residents.

Adrian rolled his eyes, an exaggerated nod going along with his clear annoyance “Naturally” The elder reached up, pinched the bridge of his nose. He had known Amy had a teenage son but he hadn’t been aware of just how… angsty… the kid was. Filled to the brim with an attitude he wasn’t ready for while coming for a simple bottle of water in the middle of the night “Like a bum?” another raise of the brow was offered to the boy, a light chuckle following it as he took a quick sip of water from the bottle he had retrieved “I mean, I guess I am temporarily and no, I don’t have money- not in the sense that you’re speaking of, anyway.” The way it was worded made it sound like his mother wasn’t the most kosher of people. That maybe her judgements were a little less ethical “If you really need to know, I’m from Willow Peak, that’s how I know Amy but I haven’t been here for a very long time” Adrian paused, knowing full well Hayden would understand his reasoning for that. He seemed the type who would hold a lot of animosity for a hometown like Willow Peak “my mom is sick so I had to move back. I have a job and a place I just can’t move in until the first and your mother insisted I stay here, like I said, we’re old friends. Anything else? Or are you done with the 411″

Hayden was quiet for a long moment. Angsty teen he might have been, but he wasn’t totally heartless. His mother, on the other hand ... well, that was another story. “... Well. Don’t let her take advantage of you. She’ll probably try. It’s what she does ... old friends or not.” The warning sounded a hell of a lot like sorry about your sick mom, even if he didn’t say it outright. He knew how his mom worked, and it made sense that her next target would be someone who was from out of town. She’d probably brought most of the guys who lived here around by now, did the old sob story about how she just couldn’t take care of the boy on her own, she needed help. And then she’d blow town for the weekend and spend it all on the casino in the city. It was a cycle, and he was basically just a pawn in it. He didn’t feel bad for most of the guys, who basically came around looking for one thing, but ... if this guy was just around for his sick mom, it wouldn’t exactly be fair to him.

“I am. I am a fighter but we both know that I’m not going to grow old” There was no cure for cystic fibrosis, just ways to push off the inevitable and getting a brand new set of lungs was never easy. She had already been on the waiting list for years and even then it wasn’t a definite solution. Lungs were one of the hardest organs for the body to accept “I just want to be a normal teenager. Prom. Homecoming. Parties. Boys. The whole nine yards and I can’t do that when you barely let me out of your sight sometimes. I’m seventeen, mom, I’m not a child anymore”

Carol took a deep breath, trying to figure out what to say. She knew teenagers -- hell, she had practically been one when she had married Billie’s father, pregnant with a child who never made it to term. Billie was the only one of her children who survived, and she was not giving her up that easily. But she knew how easy it was to come off as condescending. “Billie ... baby ...” A quiver worked its way into her voice. She let it do so. “I understand why you feel that way. Really, I do. And I know it feels like I’m being unfair ... or cruel ...” She shook her head. “But you aren’t a normal teenager, baby. Your my teenager. And I can’t let you risk your life. What kind of mother would I be?”

“What do I want to do?” A laugh bubbled out of the blonde and she was unsure of just how genuine it was “I want to curl up into a ball and die right about now, honestly. That or drink my weight in wine but I suppose that’s off the table” This time her laugh was definitely genuine, trying to make light of a situation she definitely didn’t want to be on. Heather paused, allowed herself to take in a deep breath. As usual, Maxine was was calm and level headed. The still in her own storm. Maybe that was why they meshed so well “I know” she nodded her head “I know it’s all on my shoulders but fuck man, I really wish it wasn’t but I guess we both knew this would probably happen eventually” This wasn’t her first pregnancy scare but usually it wasn’t as serious as this. A month without a period was a long enough time to be concerned about what was going on in her own uterus “If I decide to keep it can you also tell my wonderfully Catholic parents that I’m pregnant out of wedlock, because Lord have mercy, Maxie, they are gonna disown me and curse me to hell all at once” Leave it to this perfect woman to brighten up the mood, make her feel less out of control and take some of the weight off her shoulders in this time of her life “Screw that, you are gonna be my co-parent here because I swear I am totally giving up men altogether after this- you know, I’m supposed to be miserable right now. Stop making me laugh”

Maxine was glad to hear Heather laugh. Whenever she could pull the other out of a dark spot, it made her feel useful. When they first met, it had been the other way around -- Maxine had been in a bad spot, rock bottom, close to just letting it all cave in on her, leaving her in the dark. Heather was the one who had offered her a helping hand, pulled her up. And Maxine had returned the favor hundreds of times by now, but that didn’t matter. She would always be there to do it again. “Anything. Anything you need, dude, I’m here for you. You know it.” She held out an arm, wrapping it lightly around the other woman’s shoulders. “Dude, yeah. Come join me in my spinsterhood.” It wasn’t that Maxine didn’t like men -- well, she didn’t mind the idea of men. But every time she got to know them on an individual basis ... it ended poorly. She didn’t know how Heather managed to trust them again and again, no matter how many times she was hurt. Max didn’t have her patience, clearly. Although in cases like these, she couldn’t help wondering if maybe that was a good thing. Not that she was about to tell her that. Blunt she may be, but she did have some tact. “It’s going to be okay. You don’t have to decide anything tonight. Soon -- but not tonight. So whatever you need -- if you need to talk out all your options, or if you just need someone to sit and bitch about how bullshit all of this is -- I’m here for you.”

“Look- I know you’re trying to protect me but my time is limited- let me at least make use of the rest of it”

@willowpeak

Carol pursed her lips, forcing herself not to cry. After years of doctor visits and close calls, she had gotten very good at that. “Billie,” she said softly, “I am your mother. I can’t just -- just --” She shook her head, refusing to finish. She would not think of losing her daughter. “You’re a fighter, darling,” she said. “You always have been. But, please ... focus that on battling your illness. Don’t battle me.”

“It’s your mom‘s house” Adrian pointed out but he didn’t push it further. Judging but the tone he took with him, it wasn’t uncommon for him to find strange men in his house in the middle of the night. That wasn’t something he wished on any child. Adrian didn’t know what kind of woman Amy had turned out to be but from the tale her son was telling, it wasn’t a good one. Adrian stepped forward, his arm placed on the counter, brow heavy as his dark gaze lingered on the angry kid. Took in the site of a face that was all too familiar to him. It was like looking into the mirror a good fifteen years ago just with less eyeliner “Snap judgements can get you in trouble, kid. Might want to remember that” another quick tidbit of information he was sure the kid already knew. Adrian offered him a hand he didn’t expect to be taken. Common courtesy and a habit he had developed over the years “Adrian. Adrian Hope.”

“Mmm. I fuckin’ live here, dude.”  Jesus Christ, this guy was one of those adults. The kind who thought that kids had no right to anything, just because they were trapped in a system that made it more or less impossible for them to contribute anything. If he could afford a place of his own, he’d be out of there in a heartbeat! But at best he’d be able to get a job flipping burgers somewhere, and that would be if he were able to do that while keeping on top of his schoolwork. He’d lose his mind. As the other put out his wisdom, Hayden made a point of rolling his eyes. The guy sounded like a damn fortune cookie. “There’s a difference between a snap judgement and a proven hypothesis,” he snipped. “Nine times out of ten, I would’ve been right.” Looking down at the hand, he raised an eyebrow. “Hayden,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest instead of taking it.

Heather hated being in any sort of situation that was out of her control. She understood that sex lead to babies and babies meant a whole lot of responsibility. “Of course I’m fucking serious” She snapped back, instantly regretting it when she saw the look on her friends face. Maxine had always been there for her, through thick and thin to help her pick up the pieces of her life when they were all falling apart. And this- this was probably the worst of it“Fuck me” Of course Maxine was right. She was always right about these things “Look, I don’t even know if it’s for sure yet but I’ve never missed a period” Her voice was shaky, the fear of the thought of being a mother sinking in “For all we know I’m freaking out for nothing, you know?” But she could feel in the pit of her stomach that that wasn’t the case “I’ll break it off but that doesn’t solve my other problem”

Maxine nodded. “Sure, yeah.” But she knew Heather’s schedule as well as her own -- better than her own, even, because the other woman was way more regular than she herself was. She knew that they had to look at the baby -- the fetus -- the ... whatever, like it was a real thing, because it was. She reached out, touching the top of Heather’s hand lightly. “Well ... What do you want to do?” Maxine was always the person with advice. She solved problems by throwing words of wisdom at them. So her next words hurt, even if they were true. “I know it’s a hard decision, Heather ... But it’s one no one else can make for you.” Deciding whether to keep a baby or not ... that wasn’t a question of right or wrong. It was a question of personal preference. And Maxine knew enough to know that there would be doubts and regret no matter what Heather decided to do. “I just want you to know ... I’ve got your back, you know? Whatever you decide to do. If you wanna give it up for adoption, I’ll join you through all the meetings. If you want to have an abortion, I’ll go with you to the appointment and hold your hand the whole time. And if you decide to keep it ... I’ll be the best damned auntie there ever was.” She cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

The teen was an unexpected addition to his midnight drink run. The cocky ‘I run the world’ attitude, the eyeliner and all too familiar teen glare. It was a lot for a man who wasn’t expecting there to be a kid in the house in the first place. In silence, Adrian reached for the leftover pizza box, pulling it out of the fridge and aggressively shoving it towards the kid “Not a fling” he commented, pulling a couple cans of coke out of the fridge before shutting it and allowing his dark gaze to linger on the familiar colours on the aluminium. Again, he handed the item to the boy, this time a little more gentle. Adrian wasn’t the most pleasant man at most times but for whatever reason, he always held a soft spot for kids who clearly had shit going on “But that’s also not really any of your business, now is it?” His tone had completely shifted into something else, something he honestly wasn’t expecting himself “But if gives you peace of mind we were friends in high school. Amy’s letting me crash on your couch until I can move into my apartment on the first of the month”

Hayden raised an eyebrow. “It’s my house,” he said. “So, uh ... that makes you my business. Duh.” He hated how adults always acted like that -- like he wasn’t entitled to know what was going on under his own fucking roof. His mom was like that, always telling him to get his nose out of her business, as if she weren’t parading it past him every second of the day. And as if she wasn’t constantly snooping in his stuff. Hypocrite. When the other guy finally explained what he was here for, the teenager snickered, leaning against the countertop. “Huh. Wonder what she thinks she can get out of you. You got money?” He took a bite of cold pizza and shook his head. “Nah. If you did you wouldn’t be crashing on our couch like a bum.” He knew he was being a bit of an asshole, but he figured he was allowed. His mom had brought some rando into their house and hadn’t even bothered telling him. Not like that was anything new, but ... still.

Heather avoided eye contact wit the woman, her thumb slipping subconsciously into her mouth so she could continue on with her terrible nervous habit of chewing her cuticles until they were raw. She was trying her best to deny the tears that wanted to fall. Emotions could be so bothersome “I know” her chest heaved in a deep sigh, her head landing with a quiet thud against the old couch in her living room “I know- but it’s a lot more complicated than Tommy being an ass, Maxie” Bright, hooded eyes finally landed on her best friend, the tears that threatened to spill before blinked away and forgotten about “My period is late, dude”

“Seriously? You wanna watch where you’re going- maybe stop fucking hovering and take a step back?”

The sullen teen scowled. “You want to get out of my fucking fridge?” He mocked the other guy’s tone. He was used to the guys his mom brought home being kind of douche-y, but this was a new low. Then again, he didn’t really have any proof that this guy was his mom’s latest attempt at love or whatever passed for it. “So, what, are you the latest fling, or just a burglar who is particularly interested in leftover pizza? Which I still want, by the way.” Hayden had just wanted to come down for a midnight snack. What had he done to deserve this fresh hell?