Goodbye to the End. Hello to the Beginning.

@ heroin bob.

Sarah smiled since those words meant a great deal to her. She heard those horror stories about teenage boys forcing themselves on other girls since they couldn't wait any longer. It even happened to girl that was close to her, and she never functioned the same way again. The mere thought made her body shudder in disgust, but Alan was different. He was man and was willing to wait until she was ready. Or at least she hoped that he would be willing to wait for her and grow bored. She had to trust his word. "Thank you," She mumbled in return, feeling the tingling sensation of his lips pressed against her own.

"Sure," She nodded, wanting to be pulled away from her thoughts. Of course, she was still nervous. This was the first time that she was inside of a man's home by herself on a date. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been on a date since her parents rarely let her out of the house. For all they knew, Sarah was at work right now. Snuggled underneath his arm, she placed a hand on his chest while her head fit perfectly into the curve of his neck. She was comfortable right here and contemplated never moving again.

Although she tried to focus on the movie, she couldn't ignore the sound of buzzing a couple feet away. The first few times she could ignore, but his phone just kept going off. She thought it may have been an emergency call or something that Alan was missing. "Hey, your phone keeps going off. Maybe it's important," She stated, craning her neck to meet his eyes.

---

It was clear that Kat was just lashing out at everyone around her. Over the past few weeks, nothing seemed to work in her favor. She slowly faded to the background and most people referred to her as a has been. Lucas frowned as she spewed out facts that he knew that they both didn't care about. So, those two didn't deserve to be Homecoming Queen and King but what else was new with the world? People who didn't deserve anything always got what they wanted. Life was unfair that way. "Who the fuck cares about what everyone else thinks? They all just sleep around and fry their brains with drugs and alcohol. Then, they point a finger at another person like they're the most innocent."

He ran his hand over her back while the other held back her hair. "Kat, you know I'm here for you. The only opinion that matters is your own. Fuck what these people thinks, okay. My dad could careless about what happened to me as long as he found another woman to screw for the night, but I'm working through it. I'm still alive cause I'm going to take care of myself and forget about other people." As she continued to heave, Lucas sighed and wondered what she even had for breakfast. He had never seen her this sick before. Sure, she was a bit queasy every now and then but she always shook it off.

"Three weeks?" He responded in surprise, chewing on his lip. That was definitely later than it should have been, which could only mean one thing. She was pregnant. "Um, well, would you want to keep it?" Was his next question. The father must have been that unknown guy from the party that she could never track down. He knew since ever since then Kat and Lucas were practically attached to the hip, and they definitely weren't having sex.

Alan held her as they watched the movie, he continued to ignore the buzzing, until she finally made a comment about it. Looking down to meet her gaze, he sighed, "It's nobody important." The last thing he wanted to do was bring up his marriage that had failed, due to his wife being a cheating harlot and sleeping with his best friend. But, he did want the noise to stop, reluctantly Alan went and picked up his phone. He scrolled through the never ending slew of horrible texts and rolled his eyes.

His ex-wife, Brittani, was threatening to show up at his apartment if he didn't answer his phone. She had sent that threat a few times in a row. Looking over to the beautiful girl on his couch, anger shot through him. He responded in a vulgar manner, and warned her to not show up or the cops would be called. The last thing Alan wanted to admit, was that his ex-wife was also abusive. His fear was, a big man like him being beaten by a small woman like her, he was embarrassed. It ate at him constantly.

Taking his spot back on the couch, Alan stretched out and threw his legs up over Sarah's lap. He opened his arms in her direction, "I swear I'm not trying anything. I just want to lay down and hold you, please?" His wife never wanted to be held, she would laugh at him and his want for a good relationship. Point blank, the woman was awful. And now he wanted to try and find happiness through new experiences. And this adorable girl, seemed to slowly feel like a new happiness.

__________

It snapped Kat's sick heart when he admitted to his dad being a loser, basically. All she could manage was more puking, though as he told his story. She turned and looked to him with a weak smile, then continued to dry heave, her stomach was empty. Kat fell back from the toilet, and thought about the question she had just been asked, would she keep the baby? "Of course. No doubt in my mind, it's my child." she placed a shaking hand on her stomach.

"I just won't ever know unless I take a pregnancy test, and I'm scared to see the actual result." Weakly shaking her head, Kat stood up and leaned on the side of the stall as she flushed the toilet with her foot. There were too many thoughts racing through her head, but the main one was, Who was the guy at the party? Kat looked to Lucas, "Since I don't have any girlfriends to go do this with, would you be willing to skip the rest of today, and help me out?"

Her parents wouldn't be home for the rest of the day, and she would be able to take as many tests as possible. And if they came back positive, she would be able to think of a way to tell her parents. Including an explination as to why she has no clue who the father is. The only thing she knows, is she has been attached to Lucas since after the party, and everything else that happened. And the most that they had done, was all in her fantasies.

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

Although Sarah wanted to ignore the incessant buzzing noise, she wouldn't fully relax in his arms with the sound continuing on in the background. It even came to the point where it distracted her from the movie, making her gaze traveling from the television screen to the table. A small sigh escaped her lips as the phone went off once more, feeling as though it was never ending. "Okay," She quietly obliged, dropping the whole idea and returning back to the movie. It appeared to be a touchy subject for Alan, and she didn't want to push him to tell her. He wasn't obligated to tell her anything after all. She shifted on the couch slightly to allow him to get up, pausing the movie and turning to watch him.

It made her anxious to see the furrow of his brow as he looked at the cell phone. Watching his expression shift, she wondered who could have possibly created that flood of emotions. The way his face contorted only told her that he was angry about whatever or whoever that was. Sarah lightly chewed on her lip, refraining from asking what was wrong. It was clear to him that it was 'nobody important'. Did he not trust her enough to let her into his world? Was she not important enough? The mere thoughts made her inwardly sigh and drop her gaze down to the ground.

Hearing his footsteps approaching the couch, she shook the thoughts from her mind and plastered a smile onto her face. She couldn't let her negative ideas get in the way of their date. Plus, she could have even been wrong. Sarah blinked in her surprised as Alan threw his legs up and over her lap, opening his arms for her. "I-I, sure," She stumbled, ending in a mere nod of the head. It was the first time that someone had ever held her this way, as if she was the most previous thing in the world.

---

'Of course. No doubt in my mind, it's my child. Lucas replayed her words on repeat in his mind, hearing the clear resolve. It was a huge responsibility for her to take on a child, especially since they were still in high school. He knew that Kat was still on the fence about what to do after they graduated, unsure of whether or not she wanted to go to college. After all, college was exponentially growing in cost every single year. He merely nodded his back in the return, waiting for another round of emptying her stomach's contents to begin.

However, it was true that they still weren't sure about this. Kat could have had some sort of bug going around that happened to make her stomach sick and put stress on her body to delay her period. Anything seemed to be possible nowadays, like how her douche bag ex-boyfriend was crowed Prom King. "That's true," He trailed off, wondering if she could continue the rest of day. Kat was practically green in the face and her clothes were stained with dried puke. "Yeah, sure. I don't even think I'd let you go home by yourself like this," Lucas stated as if it were the obvious.

Waiting for the next few moments to pass, Lucas continued to rub her back and listen to her concerns. "Alright, c'mon. Let's stop by the drug store on the way and then get you home," He stated, peeling her off of the toilet and wrapping an arm around her waist for support. Taking her out to the parking lot behind the school, he helped her into his truck before starting the engine and heading into town for the pharmacy.

As the movie played in the background, Alan couldn't help but stare at the girl resting on his chest. He sighed contently, as his fingers ran through her hair. The consistent buzzing had stopped, and that was enough for him. Smiling to himself, Alan continued to be in awe. Thoughts were rushing through his head at a million miles and hour. 'She's gorgeous, and smart. Her little laugh, and the way her lips feel. Perfect. Perfection is the word to describe her. I barely know her, but yet I feel as though I know her.'

Enjoying the warmth of the girl, Alan couldn't help but feel his eyes grow heavy with sleep. There wasn't much he could do to stay awake, seeing as all he wanted to do was have her stay the night so he could wake up to her the next morning. Sigh. Kissing the top of her head, he wrapped his arm a little tighter for a slight hug. "I could fall asleep like this."

He chuckled softly. "Holding you all night, waking up to find your beautiful face beside me." His words trailed off for a moment. "It'd be magical, honestly. I haven't felt this happy in a very long time." Alan stopped, he didn't know if he wanted to say anything more, or stay silent. So, he bit his tongue and waited a few moments before deiciding.

__________

Kat groaned as she was walked out to the truck. 'If I'm pregnant, it's Lucas'. There's no other person. I know he's who I had sex with that night.' So many thoughts had been racing through her head, but pregnancy was definitely the top thought she had. There really wasn't any other explination besides that.

Sure, stomach bugs had been going around. But she knew a stomach bug from constant nausea. She also knew that a stomach bug would be cleared up by now. Sighing, she stared out the window and then huffed again. "I don't want to deal with this, I'm not mature enough for a kid." At least she was honest.

She turned to the boy driving, "Dude. It's senior year, and I'm possibly pregnant. am I a walking cliche, or what?" In attempt to make light of the situation, she then thought about how sure would tell her parents. And then tell her last couple of friends and family. The school would need to know, which means teachers would know. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Kat looked to her vomit covered shirt and her face turned red. "I give up."

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

The lack of buzzing in the background allowed her to finally concentrate and relax on the couch. It was as if everything that was happening to her was from straight out of a movie. Things seemed to fade away into the background as if nothing else mattered. Only what was happening right here and now. As Sarah leaned her head against his chest, she listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. It was strong and slow as if it were a lullaby. Her head fit right into the space on his chest, making her believe that she was meant to be here.

Soon, her eyes began to flutter closed while she continued to listen to her personal lullaby. The movie started to show in segments, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her arms wrapped around his torso and shimmied closer to him. Sarah wanted to stay in this position for the rest of the night. She wanted to end it on the perfect note, but she had to get home. "Mm, me too," She whispered back already in a groggy state.

Her gaze flickered upward to Alan, dancing with amusement. "I wish I could stay the night," She trailed off with a small sigh. Her time to depart was coming sooner than she wanted to admit. Hearing his next words, Sarah took the moment to drink them in. I haven't felt this happy in a very long time. He sounded so broken. Whatever his last relationship was seemed to have utterly destroyed his heart. Sarah reached up to place her palm flush against his cheek. "Please, talk to me," She encouraged, wanting him to explain. Maybe it would explain all that buzzing from his cell phone.

---

"Hey, let's not jump to conclusions," He tried to remain positive although he was quite the pessimist. Considering how many times Kat had sent him to the store for tampons, she was always right on the dot. Something that he couldn't place told him that she was pregnant, and he was even more petrified to think of the idea that it was his. After all, they never discovered who that guy from the party was. Lucas knew that he had sex with someone, and he never found her either.

Although the matter wasn't funny, Lucas allowed the small grin to form on his face. This whole entire ordeal was too heavy for the both of them. "Maybe you can go on that teen mom show and make billions. And, y'know, share some of your fortune with me," He attempted to joke back, wanting to lighten up the situation. If she was pregnant, everything would change for Kat. She was carrying another person in her.

Glancing over her direction, he noticed her flushed face gazing down at her shirt. "Grab my sweatshirt from the back," He instructed since he knew that a vomit covered shirt was not the latest trend. If anything, he could help her with that. Lucas pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy and turned off the engine. "Um, after you. I don't know where they keep pregnancy tests," He explained, gesturing for her to go first.

Alan felt his heart break a little when she said she wished she could stay the night. "You can always stay the night here." He spoke softly as he kissed the top of her head..

 Once her hand was placed on his cheek, he felt his eyes grow wide. He could feel the care in her touch, and the love in her voice. She wanted to hear what was bothering him. This girl actually cared that something was going through his head. She cared. There was the difference, the major difference he had been looking for between the two women. Sarah cared, and showed it. "Sarah, what I'm going to tell you, I pray it doesn't make you see me as any less." Was he really about to open up to this girl?

The answer, yes.

"I was married for about five years." He sighed, "But we had known one another for about ten years in total. We met in high school." The memories came flooding back. Alan was seventeen when the two met. She was beautiful, long chestnut hair, soft little girls that shaped her face. Large blue eyes, clad with thick rimmed glasses. Freckles danced a crossed her fair skin. "Anyway, we began talking and a friendship grew. As the years followed, we became an item through college. Then we were married after we graduated college. I went back for my diploma for Teaching, and she was supportive through it all."

Alan looked to Sarah and bit his lip. "We were happy, everything was perfect. Then about a year and half into our marriage, it began. She would accuse me of cheating. All the time. I grew suspicious." He shook his head, "After I found out she was cheating on me with multiple men, I had given up on the marriage." Alan watched the dying movie for a moment.

"We were married four years before she began to take her anger out on me. It started with small slaps, light punches. Then it turned into throwing things, screaming, shoving." He chuckled dryly. "Nobody believed me. So the abuse continued. Then, it happened, I walked in on her and my best friend having sex in our bed. This was only three months ago." Right before Summer break had started for school, his marriage decided to fail.

Sighing, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm pathetic."

__________

Kat chuckled dryly as she pulled on the sweatshirt. She got out of the truck and made her way into the drugstore. She had gotten tests before, a couple times for herself, and more than a few times for her dear friend, Taylor. Kat laughed at the memories, then cringed as she found the aisle.

Turning around, she looked to Lucas for a moment. Her stomach churning, she felt like she was going to be sick again. But she knew it was from nerves, and nothing being in her system. Sighing, she grabbed three types of tests. Each with two tests inside. Kat was attempting to keep the trip quiet and quick. She practically ran to grab a gallon of tea and a bag of goldfish.

Heading to the checkout counter, she placed her items on the counter top and paid the overly priced purchase, she grabbed her bag, with a twang of annoyance as the cashier looked her up and down. The man was at least forty something and he had a sour look. She wanted to snap, but her cheeks were flushed and she felt more sick than before. Fear of throwing up on the man before her, was greater than snapping on him.

Kat bolted out of the store and made it to the truck, where she proceeded to vomit beside it. "Lucas, I can't take these tests." Her body was shaking, and soon tears began to stream down her cheeks. She was exhausted, her body hurt, and honestly, Kat was terrified to know the results.

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

Sarah listened to his tale as her heart broke for him, feeling all of the pain and anguish in his voice. Whoever this woman was, was an awful woman and wife. She cheated on him, broke him, and then threw it all in his face. How could anyone do such a thing to a loving man like Alan? Her face continuously shifted to show that she was listening. A twinge of shock in her eyes followed by a frown of the lips. Anger even managed to find its way into her expression. "Oh, god," She sighed, with a shake of the head. Her thumb gently stroked the side of his cheek, encouraging him to continue on. Sarah couldn't even understand how he was able to go over this. How could he ever trust another woman?

"No, you're not pathetic," She quickly countered, upset that he could ever think that. For him to open himself up to her showed how strong he truly was. How he was attempting to move on from that horror in his life. "Thank you for telling me." Looking up at him, she offered a small smile and leaned up to place a gentle kiss against his cheek. Sarah sighed as she wrapped her arms lightly around his torso and snuggled further against his chest.

A moment passed before Sarah felt her resolve. She would never become like this ex-wife. "I promise that I would never do anything like that to you. I will never lie to you or betray you," She vowed, mumbling against his chest. Hearing a light buzzing coming from her phone, she sat up to see that her parents texted to see what time she was coming home. As always, good things came to an end. Sarah ran a hand through her hair as she glanced back at Alan with a saddened expression. "I'm sorry. I have to go back home now. Um, my parents are waiting for me," She admitted with a light blush spreading across her cheeks. At the end of the day, she was still barely an adult and living underneath the protection of her parents.

Slowly, she gathered all of her belongings and pulled on her coat. The last thing that she wanted to do was leave him alone, especially after he poured his heart out to her. However, Sarah had no choice in the matter. "I will see you tomorrow," She smiled before turning to leave. She was careful to leave out the part about seeing him in class. It was quite obvious that she could no longer view him as her teacher.

---

Following her into the store, Lucas lazily scanned through the aisles of the pharmacy. There were various snacks on top of the usual medicine they offered over-the-counter. He could see that Kat continued to look back him, wanting some sort of motivation to move forward. "Just grab and go," He stated with a nod, shoving his hands into his pockets. Slowly, they eased into the pregnancy test aisle. Lucas found himself eyeing everything else but the tests, moving his gaze along the floor and the ceiling. As much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling just as nervous as Kat was. What if this baby was his? The mere thought sent his stomach tumbling.

As soon as she grabbed the tests, he quickly paced over toward the snacks with her. They took a few more items to cover the pregnancy tests before heading over toward the counter. He could feel the judgement of the man's gaze upon them, looking back at forth between him and Kat. These were the looks that they were always going to get if she were pregnant with his kid. The man's eyes narrowed slightly as if they attempted hide his disappointment. Lucas glanced down toward Kat who only seemed to appear greener by the minute. They needed to get out of here.

Lucas moved out into the parking lot in time to see her vomit once more beside it. He jogged to catch up, running his hands in circles along her back. "Kat, you don't have a choice. You have to take these tests," He stated, taking the bag from her. "You and I are both nervous, but we have to be strong." However, he slipped that he was nervous as well without even realizing. Wrapping his arms around her, Lucas drew Kat into his chest and rested his chin on top of her head. "C'mon, deep breaths."

Once she finally calmed down, he guided her into his truck and drove back to her house. It seemed that both of her parents were at work for the day, allowing them to have some privacy. "You're gonna take the tests and then we're gonna watch a movie. I'll make some popcorn," He stated, glancing over at her as he pulled into the driveway.

Comforted by her touch, Alan smiled softly. The words she spoke were too amazing for him to actually hear. His ex had never even promised to not hurt him, before they were married or at all. Then, she spoked of having to leave and it snapped his heart even more. The thought of not getting to hold her was torture.

Alan wanted to forget that she was his student. So, he smiled and stood up. "Bright and early." He watched her leave, his mind was everywhere and he wasn't ready to be alone. He went to his phone and stared at the messages. So much hate. So many sour words, each one ringing true in his poor ears. He believed her more than he believed anyone. After all, ten years with someone is a long time.

Walking to his room, Alan sat down and sighed heavily. Rummaging through his side table, he pulled out a glass pipe, a pill bottle with a green substance, and his lighter. He rarely smoked, only when his anxiety was truly bad. Inhaling slowly, Alan let the smoke out and hit it a few more times before his body became fuzzy. Leaning back in bed, he looked to his phone one more time.

Ignoring the hateful messages, he went to a new number and clicked on the short conversation they had before.

Goodnight, beautiful. It was truly amazing spending the evening with you. I'd give anything to have you in my arms tonight. Safe, and warm.

And just so you know, I'm hoping for a kiss when we get the chance.

His confidence was much higher when he was under the influence. Turning his alarm on, Alan kicked his outfit off and crawled under the blankets. His high slowly drifted him to sleep.

__________

Kat sniffled as her house came into view. Slowly getting out of the truck, she made her way to the door and unlocked it. Lucas was right, she had to take the tests. But one thing kept ringing in her ears, he was nervous, too . Kat pushed the door open and walked up the familiar staircase to her bedroom, where her bathroom his behind a small door.

Kat turned to Lucas, he had been to her house so many times now, it was habit for him to follow. She had realized the other day that her only two friends were Lucas and Taylor, and she was okay with that. Especially the Lucas part. He was so caring, and funny. Always making her laugh until she cried. Holding her when she needed someone, like today, and hundreds of other times. "Lucas, please don't leave me if I am." She whispered.

Looking into his eyes, "I'm terrified. I can't be a mother! I can barely take care of myself, and I have no clue who the father is." That was a lie, she knew. She had pieced it together slowly. Lucas was undoubtedly the guy she slept with that night. Her body was shaking and she was seconds from sobbing, without even taking a test yet.

The bag in her hand was weighing heavy. Within the next ten minutes, she knew her life could change in an instant.

'Our lives could change in a second. Not just mine.'

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

Returning back to her house, she pulled into the driveway and rushed inside with the chill nipping at her cheeks. "Welcome home, honey. How was work? I'm just going to heat up your dinner." Her mother called out from the kitchen. "Y-Yeah, it was great. I have a lot of homework, so I'm going to just head up. Not really hungry," She yelled back before moving up the stairs to the solitude of her room. Sarah needed a moment to screw her head back on. All of her thoughts were buzzing through her head at warp speed.

She entered inside of her room and automatically flopped down onto the bed, burying her face into her pillows. Her heart was pounding inside of her ears until her phone buzzed, making it stop all at once. Reaching into her pocket, she produced her cell phone to see she had one new message. Alan. The nerves began to bubble up once more inside her stomach. Her finger hovered over the button and finally opened it after summoning all of her courage.

Her eyes moved over the words as a light blush spread across her cheeks. And just so you know, I'm hoping for a kiss when we get the chance. Instinctively, her hand flew up to her lips. Sarah wasn't exactly sure why she felt so connected to a man that only knew for a few weeks. On their first date, she kissed him. Her friends always warned her about becoming too involved so quickly, but she couldn't help herself. It was an inevitable draw.

Sarah couldn't explain how but Alan understood her. He always knew the right words to say. How to make her keep her at ease but have her senses alive all at once.

Her fingers curled around her phone, bringing it closer to her chest. Sarah envisioned his arms wrapped around her tight, keeping her safe from the rest of the world. Although she could never be quite as bold, she typed back: I look forward to it. Without even realizing it, she slowly drifted off into a slumber.

---

Lucas followed her up the stairs into her room, knowing exactly where to take the turns. He entered inside of her bedroom and went to take a seat on her bed until she turned to face him. Her voice barely reached his ears as if it were a whisper in the wind. "Kat, you'd be crazy to think I'd leave you over something like this." That was the truth. Whether or not this was truly this child, he couldn't leave her now. One false move and Kat would shatter into pieces. She needed support, and he vowed to be there for her.

"I know, I know," He reached out to run his hands up an down her arms. This whole entire experience was surreal for him, and he could only imagine what it was like for Kat. "If you take that test and you're pregnant, we will figure something out. I don't know what, but everything will be okay," He attempted to reassure but the future was cloudy. Lucas planned on inheriting his father's bike shop which would only support them so much, especially if Kat couldn't work. Their future didn't appear to be bright, but they would push through.

Placing a hand gently against the small of her back, he guided her toward the bathroom and reached into the bag to grab a pack of two tests. "Now, you can do this," He stated, attempting to open up the box to take out one of the tests. It took a few tries though considering how much his hands were shaking. "God, sorry," He quickly apologized as he fumbled around with the package for the third time.

The faint sound of an alarm rang in the background as Alan came into focus. Sitting up in bed, he stretched and went straight to the bathroom. He hoped in the shower, got out and trimmed up a bit. There was still scruff, to go with his hair.

Sliding his glasses up over his nose, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. His thoughts were everywhere. 'I get to see Sarah soon, god she's beautiful. But am I trying too hard? Afterall, she's in high school. She could run off. I can't scare her off, I want to learn her.' He left the bathroom and went to get ready. A pale blue button up, tight black dress pants, and a thin black tie. He had to admit, he was trying a little more hard than usual. She was special.

Alan grabbed his thermos of coffee, and was off to work. As he pulled into the parking lot, he hit his bowl hidden under his seat, sprayed his cologne and then went inside. His first period would consist of getting ready for the day. His planning period. And the whole time, all he could do was think about her.

So, before the first bell, he sent her a text.

If you're free first period, stop by.
It's my free period.

All he could do now was wait, impatiently.

__________

She couldn't help but laugh a little when he fumbled with the packaging. "It's okay." She sniffled and took the box. Opening it, she went into the bathroom, shut the door and felt her stomach drop. Kat nervously opened the wrapper, and then she waited. The box said 1 minute. So, she waited the one minute.

After repeating the same process four more times, Kat sighed and accepted what had become of her life. "Lucas..." She opened the door and walked out of the bathroom, all four tests in her hands. "Um, we're ... pregnant?" she wasn't sad, she wasn't mad, she wasn't sure what she was. Not that she was happy, but she wasn't upset either.

All she could do was stare at her now best friend, and possible baby daddy, with wide eyes. "What the fuck are we gonna do...?"

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

"Honey?" Her mother gently shook Sarah, ruining her peaceful state. She groaned in return and pulled the blankets closer. "Honey, your alarm has been going off for the past ten minutes. You're going to be late." Oh, shoot. Sarah sprang up from her bed, catapulting toward her closet. "Your breakfast is downstairs." With that, her mother disappeared downstairs. It was odd for her to sleep through her alarm since her body's internal clock was always on point. Quickly, she threw on the first clothes her hands could grab.

Running down the stairs, she grabbed the piece of toast that sat on the plate. "Gonna be late. Gonna be late," She chanted before swiping her car keys from the counter. Sarah wolfed down her breakfast as she navigated the streets of the town until arriving in the school parking lot. Luckily, she managed to snag the last spot at the far end. One sprint later, she dove into her math class as the bell rang. "Oh, god," She breathed in and out, hearing a snicker from behind her. Christine, her best friend.

"Someone was almost late," She teased in a sing-song voice. "I don't know. My alarm didn't wake me up," Sarah returned, finally catching her breath. Reaching into her pocket, she saw that she had one next text message from Alan. First period? Well, she had class but it couldn't hurt to sneak out for a bit. After all, she already knew the first few chapters of Calculus from taking it over the summer. A few moments passed until Sarah raised to her hand to ask to go to the bathroom, slipping out of class.

Arriving at Alan's classroom, she lightly knocked against the door before opening and peaking her head inside. "Hey," She greeted as she lightly closed the door behind her.

---

Lucas paced around her room back and forth and back and forth once more. At this rate, his tracks would be permanently engraved into the wood. With his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze remained glued to the bathroom door. Each second passed like an eternity for the young male. Was he going to be a father? Was Kat going to be okay? His entire life was one whole shit show.

Seeing the door knob rattle, he halted in his movements. Lucas turned his attention to her and automatically knew the answer from the horror in her eyes. "Fuck," He sighed, resting his hands on top of his head. However, Lucas heard her words: we're pregnant? "Wait." He furrowed his eyebrows, realizing that she included him. "You.. you think? I mean, I was never sure, and I didn't want to freak you out or something. But something just told me that you were the girl from the party," He admitted, letting the words flow. It had been bottled up for so long.

"Um, shit, um," He exhaled as the panic came back once more. What were they going to do? Kat already made it clear that she wanted the baby. "Graduation is in a couple of months. We're going to focus on that for now. I'm going work at my father's bike shop as much as possible. Oh, fuck. What am I going to tell my dad?" The realization hit him. Right now, he was no better than his father. He was conceived around the time when his parents were in high school, too. It almost made Lucas angry. He promised to never become like his father and yet here he was.

Alan smiled as he heard the familiar voice. "Hey." He turned around to face her with a wide smile. Alan stood up and walled towards her, without a second thought, he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

His body was finally at ease, and he enjoyed this high much more than any high he got from smoking. Letting the kiss go, he placed his hands on the small of her back. "How are you, beautiful?"

__________

Kat bit her lip, and smiled sheepishly. Was it wrong of her to be happy that he admitted to believing he was the father? It almost gave her butterflies. But it was hard to tell, considering she felt like throwing up from anxiety. The way he spoke of graduation made him worry, "Right. But it's still kinda far away at the same time, honestly. And I have no clue how far along I am. And I'm just.." She sighed and shook her head.

Right now, she had confirmed she was pregnant, and all she wanted at that point was to shower and change into something different. "I'm going to shower. Then, we're going to put on a movie and crawl into bed." She looked to Lucas and then to the bathroom. "We're going to have to tell my parents, tonight." There was no other option.

Going into the bathroom, she stripped, and got into the hot water. She was in there for at least fifteen minutes. After finishing up and drying off, she went into her bedroom and grabbed a hoodie and leggings. Without thinking about Lucas being in the room, she dropped the towel and pulled on her new outfit. "You, crawl up there and let me cuddle you. I need sleep."

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

Sarah was taken aback by how straightforward he was, automatically placing a kiss on her lips. Although she was flattered, she couldn't shake the fact that they were in school. A person could be watching them at any moment in time, and it sent a shiver down her spine from the mere idea. She reached up to place her hands against his chest, pushing away slightly to create some space. "Fine, I just sneaked out of class for a few minutes," She admitted with a small chuckle. The thrill was little too much to handle.

"How are you feeling?" She returned with worried eyes, wondering how he last night affected him. "Is she still bothering you?" Sarah wished that she could have done something for Alan to make his ex-wife leave him alone. How could she keep torturing him like that? Did she have no soul?

---

Lucas merely nodded back in return while his mind filled with thoughts. How would he even introduce himself? Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Williams. I'm the guy that knocked up your daughter at the party. He played in his head, working out the worst scenarios. Would her parents accept this? They could easily kick her out of the house or tell her to get an abortion. Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he paced around for a few more moments. Eventually, a loud sigh left his lips. Lucas needed to take things one step at a time.

After a while, he kicked off his shoes and sat down on the floor in front of the television. He mindlessly watched the news and flickered through the channels until Kat reappeared from the bathroom. "Hey," He greeted, letting his eyes moved over toward her. What he didn't expect was for Kat to be so open with him. His eyes widened as she courageously dropped the towel in front of him. Sure, Lucas had seen everything before but never sober.

"Uh, yeah," He quickly dropped his gaze toward the bed and settled underneath the covers. Knowing what they had done, Lucas wondered how this would change their relationship. He did know that he was more aware of her now. Every move she made.

He apologized for being so straight forward with the kiss. Chuckling, he smiled at how she snuck out of class. He hated they were in school, and that it was hard to be open. Sighing, he shook his head to her question.

"I'll survive. She sent me a few more texts last night, but she quit. I haven't heard from her yet this morning. And fingers crossed I don't for the rest of the day." Shaking his head again, Alan took a seat on a nearby desk and looked her up and down. "As long as I have you to talk to, though, I'll survive." He smiled and stood up, kissing her cheek.

"Get back to class, now. I just had to see you for a moment. I really needed that kiss." What was this girl doing to him? He was falling for her, and it was taking no time at all. A forbidden relationship, and it already seemed to be the best one he would have for a while. Or even ever. Hell, who knew.

Turning his back to the door, he went back to his desk and started up on grading papers. And other small tasks that needed to be completed. It would be a long a day, but the thought of seeing her shining eyes made it all worth it.

Alan's phone began to buzz. He looked down to his messages:

Who was that girl leaving your apartment last night?

His ex-wife had officially crossed the line.

__________

Curling up into his side, she placed her head on his chest and closed her eyes while she waited for him to choose something on netflix. Letting the darkness stay for her vision, thoughts flooded endlessly. 'A baby, there is a baby growing inside of me. I'm barely eighteen years old, and I'm going to be a mother. I'm going to have a child after I graduate high school. I'm having a baby with someone who i hooked up with at a party.' The thoughts paused for a moment.

"Lucas, you know we've never kissed since the party?" She leaned up and looked into his eyes. They were soft, and warm. "We've spent damn near every day together and have never done anything. Besides the one night at the party."

Kat wanted to make him squirm a bit, it was one of her favorite things to do. "Am I not attractive enough for you, sober?"

Then again, there was small truth in that question. It was odd to her, for someone to not pay attention to her or want her in any way. And that's how it was with Lucas. He wanted to help her whenever and be her friend, but not once had he flirted with her or tried anything. "I just think if we're having a baby together, we should figure out what we are..." She trailed off. "But I don't want to be something meaningless."

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

"That's good," She smiled, relieved to hear that. Perhaps they were both moving on and finding other people to be with. "I want you to know that I'm here for you. Whatever you need," She stated with resolution. Even if she was student, the least she could do was provide some mental support.

With a small nod, she could feel some disappointment wash over her. "Yeah, I probably should," She sighed, not wanting to return back to her classroom. All she wished to do was return back to his house and curl up in front of the television once more. No more school or having to lurk around in the background.

"One last one for good luck," She grinned before taking one last peck from him. With that, Sarah turned to move out of the classroom and return back to math. Luckily, her teacher suspected nothing from her star student and welcomed her back to the classroom. "How long do you take in the bathroom?" Christine question, slightly suspicious of her friend. However, she merely shrugged her shoulders in return and went back to taking notes.

---

As Kat settled into the bed, he opened his arms to welcome her. His fingers moved through the strands of her lilac hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. It smelled of crisp apples, calming him. Lucas flipped through the choices on netflix before deciding on some comedy movie that they mutually enjoyed. It was clear that they could both use a laugh. They settled into the silence, consumed by their own individual thoughts.

Lucas blinked down at her in surprised, caught off-guard by her statement. "Yeah, we haven't," It was true. He had never made a move on Kat or attempted to flirt with her. It wasn't that he didn't find Kat attractive, but his own life was too much of a mess to ever consider a relationship. He thought that remaining friends would make the lines more clear but that didn't seem to work. Here she was pregnant with his child.

"No, no," He quickly dismissed her statement, knitting his eyebrows together. Why would she ever think that? "I just... thought it would be easier to be friends," He admitted. The last thing he wanted to do was drag her into his mess of a life but that's exactly what we did.

He heavily sighed since he didn't really know what they were at this point. Before this whole event, he could easily label them close friends. Probably his best and only friend, but this was different now. "I guess we should figure out, huh," He mumbled, letting his eyes travel to her lips. Lucas wondered what she would taste like while sober. All he could remember from their night together was vodka. His hand slid along her cheek before tilting her head upward. Propping himself up, he leaned down to finally close the gap and planting a gentle kiss on her lips.

The text message sat there. His screen darkened, and he hit the button to return it to light. 'She saw Sarah, if I'm not careful, she could end up telling the authorities.' His career would end, and he'd have no choice at finding a decent job if that would happen. Then again, Sarah was only a few months from graduation. Once she graduated, she would be fair game.

But, if we can keep our relationship a secret long enough, it can work...' Was Alan really willing to potentially  lose his job over this girl, though? As far as he was concerned, yes. And the more he got to know her, it gave him more reason to be okay with it.

There's just something about her. The way she speaks, the way she dresses. Her papers, and grades. Her personality, and laugh. Everything. It all left him speechless. Of course he was willing to give up everything. Then again, he knew that thought process could be coming from the part of him that just had his heartbroken, and is craving any type of affection.

With a heavy sigh, he replied. He had to push all thoughts away and focus on his main task. Getting his ex to leave him alone.

Why does it matter?

She replied.

Lol, just surprised you grew some balls to meet a new girl.

He sighed, her vicious attitude wasn't needed.

Right. Well, I'm at work. Good day.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

You're pathetic. Whatever.

Alan rolled his eyes and once more, he went to his messages. This time, he went to Sarah's name. There was no reason for her to know that his ex-wife had seen her. So he left that part out when he sent her a little message.

I don't want to seem clingy, but whenever you're free next, let me know. I'd love to have another evening like last. Except, you should tell your parents you're staying somewhere else.

__________

Kat wasn't entirely sure how to feel when he made the comment about just being friends. There was clearly something between them, besides a child, or its what Kat felt anyway. "But yeah, I mean.. a child is a lot of responsibility. And we can't just bring random people in and out of their life.." She rambled for a moment, then Lucas began to lean in.

Once their lips touched, Kat knew something was between them. Her body was calm, except for an electric shock between their lips. She smiled into the gentle kiss, then pulled away. "When we tell my parents, you might want to brace yourself for the weird. At least from my mom." It was true, she was only a Senior in  high school, but her mother would be thrilled. She never judged her daughter and only wanted the best for her. Her dad might be a little upset, but what father wouldn't?

The movie played, she turned to face the screen, resting her head back down on his chest. 'I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I'm certain of one thing, my baby will be happy and loved.'

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

For the remainder of the period, she managed to scrape by without hearing her best friend's nagging questions. The time between classes was an entirely different ordeal. Why didn't she answer her text last night? Why did her phone keep buzzing? How come she was almost late? "Chris, I-I had a date, okay? Now, I don't want to talk about it anymore," She admitted reaching into her pocket to open the message. "Oh my god! Is that him? Is that him? Oooh, he wants you stay over. Jesus, how long as this been happening?" Her friend continued to badger her. "It's not a big deal. We had dinner at his house and that was it. Now, I have to get to class."

Yeah, sure! I have SATs on Saturday morning, but I should be free afterward. I could just say I'm spending the night at a friend's. She sent back, feeling butterflies in her stomach. Staying over his house? Alan promised never to push her into doing anything she wasn't ready for but she couldn't help but feel nervous.

Also, my friend kind of found out. She doesn't know it's you. She just knows that I'm seeing someone. Sorry, she just kept asking questions. She hoped that he would be accepting of that. Christine could always tell when something was happening to Sarah, claiming that she had a glow.

---

As their lips met, Lucas could feel an electric sensation. It surprised him, but it was a pleasant feeling. "We'll figure it out," He promised with a small nod, settling back down onto the pillow. His hand lightly ran up and down her arm in a soothing motion. Lucas arched an eyebrow in her warning for her parents. According to Kat, her mother was weird? "I'm going to hope that's a good weird," He trailed off with a small sigh. The one he was more scared to face was the father though. After all, this was his little girl.

Returning his attention back to the movie, he attempted to calm himself down. He had to prepare for what was ahead.

He chuckled at the text, as long as her friend didn't know the guy was him, he didn't care. He wanted people to know she was taken, she didn't want any of the boys in the school going after her. It honestly pissed him off a little to even think about it.

Well, now you can at least gush about me ;)

Alan finished up his paper grading, and entered eveything into the computer. With a heavy sigh, he went throughout his day, up until his second favorite class period came along. He watched as the students filed in, then smirked as his favorite walked in. "Good afternoon, class. I trust everyone finished their reading assignments and writing prompts?" His hands were clasped behind his back.

A collective rustle of papers came from the group. He walked along each row and collected the papers that were passed forward. "Today we will be talking about the romantic side of the literature. How forbidden romance seems to be the backbone for numerous works of art out there."

He couldn't help but give a grin while he spoke. There she was, his forbidden romance, in the back row. Beautiful as she had been the night before and all the days before that.

__________

The front door clicked open, footsteps erupted across the wooden floors below her room. Kat was woken up, not even realizing she had fallen asleep, she looked up to see Lucas sleeping, too. She leaned up, and kissed his cheek. "Hey, my mom and little brother are home." She got up and turned on her bedroom light.

Stretching, she pulled on a new hoodie and threw her, now messy, hair up in a bun. No makeup, a sleepy smile, and the sudden remembrance that she was about to announce her pregnancy, sent her into a suddenly happy mood. "Lucas, no matter what happens after we tell my parents, we can wait before we talk with yours..." She trailed off, went back to the bed and climbed back up to him. "And you can stay here tonight. I'm not going to school tomorrow."

Pecking his cheek, she went back to the door and opened it up. Her whole family was home by now. "Shall we?"

•••

"Hey mom, dad! Bubby!" she called out as she slightly hopped down the stairs. Lucas behind her. "We have to talk!" she walked into the living room. Her dad in his chair, her mom on the couch, and her brother on the love seat with the dog and his laptop. Her life was about to change. Drastically. But she was almost excited to tell them.

Grabbing Lucas' hand, she put a hand on her stomach. Her mom's eyes grew wide, and without Kat saying a word, her mother burst into tears of happiness. Running over, she wrapped her daughter in a tight hug, and then Lucas. "Mom, I never said anything!"

"You don't have to! Oh my god!" she was sobbing. And the tone of the room changed.

@ Dandy Darling;

@ heroin bob.

Sarah merely rolled eyes back at the text message and slid her phone back into her pocket. Gush about him to her only friend in the entire school, sure. Sarah Hollifeld was considered the bottom of the food chain, whereas people like the newly elected Homecoming King and Queen, Jake Bellmont and Ashlee Winters, were at the top. She continued to pass between classes all day until she saw that she had her least favorite subject next, AP English. Although, she supposed that having Alan around made it slightly more bearable.

Heading into the classroom, she managed to glance over at Alan once before making her way toward the back of the classroom. Remain normal was her mantra. She slid into her seat with a sigh before reaching into her backpack to find her binder and the writing assignment due today. Luckily, she managed to finish it two nights ago.

Her eyes glance over at the syllabus to see today's topic: forbidden romances. How appropriate and embarrassing. Running her hand through her tangled locks, she could feel a heat spreading over her cheeks. There was no possible way she could look at Alan for the rest of the period.

---

Lucas could feel a pair of lips press against his cheek, gently waking him from the slumber. With a small inhale, he realized that they were at her house about to tell her family about the pregnancy. It made his stomach twist into knots. "Yeah, yeah," He slowly replied while sitting up her bed. Did his hair look alright? Did he not scream failure?

"I don't know if my dad's going to be home tonight," He admitted with a tepid smile. Lucas never knew when that note on the counter was going to appear. Sometimes his father just never came home that night without an explanation. In the end, it was all the same. "I'll stay here, I guess."

Moving out of the bed, he moved over toward the mirror to see that his hair was a bird's next. "I look like a mess," He mumbled, moving his hands through his hair. The young male did the best his could before taking her hand and moving down the stairs. It was time to meet the family.

As Kat had predicted, her mother's reaction to the whole ordeal was surprising to say the least. She wasn't angry about everything. In fact, she was delighted at the notion. On the other hand, her father's lips were pressed into a firm line. He was clearly not delighted. "Katherine, are you sure you want this? Having a child a huge responsibility," Her father questioned.

"Sir, with all due respect, we want to have this child," Lucas interjected and hoped that he hadn't overstepped his boundaries.

Alan began his rant on the topic of forbidden romances. He started with the obvious story of Romeo and Juliet. He then went onto talk about other situations. Then came the fun part. "Now, we get to have a little creative writing project. For the next few days we will be talking about this topic. We will be discussing what makes a romance forbidden, and we will also be writing our own stories. Your stories will be due by the end of next week. Everyone will have a partner to help them review their stories." He smiled at his idea, he was excited to get their brains working. But he was more excited to see what Sarah would write about. "We will discuss the story more tomorrow. And what the prompt it exactly, and what I'm looking for."

He moved about the classroom and grabbed papers with the information. "You can look over these by yourselves, or with one another. You're free to do as you please for the rest of class." His ex continued to message him, he could feel his phone going off in his pocket the entire time he was standing up there talking. Sitting down at his desk, he took out his phone and stared at the messages. She just wanted to know who the girl was. She wanted to know how long it had been going on for. It was a headache, and he didn't want to deal with it at the moment. He ignored her texts, and sat there with this head in his hand. He wanted to text Sarah, but felt annoying. And now he slowly felt like he was breaking down.

Ignoring the anxiety of bothering her, he sent her a message. He was showing his weak side, but he did anyway.

She's texting me.
She saw you leave my apartment.
She doesn't know who are, but
she won't stop texting me. I hate to admit
it, but I'm having a panic attack.

He felt pathetic, but something about Sarah made him feel okay with sending a message like that. Without even realizing it, he was staring off in her direction, waiting for her to open the text. Hoping a kind smile from her might help ease the issue. His chest was tightening up, as his ex messaged him three more times. One about being at his apartment after work, another about finding out who the girl was, and a third about how she wanted to inform him that she might be pregnant. Though, he wasn't sure how the last one would be his fault, considering they had not had sex in almost four months. Or so he recalled, anyway.

Tapping his hand on the table. He waited for the phone to buzz and for the name to say Sarah. That's what he hoped for, and that's all his poor, anxious mind wanted. Other than that, it was almost impossible for him to calm down.

__________

Kat hugged her mother tightly. And when she heard Lucas defend wanting the baby, it made her heart swell. 'He said, we. He said we want the baby.' She looked to Lucas and smiled widely. Her arms wrapped around his torso without a second thought. Considering he was at least a head and some taller than her, she fit perfectly. She looked to her parents, and little brother and smiled. "We want our child." She pronounced with pride.

Her father shook his head, she knew this would take some getting used to. But he did clear his throat, "If that's truly how you feel, I cannot stop you. You may live under my roof, but you are eighteen, and by law, and adult. So, if you choose to keep this child, your mother and I support you." He was stern, but caring. He walked over to the two of them. He hugged his little girl, then looked to Lucas and stuck out his hand to shake it. "If you hurt her, or this child, I swear on everything, I will wear you like a coat." He smiled as he stood back from his little secret whisper. Then said for everyone, "Welcome to the family." It was a welcome he hoped the boy wouldn't forget.

Kat was busy smiling and hugging her mom. It was weird, everyone should be crying and freaking out. But they're happy and enjoying life. True, pregnancy was something to be celebrated. But this was also a pregnancy happening in High School. She shook her head of the thought for a moment, the placed a hand gently on her small stomach. 'Hi in there, it's your mommy. I love you, little one. Your daddy and I love you, very much.' She leaned into Lucas and smiled up to him. "While my mom's making dinner, do you want to go upstairs and lay back down? I'm super tired and my back hurts." She held his hand in her small one.

Without really waiting for an answer, she pulled Lucas back upstairs. Her mind was going everywhere as she went upstairs. Shutting the bedroom door behind her, she looked to Lucas. "So, at least my family is being somewhat accepting as to what's going on. So, now we just have to figure out what the hell we're going to do. And I have to find a doctor, and get the appointment set up. Fuck, this is too much."

She ran her hands through her hair, and sighed heavily. There was too much going on and way too much going on in her head for her to actually pay attention to what she was saying or as to what was going on.

@ Dandy Darling;