Where You Belong

I kept true to my word. As night approached, I spent my free time packing up whichever belongings I wanted to take back home with me. For a while, Mike watched me with a stony expression, but after that, he got so uncomfortable that he left the apartment without so much as a word. I'd paid him no mind; he was now officially single and free to mingle with whoever he pleased.

By five the next morning, every last belonging of mine was packed and ready to be loaded into a small moving truck. I couldn't sleep so I simply stayed up until the truck arrived at nine.

By a quarter after that, everything was ready to go, and I'd just gotten off the phone with my now former boss. I took one last look around before closing the apartment door and locking it, ready to close yet another chapter in my life. I even tossed my copy of the key out of the window as I merged onto the highway.

I kept myself together for the majority of the drive back home. I couldn't help but to smile through my tears as I thought about the following months of my pregnancy. Mikes absence would only cause me to love my child even more, despite whatever hardships I was to face. I gave the busy streets of Los Angeles a final wave as I drove through, and without looking back, I continued on to Huntington Beach.

The trip back home wasn't all that long. Huntington was only about forty miles from L.A., meaning that I could get there in under an hour if traffic wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, traffic in California was always unpleasant, so it took a little over an hour.

I immediately felt my spirits soar the second I got within the city limits. The mild feeling of homesickness I'd grown to push to the back of my mind dissipated, and I felt a true smile tugging at the corners of my lips. It hadn't changed much in the last couple of years; the majority of the popular hangouts were still around, and people casually strolled the sidewalks just as they always had.

I eased off the accelerator as I drove through, allowing the car to roll slowly enough so that I could take everything in. I couldn't help but to feel so uplifted upon seeing some of the places where my strongest childhood memories had occurred. It made me miss all the friends I'd had here, especially my group of best friends. At one point in time, we were inseparable, and I regretted having moved away and not kept I'm touch with them.

After a few moments of driving through town, I turned off into my old neighborhood, glancing in my rearview mirror to make sure the truck was still behind me. It was, and I continued down the quiet streets with a smile.

I reached my parents' house in no time at all, and a manic grin spread across my face. I'd never thought I'd be so eager to live with my parents again, yet here I was, squealing and bounding up to the door as if I'd lost my ever-loving mind. I rang the doorbell excitedly before looking over my shoulder to the movers, signaling that they could take a break for a few minutes.

Turning my attention back to the wreath-covered door, I shifted from one foot to the other as my mother's voice sounded from the other side of the glass, saying she was on her way. She still sounded just the way I remembered her since the last time I called her. I hadn't told her I was coming home; i had been far too occupied with packing the night before to think of it.

The door opened, and my mother, identical in looks yet much taller than I, beamed upon seeing me. Words failed us both as she pulled me into a tight hug, laughing and rocking me from side to side as I buried my face into her neck. After having hugged for a while, we both let go of each other and grinned.

"Well I sure didn't expect to see you when I got up to start breakfast!" she exclaimed, eyes widening as she looked me over. I smiled lightly and watched as she caught on to the moving truck behind me, furrowing her eyebrows. She then nodded in understanding, "Come on in so I can make you some food."

She stepped aside and allowed me to enter before calling out to the movers to come inside and eat as well. They happily obliged, and she seated them both at the kitchen table before serving them first, thanking them for "being so helpful to her baby". I knew she was just trying to fluff them up so they wouldn't charge me as much as they normally would've and cracked a grin.

Once they were served, she fixed a plate with French toast covered in strawberries and whipped cream, served with scrambled eggs, bacon, and some orange juice to drink. My mouth watered at the sight of it all, and I quickly dug in the second she set the plate down in front of me. I devoured every last bit within record time, sighing in content as I leaned back in my chair, subconsciously placing a hand on my stomach. As I returned my attention to her, I noticed she was quiet, meaning shed been watching me.

"What?" I asked slowly, tilting my head to the side as I looked at her.

Her eyes were transfixed on me, roaming every inch of my face and my body. I stayed quiet; what in the world could possibly be going through her mind right now? It was then that she jumped, her eyes widening to the size of golf balls.

Now I was really creeped out.

"Mommy?" I asked carefully, reaching over and lightly touching her arm. She looked at me tearfully, "Mommy, what's wrong?" I asked her.

The house was enveloped in silence.

"How far along are you?" she asked suddenly, lowering her voice in volume.

It felt as though all the color had then drained from my face as my nerves went haywire. I hadn't expected for my mother to figure out that I was pregnant the second she saw me.

"H-how'd you know?" I whispered, placing my fork back down on table. I then took a gulp of my orange juice. One gulp turned into two, which quickly turned into three and four. The glass was empty within seconds. My mother silently pushed her own plate and glass full of juice towards me.

"I'm your mother and I just know. Now eat; I can tell you're still hungry," she urged, reaching over and grabbing the bottle of syrup, drowning the food in it, just the way I liked it. "Besides, I've been pregnant before. How do you think you got here, a damn stork?"

I giggled at her humor; only my mother knew how to turn a tense situation into a light one. With a smile, I inhaled what was on her plate in a matter of minutes. Damn, did I miss her cooking. Once I finished, I noticed she was watching me expectantly, and I then realized she was waiting for an explanation.

"I'm almost at nine weeks," I started slowly, finishing off the juice. When she saw that I was finished, she pulled me over to the couch in the living room, claiming that she’d get to the dishes later. "I found out about a week ago."

"Does he know?" she asked, though I could tell she'd already figured out the whole story; she was just waiting to hear me confirm it.

"Yeah, Mom. He does. He--" I paused for a second in attempt to keep my emotions in check, "He doesn't want it."

"Doesn't want it?!" she exploded suddenly, though I'd been expecting it. I had to get my temper from somewhere. "What did he tell you?" she demanded, her nostrils flared.
I stayed quiet, knowing that if I told her Mikes exact words, she'd fly off the deep end. She understood my silence and shook her head in disbelief.

"So what do you want to do?" she asked quietly, clearly trying to control her own anger just as I had.

"I-I can't get rid of it, Mommy," I whispered tearfully, suddenly feeling the hold on my emotions completely slip. It was then that I had a meltdown in the middle of my parents' living room. "H-he asked me to, but I knew I couldn't. It's a part of me, and I can't imagine ever doing something to harm it. I just can't," I sobbed, pulling at my hair.

My mother sighed loudly and wrapped her arms around me as I cried. Despite my anger at Michael, it hurt me to the core that he suggested I terminate my pregnancy without batting an eyelash. It hurt that he simply threatened to leave without another word just because he thought was too young and had too much to live for. It hurt that he'd left for days and came back with a new girl's number in his phone.

"And you shouldn't have to, princess," a gruff voice said from the side, and without looking, I knew that at some point, my father had come downstairs and heard enough to know what was going on. I felt my body being shifted into his arms as my mother mentioned keeping the movers busy. "Even if he won't be here, we will."

I couldn't say anything as sobs racked my body.

"And your old friends will be there for you, too," he continued with a reassuring smile. "They always ask about you. They miss you. Maybe it'll do you some good to meet up with them again; take your mind off of things."

A small smile crept onto my face despite the tears I was crying at the thought of my old friends. We were quite the bunch back in the day; we ran through this town raising hell every day. My friends were people that I'd die for, and I know that they would each do the same for me. I loved each of them to pieces because they were all so different, yet came together like a tight little family.

First, there were the twins, Valary and Michelle. Though they were identical in appearance, they could be polar opposites at times. Val's naturally dark hair was blonde these days from what I'd heard. She was sweet and pretty soft spoken, but very rational. She gave the best advice and looked after everyone in a maternal way. Michelle was more outgoing and just as sweet, but she had a temper like mine and didn't hold back what she felt. She also was someone I turned to for advice. The twins were older than I was and I often looked up to them, so it was easy to see what behaviors I had picked up from them.

Then, there were the guys. Jimmy was the oldest, and to me, the most interesting. He was the wild one of the group, standing over six feet tall, with wild, blond hair spiked in every direction. After a while, he started dying it black, which seemed to make his icy blue eyes all the more noticeable. I remembered him being an extremely talented drummer and pianist. While he was noticeably stranger than the rest, he was also the most perceptive.

Johnny was the youngest, but he was a few months older than I was. He was also one of the smallest of the group, standing at five foot six or so. He towered over me, however, since I was only five foot two. He had brown eyes, dark hair, and a crooked smile. His and Jimmy's crazy antics never ceased to keep me smiling. He was the one I went to when I needed someone to cheer me up or to just be a kid with me. We often had movie nights and played video games together when we had nothing else to do. Because we were closer in age, we seemed to just click and think alike.

Brian and Matt were like the two, overly muscular, older brothers that every girl wished she could have. They were easily intimidating to others who didn't know them, but turned into soft teddy bears around those they cared for. Brian and Matt had both been dating Michelle and Valary for as long as I could remember. It took a little longer for Brian and Michelle to start dating, but they'd always been extremely close before then. Matt had a temper that Val helped keep at bay, while both Brian and Michelle took turns keeping each other calm. They were an interesting little quad, that's for sure.

And lastly, there was Zack. He was my best friend, next to Johnny. I'd met him, along with the others, through Brian, whose parents' house was next door to ours. He was the same age as the others, which was about four years older than Johnny and I. He was quiet for the most part, but like Jimmy, he was very observant and smart. He had a nasty temper like Matt and I, but he was much better at controlling it, and rarely lost it. Like all the others, he was covered in tattoos, and dressed in dark colors on a normal basis. Like Johnny, I was with him more often than the others. He was extremely sweet and caring, not to mention protective of me.

Thinking about them made me just smile, and I knew then that I would have to hurry and meet up with them again. I was somewhat apprehensive about people knowing I was back in town; I'm sure they'd all known that I'd gotten a business degree and moved in with a serious boyfriend. I could only imagine how people would react when they realized that I was back so suddenly, and temporarily staying with my parents. Surely, they'd want to know the story behind my return, and even if i wanted to hide it, I couldn't.

Not at the rate my stomach would be growing.