Chapter 24

Julie looked around the crowded Hanson house and sighed while fanning herself. If there was one thing she thought she'd never grow used to, it was Tulsa weather. June had been warm, but it had been bearable. July, however, had been a completely different story. The days were hot and sticky, and if anyone dared to step outside for an extended amount of time, it was a wise decision to bring along a towel for mopping away the puddle of sweat.

Julie groaned miserably to herself as she wandered through the Hanson house. As it was the last day of July, the whole family was home to celebrate Jessica's 15th birthday. Aside from the family, there was also a small crowd of Jessica's friends there to join in on the celebration. Most of the evening had been enjoyable. Dinner had been divine, per usual. Diana had made Jessica's favorite dish, chicken parmesan.

Julie had stuffed herself silly at dinner. She had helped Diana set things up for the party all afternoon and had to smell the food as it was cooking, which had left her stomach gurgling at the tempting smell. The homemade cake and ice cream had been the perfect dessert to go with the meal.

After dinner had come the opening of the presents, which Jessica had lit up like a light bulb at. Her friends had spoiled her with CDs and DVDs while her younger siblings had given her cute little knickknacks and homemade birthday cards. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac had opted for gift cards, as they had virtually no clue what to buy for their teenage sister. Diana and Walker had given her a cell phone, which had resulted in a huge squealing fit from Jessica and all of her friends. Julie, on the other hand, had spent a great deal of time thinking about what to buy for Jessica.

She simply adored her and felt as if she were the little sister she had never had. Her friendship had meant so much to Julie that she wanted to repay her, but Julie wasn't sure if she could. After a great deal of searching, Julie had finally decided on buying Jessica a necklace. She had come across it by accident, but when she saw the ad about personalized jewelry, Julie had just known that that would be the perfect gift for Jessica.

Julie had chosen a white gold heart pendent with Jessica's name in script along with her birthstone. It came on a rope chain, and Julie had been so pleased with the way that it turned out. She had to admit that it was a tad bit pricey, but thanks to the credit card her parents had given her before they left, it hadn't been a problem. Besides, she felt like Jessica deserved something nice.

When Jessica opened her gift from Julie, tears had sprung to her eyes. She gave Julie a huge hug and thanked her repeatedly before securing the necklace around her neck. Julie was just relieved that Jessica liked it.

"Well, that's one birthday down," Julie said to herself as she cautiously slipped out of the Hanson household. The sun had set and while it was still fairly humid, it was considerably cooler than it had been that afternoon.

Julie sat down on the porch swing, tucking her right foot under her left leg and rocked the swing slowly with the tip of her left toe. She stared out into the empty street. The only sound she could hear was the muted voices of those still inside the house. At that moment she felt completely at peace. As hectic and nerve-wracking as things had been over the past few weeks, it was nice to just sit back and enjoy the quiet.

The week before she had received her answer from her parents. Their letter had been pretty short and to the point. Even through a letter, Julie could tell that her mother was still fairly upset. Her mother had basically told her to stay out of trouble and that she had to start acting more like an adult since she felt like she was old enough to make adult decisions while her father had written an encouraging note telling her to hang in there and that he loved her. While she hated having her mother upset with her, Julie was simply happy that they were letting her stay in Tulsa with the Hansons.

Julie knew that things were going to be strained between herself and her mother when they returned to the United States, but she hoped that perhaps the time apart would give Kathie some time to cool off and come to terms with the situation. Julie even thought that maybe if her mother never had to see her pregnant it would be easier for her to get over it.

Julie jumped slightly when she heard the front door close. Julie looked over her shoulder and smiled when she saw Taylor walking over to her.

"I wondered where you got to," he commented. "Mind if I sit?"

"Not at all," Julie smiled. "I just needed to get some fresh air. It was getting a little stuffy inside."

Taylor nodded in agreement. "So, how are you doing?" he asked.

Julie shrugged. This was the first time she'd really sat down to talk to Taylor since he'd gotten there. She wasn't even sure if anyone had told him about her pregnancy. She really wouldn't have minded that much if someone else had told him. He had always been like a big brother to her, and she didn't want him to think any less of her.

"Listen, dad told me about ... well, what's been going on around here, you being pregnant and all," Taylor commented.

Julie glanced at him as he spoke and searched his face for any indication of what he was thinking. "Yeah, and?" Julie asked.

"I just wanted to check on you and see how you were holding up," Taylor replied.

"That's all?" Julie asked.

"Yeah," Taylor nodded. "What were you expecting?"

"A lecture on how stupid I am or something, I guess," Julie sighed.

"Julie," Taylor said, wrapping his arm around her. "You're not stupid, and I'm not going to lecture you."

"Aren't you upset with me?" Julie asked.

"I'll admit, I'm a little shocked. You really were the last person I would have expected this to happen to, but that's life," Taylor shrugged.

"My mom hates me," Julie sighed.

"Julie!" Taylor exclaimed. "Your mom does not hate you."

"Oh, she's trying to put up a good front, but I can see right through it. She hates me," Julie said. "As frigid as her letter was, you'd think she was writing to me from Antarctica."

"Jules, she's just upset," Taylor said.

Julie sighed and stared out at the street once more. "I'm nervous about starting school," she commented after a long silence.

"Why?" Taylor asked.

Julie rolled her eyes. She thought that it would be obvious why she was nervous, but when she looked at Taylor, she saw that he really had no clue.

"Taylor, I'm going to be the new girl in school, which is bad enough, but I'm also pregnant," Julie explained.

"Well, no one will know unless you tell them," Taylor shrugged.

"Yeah, but they'll figure it out soon enough," Julie sighed. "I'm gaining weight all the time, and it's going to be hard to hide a huge bulge in my belly."

"So, don't hide it," Taylor replied.

"Yeah, that would be great. I go to school and maybe make a few friends, and then say 'oh, by the way, I'm having a baby in January,'" Julie said sarcastically. "I'm sure that will go over really well."

"If people are that superficial, then who needs them?" Taylor asked. "Besides, it's not as if you don't have any friends already," he pointed out. "Jess and Zac will be there for you. And Zac said that you've hung out with Ash and Neil too."

"Neil doesn't know that I'm pregnant though," Julie commented.

"So?" Taylor shrugged. "He's Zac's best friend. He's not going anywhere, and if he even attempts to act like an ass, Zac will kill him."

Julie laughed softly. She knew it was true. She and Zac had grown closer as the weeks had passed, and she had no doubt that he would stand up for her if needed. The same went for Jessica. Even though she was a fairly small girl, Julie had a feeling that she could hold her own.

"Listen, Jules, I know you're nervous and I doubt me saying 'everything is going to be fine' is going to reassure you that much right now, but you'll see once you start school. It will be fine," Taylor said. "Besides, it's not like you're the first girl to ever get pregnant and go to school."

"Gee, thanks," Julie rolled her eyes.

"I just mean that it's not that unheard of," Taylor shrugged. "And it will be fine. You'll see."

"I hope you're right," Julie sighed.

"Of course I'm right," Taylor grinned. "When have I ever lied to you?"

Julie gave him a pointed look. "If I recall correctly, you told me that monsters lived in the closet in your sisters' room."

"Oh, you were eight at the time. Besides, that was just a joke," Taylor said, cheekily.

"Some joke. I didn't sleep the whole time I was visiting," Julie scowled.

"Hey, you know I just teased out of love," Taylor said. "I've always treated you like you were my real sister."

"That kind of makes me wish that you didn't," Julie commented.

"Oh, Jules, you don't mean that," Taylor laughed. "Besides, we've had some good times, haven't we?"

"Yeah," Julie nodded. The silence that followed was pleasant. Julie had always felt at ease with Taylor. For some reason he had just taken her under his wing years ago, and they had been close ever since.

"So, what are your plans for after high school?" Taylor asked curiously.

Julie shrugged. "I've been thinking about going to law school," she replied.

"So you don't want to be a teacher anymore?" Taylor asked.

"No, I haven't for years," Julie laughed.

"Well, excuse me," Taylor smirked. "I guess we haven't had one of these 'when I grow up' conversations for quite a while."

"No, we haven't," Julie replied. "I've missed that. I've missed this," she sighed. "You and your family is the closest thing to a real family I have besides my parents. I hate that I don't get to see you very often."

"So do I," Taylor nodded. "But hey, we've got you for the rest of the year, so you might be sick of us by then."

"I doubt that," Julie laughed. "You're so lucky. Your family is so close and loving and caring ... You guys actually talk to each other. It took me getting pregnant for my parents to realize that I wasn't as much of an adult as they thought I was. And now my mom says that I have to grow up since I decided to make adult decisions," she said. "I'm not sure if she was referring to the fact that I decided to have sex or that I've decided to give the baby up for adoption."

"Well, I think the decision about the baby is the most important one," Taylor commented. "Just make sure that you're one hundred percent sure about your choice."

Julie nodded. "I am," she replied. "Your mom is supposed to set up a meeting with an adoption agency. They're supposed to fill me in on everything else, and then I'm sure I'll have a whole new batch of decisions to make. I can hardly wait for that."

"Well, you know all of us are always here to help you out," Taylor commented. "So, if you need advice, you have more than enough opinions to go around," he grinned.

"I know," Julie nodded. "Thanks though. It's nice to hear you say that."

"Anytime," Taylor smiled.

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