Cheaters Never Prosper

Marley left shortly after she calmed down. She stayed just long enough to tell me what I needed to know before a kiss and a wave sent her flying out of the house. I was nervous as hell. She’d never been this happy over something in her life. I supposed she had reason to be happy, I mean she wasn’t exactly dying at the moment. All the same I was terrified that she was going to go over the edge with this news but I hoped she’d wait before announcing it to the world. I needed time to figure out what I wanted out of all of this. I reached over, still in a daze, and dialed the first number that came into my head.

“Hello…”

“I need to talk to someone can you come over?”

I must have sounded distressed because with a ‘be right there’ they hung up. Three minutes later the door was opening without a knock or a doorbell. I watched as she crossed the threshold and looked at me like I’d lost my mind.

“What’s going on, Jared?”

“Mars, she’s having a baby, a fuckin’ baby. I’m going to be a father,” I slumped into the chair I was resting against and leaned my head against my hands. “What am I going to do?”

I heard her sigh and felt her take a seat next to me. I moved over so she could have more room but she just snuggled closer. “Do you know for certain it’s yours? There’s not a doubt in your mind that it’s yours right?”

“That’s the thing I can’t ask her for a DNA test without her getting all defensive about it. She’ll just say I don’t trust her and that I want to make her look like a whore and crap like that. It’s not that I don’t trust her it’s that she wants me to quit the band and I can’t do that unless I’m one hundred percent certain it’s mine.” I muttered. I turned my head towards her leaning it against hers. “I don’t know what to do Mars.”

“Tell her that. Tell her that you can’t quit the band unless it’s proven that it’s yours. Have John tell her he won’t let you quit without absolute proof. Make her need to give you a DNA test and prove one way or the other if it’s yours or not. If she gives up a fight just push, what’s the worse she can do? She’s already knocked up she can’t do much.”

“She can hurt it and even if it’s not mine I don’t want that to happen,” I pointed out.

“Don’t point out the obvious, if she’s a mother like she’s going to be she won’t do anything to her child. Maybe she’ll just work with you,” she suggested. I wanted to believe her but I knew otherwise. “Let’s not think about it. Marley’s not even here. Why don’t we just relax and have a good afternoon? Do you have any place to be later?”

“Just band practice but I can be late. Honestly I don’t even want to go now,” I admitted. I didn’t want to face the guys if I was facing the possibility of quitting the band to take care of a squalling baby. “What did you have in mind?”

She looked at me and with a small roll to her eyes and a smirk resting against her face she reached for my hand pulling me from the chair and leading me upstairs. “I was thinking we could get to know each other,” she said.

“Mars, I don’t…”

“Jared, I’m not going to have sex with you. I just…I kinda just wanted to kiss you. It was nice on the roof and I kinda just wanted to do some more of that,” she explained as she sat against my bed. “I promise not to tell anyone if you don’t,” she informed me as she pulled my arm lightly. It was hard to say no, so I didn’t.

“I suppose a little fun wouldn’t hurt,” I reasoned as I followed her onto the bed.

She smiled as I pulled her towards me. Her lips crashed against mine and the world just melted. It was different with Mariza than it was with Marley or any other girl I’d ever been with. She was just innocent, and I knew she wasn’t exactly innocent but she was more innocent than I’d ever gotten to know. Her lips were soft, her hands were nervous as they ran through my hair. I took it upon myself to pull us around so I was on top and could properly caress her body.

A blush ran through her body as she tried to fight herself from being this excited about something. I could feel the excitement grow in her, and in myself. There was a part of me that just wanted to go for it and see what happened but I couldn’t do that to her. She tugged against my shirt as my hand snaked against her stomach barely inching up hers. Some might call me a gentleman but I called myself prepared. I was preparing myself to stop. And I did, when someone else came in.

“Jared…oh, shit fuck I’m sorry,” he said as he ducked out of the room. I didn’t have to see him to know who it was.

“Perfect timing,” she said softly leaning her head back against the head board. “I wasn’t sure if I’d stop us if you went much further,” she admitted pressing her lips gently against mine. “I’m, uh, I think I’ll go home. See you later?”

“Yea,” I told her, “I’ll call you.” I followed her out of the room and to the door. “Hey,” I said pulling her back for one more kiss, “we should do that more often,” I told her softly before she left. With her gone I turned to the boy sitting in the living room. “Such a cock block man,” I told him even though he wasn’t really blocking anything.

“I’m very sorry. Anyway, is it true what Marley is shouting across the town? Are you really fucking pregnant?”

“I’m not, she is, I have yet to have it finalized as being mine. She doesn’t want a DNA test though,” I sighed as I flopped against the couch. “She wants me to quit the band because I need to be here for the baby and I can’t be here if I’m half way across the country playing a guitar.”

“Does she not understand that you playing guitar is what makes the money for her to spend like she’s a fucking whore? You know besides the fact that she’s a fucking whore. What are you going to do? Are you quitting?” He actually looked concerned and I understood why. They’d asked me to join when the other guitarist quit. It was like a match made in heaven after that. I needed this band to keep me alive I couldn’t do it without them.

“I have no fucking clue.”

“Well you might want to stop fucking Mariza. We don’t want two babies on the way. And you should definitely get the DNA tested outta that shit.”

“John, please don’t call my potential baby shit. And I’m not having sex with Mars. We were just kissing nothing else.” He laughed softly and shook his head. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to me if it was mine or not. I didn’t want to spend my entire life wondering and I didn’t want to regret leaving the band if it wasn’t mine. It was a lose lose situation I was in right then and I hoped I could find a way to make it a winning one.