“If I can get a scholarship to a nearby school that would be fantastic, I would be able to commute and be around for you. If you could call him I would really appreciate it,” Seth said.
“Hate to have to go, but we’re to meet Cris and Steph. I’ll stop by early in the week with the paint samples and we can start picking out the colors for the walls,” Lia said.
“That’s fine; see you next week, and good luck. Let me know what happens.”
~~*~~
They left Mr. Grayson’s and where driving to the pizza shop. Lia turned and looked at Seth and said, “Please don’t tell Cris. I don’t want anyone to know right now.”
“Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
“I’m so confused right now. I don’t know want I want,” she confessed.
Seth pulled over to the side of the street and parked the car. He turned to her, “Lia I have to know are we keeping the baby or not. I won’t be going back and forth with it. It’ll kill me not knowing for sure what’s going on. We have to make plans and the sooner the better.”
“I know I just don’t want the pressure everyone will put on me right now. It’s all too new; I want us to be able to have time to adjust to everything without outside forces pulling us every which way. I’m not getting rid of our baby, it’s ours. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that; it would ruin everything we have between us. You have to know it’s going to be stressful, real stressful after we tell our parents; they both will probably want us to get rid of it. That’s part of the reason I want to wait to tell them, after you move back. I’ll need you, your strength and your love.”
“I know it’s something we’ll both need. I wonder which ones will be worse.” Seth said.
“Don’t know, but when we decide mine should be first, so your parents don’t call them before we have a chance to tell them,” Lia said.
“You’re right, if they find out from someone else they’ll kill us both. And with you still living there it’s them we have to convince we can do this,” Seth said.
Chapter 29
Seth went back to New York Sunday afternoon to work. They figured out some of the things they had to do and plans were in the works for their future. The main one was waiting for Jerry to get back to them on the scholarship. If he could get that it would make everything easier for them, but if not they’ll figure something else out.
Lia wanted to be able to go to her parents with their plans all mapped out. It’ll take time for them to get everything organized, time they so drastically needed. She wasn’t sure what their reaction would be. She just hoped they didn’t freak out.
Seth called her all the time now, before school, texted her during school, and few time after school he either called or texted her. She told him she was still finishing out this football season, which he was not happy about, but if he made too big of a stink about it, her parents would know something was wrong. He tried to get her to tell them sooner, but she refused.
It was Thursday morning the week after they found out when he called her in the morning and she had to run to the bathroom to throw up while on the phone with him. “Lia, is the morning sickness getting worse?”
“No not really, in fact this is the first time I had it since we found out. I think I just got out of bed to quick.”
“Lia is that you in the bathroom?” her Mom asked.
“Yeah Mom, I’ll be right out,” Lia called. “I have to go my Mom’s at the bathroom door.”
“Ok call me on the way to school,” Seth said.
Walking out of the bathroom her Mom asked, “Do you feel alright, I thought I heard you throwing up?”
“I’m fine Mom; I was just talking to Seth.”
“In the bathroom?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You take your phone with you when you go to the bathroom?”
“Yeah Mom, I have to get ready for school,” Lia said closing her bedroom door.
She punched Seth number into her phone; he picked up on the first ring, “What did your Mom say?”
“She asked if I was throwing up and I ignored her. She was more freaked that I took the phone in the bathroom with me than anything.” Changing the subject she said, “I stopped at Jerry’s house yesterday and took the paint samples. He picked out a few colors for the hallway and downstairs. What color do you want your bedroom?”
“I don’t know you pick it,” he said. “I’m more worried about you than the color of my room.”
“I’m fine like I said I haven’t been sick since the before the weekend. I found on line how to stop the morning sickness with keeping crackers and a protein by the bed and I’m doing that every morning and it seems to help. I better go in case she’s listening to me and I have to get ready for school.”
~~*~~
She was eating breakfast when her Mom walked in and said, “Lia you didn’t answer me where you throwing up this morning?”
“No, I told you I was talking to Seth and we were goofing around,” Lia lied.
“Mom, can I tell you something that you won’t repeat until Seth tells his parents?”
“That depends.”
“Mom I need your word you won’t tell his Mom. I know you have spoken to her since they moved.”
“Ok fine.”
“Seth’s going to move back here after the football season. He’s going to stay with Mr. Grayson. Mr. Grayson’s checking into getting him a scholarship to a university around here.”
“Seth must have said something to his Mom, because she mentioned that she didn’t think he was going to stay in New York.”
“Is she real upset about it?”
“She is and she isn’t, Seth and his Dad are at it all the time and she’s tired of all the fighting or the silent treatment they give each other. She loves him, but realizes his life is down here, you’re down here. I just wish you two would take it a little slower; you two are pushing for your lives together to start. Once you get there there’s no going back and you’ll wish you were back in high school.”
“Mom we’re not rushing through anything. Admitted we want to be together all the time, but in our defense we have been together all the time our whole lives. It’s not natural for us to be apart. We’re dealing with it pretty good I think.”
“I think you’re wearing yourself too thin with everything you two are trying to do, school, practices, games, working, and see each other on the weekends. You need to scale back on something. And if it’s not seeing Seth a weekend or two won’t kill you.”
“I’m not giving up seeing Seth. You can’t and you won’t stop me from seeing him ever! Any time I can be with him I will be!” Lia screamed storming out the door. She didn’t wait for Cris to take her to school, she started walking there, but she was so mad; she didn’t walk toward the school she went to the bus station. She purchased a ticket to New York. She sat at the bus station for forty-five minutes till it was time to board the bus.
She sat on the bus and wondered how long it would take for her to walk to Seth’s apartment. She would wait for him on the roof till he got out of school. While she was on the bus her brother called her. She didn’t pick up since he would be the one to realize she wasn’t at school. She really didn’t want to talk to him right now anyhow.
Twenty minutes later her phone rang again she didn’t look at it. She figured it was her brother again. Dozing on the bus she didn’t hear her phone ring again. She woke up and looked at her phone and saw that Seth called her twice. She dialed his number, but it went to his voice mail. He’s probably in class now.
As soon as she hung up her phone was ringing she answered it, but before she could says anything Seth yelled, “Lia where the hell are you? Cris said you stormed out of the house and didn’t go to school. What happened?”
“I’m on a bus to New York. My Mom started saying we needed to be apart for a while and tha
t we’re running ourselves ragged with all we’re doing and that something has to give and she said we have to stop seeing each other every weekend. She pissed me off and I jumped on a bus to see you. I was going to wait up on the roof of your apartment till you got home.”
“Lia why the hell would you do that? You’re gonna be in so much trouble and their gonna probably blame me. I’ll meet you at the bus station which one are you going to?”
“The Port Authority.”
“What time?”
“I think in about fifteen minutes,” she replied.
“Ok don’t go anywhere I’ll be there to pick you up. If I’m not there right away stay by the ticket counter.”
“I’m on a Greyhound bus, is the ticket counter right there?”
“I’m not sure, I was never there, but don’t wander around ok. I’m on my way, but traffic is bad in the city so it might take me longer.”
“Ok I’ll see you went the bus pulls in.”
Lia noticed a man watching her and she felt uncomfortable and was glad he heard that Seth was going to meet her at the bus station. He kept looking back at her; he was sitting in the row in front of her, but on the other side.
The bus actually took twenty five minutes to get to the station and she hoped that he was there to meet her. This guy was giving her the creeps. She was beginning to think this was not one her brainier ideas.
Her phone rang picking it up it was Seth, “Babe I’m here at the station, where are you?”
“We’re just pulling in now I guess it took longer than I thought. Can you meet me right at the bus?”
“Yeah let me find out where it’s pulling in at.” Seth said walking up to the Greyhound counter and asked, “The bus that’s pulling in now where is it? I have to meet someone on it?”
“The one from Pennsylvania or New Jersey?” the person behind the counter asked.
“Pennsylvania,” Seth replied.
“It’s pulling up in bay 27, which is right out this door and to the left,” she said.
“Ok Babe I’m walking down to it now,” he said into the phone.
As soon as the bus parked and opened the door Lia shot out of her seat and out of the bus. Seth was waiting for her and she wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on tight.
“Let’s get out of the here,” she said.
Once in his car he drove out of the city to a secluded back road. Pulling over he said, “Lia you can’t do this every time your parents say we can’t be together. I was going crazy not knowing where you where. When I go that call from Cris saying you and your mom got into it this morning and you weren’t at school I was freaking out. I left school and kept calling you, but you didn’t answer.”
“The first time it rang it was Cris so I thought all the others were him. I’m sorry I worried you, but I won’t stop seeing you whenever I can. They are not gonna break us up, they are not gonna make us see less of each other.”
“Babe you have to stop worrying about that, in fact I told my Mom I was moving back after football. So she knows and didn’t say too much, I think she’s probably relieved, I can’t stand my old man and we either fight or don’t talk to each other.”
“Yeah I know I guess our mom’s are talking to each other, because she told me the same thing and that your mom thought you were going to move back. They still think we’re too young for our relationship. How are they going to react when we tell them I’m pregnant? I started to think of that and the next thing I knew I was at the bus station getting a ticket to New York. This was really dumb of me. God I’m in so much trouble. Did Cris tell my Mom?”
“Yeah I think he did because we didn’t hear from you. Did you call Cris and tell him you knew where I was?”
“Yeah I called him; he was with your Mom so she knows.”
“Their all gonna be mad at me.”
“Yeah they are. Their probably coming up here to get you, and your Dad will probably will be with. Lia we have to tell them, it might be easier to tell them all together. My Dad’s at work so my Mom can tell him.”
“No I don’t want to say anything yet, give us more time to figure things out,” she panicked.
“Ok, but not much longer,” he said. He hugged her and asked, “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah a little,” she replied.
“We’ll find a place to stop and eat then we have to get back,” he said and started the car. He turned the car around and headed back to the city. They stop at a diner and sat in a booth side by side. After waitress took their order she put her head on his shoulder and he put his hand on her stomach caressing it. “You’re not feeling sick are you?”
“Nope, just hungry, but since when is that anything new?” she laughed. “Did Jerry get back to you about that scholarship yet?”
“No the last I heard he was waiting for the athletic director to call him back. I check out the school and it has a good athletic department and a good business department.”’
“Which college is it? The only one I know around is ESU. Is that the one?”
“Yeah, and the drive is less than an hour from the house so I can definitely commute there.”
“Once the baby is born where are we staying? Me at my house and you at Jerry’s still?”
“I think so; your parents won’t let you marry me until after graduation. I don’t want to get married hurriedly any way I want you to have a regular wedding, you deserve that,” he said.
“I don’t care about the ceremony I just want to be married to you,” Lia said.
“You will later, besides Uncle Stefan will be highly upset if he can’t cater it,” Seth said the last part jokingly.
The waitress brought their pancakes and eggs to them, both had a side of bacon and home fries to go with it. They were both finishing up when Seth’s phone rang. “Hello?” he said. “Yeah I’m with her now. We’re heading back to the city now. I can bring her home; you don’t have to come pick her up.” Seth listened for a moment and a frown appeared on his face. “Ok I’ll let her know, thanks Cris.”
“You parents are furious. They’re on the way to my apartment to get you and from what Cris said they are putting their foot down and won’t let you see me anymore, until after you graduate.”
Lia looked at him and turned white as a ghost and tears formed in her eyes. “They can’t do that. I’m seventeen years old! There’s no way I’m waiting around for two years to see you. Let’s runaway, get married then they can’t do anything to stop us.”
“No, but we are telling them today that your pregnant and that there’s no way they’re keeping us apart. This whole thing is going to blow up into a big mess, you know that.”
“I’m sorry Seth, I ruined everything,” she said crying on his shoulder.
Absently he rubbed her stomach trying to think what to do. A lot of things kept racing through his head, but one thing for sure he was not running away with her. “Lia we need to go back a face whatever they do, but they are not going to stop us from being together.”
Chapter 30
They rode the elevator up to his apartment, both were nervous; they didn’t know what was in store for them when they walked through the door. Seth held her hand tight, rubbing his thumb over her hand in repetitious motion. He couldn’t stand still; he fidgeted the whole time they stood in the elevator.
They looked at each other on the ride up. Seth noticed how pale she looked, “You alright? You look a little pale.”
“I’m scared. I don’t know what to do if they say I can’t see you. I really don’t want to tell them yet. I want all our plans in place before we tell them. Please don’t let them tear us apart,” she pleaded.
“I won’t let them do that. Let’s go in,” he said as they reached his door.
“I don’t want to,” she said as tears started down her face.
He pulled her to him and hugged her, “We have to. Don’t worry they will not separate us.”
Opening the door they walked in, both sets of parents were in the living room. He stopped and kissed her before they met their parents. “It’s going to be ok,” he whispered.
She nodded and they continued into the living room. The minute they stepped in her Mom started yelling, “How could you do that to me? When I got that call from the school that you weren’t there and Cris had no idea where you were I freaked out! You young lady are grounded and you won’t see Seth until after you graduate! You hear me!”
Lia didn’t say anything and first she just shrunk back into Seth. His arms automatically wrapped around her and he pulled her back as he stepped forward. Mr. Lombardi noticed the gesture and put his hand on his wife’s arm, “That’s a little harsh. There’s no way to keep them from each other, as you stated to me when they got engaged. I don’t like what you did today Lia and we were worried sick that something happened to you, and I don’t want it to happen again. You’ll be punished for a while, but not till you graduate.”
“I mean it, and don’t down play what she did!” Mrs. Lombardi said. “What do you have to say for yourself? Why did you runaway?”
“First off I didn’t runaway! You told me you were going to stop us from seeing each other and no way in hell I’m breaking up with Seth!” Lia screamed as her temper took over. “We’ll see each other when we can and neither of you are going to stop us. I’m sick and tired of the four of you trying to separate us! First it was you Dad treating him like shit, then they move here and you Mr. Rossetti try to set him up with someone else, then there’s you two mothers who I actually thought were on our side talking and saying how we spend too much time together. You know it’s real funny how when we were small it was real cute how we liked each other, but now that we love each other and want to be married you’re trying to break us up! We love each other and we WILL be married and we will keep this baby!” Lia screamed.
She realized what she said and looked at Seth in horror and ran out of the apartment as Stephan was walking in, “I see I came at the right time,” Stephan said.
Seth didn’t wait to explain anything to anyone as he ran out the apartment after her. She was getting into the elevator as he rounded the corner and jumped in the elevator as it was closing. She hit the button to go up to the top floor and sagged against the wall crying hysterically. Seth pulled her up and held on to her, he walked her out of the elevator and up the steps to the roof.