my hoodie, I left it in my room."
"Go grab it, I'll meet you in the car."
She nodded her head and scurried off upstairs. I walked out the front door and made sure to slam the door shut behind me. I unlocked my car and got inside. I threw my bags in the backseat and waited for Kathleen to come outside. I was tempted to just leave without her. My mom could drive her, or she could walk for all I care. Unfortunately, I waited too long and now I can't leave because Kathleen came outside and got in my car. She sat in the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on. I looked over at her, and noticed she put on an oversized black hoodie, that's way too big on her.
"What's with the oversized clothes? Don't you have any clothes that fit you?" I asked as I backed out of the driveway.
It might sound like I'm being a snob, but I guess I can of am one. It kind of bothers me that she doesn't put more effort into her appearance.
"I'm paranoid." She said looking down at her clothes.
"Paranoid about what?"
"You know." She mumbled gesturing to her stomach.
"What are you showing already?" I asked slightly panicking.
I really hope she isn't. I mean, I couldn't tell she was pregnant when I saw her earlier this morning.
"No not really. I'm a little bloated. I don't look pregnant yet. I just look like I've had a little much to eat but sooner rather than later I'll start showing." She sighed resting her hand over her stomach.
I let out a sigh of relief. I don't think I'm ready for that to happen. Hell, what am I saying, I'm not ready for any of this.
I decided to change the subject by saying, "I hope you remember the rules we discussed the other day."
"Yes, I remember your stupid rules." She said annoyed.
"What are they?"
"Seriously, what do you want me to do? Repeat the rules back to you?" She asked incredulously.
"Yes, that's exactly what I want you to do." I answered.
I need to make sure that she understands the rules. It's very important to me that she follows them.
I glanced over at her, and she looked angry. She glared at me and said "Rule number one, I'm not allowed to tell anybody that you're the father of my baby. Rule number two, I'm not allowed to talk to you at school or even acknowledge your existence and rule number three is nobody can know that I am living at your house."
"You better follow these rules." I said seriously.
"Or else." I threatened.
"I already told you I would follow your stupid rules. You don't need to threaten me." She said in an annoyed yet reassuring voice.
"Good." I said before I turned into the coffee shop parking lot.
I pulled into a spot and parked the car.
"Why did you park here?" Kathleen asked confused.
She pointed to the school that's across the street and said, "The school's over there."
"I'm dropping you off here. You can walk over to school."
"Why?" She questioned.
"It's simple. I can't risk someone seeing us together." I said in an obvious voice.
She looked over me sadly and then asked, "How am I going to get back to your house after school?''
I thought about it for a minute before I said " You can walk back to my house. It's not that far. You'll be fine."
She nodded her head and unbuckled her seatbelt. Then she got out of the car, shut the door behind her and walked off, without saying another word.
Kathleen's P.O.V
I need to find Hailey, I thought to myself as I crossed the street. There's so much I need to tell her. I would have filled her in earlier, but my phone died, and I forget to pack my phone charger. I quickly walked up the ramp that leads to the main entrance of the school. I opened the door and went inside. I walked down the hallway and headed towards Hailey's locker. I turned the corner, and I was surprised to see she was standing at her locker. Hailey is almost always late to school; it is a rare occurrence for her to be on time. She was too busy looking for something in her locker, that she didn't notice me approach her.
I gently tapped her on the shoulder and said "Hailey."
She immediately turned around and pulled me into a hug.
"Thank God you're okay. Do you know how worried I was about you?"
"I'm sorry. My phone died, and I forgot to pack my charger when my dad kicked me out. I had no way of getting ahold of you."
Hailey shook her head and said, "You would forget your head if it wasn't attached to your body."
I laughed because she wasn't wrong.
"Are you up for skipping school?" I asked her hopeful.
"I thought you would never ask." Hailey said as she linked our arms together and lead me out of school.
We walked through the parking lot towards her car. Hailey unlocked the car and we got inside.
Hailey turned to me and asked, "Where do you want to go?"
I thought about it for a minute before I said, "Are you up for a road trip?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"I was thinking we could go to the mall."
Our small town doesn't have a mall. The closest mall is an hour and a half away in Pittsburgh.
"The mall it is." Hailey said smiling, as she put the car in reverse and pulled out of the parking spot.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Hailey asked confused.
"For skipping school with me. I really didn't want to be at school today, and there's so much I have to tell you."
"You're welcome. You know I'll never say no to skipping school." Hailey said laughing, then she added "I'm dying to hear what you have to tell me. You can start by telling me where you ended up staying all weekend."
I know Anthony told me not to tell anyone that I'm staying at his house, but Hailey doesn't count. She's my best friend and I trust her. She won't tell anyone. Plus, she already knows that I'm pregnant with Anthony's baby. I already broke one of his rules, might as well break another.
"I was at Anthony's house. I'm going to be staying there for a while." I told her honestly.
"What. Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say you were at Anthony's house and that you're living there?" Hailey asked shocked.
"Yes, you heard me correctly. I'm staying at Anthony's house." I reiterated.
"How did that happen?" She asked curiously.
"After I left your house, I tried to rent a motel room, but the owner refused to let me stay there since I'm underage. I didn't know where else to go so I wondered around town, and I ended up at a park. Anthony happened to take his little sister to the same park, and he found me crying on a park bench. We started talking and I explained to him that my dad kicked me out. He offered to let me stay at his house."
"I'm really sorry my mom wouldn't let you stay with us." My mom said guiltily.
"It's okay Hailey. You have nothing to apologize for. It's not your fault."
"So does that mean Anthony changed his mind about the baby?"
"Not exactly."
"What do you mean?" She asked urging me to go on.
"He still doesn't want the baby Hailey. He told me that he only wants to be involved financially." I said in a disappointed voice.
"That asshole." Hailey yelled hitting the steering wheel.
"Yes, he is." I said agreeing with her. Then I added, "But wait, there's more."
"What else did that asshole say or do?" She asked angrily.
"He gave me a set of rules to follow." I scoffed.
"Rules!" She yelled in outrage.
"That's exactly how I reacted."
"Well, what are his rules?" She asked curiously.
"I'm not allowed to tell anybody that he is the father of my baby or that I'm living with him. Oh, and I'm not allowed to talk to him or even acknowledge his existence when we are at school."
"That's ridiculous!" She exclaimed.
"Tell me about it." I said sarcastically.
"That's not the worst part though."
"What's worse than him giving you rules to follow?"
"He has a girlfriend." I said sadly.
"Who is he dating?" She asked curiously.
"He told me her name is Emily. Well technically he didn't even tell me. His little sister was the one who told me. If she didn't tell me, I doubt I would have found out at all. All I know about her is her name is Emily. He refused to talk about her." I told her purposely leaving out the part about how mad he got at me when I asked about his girlfriend.
She didn't need to know about that.
"I'm sorry Kat, that sucks." Hailey said sympathetically.
"That's life." I said accepting that things are what they are.
I no longer wanted to talk about Anthony, so I changed the topic of conversation by saying "Thanks for taking me to the mall. There are a few things I need to buy."
"You're welcome. You know I don't mind; I'll go to the mall with you over school any day. What do you need to get?"
"I need to buy a new charger, a new book bag, and some school supplies, since I left those things behind when my dad kicked me out. I also need to buy some more clothes. I wasn't able to bring much with me, and I need to get some clothes that will hide my growing bump. Plus, I figured you would enjoy shopping for new clothes with me, you're always down for a shopping spree."
"Of course, I'll help you find some new clothes. No offense Kat, but I have way better taste when it comes to clothes then you do." She said teasing me.
"Gee thanks."
"I'm joking, you know I love you." She said sincerely.
"I love you to Hailey." I said back, then I added,
"Thank you for always being there for me."
I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have my best friend by my side. I couldn't ask for a better, more supporting best friend.