The Consequences of Forever (Lainey)

by Kaitlyn Oruska

“Well, honey, that’s a little different. Erin and I have been close since we moved here, and I’ve known Scott for a few years now. In a way, the Fosters are almost like extended family.”

  “Adam is like family to me,” I said without thinking.

  Nora looked at me, alarmed. “Lainey, don’t say things like that. I know you and Adam think you’re serious now, but you’re just turning sixteen! You don’t need to look at a boyfriend as a part of your family. It’s inappropriate.”

  “Adam’s a nice boy,” my dad spoke up. “I think it’ll be fine having him over for cake. It is her birthday, after all.”

  Nora shot him a look. “I am aware of that, Michael. I’m also aware of how easy it is for a young girl to lose her identity and get lost in a relationship, and I’m determined not to let that happen with Hannah or Lainey.”

  “Here we go, bad-mouthing my dad again,” Hannah complained.

  I felt for her. At least I had a few memories of my mom, and I’d had plenty of pictures before I got rid of them all. Hannah had none of that; her father had left before she was two, and never contacted her again. Nora had no reason to say anything nice about him, so she never did.

  “Hannah Grace, no one has said a word about your father. I am just stating the fact that there is no need for high school relationships to get more serious than they need to be.”

  “Nora, I understand exactly what you’re saying, but I don’t think it’s fair to dictate who comes over and does what when it’s Lainey’s birthday. Now, you set the rule that she’s only allowed to see him on weekends, and it just so happens that her birthday fell on a Friday this year, so that’s all the more reason to invite him over for cake.”

  “Well, then should we add in the fact that she broke that rule this past Monday when she didn’t get home until after six o’clock because she was God knows where with him?” Nora demanded.

  My dad sighed his defeat. “I just don’t think having the boy over for cake is such an issue, dear. That’s all.”

  “Well, I happen to disagree. I think that allowing him to come over when we’re having family time is sending the wrong message. Boyfriends are not family, and therefore they should not intervene on family time.” Her voice remained steady and stern; she was not backing down. I regretted bringing the subject up in the first place. I closed my eyes and tried to block out their voices, but the argument continued.

  My dad insisted that having Adam over wasn’t a big deal and didn’t send any particular message, while Nora strongly insisted otherwise. I heard their voices slowly growing louder, and I could feel eyes starting to peer in our direction, focusing on us. Boyfriends at a family dinner were inappropriate, but apparently having the parents argue like school kids wasn’t, apparently.

  Something inside of me clicked.

  “I’m pregnant,” I announced, and the quiet fell so suddenly it made me dizzy. They both stopped talking in mid-sentence and turned to me, their eyes wide and their mouths still open. The fork Nora was holding fell from her hand and shattered onto the table.

  “Excuse me?” Nora asked, placing her hand to her throat. Her already fair complexion had grown even paler.

  “I’m pregnant,” I repeated, finding an inner strength I didn’t know I had. “So that settles the argument. Adam is family, because I’m pregnant with his baby.” I forced myself to meet my dad’s eyes, and he looked away. Was it shame? I couldn’t tell. I didn’t want to know.

  “Lainey, if this is your version of a joke, or some sort of cry for attention, I am not impressed,” Nora warned.

  “It’s not,” Hannah broke in. “She really is.”

  “You knew about this?” Nora demanded. Hannah nodded and shrunk back into her chair, as if the seriousness of the situation was finally dawning on her.

  “Why didn’t you come and tell me?” Nora asked, anger and betrayal now mixed into her voice.

  “It wasn’t my place,” came Hannah’s weak reply.

  “Wasn’t your place? You think it’s your place to defend your stepsister and a horribly stupid mistake she made, but not your place to come and tell me about it after you find out?” Her voice was quickly becoming shrill.

  “Nora, calm down,” my dad finally spoke up. “Hannah and Lainey are loyal to each other; we raised them to be that way. Don’t take it out on her.” That was so typical of him. I announce the biggest news of my life, and he has no reaction, except to defend my stepsister for a much lesser crime.

  Nora clenched her teeth and turned to me. “How could you do this?” She demanded. “How could you be so stupid?”

  I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. I had no idea how to respond to that. “Lainey isn’t stupid,” Hannah answered for me, her tone defensive. “She made a mistake but it’s going to be okay.”

  “Okay?” Nora laughed a high-pitched laugh, bordering on evil. I felt a shiver run down my spine.

  “You think this is going to be okay? You think that being pregnant at sixteen is okay? Well let me tell you, young lady, it’s not. You better hope to God that you aren’t very far along because tomorrow morning we are going to the clinic and we are getting this situation taken care of.”

  I cleared my throat. “Actually, Nora, Adam and I talked about it and we’re, um, keeping the baby.” My response was followed by another high-pitched, unsettling laugh from her.

  “Over my dead body,” she declared, standing up. “Over my dead body.” Without another word or glance in my direction, she stormed off and out of the restaurant. My dad glanced from her departing figure to me, and back.

  “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he muttered. “We’ll talk more later or tomorrow, okay?” He reached into his pocket and brought out his wallet. He tossed some money onto the table and hurried after Nora.

  Hannah and I sat there, stunned. We looked at each other, not speaking because there was nothing to say. It went so much worse than I’d even imagined.

  Chapter Nine

  “Here,” Nolan said, throwing a few packaged cupcakes onto the table. “Happy birthday.” We looked at each other for a second, surprise mirrored in both of our eyes. He turned away quickly, breaking off the awkward energy.

  “Thanks,” I said slowly, picking up a package and turning it around in my hands. It was the kind that had sugar as its main ingredient, all fake-chocolate with icing that looked a little too shiny, and a flavorless white stripe down the middle. I vaguely remembered eating them as a kid, before I was old enough to take over the grocery shopping.

  “Don’t mention it.” Nolan sat down across from me, and stared at me expectantly. “So, um, where’d everyone go?” He’d gone into the pantry a few minutes earlier, apparently to get my birthday cupcakes, and came back to find only me in the kitchen.

  “Adam’s on the phone with his mom outside, and Hannah needed to use the bathroom.” I didn’t expect to see Hannah again anytime soon. I doubted she was using the bathroom as much as she was really exploring the house. She’d only been here once before, during that party where I’d met Adam, and complained she didn’t get to see enough of it.

  “Ah,” Nolan said, nodding. “So, um, your parents just left you at the restaurant?”

  I blushed. After it was clear they weren’t changing their mind and coming back, Hannah and I paid the bill and called Adam to come pick us up. Initially I’d just wanted to go home and try and fix things, but he refused to take us there, driving us over to Nolan’s instead.

  “Yeah,” I said, not knowing if he wanted me to elaborate or not. I’d been around Nolan quite a few times since Adam and I started dating, but we never really talked. There was a quiet acceptance between us, a connection only made through Adam, but no real friendship.

  “That’s messed up,” he remarked, running a hand through his thick blonde hair. It was growing longer, I noticed. I quickly looked away.

  “Yeah, well, I kind of expected it,” I admitted.

  “Yeah, but it’s shitty. Adam will take care of you, though.”


  “You think?” I’d come to assume the same thing, but it felt good to be reassured.

  Nolan smiled his famous crooked smile. “Yeah, for sure. I thought he was a little crazy when he first started chasing you, no offense, but the guy loves you.”

  Adam came back into the room then, leaving me with no opportunity to think up a response to that. “Yeah, Mom, I’ll call you in the morning. Yeah, I know Dad’s going to be mad but I’m not taking her back there tonight. Yeah, I understand. Okay, thanks. Love you.” He hung up the phone and closed his eyes briefly.

  “Okay, we’re staying here tonight,” he announced, taking a seat next to me at the table. He wrapped one arm around my shoulders and I instinctively moved closer to him.

  “I don’t think I can do that, Adam,” I said nervously. The thought of staying over at Nolan’s house and the aftermath of how Nora would react to it was frightening.

  “Well, you’re going to have to,” Adam replied. “I’m not taking you back there. Maybe not ever.”

  “Hey, it’s fine by me,” Nolan spoke up. “My parents are out of town and there’s enough room for everyone.”

  “What’s going on?” Hannah appeared then, her hair pulled back in a ponytail now, and make up freshly applied. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at how obvious she was being.

  “We’re spending the night here tonight,” Adam informed her.

  I watched as Hannah’s face went from surprised to elated, to something close to fear. “Why?” She asked, quickly regaining her cool.

  “Because I’m not taking Lainey back to Bella Vista, and my dad won’t let us sleep over at my house. I can take you back if you want, but Lainey’s staying with me.” His voice was full of determination. I wanted to ask if I actually got a say in the matter, but held back. Adam was more upset about the events of the night than I was, mostly because I didn’t really know how to feel about any of it.

  “No, I’ll stay with Lainey,” Hannah decided, coming over and sitting down on my other side. “I can’t abandon her in her time of need.”

  I grinned at her, knowing full well that if Nolan weren’t present, her answer probably would have been different.

  “My mom’s going to call your dad and let him know you two are alright, but she isn’t going to say where you are,” Adam said. “I tried to talk her out of it, but she said it was either that or she was coming over here and getting you herself.”

  “That’s fine,” I said quickly. “I’m glad she’s going to call. I wouldn’t want them worrying about us all night.”

  “They should worry,” he protested. “They let you in a goddamn restaurant on your birthday, for crying out loud. They deserve to worry about you all night.”

  “Adam –” I started, but he wasn’t hearing it.

  “I don’t think I want you staying there anymore, Lainey. They’re not going to support you. You know that, and I know that.”

  “Where do you expect me to go? I don’t think Nolan needs a roommate.” I flashed a slight smile, wanting to keep the topic light, but my attempt was lost on Adam.

  “Move in with me and my parents. They’ll be perfectly fine with that.” He suggested this as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

  I considered it for a minute, the idea of moving in with Adam and becoming a part of their family. It was appealing and yet very frightening.

  I shook my head. “I can’t,” I said.

  “Well, now that that’s settled, what should we do all night?” Hannah asked. I shot her a grateful look.

  “I have a few new movies,” Nolan spoke up. “They’re not even in theaters yet.”

  “How did you get movies that aren’t in theaters yet?” Hannah asked, intrigued.

  Nolan shrugged. “My dad’s got connections, I guess.” Nolan’s dad ran Haven’s seafood empire, like his dad before him, and his grandfather before him. It was a lucrative business, but I wasn’t exactly sure how that enabled him to have connections in the movie business. I decided not to ask.

  He named a few titles, one of which being the most anticipated horror film of the new year, not expected to be released until January, and Hannah nearly cried out. She loved horror films. It was the only genre she had any interest in, which was why we didn’t usually watch too many movies together.

  Adam and Nolan headed into the kitchen for snacks and refreshments, and Hannah and I headed towards the back of the house, where the Reeves’ viewing room was. It was pretty impressive, a room completely dedicated to watching movies. There was a giant television set hooked up to the wall, at least a ninety inch, and an assortment of loveseats and chairs set up in a half-circle in front of it, with some coffee and side tables in-between. I placed my birthday cupcakes on one of the tables, and sat down on a loveseat. I motioned for Hannah to sit down next to me, but she shook her head.

  “Sorry, sis, but this might be my only chance,” she said with a wink. She sat down on another loveseat a few spaces down, a hopeful look on her face. I even found myself hoping that Nolan would sit down next to her, even though I’d concentrated so much energy on keeping them apart for so long. I glanced at the packaged cupcakes in front of me, and wondered if maybe I had misjudged Nolan this entire time. Maybe he wasn’t so bad, after all.

  The boys returned a few minutes later, drinks and giant bowls of popcorn in hand. “I brought you a diet cola,” Nolan said to Hannah. “It’s all my mom drinks so I figured it was a girl thing.”

  Hannah smiled sweetly. “My favorite. Thanks.”

  Adam and I grinned at each other. Hannah hated diet anything.

  I watched as Nolan grabbed two sodas and one of the bowls of popcorn, then headed over and sat down next to Hannah. The look on her face was almost worth the disaster of the entire night. She looked happier than I could ever remember seeing her. I smiled up at Adam, and he returned the smile before leaning in and kissing me softly on the lips.

  “Happy birthday,” he whispered. I moved as close to him as I could, rejoicing in his company. Maybe it could turn out to be a happy birthday, after all.

  The movie lasted nearly two hours in all its gory glory, and by the time it was over, I felt exhausted, despite the fact that it was still early. “I think I want to go to sleep,” I whispered to Adam, and he nodded.

  “Alright. Hey Nolan, where do you want us tonight?”

  Nolan shrugged. “Anywhere but my room and the parent’s room,” he said. “Take your pick. Are you checking out already?”

  Adam nodded. “Yeah, Lainey’s tired. Hannah, did you want to room with Lainey?” I knew Adam probably had no intention of not sharing a room with me, but he was still mad at Hannah for blabbing to Scott, so this was probably his sneaky attempt a comeback.

  Hannah’s eyes widened and she shook her head. “Um, nah, I’ll be alright. I’m not tired yet, so I’ll just find another room when I am.”

  “Are you sure?” Adam persisted.

  “Yep, I’m sure.” She got to her feet hugged me quickly. “Goodnight, Sis, see you in the morning.”

  Part of me wanted to tell her that she needed to room with me for the night, but she seemed so happy and it suddenly felt like so long since I’d seen her that way. Maybe that wasn’t my fault, but it definitely felt like it.

  I smiled. “Goodnight and have fun, whatever you end up doing.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Hannah said, winking. She wasn’t very good at winking, so she just ended up looking goofy, but it was endearing, all the same.

  Adam and I headed upstairs, where he seemed to pick a door at random. Inside there was a king sized bed, two dressers, a couch at the foot of the bed, and a flat screen television on the wall facing it.

  “Wow,” I remarked. “This is just the guest bedroom?”

  “Not the guest bedroom, just one of them.” Adam closed the door behind him. “Pretty impressive, huh?”

  “I’d say. All this from seafood?”

  “Nah, Mr. Reeves is pretty wealthy without the business, mostly fr
om inheritances and whatnot. Plus Mrs. Reeves comes from a wealthy family out in California, some film legacies or whatever.”

  “That explains the connections,” I mused.

  “Yep. Do you want to wait here? I’m going to try and find you something more comfortable to sleep in.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I protested, but he was already out the door. I turned the television on and started flipping through channels, and a few minutes later he returned, a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt in hand.

  “This is the best I could find,” he said, handing them to me.

  “Thanks. Are they Nolan’s?”

  “Yeah, but he has more clothes than Hannah so he won’t mind.”

  I smiled and started heading towards the door that I assumed led to a bathroom. Adam followed me in. “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “I’m going to brush my teeth,” he explained, opening the bathroom’s closest door and pulling out two packaged toothbrushes and an unopened tube of toothpaste.

  “You’ve never heard of taking turns?”

  “Lainey, you can get dressed in front of me.”

  “I don’t even like getting dressed in front of Hannah that much,” I protested. “It’s awkward.”

  “Blue or purple?” He asked, holding up the two toothbrushes.

  I blinked at him. “Um, purple. Adam, can you please leave until I’m done?”

  “Nope.” He opened both toothbrushes and squeezed some toothpaste onto the blue one. I stood there, arms crossed over my stomach, and waited until he was done.

  He sighed. “Lainey, you’re pregnant. You didn’t get that way by magic, so it’s safe to assume there’s nothing you have hidden under your clothes that I haven’t seen already. Why are you being so weird?”

  I didn’t respond to him, instead just continued to stare at him, waiting for him to leave.

  “Okay, point taken.” He walked over to me and placed a kiss on my lips. His mouth was cool and tasted minty. “I love you.”

  He left the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him, and I dressed quickly in case he changed his mind and came back in. I knew I was being ridiculous, but I’d felt more self-conscious about my body since finding out I was pregnant than I’d ever been before, even though there were no noticeable changes, as far as I could tell.