Short Coming

Long legs in high heels and short skirts had always been her style, from cheerleading through high school and college to dancing for tuition money. But today wasn't about a job. Today she was trying to catch an eye. A certain football playing eye.

Candy walked through the co-ed gym like she owned the place. She was Becca's best friend, so of course when she'd heard that Zecca was having trouble, she was going to do something about it. She'd caught the tail end of Zack's gym bag disappear through the door to the men's locker room. So few men were even out on the machines, so she doubted there was anyone but him in the room. Even better, she thought as she walked back towards the off limits area. Ignoring the "men only" sign, she pushed the door open just as Zack was covering up with a towel. 

"Hey!" was his immediate response when he heard the door open and saw the scantly clad bestie of his girlfriend walk through the door. 

"Don't hey me!" she snapped back as quickly as he'd gotten the word out. She walked up to him shamelessly and jabbed her finger into his chest. "What the hell's wrong with you? Becca's been on double shifts three times this week and you couldn't even send her a smiley face? Seriously?! You're her boyfriend!! The least you could do is text her!!"

Zack only chuckled in response to it.  He caught her wrist as she tried to jab her finger into his chest again and laughed, "Candy, c'mon.  Becca could have texted me too.  We're both busy!  It's just how things are right now.  It's cool."  Then he turned his back to her and stuffed his gym shirt back into the locker, pulling out his shower stuff and a towel.  "Gotta put this on pause for a minute, I need a shower."

Candy narrowed her eyes. The way he laughed things off really struck a nerve inside her. Coldly she crossed her arms "You know she's drinking again?"

He stopped at that.  She watched him as the words sunk in, then he slowly turned back and he sighed heavily.  "She said she stopped that..."  Candy just scoffed at him.

"Spare me.  If you didn't realize something was going on you're the world's biggest idiot.  And if you did and you're lying right now, you're as bad as she is.  Worse even!"

But Zack cut her off before she could finish anything else she tried to say.  He whipped around to face her fully and snapped, "Candy!  I know!  But God's sake, gimme a break!  I haven't even seen her in like a week, how could I have known?!"

Candy could only sigh, "Zack, everyone knows you mean well. But honestly, if you were really that worried about her you would have made an effort. Fact is, you say you love her, but you're treating this whole relationship like she's holiday only family. Face it. She deserves better." And with that, she left. She had nothing more to say and she wasn't in the mood to hear anything else he had to say. She was done. 

Falling Short

Zack and Becca had been dating almost as long as Derick and Kelly.  Their names were like Branjelina among their friends - Zecca and Delly.  The girls were never seen without the guys and vice versa.  That's the way it had always been, through high school and college.  That was the way it was probably always going to stay.

For Delly at least.

After sophomore year at the same big state school... Zecca had started falling through the cracks.  He never noticed before now.  Zack got real busy with football and keeping the coach happy with his C+ average, and Becca got real busy with her pre-med courses so she could get into the best nursing school in the region.  It just made sense that of course they were going to see each other a lot less.  Late nights making out in the back of his car had turned into quick dinners and kisses before they had to part.  Then those turned into kissy faces on text messages and over chat rooms.  Now, as Zack counted off in his head, he realized.  Not a text, or a call, or any kind of contact from Becca in three days.  In an hour it would be four.  He was at the gym jogging on the treadmill and his phone had vibrated in his pocket.  He'd pulled it out automatically expecting Becca's name... But instead it had been his brother.

That moment, even though it had happened a thousand times before this, made him stop like a brick had just been dropped on his head.  Becca wasn't texting him.  She wasn't calling him, or instant messaging him.  She wasn't even commenting or liking his stuff on facebook.  And she hadn't tweeted him in forever.  What hit him even harder was when he realized he wasn't doing any of that back to her.  When was the last time he asked her on a date instead of just picking up takeout for her and leaving it on the kitchen counter where she could get it later?  When was the last time they'd posted a couple picture for their relatives to ogle at and their single friends to seethe over?  He couldn't remember.  She probably couldn't either.

God, he sounded like the girl in the relationship here!

Zack quickly stuffed his phone into his gym bag and took off the sports jersey he exercised in.  Tossed it into the bag too, then grabbed a towel and went to shower.  His head always went clear in there.  He could run a hundred football plays perfectly in under a minute sometimes.  And he needed to, too.  Practicing in the park wasn't enough.  Open recruitment for the state team was coming up in a month.  This was his shot.  The flu in his senior year of college had ruined it for him once.  Zack wasn't going to let anything get between him and the pros this time.

All Night

It was dark by the time Danni reached the tiny all-hours diner she'd frequented since she could drive. It was almost an hour's drive from her house, off the highway between a truck stop and a roach motel. There was nothing else around for miles, the perfect place to be alone. Which was why she'd texted Tyler to meet her there. She hadn't seen him in months, and she didn't want their reunion to be an awkward handshake under the hawk eyes of his high-school teacher girlfriend Bree Evans. Danni shuddered. Bree was the sweetest woman she'd ever met, but lightening strike her down if those eyes didn't give her the heebie jeebies. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with her eyes. She had a very nice bright blue shade of eyes. The color Danni liked using best when she painted a sky scene. But when Bree locked you under those eyes with that teacher's look, and you just knew you were busted even though you hadn't done anything wrong at all... It made keeping things from her very difficult.

With a quick hair check - although she knew there was no use trying to tame her mess of chocolate brown curls - Danni jumped out of the car and headed inside. Before the hostess had time to notice she was there, she slipped in towards the back corner of the restaurant where she'd carved her name into all sorts of places on the old booth. She couldn't tell, but she was 99.9 percent sure she saw wisps of blueish black hair peeking over the top of the seats. Her heart jumped into her throat and stayed there, despite her efforts to shove it back down as she approached at a slower pace.  She swallowed past it, then whispered, straining to contain her excitement, "Tyler...?"

He looked up then, and dark eyes met soft hazel, and for a second things around them just disappeared.  He smiled, and she smiled back, then she slid into the seat next to him as he moved over to make room.  They hadn't sat across from each other in years.  Even when Bree was there... They found a way to sit next to each other.  He murmured a soft, "Hey." in response to her, then, like they both were waiting for, he slowly inclined his head and kissed her cheek, right at the corner of her mouth.

She smiled too and repeated back just as softly, "Hey."  Then they both smiled and laughed nervously.  It was like being in high school all over again when they were alone.  The fluttering hearts and the sweaty palms and the long awkward-but-not pauses.  Finally he reached under the table and traced his finger down her arm from her elbow, "The bus ride was okay?  No problems right?"

Danni smiled and looked down, opening her palm for his touch. "Smooth ride," she whispered, struggling to contain herself. The waitress came to their table, left water and menus in front of them, but neither noticed. When they were alone again, Danni's hand drifted to his leg and she whispered to him, "It's been months, Tyler. Aren't you going to give me a real kiss?" But before he could answer, she leaned over and kissed him first. As usual, there was never a moment's hesitation between them.  Their lips touched.  He smiled and she let out a soft sigh.  They turned towards each other more and his hand on her arm turned to touch her waist, and she leaned just a little so his other arm could slip around her back.  And just like that, they were caught up. The months of being separated seemed to disappear and they fell into each other's arms like they'd never left.

The only thing that separated them this time was the sharp, shrill tone of Tyler's phone.  He jumped a little and she looked up and blinked. He sighed and mumbled, "Sorry..." while tugging it from his pocket and looking down at it.  Danni was just wiping at her lips and waving away the waitress again when she felt (more than heard) him stiffen.  She looked over, he looked up, and his face gave away who it was.  He sighed and showed her the phone.

It was a text. From Bree. It was simple and to the point, and Danni could almost hear her voice in her ear asking what was written on the screen: "At the movies. Where are you?"

Before she could do more than swallow, Tyler pulled the phone back.  He pressed her name on the screen and the message thread cut to the phone. He set it to his ear. A second later they both heard Bree's voice going, "Tyler, where are you?  I've been here for like twenty minutes, and the 9:45 showing of Big League is almost sold out!"

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Yeah, yeah, Bree, I know... I... Listen.  Something came up at work and I had to go back in."  Dannie sighed softly and rested her head on his shoulder as Bree answered sharply.

"Back in?  Why?  It can't wait until tomorrow?  I mean, we planned this night like three weeks ago, Tyler! You can't even take a break for the movie?"

At that he paused.  Danni looked up, her hair falling in her eyes, and after just a second he smiled softly and brushed the strands back behind her ear.  She couldn't help but smile back.  He stroked his thumb over her cheek gently, then finally answered Bree with an almost too-tender, "I think I'll be here all night."

Welcome Home, Danni!

Danni could hardly breath with excitement as she stepped off the bus in her beautiful sunshine state! She shouldered her backpack and collected her duffle bag as quickly as possible. It was an early, warm September morning. The sun was warm, the air was fresh, the people were smiling and friendly. At least one of them. Her beautiful sister. Danni ran to meet her. "Desiree!!" She dropped her bags and they threw their arms around each other. "Jeez! You're glowing! What'd you swallow a jar of light bugs or something?" Her sister laughed and hugged her back.

"Don't be ridiculous, honey. I told you I'm pregnant." They hugged again, clinging to each other. It was clear her sister had missed her. Danni was glad to know that. It was nice to be missed. She felt loved.

Desiree hooked her arm in Danni's and picked up her backpack. "So. Tell me about this mystery crush of yours." Danni blinked, nearly dropping her bag.

"What...??" Desiree laughed and kissed her cheek.

"Don't play dumb. She's been writing letters to Mom and Dad's house ever since you left. She must miss you quite a bit." Danni nearly choked on her breath.

"She???" Desiree blinked innocently. Obviously she found nothing wrong or surprising with this statement. Not that Danni could blame her. High school had been an...adventurous time.

"Well the handwriting certainly looks like a woman, and the person never signs their name, so we assumed..."

"No," Danni quickly corrected her, dumping her bags in the trunk of her sister's car. "Definitely not a woman. I promise." Desiree laughed and tried a few more times to get her to say who it was, but Danni wouldn't tell. She'd never tell. That would spoil half the fun.

"Here's your phone, by the way. Mom is still paying the bills on it, but Frank and I have our own plan now." Danni took the phone with a quick thanks and instantly sent a mass text to all her best friends.

"Danni's back!" The first to respond was of course the gorgeous hunk who wrote like a girl... For years Danni had crushed on one of the hottest boys in school, Tyler Wells, and after graduation he'd approached her about going out. She'd been his dirty little secret ever since and she wouldn't have it any other way!

She just wished Bree knew...

Tyler Wells

He should have turned his phone off so his mother didn't try to call him every ten minutes.  Tyler had taken his own car into the city instead of the Lincoln she preferred he use.  It was sleek and black, and it came with a driver.  That was his mother, always trying to show off who they were and what they did and how rich they were.  As if the world didn't already know them.  They owned like half the world's oil reserves and had stocks in all the others.  Or something like that.  Tyler had never cared much about where they got their wealth from.  He just knew they had it, and his parents thought that made them worth more than anyone else.

Tyler had thought so too for a long time, until his father had died.  In the depths of his grief he'd gone online to forget for a while, and all he'd found were blog posts and Facebook statuses hailing his father's death as the end of an era of tyranny.  He hadn't known what to make of it, and in efforts to understand he'd created a fake profile on several sites and started posting until he did.  His father, and their entire company, had been accused of destroying the environment, endangering jobs, compromising international treaties and agreements, even interfering in political events in foreign countries.  It still sent his head reeling.  Especially when he thought about for longer than two minutes and Tyler realized... All those accusations were probably right...

But when those thoughts started to take over his brain, he forced them out.  He wanted nothing to do with that blood money anymore, but he didn't know how to live without it.  It was like a drug.  Like his cigarettes.  Or like Danni.

He parallel parked on a busy city street and got out, adjusting his leather jacket as he walked into a coffee shop he frequented when he wanted to be left alone.  He order a black coffee and then went to sit outside among all the romantic couples and hipster playwrights on their laptops, then pulled out his phone and a cigarette and immediately texted Danni a short, "Hey."

In a second she replied, a much more excited, "Hiya!  What's up?!"  Tyler couldn't help but chuckle and smile at that.  She was always so bright and colorful, like the art she created.  He typed back quickly.

"Getting coffee at Biggby's."

"Sounds like high school all over again ;) "

He answered without thinking, "Except no Bree to bring us down."

As soon as he sent it he realized he shouldn't have.  Bree was a sensitive issue between them.  More sensitive than his tree-killing parents and her left-wing hairbrained ideas.  Bree was a person they both loved and cared about, a person neither of them had ever intended to hurt.  But they both still knew they had.  She was his girlfriend of almost ten years now, ever since sophomore year in high school.  She'd been Danni's friend for just as long.  The two of them couldn't go one conversation without her name being mentioned.  It was harder than it sounded... to pretend you weren't cheating on the one person who'd stood by you through everything...

Exposure

If there was some way any of this could be avoided, Derick would have gladly taken that road to the one he was facing now. He'd started, so there was no going back. That didn't make the task at hand any easier.

"Kelly, just shut up for ten seconds and let me tell you!" he snapped at her incessant questioning. Kelly instantly shut down. She knew when he got like this there was nothing she could do but obey. Not doing what he said would cause a fight, and that would cause insults to start flying, and eventually it would end in her crying and begging for forgiveness. But this time, a fight had the potential to end in something much worse. She could accidentally blurt out her big news and mess the whole thing up. He'd be angry with her for not telling him sooner, or for telling him in such a hostile way, or for having the news to give at all! Not that it was only her fault... Babies took two to make, after all...

The silence was relief to Derick. He had a second to actually think. He needed to just say it. There was no better way than to rip off the band-aid, and right now they were doing more light tugging than quick pulling. So with a deep breath, he tensed his shoulder to brace for the impact of her reaction and said simply "I joined the army."

Kelly's body went cold.

"The..." she took a deep breath and forced herself to repeat it. "The army." The words in her throat made her want to gag. Or maybe that was morning sickness. She couldn't tell. All she could tell for sure was that he'd just told her he was leaving for many long periods of time, and he decided to tell her this on the very day she found out she'd be needing him more than ever. Without thinking further than that, she cut off what he'd been about to say to expose her own secret. "I'm pregnant."

Manual Labor

News... She had news... Big news...

"I don't always cry." she insisted, sitting up in the center of the bed. He gave her a look she was sure meant 'Of course you do.' But she wasn't about to argue with a look. "Alright, I promise. I won't cry."

Derick ran a hand through his dark blonde hair. He sighed. Stood and walked across the room. Not good signs. He rested his hands on the top of the dresser and stared at her assortment of generic brand lotions and body sprays. "You know I've been applying for different jobs."

Kelly nodded. She knew he'd wanted a new job ever since she'd met him. She'd even helped him look and apply for places in the hopes of maybe getting at least a second job. They could use the income. Especially now...

"Well. I heard back from one." Derick knew she'd be excited about that. He hoped that would help soften the blow. Putting it in the light of a new job, better pay.  It worked in movies and tv shows.  ... At least, he thought it did.  Most of the time...  In fact the more Derick thought about it the more he could feel that cold tightening knot in his stomach.  It sent a dreading chill up his spine and made it feel like his hair was turning white.  As Kelly leaned forward on the bed with a surprised and hopeful, "Oh my gosh! Really? Which one? What's it for?" Derick felt the feeling spread into his throat and block all words.

When he turned to face her all he could say to her was a brief, "It's like a manual labor type job."

Kelly blinked at that and tilted her head like a kitten might, "Manual labor... Like... Building houses?"  She thought that might be good for him.  He liked using his hands, and tasks like that always came easily to him. Plus she rather liked the idea of him coming home all tanned and sweaty and dusty and...

But Derick shook his head, "Nope.  More like... like... Like lots of running and exercise stuff."

He saw her eyes blink and narrow a little. She was getting suspicious. God, Derick just didn't want to deal with a breakdown right now. If she would just stop asking questions...! But Kelly couldn't stop. She couldn't figure out what he was talking about. None of the jobs they'd applied for involved physical fitness. At least, not the ones she knew of. So what was it...?

Breaking

Kelly finally moved away from him, back to her own pillow.  For good measure, Derick pulled his an inch or two to the right.  Just to make sure she didn't try to slide over again.  As he knew she would, she let out a sad, deep sigh in response.  And in response to that, he gritted his teeth against a groan of frustration.  She always took things like that to mean he didn't want to be close to her anymore or that he was pulling away from the relationship.  That wasn't what he was doing at all!  Derick was not a subtle man, if he wanted to pull away from the relationship there'd be no mistaking it.  All he wanted was his own pillow.  His own sleeping space, free of someone else's arms and long hair strangling him in his sleep.  Was that too much to ask of her?  He went to stupid romantic comedy movies and paid for her half of the gas and used money he didn't have to make sure she always got a new charm for her charm bracelet every single Christmas.  He did all of that... and she still wanted his pillow?!  God, sometimes it was all he could do not to kick her out of bed!  Out of the room!  Out of the house!

In the two seconds it took for him to clench and relax his teeth, those thoughts shot through his head, and as had been happening with increasing frequency lately he saw bright red flash in front of his eyes.  But as quickly as it came it passed.  He let out a deep breath and shook his head a little, reminding himself that thinking those things wasn't going to do any good.  Saying them would do even less.  It would just lead to a pointless fight that got nothing done, and eventually one of them would crawl over with their tail between their legs and beg for forgiveness.  Derick hated when it was him - he rarely thought he'd ever actually been in the wrong.  But he hated it when it was Kelly too.

He just hated this whole entire mess.  And he didn't know how many more times he could think that to himself before he cracked.

Derick sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, even though he'd lain down not three minutes ago.  He ran a hand through his hair, then took a breath and let it out and said, "How much of a bonus did you get?"

She sat up as well and hugged her knees, answering quietly, "Not much, actually... But we can eat real meat this month!"  It was an attempt at a good-natured joke.  They both knew it was, but neither of them laughed.  Derick stood and pulled a change of clothes from the single banged up dresser they had, then answered vaguely.

"So... I have some news too...  I mean, it isn't major or anything.  So no crying.  Please..."

Danni Santiago

Danni was excited to finally get back to Florida. She'd been backpacking through New England for so long she thought she'd have frozen over by now. She needed the warm sun, the sand and surf, the palm trees! Who'd have ever guessed she'd miss those gut-ugly palm trees... Well, Kelly had. Oh, her dear sweet Kelly! She missed her so much. She was like Danni's twin sister, and it had been two years since she'd even seen a picture of her. They talked a couple times, when she could find a phone, and she sent post cards when she'd had a little cash for stamps. But that wasn't enough. Not when you were talking about your best friend in the whole world.

They hadn't always been as close. Danni and Kelly had gone to daycare and several years of elementary together in Orlando, Florida before Kelly and her grandmother had moved to Jacksonville. Danni didn't know everything about her situation, but she knew that Kelly had been going through tough times. So when Danni had moved to Jacksonville in her second year of high school, she was glad to find Kelly as bright and friendly as ever. She was a familiar face, and someone Danni grew very close to through their years of school together. She could even say that at one point, she'd been in love with her. But that was a long time ago. A different period and stage in her life. Things were different now. Danni was different. But they were still the closest of friends and she couldn't wait to see her!

As she sat at the back of the Greyhound, slowly making her way down through the Carolinas, she couldn't help but pull out her sketch pad. Danni had always loved art. It was one thing that drew her to the big cities like New York. The street art. The tagging and the performers. The city was filled with beautiful, living breathing art. She'd loved it! Every second of her days there had been filled with new discovery, color and vibrancy and passion. But in the days outside of the city, through the hard times where she had no food and no place to sleep, she'd learned to find that in the every day ordinary. She'd practiced and worked and studied to create her own art out of nothing more than what she could find around her. And that was what finally convinced her to go home to her beautiful sunshine state. She couldn't wait to make it home!

Who Likes Who

The official synopsis for Who Likes Who. In case you missed it. =)

Eleven different people living eleven different lives and dealing with different struggles, find themselves face to face with one common goal. To save the old FairView Hotel from demolition. But when the economy takes a turn for the worst, many are forced from their jobs, homes, and families, and have no one to turn to but each other. Through struggles in their own lives, and through the continued restoration of the old building, eleven very different people become eleven very close friends. One by one, they learn the importance of forgiveness, the meaning of being a family. Join these eleven as they try to recover the spark that had once been in their relationships. And find out how an ordinary building can sometimes be a little magic.

Secrets

Kelly sat for almost ten minutes alone in her room. She knew she looked better now because she could see that her eyes weren't as swollen and her nose wasn't red. She didn't look like she'd been crying, but instead looked tired. And she was, but that wasn't going to help her get to sleep tonight. Too many fears and worried swirled through her head to let her rest while awake. They wouldn't shut off just because it was time for her to sleep. If only she could somehow evolve an on and off switch for her brain...

The door opened without warning. Kelly felt a moment of panic. Oh no. Did he know? Could he tell?? Was she ready? She wasn't ready. What was she going to say to him?! Somehow, despite her brain's inability to form a complete thought, she heard herself say a soft and simple "Hi, Honey. How was work?" Slowly, following the automatic greeting, she stood from the bed and went to hug the man she'd loved for so many years. His strong chest was warm and welcoming, as it always had been, and he put his arms around her in a comforting embrace. He somehow had the uncanny ability to shut her brain off, like a switch, and let her relax for a moment in his arms. 

Derick kissed her forehead the way he always did. She could tell he was on auto-pilot too by his response. "Fine," he said as he released her from the brief embrace and moved past her into the room. She knew work wasn't "fine" because work was never "fine." Something was wrong. Kelly followed him into the room. "And how was your mom today?" Derick moved through the room in a matter someone might push through a room filled with jello, in a slow labored fashion. He dropped his keys and wallet on the desk and carried himself to the bed. In a heap he collapsed on it, answering her second question with another "Fine." She wished she's stop asking things. Couldn't she tell he was tired?

Kelly walked to her side of the bed while Derick kicked his shoes off. She crawled up next to him and rested her head next to his on his pillow. Derick hated when she did that. He loved Kelly, but there was such a thing as personal space, damn it. He sat up.

"I got a bonus today," she told him, sitting up as well, hoping talking about extra money might help cheer him up. It certainly did her. Derick hardly reacted at all.

"Oh really," he mused emptily. "Why's that?" Kelly could tell the question was one to be polite. He didn't really care all that much. There were bigger things on his mind.

She answer with an equally empty, "Overtime," then rested back into her own pillow. She'd already changed into her sweatpants and tank-top. Any minute Derick would change into sweatpants, maybe a t-shirt if he planned on going downstairs, but usually he didn't. They might watch a movie or eat a small supper, but it was late and they were both tired. Neither really wanted to do anything but sleep and avoid the subject on their minds. The secrets they both needed to share. 

Derick Logan

Walmart hadn't been his chosen career field in middle school.  That was when his school system had started administering those career placement test things.  You got a half-day off of school to take the test and a week later found out whether you were destined to be a fashion designer, a microbiologist, or a postman.  Because those were the only three options anyone ever got.  Derick?  He'd gotten postman.  In seventh grade he had laughed at it and thrown the test results into the trash.  Because of course he was going to go pro football or baseball or something involving balls and scores.  And he'd get a huge house in Malibu and marry the Olsen twins and have five kids who all helped cure cancer.  It was the same plan every seventh-grade boy had.  Just... they'd all figured out their real plans before they graduated from high school.  And Derick hadn't.  Which was all the explanation needed for someone to understand why he was 23 and still working at the same Walmart job he got when he was 15.

Derick could make all kinds of excuses.  The one other people used for him all the time was, "Your mom has been sick.  Of course you can't go to college or travel or do anything other young men your age are doing.  Don't feel bad, it just means you're more mature!"  Good.  God.  If he heard that one more time he was going to burn this mother down.  Derick didn't wanna hear about how mature he was.  He wanted to hear a hot blonde calling his name from his truck so they could run off to Miami for an impromptu weekend.  He wanted to hear people chanting "Chug!" as he downed as much alcohol as he could in one minute.  He was so sick of having to take care of his mom all the time like this.  He was sick of doctors telling him she didn't have long, sick of needing to stick her with needles three times a day, sick of... Of all of it!  There were no excuses for this kind of life!  He had been an idiot, a flat-out idiot.  If he had gotten his grades up and gone to college, or at least taken classes at the community college, maybe he just... Maybe he just wouldn't be in this screwed up cesspit that was his life.

And this was why he hated the drive home from shifts.  The longer the shift, the more pissed off he was, the more poisonous his thoughts got on the way home.  And Kelly always cried and he knew she was close to her period so that meant she would probably cry if her socks didn't match.  He drew in a deep breath as he turned into the driveway off the little side road their house was on.  He knew he had to get a grip of himself before he went inside.  As he braked and shifted the gear from drive to park, he imagined he was loading up a weapon of war.  It might seem violent but to him it was such a mechanized, processed thing that it forced all his thoughts to come into line and settle down.  Like soldiers in a regiment.  And that reminded him.  Tonight, he had to tell her.  There was no hiding it anymore.  Hopefully... signing up would be something Kelly could understand...

Miss Kelly Thompson

Bright blue eyes started at their reflection in the bathroom mirror. She'd always had a fascination with teary eyes. A terrible habit her mother had never been able to break her out of. She liked to watch herself cry. Not that she particularly enjoyed crying or whatever event caused the tears, but somehow she always found herself staring into her own reflection when it did happen. She had the type of eyes that sparkled when they cried. There wasn't much she liked about herself, but she did like her eyes. They were her best feature, and she determined that because of them she was not an ugly crier.

That didn't mean she wanted people seeing her cry. No, that was something she kept very private. This particular evening was no different. She'd just arrived home from work, a dead end job at a little diner off sixth street and brown. Right next to the Books-a-Million and across the street from a record store. As if anyone actually knew what records were anymore... The dying music culture was not why she was crying, although it did sometimes bring up the desire to be sick. She was crying because of the little white stick in her hand. The one she'd used that morning to decide her fate. How messed up was that? Letting her fate be decided by some pink lines on a stick. After a long day of dealing with rude, inconsiderate costumers, having her life defined by this one... or three... stupid sticks. This was not how she'd seen her day play out. 

Kelly was twenty-two, struggling to finish college one class at a time while she payed her part in rent and gas and groceries. She'd used her last bit of cash to buy these stupid sticks. Dumb little tests with a fifty percent chance of passing or failing and she'd failed. All. Three. Times. Derick was going to kill her. She just knew it. He was trying to take care of his mom on top of his share of all life's expenses, and his Walmart job wasn't any better than hers. At least she got tips. How were they going to afford this? Would he even want this? Did she?

A noisy sputtering car engine pulled up, then stopped. She'd know that engine anywhere. Derick's truck hadn't been to a shop in six years, and he wasn't as good a mechanic as he thought he was. She swallowed, tossed the tests away, then wiped her eyes quickly and tried to reapply a bit of make up. She still looked a complete mess, but at least it was more of a "bad day at work" mess than a "guess what test I took today" mess. Maybe he wouldn't notice. That would at least give her enough time to figure out how she felt about all this and how she was going to tell him... Slowly leaving the bathroom, she walked back down the hall to the bedroom she shared with her boyfriend of four years. Kelly closed the door and sat on the corner of their bed. She had a few minutes until he'd come up, and she took those moments alone to let the news sink in. To really understand what she'd just been told by two pink lines on a stick.

"I'm pregnant..."