This Little World of Mine

Chp. 6

Matthew was a strutter. I was in love with a strutter. He did this thing where he would rotate his hips and just... woah.

"Stretch, can you grab that for- never mind." Mom was sitting on the edge of my bed. She looked almost as frazzled as the nurses that kept dragging Matt out of my room.

"Lucy?" A nurse entered the room wearing blue scrubs. Blue like Matthew's eyes, not like Arthur's.

"I'm here," there were these moments when waves of pain would just kind of wash over me and I wanted to curl up and die, but then the pain would go away and I was alright again.

This was one of those moments.

Did I mention that I did not want another kid?

The nurse smiled at me, "Can I do anything for you?"

"I think I'm good, unless there's anyway you could make the baby come faster," I joked.

The nurse frowned and looked at her chart, "Well..."

"I was kidding," I told her. "Could you open the window though?"

"May I ask why?" This nurse was so much nicer than the last one.

"The stars remind me of someone I know." The constellations reminded me of Matt's gazillions of freckles.

"Fair enough," the nurse shrugged and did as I asked.

It took him more than a month to finally speak to me. I was eight months pregnant when he did.

"Well, you seem to be doing well," he mumbled in the lunch line. I did a double take to make sure it was really him.

"Me?" I slid my tray a little closer.

"Who else?" He scoffed.

"I'm- yeah, I'm doing well." Matthew scooted further down the line. Arthur was on my other side, gripping my wrist like his life depended on it. It'd probably leave a bruise, but I ignored him altogether.

"Good," Matt nodded firmly. He flipped his hair out of his face when he looked at his tray. The usual disgusting lunch food. "So how's the wife-beater?"

Matthew leaned around me to look at Arthur.

"The- you talkin' to me, Peters?" Arthur demanded.

"Oh look, he knows his name," Matthew laughed. Oh god, he was going to get his ass kicked.

Arthur reached in front of me and grabbed Matt's collar. "Say it again, Peters. I dare you."

I backed out of the way, not wanting to be standing there when they started to fight.

"You're a wife beater, or at least you will be someday." Matthew stated matter of factly.

"I will kill you." Arthur pounced on him, but Matt was quicker. He flipped him and pinned him to the floor. It was then that I ran to find someone. Pace. That's who I was looking for.

"Pace!" I shouted. He was out in the courtyard, probably making out with his girlfriend. "Pace!"

I guess he wasn't, "Whaddaya want, Lacy?"

"I need you to help me help Matt," I begged.

"Course, when?"

"Right now," I yanked on his arm and lead him to the cafeteria. Matt was standing over Arthur, sneering. It was ill-fitting on his face. Matt kicked Arthur in the ribs and I heard a sickening crunch.

That was so wrong. You never strike your opponent once he's down.

"Ya know what? I'm done!" I screamed. I lost control. My brain wasn't working. My heart was on overdrive. My mouth was moving, but I had no idea what I was saying. "Screw you, Matthew Chase Peters!"

"Anytime, sweetheart!" He cackled and walked over to Diana, pecking her on the cheek. Frustrated, with tears in my eyes, I ran.

"How far apart are they?" the nurse asked for the third time.

"I don't know," I answered again.

"You don't know?" the nurse exclaimed.

"Fine, I guess, like, three minutes?"

"Three minutes?" the nurse repeated doubtfully.

"Okay, like a minute then," I corrected.

"Wait, a minute?" the nurse exclaimed.

"Yes." I replied firmly. "A minute sounds right."

"Okay, it sounds like you'll be ready to push soon. Your boyfriend has a pager, right?"

I nodded.

"That insufferable jerk!" I shrieked. "I can't believe him! What happened to him?"

"Hey, calm yourself a little, Chica," Tori trilled. She was Matthew's twenty year old sister. Tori had taken care of him for a while when his parents pretty much disconnected.

"Tori, that is not the Matt I know! Matthew is nice, admittedly a player, though. He-he-he would never do that! Matthew wouldn't hurt somebody like that without a good reason."

"He had a good reason." Tori reminded me. She was putting tiny braids in my hair for that night's dance. Go third Friday of the month!

I had told Tori about Arthur abusing me. She was the only person I told.

"I don't want to say that you're right." I took a huge breath.

"It's kinda your own fault for getting back together with the jerk." Tori explained.

"It was for the baby," I retorted.

"You want the baby to grow up with an abusive father?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Did you ever think that maybe the baby's father doesn't need to be biological?"

"No, but-"

"Did it never occur to you that maybe Matthew was jealous? That he wanted to be the father instead of Arthur? That Matt was hurt when you chose Arthur over him?"

"I never chose Arthur over Matt. Every chance I got, every fork in the road, I chose Matt."

"Except for the one where it counted, Lucy, except for the one that counted." She finished off the braid and stood. "Now let's go get you dressed."

.

.

.

"Eat your heart out, Matt," Nalla mumbled under her breath upon seeing me. Raya giggled at the strapless dress I wore, but Louise said I looked fabulous.

"Oh, and we're bringing my cousin Leah with us," Louise told me apologetically.

"You guys don't thing this dress make me look fat?" I looked down at my swollen belly. It was covered by glittery black material.

"I think you look stunning, now hurry before Tori leaves without us." Nalla and Raya were already in the car.

"I don't like dresses," I complained.

"Do you want to wear an ugly maternity dress?" Louise wore a striped dress that reminded me of a sailor's outfit.

"Not really," I responded.

"Then move your pregnant ass and get out there!" She ordered, shoving me out the door. There were so many reasons I didn't want to go to that dance. One of them being that my water had broken just minutes earlier.