𝗱𝘆𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘂𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮 || [1] Nate Jacobs

5

My daughter's whining wakes me from my sleep and I turn to her. Rosalyn is standing on wobbly legs, tightly holding on to the bars of her crib. "Good morning, Rosie. Are you giving mommy standingovations?" I greet her sleepily and reach for my phone. Wait a minute. Is she standing? Surprised, I look back over at her and she is still standing in her bed. "Oh my god. Rosie, you're actually standing!" I say excitedly and pride fills me. Full of energy I jump out of my bed and run over to her. She reaches out to me, causing her to plop down on her butt. "Mama," she babbles, and I lift her into my arms, laughing. "You clever baby. You're so smart. Should we call your daddy and tell him about this?"

————

"I can't believe she got up for the first time and I couldn't be there," he says, sadly looking into the camera. That he is so far away and not allowed to be near us will clearly affect his relationship with her. "Next time I will record it for you," I promise him and he frowns. "Alright, Desi, and what if she takes her first steps? The first day of kindergarten or school? How long am I supposed to watch videos of my daughter when I could just be with her?" he asks me in frustration and I look at the camera, speechless. He's right and I would be just as impatient if I were in his place.

"Exactly. If your mother has her way, I'll never see my daughter again. Did you know that she called my parents yesterday to remind them of the deal again? I know it's your mom and shit, but I can't stand her," he tells me and I look at him sadly. She wasn't always like that, but I understand his anger. "Kyle, I'm sorry. I'll fix this. Just know Rosie and I miss you and love you"

"I love you guys too. You are my two girls"

————

Rosie and I are eating breakfast together with my father and Marta when suddenly the doorbell rings. Dad looks up in confusion and I shrug. "I'll get it," Marta offers but I beat her to it and walk towards the front door. I open it and look at Maddy in surprise. "What are you doing here?" I ask her as I let her in and close the door. "Are you alone?" Her question and the tone in which she asked make me nervous. "Uh, my dad, Marta and Rosie are in the kitchen. We were just finishing breakfast" "Oh, could we talk or go out?" she asks and I nod immediately. "Maybe shopping? I need to get a few things for Rosie anyways," I offer and she smiles. I just now noticed that she looks a bit pale. Maybe she drank too much.

"I'll be right back"

————

I follow Maddy through the mall while pushing Rosie in her stroller. "Nate Jacobs is the boyfriend you've been talking about? Why date him? He looks kinda crazy and he acts like an ass," I ask her and she turns to me with an raised eyebrow. "We're not together and I thought you would understand" "Why? I've never been through something like that," I tell her and confusion spreads across her face. What was she thinking? "Then why are you a single teen mom? I thought some bad boy knocked you up and left" she asks and I roll my eyes. That's one of the rumors in East Highland. But nobody saw me with a child so it couldn't be confirmed. I used to like it that way, but I'm tired of hiding Rosalyn. I'm not ashamed of her or what I did. "He's the opposite of a bad boy. Kyle was my first boyfriend and he is a good guy. He loves Rosie," I clarify and she raises her hand in surrender.

"Tell me more about Nate to make me understand your problem" "He's the quarterback of our football team. He used to be the perfect gentleman but he has some serious anger and jealousy issues..."

————

When Nate Jacobs was 11 years old, he found his dad's porn collection. His dad, Cal, was obsessive. His mom always said that's who he got it from. Then he quickly realized that the colored cases and placement were no accident. It was an elaborate code, that no one fucked with his shit. Every video was basically the same. They'd drink, make small talk...and then his dad would fuck the shit out of some.