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Chapter 18 Lunch was even more awkward than breakfast had been. Jessica's mood seemed to have brightened a little after talking with Diana, but Julie and Zac were in the foulest of moods, and even Mackenzie and Zoe could feel the tension radiating throughout the room causing them to be unusually quiet. "So, Zac, do you have to work tonight?" Diana asked after clearing her throat. "Yeah," he muttered as he threw down his fork and scooted his chair back. "Actually, I should be getting ready right now." Diana looked from Zac to Julie wearily. She really wanted to know what was going on between the two. They had been getting along so well recently, but it seemed like overnight they had returned to being mortal enemies. As he retreated from the room, Jessica stood and stretched before she gathered her dishes and took them to the kitchen before she walked back through the dining room and headed upstairs. Julie glanced briefly at Jessica's retreating figure before she too stood. Diana eyed her curiously. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, but she could tell that something was different about Julie. But before Diana could inspect her any further, Julie quickly took her dishes to the kitchen and fled toward the staircase without a word. Diana sighed as she wiped her hands with a napkin and stood up. "Avery, can you do the dishes, sweetie?" Diana asked. Avery made a face and nodded as her mother walked toward the living room, but changed her mind and headed up the stairs as well. -- Julie hurried upstairs. She wanted to talk to Jessica as soon as possible. She realized that Jessica was very upset about Neil, but Julie hoped that she could convince her that she truly wasn't interested in seeing him. Julie walked over to Jessica's door and knocked lightly. "Who is it?" she heard from inside. "It's Julie," she replied. "Go away," Jessica spat. "Jess, please, I really need to talk to you," Julie said as she turned the knob slowly. Luckily, the door wasn't locked and Julie stepped into the room cautiously. Jessica was stretched out across her bed, but she sat up when she saw the door open. "Fine," Jessica sighed as she stared down at her hands. "Talk." "Jess, I know you're upset about Neil," Julie began as she shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed and sat down at the end. "And I'm sorry that you had to find out from Ashley. I really was planning to tell you, but I was trying to find the right time because I knew you'd be upset." Jessica glanced up to meet Julie's eyes briefly. Julie could see the tears in her eyes. "You're really not interested in him?" "No, not at all," Julie replied shaking her head. "Are you sure?" Jessica asked. Julie sighed and stood up slowly. She had a feeling that it might come to this, but if this was what it took to convince Jessica that she wasn't interested in Neil, then she'd have to go through with it. Julie lifted her shirt up to show the bulge in her belly. "Look at me, Jess," Julie said. Jessica looked at her stomach and then up to her face. She didn't see anything that would help explain why she wouldn't be interested in Neil. "What?" Jessica shrugged. Julie took a ragged breath and ran her hand over her rounded belly. "I'm pregnant," she said just above a whisper. Jessica's eyes grew wide and she looked back down to Julie's belly. Now she could see the slight bulge, but she couldn't be ... it wasn't possible! She shook her head and looked back up to Julie's face. "Excuse me?" she coughed. -- Diana had to strain her ears from Jessica's door. She normally wasn't the type to intrude on her children's privacy, but she could tell that something was going on with Julie, and she wanted to know what it was. Diana thought she heard Julie utter the word 'pregnant,' but Diana wasn't completely sure. And besides that, the idea of her being pregnant seemed so far fetched. Julie was a smart girl, and as far as she knew, Julie had never been in any trouble. 'She couldn't really be ...' Diana thought, but her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Mom? What are you doing?" Zac asked eyeing his mother curiously. "Oh, I was going to ask your sister something, but I forgot what it was," Diana smiled. "Must be the old age," Zac grinned. "Very funny," Diana said as she swatted at him playfully. "Aren't you supposed to be on your way to work?" "I was just leaving," Zac smiled as he gave Diana a quick hug. "I'll see you later." "Drive carefully," Diana called as Zac walked down the hall. "As always," Zac grinned over his shoulder before he descended down the stairs. Diana turned back and looked at Jessica's closed door. For a moment she thought about trying to hear the rest of the conversation, but instead she turned and headed downstairs as well. If she had heard Julie right, then that meant she had a lot to think about. -- Julie looked up and her eyes met Jessica's. "I'm pregnant," Julie repeated softly as she let her shirt fall back down. She sat back down and turned to Jessica. "How far along are you?" Jessica asked. "Almost 12 weeks," Julie replied. "How long have you known?" Jessica asked. "I found out for sure the same day my parents told me that I was coming here to stay," Julie replied. "Oh, wow ..." Jessica said under her breath. "What are you going to do?" she asked. Julie shrugged. She really didn't want to tell Jessica that she had thought about having an abortion. "Zac suggested giving it up for adoption," Julie finally commented. "Zac knows?" Jessica asked with surprise. Julie nodded. "I didn't tell him. He overheard me talking to a friend on the phone," she explained. "And I imagine that it won't be long before everyone knows." "What makes you say that?" Jessica asked. "Zac promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone, but he told Ashley," Julie frowned. "Oh," Jessica replied. "He never was that good at keeping secrets," she said cocking her head to the side thoughtfully. "Obviously," Julie replied wryly. "So, is that why you and Zac aren't speaking?" Jessica asked curiously. Julie simply nodded. "Well, at least now I understand why you're not interested in Neil," Jessica commented with a slight smile. "Yeah, I'd say that guys are not going to be on my agenda for a while," Julie replied. "So ... are you going to tell mom and dad?" Jessica asked. "I'll have to," Julie sighed. "And I need to do it soon because I'm not going to be able to hide it much longer ... I'm just scared." "Why?" Jessica asked. "You know my parents love you like you were one of their own." "I know. And that's why I'm scared. They're going to think I'm such a disappointment." "They will not!" Jessica replied. "My parents would never think that. They love you to pieces!" Julie sighed and cast her eyes to the floor. "But this isn't like coming in after curfew or something. This is life altering. I'm going to have a baby ... and I'm scared to death." Jessica scooted to the end of the bed and wrapped her arms around Julie. "It's all going to be okay. I promise. I'll go with you to tell mom and dad if you want." "Thanks," Julie said softly. "Zac was supposed to go with me to tell your parents. I even made a doctor's appointment, and he told me that he'd go with me to that too, but I'm just so mad at him for telling Ashley ... I mean, I guess I shouldn't be. People are going to find out eventually, but I wanted to at least tell your parents and possibly my own before anyone else finds out." "Well, I'm sure Ash won't tell anyone," Jessica said. "And Zac knows why you're mad at him, right?" "Yeah," Julie nodded. "Well, I'm sure he'll keep his mouth shut now," Jessica said reassuringly. "Yeah, I guess," Julie sighed. "And besides, you've got me," Jessica smiled. "I'll make sure Zac keeps his mouth shut. You know I can't pass up a chance to get on his case," she added with a smirk. "Yeah, I know," Julie said with a slight smile. |