Chapter 17

Diana Hanson knew that there was something going on just under her nose, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Something had gone awry, but she wasn't quite sure what it was.

That morning at breakfast Jessica had been visibly upset and spoke to no one unless she was spoken to directly. Julie was much the same way, keeping her head down to avoid making any eye contact as she ate. Zac had tried several times to catch Julie's eye, but she kept turning her head the other way.

Diana had always been careful not to pry too far into her children's personal lives, but with this much disarray circulating under one roof, she knew she had to get to the bottom of this.

"Jessica, would you like to help me with lunch?" Diana asked stopping at the entrance to the living room.

Jessica shrugged glumly and stood up. "Sure," she sighed as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

They were silent for much of the time. Diana thought that given the chance, Jessica might open up about what was wrong and perhaps have some insight on what was going on with Julie and Zac.

"So, want to tell me what's bothering you?" Diana finally asked as she fried the chicken for lunch.

"Nothing's bothering me," Jessica replied none too convincingly.

"Oh, is that right?" Diana asked raising an eyebrow. "Because you seem awfully moody ad quiet for someone that doesn't have something on their mind."

Jessica turned slightly and glanced at her mother. "It's nothing," she sighed.

"Well, then tell me about it," Diana replied. "I have time to listen."

Jessica shrugged. "I just ... I liked this guy, and it turns out that he likes someone else," she explained. "That's all."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jess," Diana frowned as she put her arm around Jessica's shoulder and pulled her into a slight hug. "Who was the guy? Anyone I know?"

Jessica blushed and pulled out of her mother's grasp and walked over to other side of the kitchen. "I don't really want to talk about it, okay?"

Diana nodded. "Okay, fair enough," she replied. "So, do you have any insight into why Julie isn't speaking to your brother?"

Jessica shrugged. "I haven't the faintest idea," she answered coldly.

"Something happen with you and Julie?" Diana asked. "You two seemed to be getting along pretty well."

"Yeah, well ..." Jessica trailed off.

"Jessica," Diana said firmly. "Did you two have a disagreement or something?"

"No," Jessica sighed. "But Julie was the other girl."

"That the boy you liked likes?" Diana inquired.

"Yeah," Jessica nodded as she looked away.

"Does Julie like him?" Diana asked.

"She says she doesn't."

"But you don't believe her?" Diana asked.

Jessica shrugged again. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "I was just upset. I didn't feel like talking to her ... he asked her out and she didn't tell me ..."

"Ah, now we're getting down to the heart of it," Diana commented. "Did she know that you liked him?"

"Yeah," Jessica nodded.

"Well, maybe she wanted to wait until the right time to tell you that he asked her out," Diana suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," Jessica agreed as Avery entered the kitchen.

"Is lunch about ready?" she asked.

"Just about," Diana replied. "Why don't you go let everyone know?"

Avery made a face before she turned and left the kitchen. Diana waited until Avery was gone before she turned back to Jessica, who was now setting the table. "Maybe you should just hear Julie out," she suggested. "I'm sure she wouldn't intentionally hurt you."

Jessica sighed and nodded.

--

Julie stared out her window at the blue sky. She could see Zoe and Mackenzie in the background. She smiled as she watched Mac push Zoe on the swing. She always wished that she had had a big brother or even a sister to that kind of thing with. She envied the Hansons in so many ways.

There was only one member of the Hanson family that she was not happy with. She was still absolutely angry that Zac had betrayed her trust and told Ashley that she was pregnant.

She wasn't as upset by the fact that Ashley knew she was pregnant as she was the fact that Ashley knew that she had been thinking about having an abortion. How could Zac tell her something like that? What would Ashley think of her now?

Julie sighed as she leaned her head forward and rested it against the glass. 'What am I going to do?' she wondered.

She knew she had to tell Diana and Walker soon. That morning while she was getting dressed she had caught a sideways glance of herself in the mirror and noticed that her belly was getting visibly rounder. She had been wearing larger t-shirts lately, but she knew that she could only hide her pregnancy for so long. And besides that, she needed to see a doctor. The last thing she wanted was to go through with a pregnancy and end up having complications from her lack of medical attention.

She jumped when she heard a knock at the door. "Come in," she called as she turned to see Avery poke her head into the room.

"Lunch is about ready," she announced.

"Okay, I'll be down in a few," Julie smiled.

Avery nodded and shut the door as she left the room.

Julie sat down on her bed laid back and stared up at the ceiling with a frown. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but she ran her hand over her newly rounded belly and sighed. She had someone else to look out for now, so she knew she had to eat.

She was pulled from her thoughts once again when there was another knock at the door.

"Come in," she called sitting up slightly to see if was. Julie watched silently as Zac stepped into the room. "What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"I wanted to talk," he replied.

"So talk," Julie replied turning away from him.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"Why should I?" Julie asked.

"Julie, why are you pissed off at me?" Zac asked as he walked around the room until she was facing him.

"Oh, I don't know," Julie said sarcastically. "Maybe because you can't keep a secret!"

"What are you talking about?" Zac asked with a look of pure confusion.

"I heard you talking to Ashley," Julie spat. "I know you told her about me. I thought I could trust you not to tell, but, apparently, I was wrong. You'll have change. You'll always be a jerk," Julie exclaimed as she stood up and headed for the door.

"Julie!" Zac called after her.

"It's time for lunch," Julie said as she glared at him over her shoulder. "And I'm eating for two now, so I don't have time for this."

Previous | Index | Next