Those Three Chapter 16

"Craig's younger sister, Sabrina, dumped your younger brother, Louie?" Alana asked surprised to Max. He nods.

"Yeah, the chick is brutal. She called him up this morning telling him that it was over. Just like that after a couple of years of dating. Weird, isn't it?" Max was even surprised about it. He thought the two of them hit it off and didn't seem to be fighting at all. But he guessed maybe he just didn't pay much attention to the both of them.

"Wow. I didn't think Craig's younger sister would do something like that? Why did she break up with him?" Alana asks curiously. Max had came over her home and was sitting in the living room with her. She was drinking a cup of tea. Max wasn't drinking anything but was just talking to Alana.

"She told him that he was too much of a boy and not a man. It was hilarious. Her saying she needed a real man. What the hell would a girl her age need with a real man?" Max chuckled a little. 

“Oh. Maybe he wasn’t her type?” Alana wasn’t sure how to respond to it.

“It’s none of our business, besides they don’t know what true love is. Like what we have.” Alana blushes a little at Max.

“You mean that?” She asks.

“Yeah, why not?”

“Max, are you…Are you upset with me for being pregnant? Aren’t you mad that I got pregnant? Don’t having a baby scare you? Doesn’t it?” Alana asked. She felt worried about this and wanted to ask him. She wanted reassurance about it.

“Yeah, I am fine with it! It doesn’t bother me! I will make a great dad and you’ll be a great mom!” Max responded and laughed a little.

“But… Before I told you I was pregnant, you told me that you weren’t ready to settle down. I am sorry to bring it up… I just… feel like I am happy you didn’t want to leave me to raise the baby on my own. But… Same time I feel bad.” Alana looks down.

“Alana, don’t worry about it. I am fine.” Max’s tone of voice changed. He seemed annoyed and Alana sensed it. She just kept her head down.

“Uh… I am… Feeling kind of tired. You don’t have to stay here right now. I might take a nap.” Alana lies.

“You sure?” Max asked.

“Yes, go ahead. Have fun. I just need a nap. You don’t have to stay.” Alana fakes a smile. Max gets up and leaves. Alana lets out a sigh. She felt nervous.

“Is he trying to pretend like he’s okay with this pregnancy? He’s obviously not.” Alana thought to herself.

Lacy was home and in her bedroom. Outside was dark and it began to rain. Lacy was home alone. Her parents were out, James was spending the night with his friend Nikki, and Peg wasn’t there. Lacy’s cell phone began to ring and she wondered who it was. She picked it up and noticed that it was Alana that was the one calling her.

“I wonder what she wants?” Lacy thought to herself and answered her phone.

“Lacy, can I talk to you for a few minutes?”

“Sure, is something the matter?” Lacy asks. She could tell by the sound of Alana’s voice that she seemed to be upset about something.

“I don’t know what to do. Max is trying to pretend that he’s happy. That he isn’t angry or mad that I am pregnant but I know he’s not happy about it.” Alana says trying to hold back from crying. She didn’t want to start crying.

“What makes you think that?” Lacy asked. She was sure that everything was okay with Max and Alana. Especially about the fact of the pregnancy.

“Well, I keep thinking about what he said. About wanting to do things before he decides to have kids. He told me that before he found out I was pregnant, remember? I just keep thinking about it. I know after I told him about the pregnancy he seems to act like he’s all in for it but I got this nagging feeling that it’s not true. That he really is upset with me for getting pregnant but trying to not say anything. Keep it all to himself. It’s really making me feel stressed and I don’t know what to do!” Alana started crying now. She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore.

“Alana, calm down. Too much stress and worrying like this isn’t good for your baby. You do want to keep it don’t you?”

“I want to… But… I don’t want Max to hate me!” Alana replies as she cried.

“No matter what you think. I don’t think that Max will hate you. He likes you. A lot. I know it. Just don’t stress yourself too much. Sure, Max is young still and so are you. You both will have a lot of responsibility soon but… I don’t think Max is going to hate you for this.” Lacy was trying to figure out something to say to Alana. She was trying to be a good friend for her since she was always there for her when she was upset.

“I hope you’re right.” Alana says as she stopped crying.

Ronnie was sitting on his bed at home. He had a lot on his mind.

“I tried splitting up Robert and Lacy and that failed. I guess they do love each other too much. Who am I kidding? I already knew that years ago.” Ronnie looked down. “I feel like since they been together things have been difficult. I feel like I hate love since you just end up hurt anyways.” Ronnie gets up and walks over to a picture frame that was on the desk in his bedroom. It was laid down facing the table. He picked up the frame and looked at it. Inside was a photo. A photo of him, Robert, and Lacy that they had taken back then when the three of them used to be always hanging together.

“Those were really weird times.” Ronnie chuckles a little. “But… I do miss hanging with them both.” Ronnie heard his bedroom door opened and he turned around to see who was at his door.

“Why don’t you just be friends with Lacy and hang out with Robert again like you used to?” Bryan asked. He was standing in the doorway looking at his older brother. “The both of you used to be always close. Even when you and Robert tried to be with Lacy. In the end, Robert got her and you got sour from it. Does it really matter? It’s childish.”

“That’s funny coming from you. You used to be really childish before.” Ronnie says. He sits the photo frame back down on the table.

“Times changed. Things change. Time moves on. Time goes on.” Bryan said still staring at Ronnie. “Are you going to finally put this to rest and just go back hanging with them?”

“Bryan sometimes you say things… That really is truthful. I should really forget about loving Lacy. I mean, maybe I should be happy that she’s happy?  I don’t know.”

“It’s best to move on.”

“What about you and Madison? Are the two of you going to get back together again?” Ronnie asked and walks over to Bryan.

“Dunno. I guess? Maybe not.” Bryan turns around and wasn’t facing Ronnie now. “Maybe it’s best that Madison and I just get some space. We do need it. She can do what she wants.” Bryan walks off.

The next day came. The day seemed to be a rainy day as last night was. Max and Craig were hanging together. They decided to hang over at Bryan’s home and play video games. Max was watching Craig and Bryan play a video game together.

“Guys… man… can I tell you two something?” Max asked. He looked like he was worried or upset about something. Craig paused the game and stared at Max.

“What’s up?” Craig asks him.

“Well, I been thinking hard and long about this… But…” Max seemed like he was nervous about something the way that he was shaking his leg as he sat there. “I don’t know if I am ready.”

“Ready for what?” Bryan asks. He looked over at Max.

“It’s about Alana isn’t it? Her being pregnant, you aren’t ready are you?” Craig asked Max.

“Yeah.” Max sighed. “I mean I am happy, but at the same time I am… I don’t know. I don’t want to have this responsibility right now. But I… I can’t just leave Alana. I love her! “ Max felt confused on what he should do. At first, he was surprised and was happy. But… then he began to think more and more about it, and it began to worry him. He began to feel stressed that Alana was pregnant. That he was about to become a father soon and he wasn’t sure if he was ready. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted that responsibility right now. He was young.

“Well, Max. You shouldn’t of been playing around with Alana if you wasn’t ready to take any responsibility that would come from those consequences.” Bryan says. Max sighs again.

“That’s not very much helping. I know what I did was stupid.” Max put his hand on his head. “I guess I really screwed myself up huh?”

“Basically yeah, but… don’t leave Alana, you can’t make her take care of the baby all on her own.” Craig says to Max. Bryan stood up.

“I’m gonna go get a drink.” Bryan left the living room to go to the kitchen to get a drink. Craig stares over at Max.

“Whatever you do, don’t you leave Alana. You better not. She’s a really nice girl and you leaving her after you getting her pregnant will be sick.” Craig’s tone of voice changes. Max glanced over at Craig.

“Whoever said I was leaving her?” Max was glaring at Craig. There was an odd silence in the room. Craig wasn’t sure if he believed Max. He knew Max well but seeing him right now seemed different. Bryan comes back into the living room with them.

“I got my drink! Let’s get the game back on.” Bryan says nothing wanting to discuss anything further about Max’s relationship and Alana’s.

During the day, Alana had stayed in as she didn’t feel like going out. She invited Lacy, Katie, Madison, and Stephanie over for the day and for a sleepover. She felt like she need all of them there to talk to her because she had been feeling down.

“It does actually feel nice having a sleepover. This is my first! I never actually had friends before.” Stephanie said with a smile.

“You haven’t?” Madison asks Stephanie curiously and looked up from the magazine that she was looking at laying on the floor. Stephanie was brushing Katie’s hair and the two were also sitting on the floor. Alana and Lacy were sitting up on the bed in Alana’s bedroom. Lacy was braiding her hair in two pigtails.

“Nah, I never really had friends before. It was hard to open up to people, but now… I think it’s great to have you all as friends.” Stephanie admits. “Especially Lacy, I know you and Ronnie had a past together… And I really do like Ronnie.” Stephanie blushed.

“Hey, I was a stupid young teenager before. I had so much shit going on that I wasn’t paying attention to my actual feelings. I been in love with Robert. Robbie is who I love and always have.” Lacy finished braiding her hair.

“Hey, um…” Alana looks down. She wasn’t even paying attention to what the girls have been saying. Instead, she was thinking about Max. She was worried about their relationship. About Max’s feelings and worried about the baby that she was having.

“Is something the matte?” Madison asks.

“I… I don’t know… Do you girls think that Max… Think Max will leave me and not really want to take care of this baby?” Alana looked sad as she asked. She couldn’t think what she would do if Max didn’t want anything to do with her.

“I don’t think Max would do something like that! If he did he will sure get a ear full of load I would like to say to him!” Madison didn’t like the idea of Max leaving Alana just because she was pregnant.

“I’ll beat the shit out of him if he did.” Lacy laughed a little.

“You all are very great friends, but… I keep worrying that Max really isn’t ready to take care of a baby and doesn’t want to.” Alana starts crying.