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Ethan turned away and wiped his hand over his face in agitation before turning to face Josh once more and announcing bluntly, “Ava’s pregnant.”
Josh felt that like a sucker-punch to the gut, but he tried like hell to show no emotion that would upset his friend. He had no fucking idea what to say. “Dude.”
Ethan briefly closed his eyes before opening them and staring at Josh, with a pulse ticking in his cheek. “I know, right?”
A moment of anger toward Ethan bled through Josh, and he knew in his heart that this was no time for recriminations, but what the hell? How could you be so fucking irresponsible as to get your girlfriend pregnant? Josh knew he shouldn’t say anything, he tried like hell to keep his mouth closed, but he absolutely couldn’t stop the words that spilled from his lips. “What the fuck, man?”
Ethan gave him a look that would have scared the shit out of a lesser man. “Don’t start with me, Turner. I really don’t need any more crap right now. You have no idea the kind of shit I’ve been going through.”
Josh took a deep breath and tried to let it go but couldn’t. However, he managed to control his voice and to speak in a reasonable tone. “Okay, fine. I get it. But what the hell? Did the condom bust, or what?”
“No, I forget the fucking thing. Just once. Just one fucking time. I forgot.”
“How the hell do you forget something like that?” Josh spit out the question.
Ethan gave him a blistering stare. “Because it’s different, motherfucker, when you love ‘em. You know?” Ethan’s words stalled and he studied Josh as his lips flattened. “When you’re just banging a girl you care nothing about, hell no, you won’t forget a goddamn condom. But when you’re fucking obsessed? When she’s yours and yours alone and you’re fucking crazy-in-love and you think you’re going to die if you can’t get it in? You sometimes forget! Shit. Would you fucking let it go and stop acting like my father and start acting like my goddamn friend?”
Josh lifted his hands in agreement but as understanding hit, an internal light came on and a danger sign began screaming in his head. He believed what Ethan was saying, but it hadn’t really occurred to Josh that you could forget a condom. Sure, he knew assholes who didn’t like to use them, and who claimed to forget, but to actually forget? How could you forget when the last thing you wanted to do was get a girl pregnant? It had been a year since he’d had sex, but he’d never come even remotely close to forgetting a condom in the past. But with Hannah? Yeah, he could suddenly see how fucked up and possessive-crazy could lead to forgetting a condom with her. And the thought was terrifying. What if Hannah got pregnant? Shit, if she got pregnant now, she wouldn’t even come close to finishing high school. Josh took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on Ethan. “How long have you known?”
“For sure? Since yesterday. But we’ve been worried for over a week.” Ethan’s eyes narrowed and he looked off into the distance.
“Do her parents know?” Josh asked.
“Yeah … fuck yeah.” Ethan’s eyes shut for a moment, his distress easily apparent.
“And yours?” Josh questioned.
“Yeah.”
Josh expelled a low breath as he was jolted by another thought. “Has Ava told Hannah yet?”
Ethan answered curtly, “No. She knows y’all aren’t doing it and I think she’s embarrassed.”
Josh understood that, but he didn’t think it was anything that Hannah couldn’t handle. “What are y’all gonna do?”
“I want to marry her.” Ethan responded in a voice that dripped determination.
Josh nodded his head in agreement. “Sounds about right. She’s already seventeen, right?”
“Yeah. She started school late because of that heart thing when she was a little kid. She’ll be eighteen right before the baby is due … like a few weeks before.”
“So when’s the wedding?” Josh asked.
“It’s not. Her parents want her to give the baby up for adoption. Jesus Christ, they’ve even used the abortion word.” Ethan’s hand visibly shook as he ran it threw his hair.
“What?” Josh was completely shocked; he’d known the Andersons for years. Nothing would have ever made him believe they’d try to get Ava to terminate the pregnancy.
The lines around Ethan’s mouth became even more pronounced and his voice reflected the pain he was feeling. “They want her to abort our baby.”
Josh shook his head, trying to understand. “Ava’s in love with you, dude. Or so Hannah says. You’re not just some random guy she hooked up with.”
“I know. We’re together for good, you know? But they won’t let her marry me.”
“She wants to keep the baby, right?”
“Oh hell, yes. Don’t get me wrong. She’s not happy she’s pregnant. But she definitely wants to keep the baby, yeah.”
“They can’t make her abort it, can they?”
“No. But they’ve threatened to not let her see me anymore.”
“Christ,” Josh muttered.
“I know. This is our baby we’re talking about here. Mine and Ava’s … and her parents are acting like it’s … just nothing.” Ethan paused and took a deep breath, “We’ve talked about waiting until she’s eighteen to get married, and I guess that’s what we’l
l do. We can get married before the baby’s born … you know, so it won’t be illegitimate.”
Josh rubbed his temples, trying to ease the frustration he was feeling that he knew was not even a tenth of what Ethan was dealing with. “That’s cutting it really close.”
“I realize that, but there’s nothing else we can do.”
Suddenly it hit Josh how messed up the situation was. “Dude, what about your scholarship?”
“Fall camp starts next week. I’ve got five fucking days to decide if I’m going.”
Josh’s mouth went slack at what he saw as a huge mistake if Ethan didn’t go to fall football camp. He spoke emphatically, “You have to go—”
Ethan interrupted, “How the fuck can I leave Ava?” As soon as the words were out, Ethan’s shoulders sagged and he stared down at the ground.
“That’s been your plan the entire time,” Josh argued. “You get your education on a football scholarship. Ava knows that. Y’all were going to try a long-distance relationship before. I know it’s going to be hard, but this isn’t about football anymore—”
“It’s never been about fucking football … it’s always been about getting a degree.”
“Okay, well, now that degree is going to be more imperative than ever. You’re going to have a family, dude. You’ve got to be able to support them.”
The look on Ethan’s face was anguished as he shook his head. “I can’t just leave her.”
Josh saw the dejection etched on Ethan’s face and tried to reason with him gently but firmly. “You need to get your head screwed on straight and get Ava behind you on this. You’ve got four years of school that you have to get through. You know how many people would kill to be in your position right now? I get that it’s always been about the education, and it should be, but goddamn Ethan, you’re talented. A&M scouted you. You have NFL written all over you. You want to be a rich fucking bastard and have Ava and a family, or do you want to be poor as shit flipping fucking burgers your entire life and trying to support them? Ava loves you, dude. She’s a good girl, man, a smart girl. She’ll get behind you on this.”
