When people used to say your life can change in an instance, I didn't believe them. I always thought things gradually changed over time, but now I know that's not the case anymore. My phone sits in my lap as I stare at Abby, who's sitting down on the floor against the wall on the other side of the room. She has her knees up to her chest with her hands on top of her knees, her head buried in her arms. We just got back home from Paris. We decided that staying wasn't really a good idea considering the circumstances has changed. Abby hasn't said much since we got back and I've been giving her space, but it's been killing me because I don't know what she's thinking. I look down at my phone, waiting for the inevitable call from Charity. I texted her the big news because I know that if it somehow gets out to the press, they'll make it into something bigger than it is. I glance over at Abby only to see her in the same position she's been in for the past hour. My phone begins to ring which causes her to look up at me. Our eyes lock on each other and we both want to say something, but we're unsure what to say. I exit the room, going into the kitchen to answer the call.
"Hello." My voice is low and flat, tired from staying up all night.
"Jordan, this better be a joke." Charity's voice comes through the phone, cold and strict.
"I wouldn't joke about something like that, Char." I sit down on one of the stools in the kitchen, resting my head on my hand. I stayed up all night tossing and turning. I was already tired from the plane ride, but I couldn't get any sleep because I kept thinking about Abby being pregnant. The news was unexpected and I'm still unsure how I feel about it.
"Jordan, you make my job very hard. Do you guys even know if you're going to keep it?" She asks. Silence is all she is brought with. Of course we're keeping it. Right?
Charity sighs, "Call me back when you get that far. I might have a plan."
She hangs up before I get the chance to say anything. She's pissed at me which is understandable. Not many people know about me and Abby aside from our family and friends. When it gets out that we're engaged and she's pregnant, her life is going to change. She won't have any privacy anymore and I'm afraid that that's going to ruin us.
"Who was that?" I turn to see Abby standing in the doorway, her eyes red around the rim from crying.
"Um, Charity." I say, staring at her.
"Did you tell her?" She looks down at her feet as if she's ashamed of herself or embarrassed.
"I had to. I needed some advice about----"
She cuts me off, "I'm not mad. You don't need to explain."
It's quiet for a moment, neither of us sure what to say. I have so many questions, but I don't want to ask her anything that might make her upset. Before I get to say anything, she speaks.
"Are you mad at me?" Her voice is fragile and she sounds so scared. Is this the reason why she has been acting like this? Why would I be mad at her?
"Why would I be mad at you?" I ask.
"You haven't said anything to me since we left from Paris." She looks down, moving some of her hair out of her face.
I get up from the stool and go over to her. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer to me. She rests her head on my chest, sighing in relief. I do the same, happy to have her back in my arms again. This whole time I've been giving her space because I thought she was mad at me.
"I was just giving you some space. I could never be mad at you for carrying my child. Our child." I correct myself.
She looks up at me, tears forming in her eyes. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how this works. I'm just so confused, Jordan."
"Hey, look at me." I wipe a tear away, pressing a small kiss to her forehead to let her know everything will be okay.
"We're in this together. We both know you're the smartest out of both of us, so you probably shouldn't be asking me to figure out anything." That gets her to laugh and I smile from hearing the beautiful sound.
"But seriously, everything will be okay. I promise. I will take care of you and our child until my very last breath. I love you, Abigail Monroe. Just like I love our unborn child already." I couldn't be anymore sincere about everything I just said.
She leans up and kisses me, taking my breath away. "I love you so much."
I embrace her in my arms for a while, just needing to hold her. I hold her until I hear her yawn. She must be tired from staying up all night as well. I lift her up which makes her yelp and wrap her arms around my neck. I laugh at her, heading for the stairs.
"Was this necessary?" She asks with a small smile.
"Well, I don't know much about being pregnant, but I do know you need plenty of rest and when you wake up I'll have a five star meal prepared for you."
"Let me guess, you're going to look up foods for pregnant women?" She smirks.
"No." I laugh, but if we're being honest, I actually was.
I lay her gently down on the bed, tucking her in. I place a light kiss to her lips before just admiring how beautiful she is. "Get some rest, Midget."
She closes her eyes and I turn off the lights, making my way back downstairs. I pull out my phone and call Charity back. She answers in the first couple of rings.
"Yes, Jordan?" She sighs.
"We're keeping the baby." I smile even though she can't see me.
"Congratulations. Here's what I propose."
I sit down on my couch, knowing that Charity is going to have a whole elaborate plan for this. Abby might not agree to it, but at this point, I'm only worried about protecting her and the baby.
"I'm listening."
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"Jordan, your phones ringing." Abby nudges me, trying to get me to wake up.
I groan, wondering who could possibly ruining my sleep. This is the first time I've been actually able to fall asleep and I can't even enjoy it. I grab my phone, exiting out of the room so that Abby can get some rest. I look down at the screen to see Troy's name flashing acrossing the screen. I sit down at the top of the stairs, answering the call.
"What's so important that you woke me up out of my sleep?" I answer.
"Come open the door." His voice is dead as if he's tired.
"You're back from Paris?" I ask, standing up to go open the door for him.
"Obviously." He remarks.
I roll my eyes, hanging up the call and opening the door to his house. He walks pass me without saying hey and throws his bags across the room. He grabs at his hair before yelling and punching a hole in the wall. His wild behavior causes me to jump and I know that if he doesn't calm down he's going to wake Abby.
"Troy, what's wrong?" I ask, keeping my distance because I know angry Troy will fight anybody regardless if he's angry at them or not.
"She fucking chose him! She only wants him because his dad is dead and she feels sorry for him!" He grabs the lamp on the table beside him and throws it against the wall.
"Troy, calm the fuck down!" I yell at him.
"Don't tell me what to do." He growls, taking a few steps toward me.
I hold my hands up in a surrendering way, "Look, I get that you're upset, but you have no right to bring his dad into this. And stop breaking your shit because you're going to have to pay for it."
"You know it's true." He says.
"I don't know that and neither do you." We stare at each other and I wonder what he's going to do next.
"Jordan, is everything okay down there?" Abby calls from the top of the stairs.
"Yeah, it's fine babe. Go back to sleep." I say, still staring at Troy.
I wait until I hear the door to the room open and close again before finishing my conversation with Troy.
"You knew that there was a chance of her choosing him. You're going fucking nuts over this. You hurt Abby and I should probably kick your ass for that, but I'm not because I've been where you've been. I fell apart a few times, but not like this. You're experiencing your first heart break, but that doesn't mean you take it out on everyone else. You've got to keep it together."
A tear falls down his face before he quickly wipes it away. "You're right. I just need some time to get myself together."
I walk over to him, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Go to bed, man. You're tired and not in a good place right now. Get some rest and we'll figure out the rest tomorrow."
He nods his head, heading up the stairs. I yawn, following in his footsteps. I imagine Troy is going to be like me in the first few months of when Abby broke up with me. I slip back in the bed, wrapping my arms around Abby. I kiss the top of her head, before falling asleep again.
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The next morning, Troy left a note saying that he would be gone for a couple of months to get himself back together. I've been calling his phone nonstop, but it goes straight to voicemail each time. I should have known he would pull something like this. He shouldn't be off by himself when he's like this. Abby is on the phone with Alyssa, telling her that Troy has gone missing. Today was going to be the last day in Paris anyway, so they're all packing up and heading back this way. I called the only person I know that can help me look for him while the rest of the guys are still in Paris. The doorbell rings and I let in Stephen.
"Hey, man." He greets me with a small hug.
"Just let me put my jacket on and then we can go looking for him. I was thinking we could start with the bar since that's where he goes whe he's feeling down." I start to head for the door, but I notice that Stephen isn't moving.
I turn around, "Stephen, come on."
"Jordan, maybe he doesn't want us to come looking for him. I mean his phone is off and he didn't give us any clues to where he would be. I just think he wants to be to himself." He says.
"Well, I didn't call you over here to think. I called you over here to help me look for him. I don't care if he wants to be alone or not. He's hurting and he does stupid stuff when he's hurting. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him." The only thing that's been going through my mind is that he has left to go kill himself. He's probably drunk somewhere and that mixed with his crazy emotions will lead to something bad.
"Jordan, maybe Stephen is right. Maybe he needs some time alone to heal. Do you think when Alyssa and Daniel get back he wants them to find him. He needs to do this on his own." Abby says.
"You're both wrong. I'm going to go look for him myself." I open the door, slamming the door on my way out. My level of stress has gone through the rough right now. I have to find Troy.
Abby's POV
I've been pacing back and forth since Jordan left. Just like Troy, he lets his emotions get to him too. Stephen keeps watching me which is creeping me out.
"Why do you keep watching me?" I finally ask.
He laughs, "Abby, you're pacing the floor like a mad woman. Jordan is fine. Troy is fine. Everyone will be fine."
I sigh, "I sure hope you're right."
"You just need----" He stops in the middle of his sentence when someone knocks on the door. He goes over to the door and opens it. Charity comes through the door along with four other people who are carrying a load of stuff. What the hell?
"Hey, honey." Charity smiles, coming over to me and hugging me. I awkwardly hug her back, wondering why she's here.
"Congratulations on the baby. Future advice, don't leave Jordan alone with it." She somewhat jokes.
"The baby?" Stephen repeats.
"Oops, you haven't announced it to your friends?" Charity asks.
"No. Jordan and I have been waiting for the right time." I say to Charity, but I'm looking at a shocked Stephen.
"Well, in two days you're going to announce it to the whole world. We've got to get you fitted for what you're going to wear. We have to decide how we're going to do your makeup, your hair, your----"
I cut her off, "Wait, what do you mean the whole world?"
"Jordan didn't tell you? I swear, he's going to make me kill him. In two days, you two are going on The Monica Talk Show. The plan is for Jordan to go there and talk about the championship and endorsment deals and what not. Monica is in on this too. She's going to ask Jordan about his love life and he's going to mention you then Monica will bring you out. Jordan will repropose to you and you'll say yes as if it's the first time he's asking you. Then you will annouce that you're pregnant. It'll give you both great press and make you two the hottest couple while boosting Monica's ratings for the show. It's a win win for everyone." She smiles once she's done explaining.
"And I have to do this in two days?" I ask, worried.
"Don't stress yourself out. It's not good for the baby. I'll teach you what you need to know and do, but right now, we need to play dress up. Where's Jordan?" She asks, looking around for him.
"He's running errands." I somewhat lie.
She sighs out of frustration, "That boy."
She turns to Stephen, "You and Jordan are about the same size. I guess you'll have to fill in for him. Martha and Sam, take Abby upstairs and plan everything out for her. Kasey and Mark, you'll help me with this young handsome gentleman."
Stephen is still confused and probably still wondering about me being pregnant. I mouth that I will explain later as Martha and Sam drag me upstairs. Martha starts taking out her makeup kit which has like thirty compartments while Sam starts pulling out measuring tape and different colors to match to my skin.
"Any color you prefer?" Sam asks.
"Blue." I say.
"I was thinking the same thing." She smiles.
"I'll be doing your hair and makeup. I have a couple of photos here that I want you to look through. Let me know what you choose." Martha tells me.
"Can I just step out for a second and make a call?" I ask.
They both shrug and I take that as a yes. I quickly diall Jordan's number and wait for him to pick up.
"Hello." He answers.
"Why didn't you tell me that Charity would be coming over today. Better yet, why didn't you tell me about the talk show?" I ask.
He groans, "I forgot that she would be coming today."
"Well, why don't you hurry back. She's using Stephen as a dress up doll in place of you." I say.
"Just give me a few more minutes. Joe said he saw Troy a couple of hours ago. He stopped by this Diner to get some food before he left. I'm going to see if he knows anything else."
I want to tell Jordan to just give up because although Joe saw Troy, I doubt that Troy told him where he was going. Instead I just say okay and hang up the phone. I go back into the room, preparing myself for this long hour of playing dress up. After an hour of plucking hair from my eyebrows, blending my makeup, and dressing me up, they finally finish. They want to see how I would look next to Stephen, so I go downstairs to find Stephen waiting at the bottom. He smiles up at me, mouthing wow and making me blush.
"I have to say, they know what they're doing." He checks himself out and I roll my eyes playfully at him.
"You two look perfect. Now all we have to do is get Jordan into that suit." Charity says.
"Was a talk show really necessary?" I ask her, skeptical about doing the whole thing.
"You have a lot to learn about this world. The media is harsh and they don't care whether you're a nice person or not. When you agreed to be with Jordan, you agreed to everything that comes with him. This is part of it, honey."
I know she's right, but I don't know if I'm ready for my privacy to not be mine. I mean, what happens when the baby gets here. My main priority now is protecting my child because even though she or he isn't here, I love my baby with all of my heart. I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm pregnant, but the baby is a part of me now. The baby represents the love Jordan and I share.
"Well, get out of the clothes. We don't want you messing anything up." She pushes me back upstairs and all I can think about is how we went through all of that only to take it right back off.
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I tie my hair up, getting ready for bed. "And Charity said we would have to be there two hours early so that we can rehearse what we're going to do." I tell Jordan.
"Mhm." He absently responds as he searches on his computer frantically.
"She's also scheduling an appointment for me. She said I should only be seeing the best." I come out of the bathroom, crawling onto the bed.
"Mhm." He says again.
I sigh, pulling the laptop from him. He snatches it back, glaring at me.
"Jordan, he doesn't want to be found." I groan.
"That type of attitude is why people kill themselves. I don't want him thinking I don't care." He says.
"Jordan, you're like his brother. He knows you care. He knows." I try and talk some sense into him.
He stares at me for a while before going back to typing on his laptop. I wait for him to say something else, but it never comes.
"Fine." I huff, laying down and facing away from him. Jordan can be just as stubborn as me sometimes and it upsets me when he gets like this. He'll just have to figure this out on his own. I spend the next few hours awake because I keep thinking about the talk show and how my life is about to change, but is it for the good or bad?
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Okay, don't kill me for not updating. I could go on about how the past few months have been absolute shitty for me, but no one wants to hear me complain. I finally found the motivation to write another chapter when the guy I liked told me he didn't feel the same way. Bummer, I know. Writing always makes me feel better, so I just turned that pain into words. SORRY, if this chapter isn't what you were expecting. Honestly, it was supposed to be longer and better but I wanted to provide you guys with an update because I know a lot of you have been waiting for this. I promise next chapter will be better. If any of you guys ever wanna talk, just message me. I'm a good advice giver and a nice listener.
Don't forget to vote and comment what you think. Also would you guy's be interested in a Troy point of view?