Where You Belong

Staring into the eyes of my ex, I glared, "What do you want, Mike?"

"What do I want?" he scoffed with a roll of his eyes, stepping further into the room, "Gee, I fucking wonder, Britt. You haven't returned any of my damn calls!"

At that, I felt Zack tense from beside me, and knew that if I didn't act quickly, he was going to get angry to the point of no return. Brian wasn't far from that point, and looking over at Matt, he was already standing with his arms crossed at his sides, jaw clenched tightly.

"There's no point in doing so," I answered calmly, easing myself back into Zack's side as I felt his grip tighten around me, "I gave you your options, and you chose. There's nothing left to say."

Michael rolled his eyes, "There's plenty left to say and you fucking know it. And I'm not leaving until we talk about this shit!"

"You're treading in dangerous waters, friend," Matt stated calmly, stepping forward to stare Mike down, "If I were you, watch how you speak to her."

Naturally, Mike couldn't take a hint, "I'll talk to my girlfriend however the fuck I want--"
"Ex," I answered coolly, crossing my arms over my chest as I stood on my feet, feeling Zack's protest from the way his hands stayed planted on my hips, "And if you wanna talk, then so be it. But you have five minutes."

Mike smiled smugly, "Good, I--"

"Outside," I cut him off, pointing to the sliding glass door that led to the deck, causing Brian to snort, "I have company over."

I motioned for Michael to walk outside first, before turning to the others, seeing their looks of curiosity and worry, "I'll just be a few minutes. I want him to say whatever he has to say so he can leave." I mumbled in explanation. The girls seemed satisfied with that, but I knew the guys and Michelle weren't.

"If he says one fucking thing out of line, I'm coming out there," Zack all but growled, leaving no room for argument in his tone. Lacey looked at him in shock, but Michelle simply smirked and nodded.

Matt and Brian nodded to, "Anything at all, Britt, and he'll be eating his breakfast through a fucking straw for the rest of his life." Matt confirmed, exchanging looks with Brian.

With a sigh, I nodded before stepping outside, where Mike was waiting. He'd taken it upon himself to sit in one of the lounge chairs I had out there, one leg folded across his knee as he slowly lit himself a cigarette, eyes following every move I made. I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at him.

"Five minutes. And put it out."

He sighed, "What the fuck, Britt? I just lit--"

"Put it the fuck out, now," I hissed, placing a hand on my hip and getting right in his face, daring him to do or say otherwise. With a sigh, he put out the cigarette, before beginning to speak, but I cut him off, "And you have four minutes." I spat before walking to the other side of the deck and folding my arms over the railing.

I wasn't particularly happy that he was here, and that he'd just shown up out of the blue and uninvited as if it were his God given right to be here. I didn't know what he wanted, and I didn't really care; I just knew that he missed the idea of having me, and that alone would never make me go back to him. I may have loved him, but that didn't excuse him for what'd he done.

Maybe he just thought I was stupid. I don't know how he could possibly think that, but maybe his head was just so far up his ass that he forgot who the fuck I was. But if he honestly thought that he could say the things he did, not contact me for three months knowing my condition, and then show up one day and expect for me to welcome him with open arms, a feast, and a parade, then he had another fucking thing coming to him. It was making me mad just to think about everything, something I knew that wasn't good for the baby. So the quicker he talked, the quicker he could get out of here and leave us alone.

Though I would be foolish to think it would ever be that simple.

"I thought you came here to fucking talk," I snapped in annoyance, breaking the small silence between us and turning to eye him condescendingly, "It doesn't matter how much you stall, because in the next three and a half minutes, I'm going inside with my friends, and you'll be fucking leaving. Don't waste your own time, cause you sure aren't wasting mine."
"Seriously, Britt?" Mike groaned, and I glared at him.

"Seriously what?" I hissed, causing him to roll his eyes. I honestly did think he forgot I was pregnant, because when I snapped, he nearly jumped out of the seat, "I said, seriously what! You wanted to fucking come here and talk; why is it that now I have to fucking pry it out of your goddamn mouth? You came here because you had an issue with me, so say it! Finish what the fuck you were going to say!"

He eyed me wearily, knowing that my anger was starting to get the best of me, "I-I just don't see why you had to throw everything we had away." he stammered at first, feigning confidence as he held his head high and looked elsewhere, intimidated by my heated gaze.
Yeah, cause then I exploded.

"Threw everything away!" I blew up, stalking over to him and jerking him by the collar out of the seat, "Why did I throw everything away! You've got a lot of motherfucking nerve to come here after three fucking months with no contact after you told me that a baby would only ruin your life! After you cheated, after you chose the single life over a stable relationship and your own fucking child! So don't you dare try and pin any of this on me!"

That's when Michael blew up, "What the fuck did you want me to fucking do?" he snapped back, though keeping his distance from me as I began pacing back and forth across the deck, clenching and unclenching my fists as I tried to think of ways to keep myself cal for the baby's sake, "What could we have done, huh? I'm twenty four, Britt! You think I wanna be a father to some kid at this age?"

I growled, grabbing a nearby candle and chucking it at him, "That's your goddamn problem; you only fucking think about you! What about me? I'm twenty two! I'm the one who has to carry this child, and it hasn't been a fucking walk through the park! But I'm doing it. Alone."

"You brought it on yourself!" he argued with a roll of his eyes, causing my nostrils to flare in anger, "I told you to get rid of it! I told you that it'd be too much work right now! I told you that we couldn't--"

"We aren't taking care of this baby, though. I am. I'm the one who's carry this baby. I'm the one who throws up all day, every day. I'm the one who has the leg pains, the back pains, the headaches, the nausea. I'm the one who takes myself to a doctor's appointment every week because they worry about how rough this pregnancy is on me! I'm the one who takes myself out at two and three o'clock in the morning to go buy the foods I'm craving! I'm the one paying for all the checkups, not you."

He stayed silent, and I continued, pulling up my shirt so that he could see just how large my stomach was starting to get, "I'm five months pregnant and I'm doing everything on my own, and I don't regret any of it. My only regret was ever thinking that you could possibly love me. It's clear that you don't."

Mike's face was one of shock and terror as I roughly grabbed his hand, yanking it towards my stomach as I forced him to feel the child he'd denied and rejected. He sank back to the chair and covered his face with his hands, sighing long and hard. "Britt, I--"

"I don't wanna hear it. We're gonna be fine, with or without you," I whispered, placing a hand on my stomach as I felt all the anger leave my body in a rush, leaving me feeling empty and drained. "Your three minutes is up. Get out."

He didn't go. He sat there and sighed, looking at me with a sorrowful look, "I SAID, GET OUT!" I bellowed, the anger finding me again as I stalked towards him, fists balled and ready to go.

Within a second, the screen door had opened, and a pair of arms wrapped around me and pulled me away from my ex, who didn't even bother shielding his face as I threw punch after punch at his face. I was getting every last bit of anger and resentment that I'd felt towards him out, and in a way, it'd felt good. But in a way, I knew that seeing Mike today had only caused even more problems. I just didn't know what those problems were yet.

My body was turned as I noticed Matt, Brian, Johnny, and Jimmy surround Michael, roughly picking him up and escorting him out, despite his protests. The scent of cigarettes, mint, and whiskey filled my nose, and I began sobbing once I realized that it was Zack, once I realized that my friends had been inside and probably heard everything that'd been said. I looked up and was met with his teary gaze and felt my anger dissipate immediately, leaving me drained and weak again. Zack was quick to catch me as my legs gave out, scooping me into his arms before carrying me inside as I clung to him, overwhelmed with emotion.

Once inside, Zack walked straight to the loveseat and sat me down on one end, allowing me to use the corner of it as support for my back. He then brought my legs over his, allowing them to rest on top of him before scooting as close as he could get to me, bringing me into a tight hug. I hid my face in the crook of his neck, feeling several pairs of hands on my back and arms in a comforting manner.

I knew the girls were all there, but I couldn't bring myself to look at anyone. I'd been stalling for as long as I could so that I could figure how to tell my friends that I was pregnant. I had never wanted them to find out like this, and I sure as hell didn't want them all seeing me like this.

"Shh, sweetie," Leana's voice cooed in my ear, and I couldn't help but cry harder. Leana had done nothing but help me and be supportive of me from the beginning, even though we had literally just me, and I was sure she didn't realize just how thankful I was for her being there. "He's gone, and everything is out in the open now. No one is here to hurt you or ridicule you."

I felt Zack stiffen at this, "You knew?" I heard him ask Leana tensely, causing her to sigh.

"I put two and two together," she answered simply with a tone that gave no room for argument.

"Sweetie, why would you think we would be judgmental of you?" Michelle's voice asked softly, and I could distinctly tell which set of hands were hers, "We're you're friends. I know you're scared, but we'd never abandon you."

I dried my eyes for the time being, looking to see all of the girls crowded around Zack and I with worried expressions on their faces, "It's not something I'd like to think about, let alone tell anyone."

"Yeah, but you can tell us anything," Lacey chimed in with a timid smile, "We'll always be here for you, even if that asshole isn't."

"She's right," Val added firmly, an angered look spreading across her features, "You don't fucking need him, and neither does the baby. It'll have all the fucking family it could ever ask for, right here."

Zack smiled in agreement, pressing a feathery kiss to the side of my head, and Leana grinned before smirking, "I'm honestly surprised you didn't go out there and join the guys." she chuckled.

"Yeah," Val agreed with a nod, "Cause you know they're out there kicking his ass to all fucking hell." Now Val wasn't one to condone violence, but she sure as hell was honest, and if you had it coming to you, she'd say it.

Zack frowned instantly, "Believe me, I'll deal with him in my own way. It may not be now, but that's not to say it'll ever happen, either," he said, causing the girls to smile. Zack looked at me, an unreadable expression on his face, "Besides, I couldn't leave her side. Not now. when she needs me the most." I couldn't help but smile at that and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Thanks, Zee," I whispered quietly, grinning as I felt his large arms snake around me again. I turned back to the others, who seemed to be eyeing me. No one said anything for a while, however.

Michelle sighed, looking at me hesitantly before lifting up my shirt. I thought of protesting, but what was the point now? Everyone within a two hundred mile radius knew I was pregnant now, thanks to my screaming match with Michael.

"I can't believe there's another little person in there," she said with a small smile, causing me to jerk as her cool hands placed themselves over my bump. She giggled at me, and I couldn't help but to smile as well, "And here I was thinking that maybe I needed a new fucking skincare regimen or something. For weeks, I was trying to figure out why you looked so fucking extra amazing!" she exclaimed, causing the rest of the girls to burst into laughter and nod in agreement.

"Ugh," I mumbled with a roll of my eyes, "I feel anything but amazing, you guys. I'm always sick to my stomach. I'm getting fat, for God's sake."

Val chuckled, running her hands across my exposed stomach next, "You're not fat, you're pregnant. And you've never looked more gorgeous, in my opinion."

"Suck up," Michelle muttered, and I laughed at her sarcastic comment, which made her smile in return.

The next few minutes or so were spent with the girls gushing over my stomach and planning shopping trips for their new niece or nephew. I shook my head but smiled, thankful that I had friends who were so understanding and supportive of me. It'd broken me that Mike hadn't felt that way, but all the love I felt from my friends almost made that hurt completely fade away.

It wasn't long before Lacey suggested that the girls clean the kitchen for me, to which I began to protest before two arms held me down. Looking at the look on Zack's face, I knew we had to talk, and allowed the girls to file out of the room. Once the room fell silent, I turned my body slightly, so that I was facing my best friend. Tears slipped down his cheeks, and I reached up to wipe them away. It was clear as day that he was hurting.

"So, this was the big secret, huh?" he asked, pulling my shirt back up and eyeing my protruding stomach for himself.

I sighed, placing my hands on top of his, "This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

He said nothing as I removed my hands from his and pushed my bangs out of my eyes, closing my eyes tiredly as I leaned back into the couch. His hands remained on my stomach for a few more minutes, slowly dancing across my skin as he stared at it in awe. I was shocked when I felt the cold steel of his lip rings pressed against my stomach a moment later, and looked down to see him pressing light, tender kisses to my stomach.

It was a while before he spoke, "I understand why you did what you did," he answered quietly, replacing my shirt and pulling me back into his side, kissing my temple softly. "And the only thing that matters now is that we all know about the baby and that we'll all be here to help."

"Thank you," I whispered with appreciation, flashing him a quick smile. He smiled back wrapped his arms around me in his signature teddy bear hug, making me giggle happily. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Zack," I said with a chuckle, mocking what he'd said to me once before.

He went to speak, but was cut off by Johnny, "What about us? We're the ones who kicked that fucker’s ass out of here!"

I smiled and with Zack's help, slowly stood and walked towards Johnny, who smiled happily at me. He pulled me into a hug before dropping to his knees, and ripping my shirt up so that he could see my stomach. The others laughed at his eagerness, and I giggled ticklishly as he pressed sloppy kisses of his own all across my skin.

"Johnny, quit!" I giggled feverishly, hearing the girls laugh from their spots in the kitchen, "It tickles, quit it!" I exclaimed, trying to push him away. With a chuckle, he finally stopped, and as soon as he was on his feet, Jimmy pushed him out of the way before doing the same.

"Hi, baby, this is your Uncle Jimmy," he smiled cutely at my stomach before slathering it in kisses. I scrunched up my nose; it was like being slobbered on by a dog! I could hear Leana and Michelle's laughter the hardest as I held back my own laughter, everyone looking on in amusement as Jimmy cooed to my swollen stomach, "I can't wait til you get here. I have so many things to teach you, like--"

"Dear God," I heard Leana mumbled before Jimmy began rattling off all the obscene and crazy things he wanted the baby to know or be able to do, sending the guys into hysterical fits of laughter.

"Alright, alright, we get it!" Brian snapped impatiently, as both he and Matt stood on either side of me and stared at my stomach in wonder. I was just glad no one else was kissing my stomach; it felt weird since I was ticklish, even when Zack had done it.

"That's so crazy, man," Matt muttered, timidly placing a hand to my stomach, as Brian gently poked it with caution. I rolled my eyes, exchanging a glance with the twins, who just grinned widely.

"Well, it's not like an evil monster is gonna pop out of there and eat you!" I laughed, swatting Brian's hands away so that he'd stop poking me, causing the girls to giggle in unison. Matt stepped away, and eventually, Brian did, too. Zack joined the group and pulled me into him with an excited grin, one hand immediately finding my stomach under the mass of material from my shirt.

Brian scoffed, "Well this is your kid we're talking about," he said playfully, fixing me with a silly grin, "As quickly as you leapt at that asshole and tried beating his face in, who's to say any of your offspring won't be the same?" he said, causing everyone to laugh. He did have a point, in a way.

Sometimes, everything happened for a reason. And no matter how painful Mike's visit had been, I was glad that the truth was finally out, and that my friends were just as excited as I was for the baby.

Maybe, things were finally looking up.