Chapter 92

Chapter 16 The weekend went by fast and before I knew it, Grayson and I were heading back home. For basically the whole weekend, Mom asked endless questions about the baby; what names we picked, what gender we were hoping for, when the due date was, and a lot more I couldn't even remember. On the bright side, she wasn't mad or disappointed in me. Right as Grayson and I were about to walk into our apartment, I heard Belle calling my name. I told Grayson to go inside while I talked to Belle. "Hey," I said once Belle walked up to me. "Hi," she said. "So how was your weekend?" "Good," I said. "And... how's everything else?" she asked. "I know you said you'll tell me what's going on with you on Monday but I'm really worried and I couldn't stop wondering about it over the weekend and... Sorry, I'm just really worried. We've been best friends for years and no matter what, we'll always be friends." I raised an eyebrow. "No matter what? What if your brother tried to rape me?" Belle gave me a flat look. "That was in the past. He was my brother and I thought I could trust him and... Wait, don't distract me. Can you please tell me what's going on? I don't think I can wait until tomorrow." I took a deep breath and released a very long sigh, almost as if I could stall. However, I shouldn't put it off any longer. She was my best friend, after Grayson of course, and she should know. "Okay, but you can't tell anyone," I said. "Maybe Devon if he could keep a secret." Belle nodded. "I promise I won't tell anyone and Devon won't either." "I'm serious," I said. "Grayson and I only want family and close friends knowing." "Poppy, I promise," she repeated. "What is it?" "I'm pregnant." Belle game me another flat look. "Seriously, Poppy. I'm freaking out, thinking that something bad happened and you tell me a joke?" I didn't say anything as I pulled the ultrasound picture out of my sweatshirt pocket and handed it to her. "This was from the doctor's appointment I went to last week," I said. "That's my and Grayson's baby. I'm not joking about it." Belle stared at the picture for a long time before she looked back at me. "Wait," she said. "You're actually pregnant? How far along are you?" "Twelve weeks," I said. Belle's eyes widened. "Twelve weeks? And you never told me about it? I thought we were best friends!" "We are," I said. "I wanted to tell my family first and I told them on Thanksgiving. I was stalling because I didn't want to see their reaction, but luckily, they're not mad at me or Grayson. My mom's actually excited about it." Belle handed me the picture back and she didn't say anything for a while. "It's shocking," she admitted. "I mean you of all people are pregnant." I furrowed my eyebrows. "What's the supposed to mean?" Belle shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude. It's just... after everything that happened between Ben, I thought you wouldn't... you know." "Have sex?" I asked. "First off, Ben tried to but he didn't. We weren't even dating. Second, Grayson and I are, so it's natural. I'm sorry I didn't tell you right away. Like I said, I wanted to tell my family first." "It's fine," Belle said. "I'm still finding it hard to believe." "You and me both," I said. "Well, thanks for telling me," Belle said. "I should head back to my apartment now. If you ever need anyone to talk to about it, I'll be here." I gave her a small smile before she walked off. I walked into my apartment just in time to see Grayson walk out of our bedroom, wearing a different outfit. When we left my parents' home, he was wearing a pair of sweats and a black shirt, but now he was wearing jeans and a bright blue buttoned up shirt. "Wow, someone's looking fancy," I said. "What's the occasion?" "I actually have a job interview," Grayson said. "A job interview?" I asked. "Why?" "Well," Grayson said slowly, "as much as I appreciate your parents paying for the apartment's rent and groceries and all that, we can't expect them to pay for the baby's necessities. So I am trying to get a job to pay for everything until we graduate from university." I nodded. "Makes sense, I guess." Grayson furrowed his eyebrows. "You seem disappointed." "I'm not, really," I said. "It's just that you working might mean less time for us to spend together." Grayson gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about that. Trust me. I have to head out now. I'll see you after, okay?" Grayson walked over and kissed my cheek before slipping on his shoes and going out the front door. And now I was extremely bored. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, watching the first movie that I found interesting. The movie was almost finished when Grayson walked back into the apartment. He took off his shoes as he closed the door and sat down beside me. "How did the interview go?" I asked. "Better than I thought," he said. "I actually got hired on the spot." "Really?" I asked with a smile before giving him a hug. "Good job, Grayson!" Grayson chuckled. "Thanks, Flower. It won't pay much, only $8.05 an hour, but it's better than nothing." "So where are you working?" I asked. "And why did you tell me not to worry about us spending less time together?" "Simple," Grayson said. "It's because my new job is at the cafe. So whenever I'm working, you're free to come down there to do work for university and that way, we can hang out when I go on my break." "Does your job include girlfriend discounts?" I asked. Grayson smiled and shook his head. "Yeah, probably not. Don't worry, I'll give you all the rejects." I placed my hand on my heart. "Aww, you're willing to give me all the rejects? You're so sweet." I rolled my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. "I'm serious, though. You really are sweet. You're sticking by my side. Some guys wouldn't do that." "We made the baby together, Flower," Grayson said. "I'm not going to dump you and take off. That's a stupid thing to do. Besides, I love you too much to leave you and the baby. We've already been through so much together and nothing will make me walk away from you." I smiled, intertwining my hand with his. "How did I get so lucky to have you?" I asked. "The same reason why I'm so lucky to have you," Grayson said. "I've never opened up to anyone about my past life before, but you were different. You didn't judge me on my past and gave me a chance, even though I was the so-called bad boy of the school." "Speaking of your past," I said. "Did you tell your parents about us and the baby?" Grayson sighed. "No. I... I don't think I can tell them. I know they're my parents but I haven't seen them for over a year and they don't even bother contacting me anymore. On my nineteenth birthday, they didn't wish me a happy birthday. They didn't wish me a Merry Christmas. They didn't even send a card. It's like they're trying to cut me out of their life and if they're going to do that, then they're cutting out their granddaughter or grandson, whichever one it is." "Aren't you worried that Gale or Graeme will tell them?" I asked. "Not really, no," Grayson said. "For one thing, my parents don't even ask my brother and sister about me. And another thing, I told them not to tell my parents. I don't know if they'll keep their promise, but they might because they're not really that happy with them." "I still think you should tell them," I said. "It doesn't mean they'll have to see the baby when she or he is born. They should still know that their son is going to have a baby." "I don't know," Grayson said. "If I do decide to tell them, I'll let you know. In the meantime, we can play some video games. Or basically do anything that takes my mind off my parents." I looked at him and gave him a smile. "Video games it is."