12
After talking a bit more on the wharf, Jack and Rose decided to go on back to Jack’s apartment. They had a lot to talk about and plan for and the Wharf wasn’t the place to do it. The place was silent as they entered. Chloe and Carter must have taken the children out somewhere, much to Jack’s relief. After the argument that morning, the last thing either Jack or Rose needed was his nosey sister breathing down their necks, trying to make sure that they weren’t doing what they had already done.
“Do you want anything to eat or drink Rose? Chloe has just been to the store so we have everything right now,” Jack offered as she took a seat on the couch,
“No thank you. Everything I eat seems to come back up anyway, so there’s no point,” She sighed.
Jack felt miserable. It was his fault that Rose was in this situation. If only he could have kept his hands to himself. He was such a screw up. He could see his parents shaking their heads in disappointment if they had been there. And Chloe…he didn’t even want to think of her reaction when she found out. After all the judgmental things he had said to her and Carter since their arrival…He had done much worse then running away. He had gotten a girl pregnant and they were only sixteen! She definitely was going to love this.
“So. Where are we going to go from here?” Rose stared at him, her green eyes wide and trusting, making him fall even more in love with her. She was all that he had really. Her and the baby.
“…I don’t know. We can always put it up for adoption. Give it a good home with parents that can take care of it better then we can. We can even choose and meet the people. Or we can keep it. Raise it ourselves, together. The choice is yours. What do you want to do?”
Before Rose could answer, Chloe and the other’s returned, ice creams in hand. Chloe stopped when she spotted Jack and Rose on the couch, neither looking too happy. She wondered if Jack had taken her advice after all. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Rose. She did. She seemed like a nice, levelheaded girl. But she knew from experience that sixteen was much to young to settle with one person. Jack needed to explore and grow. Not settle down, not just yet.
“Rose. Hello,” She greeted, noticing that the teens were holding hands, so maybe her advice wasn’t being taken. Well there was only one thing to do since she was Jack’s guardian. It was up to her to make sure he was making good decisions. “I’m glad you’re here. I think the three of us should all set down and talk. Carter will you take the twins into the next room please.”
“Sure,” Carter nodded at Jack and Rose before escorting the Lily and Paul into their room.
“Chloe, this isn’t the time. We’re kind of in the middle of something important here,” Jack glared at her sister, not liking this one bit. She was up to something.
“I just want to talk to you Jack. Really I want to talk to Rose. I think she’d understand my concerns a bit more,” Lily smiled at the young woman who stared at her, confused. “Rose. You know I had made decisions when I was about your age that I now regret. Regrets that could have been avoided if I had just listened to my parents.”
“Chloe, this doesn’t concern you,” Jack glared at his sister, wishing that she would just leave them alone so they can figure out what to do about the coming baby. Why couldn’t she see that this didn’t concern her?
“I say it does. You two are sixteen years old. Much too young to settle down with just one person. You need to explore and see what else is out there before deciding to see only one person. Rose, what I’m trying to say here is that I think you and Jack need to take a break from each other.”
“What?” Both Rose and Jack looked at Chloe in disbelief. How could she even suggest such a thing? Take a break? Especially now with Rose Pregnant with Jack’s baby?
“I think you’re way out of line here Chloe,” Jack glared at his sister. “Take a break? You have some nerve…”
“Jack, I’m just saying…”
“What did you take this break from Carter before you ran away with him? Huh?”
“This isn’t about me and Carter…well then again it is. Jack, you’re too young to settle down with just one girl. Just like I was with Carter. Everyone saw that all those years ago accept me. And now I see you making the same mistake…”
“Rose is not a mistake. She is the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I won’t allow you to come between us just because you regret getting with your boyfriend! If you’re having problems with Carter, concentrate on fixing them or taking your own break, but you leave my relationship with Rose alone!”
“So that explains your distance,” a cold voice spoke up from behind. Chloe turned around to face her boyfriend, who was leaning again the far wall, hurt shining in his eyes. She immediately regretted her words.
“Carter no. I…I was just trying to tell Jack and Rose that…”
“Being with me was the worse thing that has ever happened to you. Well I understand. Then again I don’t. You were the best thing that had ever happened to me, I thought I meant the same to you. I guess I didn’t.”
“I do. I do feel the same way, but when we met I was young. Things could have turned out so much differently for us then it did. That’s all I’m trying to tell Jack here. Settling down with one person at a young age is never a good idea.”
“Well it was good enough for you and Carter, and it’s good enough for me and Rose. Now if you don’t mind, I’m taking Rose out of here so we can continue with our conversation before we were so rudely interrupted. Come on Rose,” Jack grabbed his car keys and led the way outside, leaving his sister guiltily facing her boyfriend.
~*~
Rose and Jack stood outside of Rose’s apartment building. It’s been hours since the confrontation with Chloe and still nothing was decided about the baby. All they did was drive around town in silence, saw a movie and drove around some more. Now it was late and time for Rose to return home.
She sighed, looking hard at the ground, her thoughts roaming to what Chloe had said. She was right about one thing. They were both so young. What if Jack felt like she was trapping him with the baby? Maybe he was just being a gentleman when he told her that he’d never leave her. She couldn’t be the cause of making him being unhappy. He’s had enough unhappiness to last a lifetime. She had to make sure that this was what he wanted…what he really wanted. That he wasn’t just doing it out of nobility.
“Jack…I’ve been thinking…about what your sister said. Maybe this break thing is a good idea…I”
“What? You’re agreeing with her? You want to break up now? With the baby?” Jack looked at her in a mixture of anger, hurt, and disbelief. He couldn’t believe that she was saying this. He had thought they meant more then this. That they were meant to be together forever. Why did she want to end it now?
“All I’m saying is…”
“I know what you’re saying. And if that’s what you want to do fine, but that’s my kid you’re carrying and I will be a part of its life Rose and a part of the decision. You nor my sister can take that away,” Jack turned and stormed back to the car, ignoring Rose’s call for him to come back, that he had misunderstood.
Rose stood outside her building, hurt, confused and angry. Jack had blown up at her for no good reason at all. Maybe a break was a good idea. Maybe they really weren’t meant to be together. If he could be angry with her after one little sentence, who knew how he’d be around a child. Turning around to go in, she wished that things were different. That she was with Jack, happy and carefree. No argument, no baby, just life. Life as she had once known it to be.