TJ's Plan // Robert Downey Jr.

26

"OUR BABY?!", and that's when I heard her voice. Scarlett. I didn't hear her voice. It pierced right through my ear. Like a banshee scream. "What do you mean by 'our baby'? TJ?! Are you nuts?!", I shifted my gaze between Robert and Scarlett. She was peering at Robert, but she was talking to me. I don't know why she talked to me when she was staring at him. "Are you both... So you were both... I mean... are you together? I'm not going to ask the obvious because I just picked up everything I required to know",Robert glanced at me, then back at Scarlett. He was too scared to answer her question, no matter how uncomfortable it was, though we both had to face it. "Scarlett. Please understand that this thing... our relationship... Between us...is difficult to explain.",

"You understand that sleeping with your students is wrong, don't you? How many times have you done this?! This is so disgusting... just your age gap alone. Are you into underage girls, Mr. Downey?"

I cringed at this question. She was well aware of how to ask the most awkward questions immediately. That's why Scarlett was my best friend. Even though it wasn't obvious, she was more direct. Robert looked at me again before taking my hand. "No, I'm not into underage girls. Maybe she's younger than me... but it has nothing to do with a fetish or any sick, twisted things you may think.", Again, I knew Scarlett was cringing from the outside.

It's not like she was against relationships where someone was considerably older, but I think the fact that he was our professor, and I was her best friend, plus that we kept it a secret, was shocking for her. At least, I hoped. Scarlett was definitely furious with me for finding out about my "affair" with Robert. I had wanted it to remain a secret, and She was angry that she had discovered it this way. She felt betrayed. I felt terrible, knowing that I had caused her so much pain, but I could not take back what I had done. It happened.

Robert looked at me and Scarlett before turning to the door, "I'm gonna leave you alone, maybe you two can talk it out. Scarlett, please remember my words. And don't forget she's pregnant and needs to avoid stress", Scarlett sighed. "Great",

And with that he closed the door, leaving us in awkward silence.

It felt like two hours before she finally spoke up, her voice sounding softer than before. "Listen, I'm your best friend, and I'm not gonna judge you...well, okay, I sort of did just now. But do you know how I feel after hearing this? It's not like I don't want you to be happy, it's just... I don't know, he's our teacher, how did you even-",

I looked at her, sighing, "He's my Stepdad also. Well, he was my stepdad", I cannot explain how much her eyes widened again. It's like one of these Animals on these Documentaries, the one with a lot of feathers, that just look shocked into a Camera. Actually, this would be a good 'The Office' Scene right now.

"Stepdad? How-", I interrupted her by pointing my finger in the air. "He was. There's a lot of explaining. Just listen...",

After almost 20 minutes of explaining on how Robert became my stepdad, and how it ended, and what we experienced during that time, Scarlett had to sit down beside me and just... She was quiet. She didn't speak. Maybe she was shocked. I couldn't read her expression. It was difficult. Even though we were best friends since kindergarten, It felt like there was a new Person in front of me.

And she probably thought the same.

Before I could even open my mouth again, Dr. Rowe stepped into the room with lots and lots of paperwork. I didn't know what she carried in her hands, I expected a lot of questions and concerns. I just knew she was judging me.