Trouble Times Two

Chapter Forty-Three

A Saturday in the future

I was basically all packed minus the stuff I'd wear over the next two days, my outfit for the flight and my pyjamas, all of which I'd chuck into my suitcase at the end of the days.

I had to go to school to meet the Home Ec teacher and return the stupid baby with Donovan at twelve but he was now where to be found and he was not picking up his phone, which Courtney and Arthur had called multiple times.

I wasn't doing it and he was not in the apartment anywhere, I had cleaned the whole place and he just wasn't here and I was up to here with that stupid baby seeing as no matter what I did, he would not look after it. Not to my standards.

I made sure it was in his room everyday with the bracelet and even if it cried, I'd leave it and just stuff it under a blanket.

I just grab the baby, both the bracelets, it's supplies and walk to the school as I can't be asked to deal with him.

Donny Jr was much nicer than Donny Sr.

I get to the school and it's weird because it's a Saturday but the place is nice and empty and peaceful.

I get to the classroom and sit down opposite Mrs FB's desk and I look at some pictures on there. There's some of her and Holly and then I notice one of her and Holly and Holly is cradling her belly.

She's pregnant? I didn't really notice when she came to the hotel because I was just trying to avoid her but there's every chance she could be pregnant.

Someone walks in and I turn around, expecting to see Mrs. FB but it's Donovan and he sits down next to me.

I just hand him the bracelet and I turn back around and stare at the desk and wait for the teacher but we're like twenty minutes early, so I don't mind waiting.

I tap my foot against the linoleum floor as I start to get really annoyed with Donovan's gaze on me, I can see that he's turned towards me in the reflection of the windows in front of us, behind the desk and he's proper gazing at me. His head is turned at me and he's looking at me.

I get my hand and push it against his face.

"Face forward please." I say as I wipe my hand on his leg to get rid of any of him off me before I sanitise my hands.

"That was rude." He says and I kiss my teeth.

"Don't fucking talk to me about me being rude when you've done nothing to help me with this stupid baby this whole time. I can't imagine what it'd be like if you were a real parent." I cross my legs and shuffle to the side.

"Oh because I didn't want to look after a fake baby, I would be a bad parent. Sorry I have a life! Sorry I have fucking friends!" He starts on me and I try to bite my lip but I can't.

"Friends! Your only friend is Lola who've you've not talked to this whole trip because you're out doing drugs everyday and drinking! Fuck even getting to a point where you can be a parent, you'll be dead by the end of this year. Doing drugs isn't a life, drinking isn't a life, you're not living, you're barely surviving!"

"Who are you to determine that, why do you think you have any agency or control over my life, who are you to me? I don't know why you think your opinion has any value to me so please stop coddling me like a parent, I have those and maybe you should stop living off yours and their money before you judge me for how I live mine, if you use their money to get what you want, of course you don't have to worry about shit."

"I don't live off my parents money." I retort.

"Sure." Sarcasm laces his words.

"I talk to your family every week, they're worried about you and what do I tell them? I tell them you'll call them next week and every week I'd try and talk to you about calling them. You know you should be ashamed of yourself for acting like this at your big age. I know you're going through something but you're not accepting help and you're being offered so much. It's embarrassing that you're even showing your face without apologising to them but they love you and they'll accept you back in and then you'll just be drinking and doing drugs at home again but don't think you'll be so lucky, your family won't remove the zoots from your room for you, so be prepared." I feel pure anger towards him right now, I know I'll feel bad for going off on him in a while but right now, that's not what I'm feeling.

"You talk to my family everyday? How about talking to your own, how come I've never met your parents? You're always sticking your nose in my business but you never let me in to any of yours?" I laugh.

"You think I like coddling you as if you're some five year old kid who needs me to babysit him? This is a result of you acting like a fucking idiot all the time. Howlett put us on this exchange because of our issues, if you'd have just left me alone instead of trying to harass me and break into my fucking house, we would not be here right now, okay? So stop making yourself out to be some sort of victim in this situation because you're not and I'm not some girl you can just push around and bully like some ragdoll, so cut it out and leave me the hell alone after this trip."

"That's fine with me." He says.

"Thank God." I respond.