Third Degree

chapter sixteen.

Thalia's POV

There are many things to be excited about today, but there are also several other things to be upset about. The excitement is centered around the fact that I am officially 20 weeks pregnant, halfway done! The baby is the size of a banana, 7 and a half inches long and about 11 ounces. But on the flip side, the upsetting things, today also marks three weeks exactly since Grayson left and still no communication. On top of that, Nate is scheduled for his very first trucking gig the day after tomorrow.

With the busyness of a baby, and school preparations, my mind should be busy all the time, but even with everything going on, my mind finds Grayson in every creak and crevice. I'm getting tired of the lack of communication, it feels as if he literally left left me. My sadness quickly transforms into anger and I throw the magazine in my hands and let out a frustrated groan. Nate's head snaps up as he looks at me.

"Woah, there tiger," He gets up and walks over to my pacing frame. "Is everything alright?"

I'm too fed up and frustrated at this point to actually try and hide anything. "No."

"What's going on then?" He leans against the counter and crosses his arms, ready to listen.

"Grayson!" I throw my hands in the air as I exclaim. "Three fucking weeks and not a single peep from him. I've sent two letters and there's absolutely nothing back." I run a hand through my hair and struggle to remain composed.

"Really?" Nate mutters, more to himself than me. "What an ass."

I nod. "And I'm sick of it. I'm going to talk to his parents to see what's up." I go to grab my keys but get hit with the urge to pee. "After a restroom trip." I huff.

A headache begins to form as I drive over to the Dolan residence. Nate refused to let me come alone, off of some ridiculous hunch of his, and now, he's trying to keep me calm.

"No matter what happens, or what you find out, do not act rash." Nate mutters as we wait to be let into the house. 

Lisa opens the door and is excited to see Nate and me, especially since she hadn't seen Nate for around two years. We go through the usual greetings and small talk before I ask about Grayson.

"So, has Grayson been calling you and writing?" I ask. Lisa smiles and nods, sending my heart into an everlasting plummet and my blood into an instant boil. "Really? How often?"

"If not every day, every two days he'll call." She smiles, one hundred and ten percent oblivious to my situation. "Is there a reason you're asking?" Her smile remains innocent, and I try to find comfort in it.

I force a laugh, "I was just wondering if he was doing as I asked him to." I lie and Nate looks at me funny. I ignore him and change the subject, then shortly leaving.

When I got home I grabbed the phone and immediately called him. The rings seemed twice as long as I remembered them, and the pauses between felt like eternities. Then an automated operator informed me that the phone had not been picked up and the call was missed. I rushed over to my desk and began to furiously write a letter. He can't avoid me by avoiding my calls, he will hear me out, no matter what it takes.

Dear Grayson,

You don't get the luxury of a greeting. You will not get the luxury of being asked how college is. And you definitely do not get the luxury of being asked how you are because I don't care. I don't. The only thing I care about is why you're blatantly ignoring me. Why are you ignoring me if you PROMISED me you'd write and call. University wasn't supposed to do this to us! Grayson! Please! I miss you so much and this is killing me. Please write back... I love you.

Thalia 

I didn't care that it was pretty harsh at the beginning, I needed answers.

I sigh and stick it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and put it in the outgoing mail bin for the apartment complex.

Terrible pregnancy symptoms like indigestion, leg cramps and several other unpleasant things seem like when you touch a hot pan for less than a second in comparison to him ignoring me. That was a third degree fucking burn.