Juilliard or Else (44 page)

"Abigail, do you even realize what you're getting yourself into with that boy? He can't take care of you. He's gonna use you, use your money, from us I might add, then he's going to dump you so fast. He's just like his father."

Whoa, what?!

"What are you talking about, just like his father?" I asked, confused at her statement.

Then, clapping echoed in the small hallway behind Carol. She turned and we watched a guy applaud to us as he approached us. His brown hair was long and greasy; he had a full beard with very raggedy clothes that needed to be washed or thrown away.

Carol stepped back and stood next to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me back to my dad and away from this stranger.

"Caroline, we meet again," the guy said, taking a bow. Just like something out of an old novel. Who bows nowadays?

Carol was silent, but my dad spoke up, "And who are you?"

"Ah, forgive me, kind sir." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Kyle Tucker, Sr."

Tucker's dad. He just said he hadn't seen him for a while. What was he doing here all of the sudden?

My dad extended around me and shook his hand. "David McCall."

"Yes, I've heard of you sir and is this your lovely daughter?" He eyed me and I took another step back, walking on my dad's toes.

"Yes, this is Abigail McCall and my wife Carol."

"I know Caroline all too well, as one might say." He said while raising a brow at me. "I'm looking for my son, Kyle Jr. Do you know where he is?"

"He's in there right now, meeting with a lawyer."

"He doesn't need a lawyer. Room number?"

My dad nodded in the direction. "The last door on the left."

"Thank you, Caroline. Nice to see you again." Then he bowed again and left.

Seriously, who bows?

"How do you know Tucker's dad?" I asked, facing Carol.

She stared right into my eyes. "He was the mistake I made, the same mistake you're making right now with the same Tucker bloodlines. He was the one who got me knocked up and then destroyed my life. I can't have kids because of that man. He is nothing but trouble. I found out who Tucker was when you brought him home for Thanksgiving. He's the spitting image of his deadbeat father. I could spot that face anywhere and his rotten offspring."

From the information I just gathered, Carol knew Tucker's dad from way back when. He had beaten her, gotten her pregnant, and then she got an abortion. Her parents made her. He was the guy, and he was Tucker's dad? My head started to spin; they shared the same long brown hair, same blue eyes. My stomach started to turn, but not from the anxiety I usually had when Carol was around me. It was from the baby. Our baby…the baby that comes from that same Tucker blood line. I started to get dizzy as my head swam around. My throat opened up and I spotted a trash can near the drinking fountains. I barely made it before I threw up all over the floor.

I slumped down onto the floor, death gripping the garbage can as my head started to sweat. My dad handed me a cup of water from the fountain.

"You alright, angel?" I just nodded, which upset my stomach some more and I emptied my stomach into the trash bin.

"Abigail, you should at least go to the ladies room," she snapped.

"Carol, stop it!" my dad barked with his narrowed brown eyes.

I swished the water around in my mouth to get rid of the acid taste in my mouth when I heard a vague voice coming up from the hall.

"You just don't learn, do ya? Stupid kid."

I looked up to see the two Tuckers walking towards us. My dad crouched down by my side, rubbing my knee, while Carol stood at my feet, tapping her foot with her high heel; the sound was irritating my head. And I was sprawled out on the floor with a gross smelling garbage can between my legs.

I spit the water out as I watched Tucker rub his wrists back and forth from where the handcuffs were placed. When he saw me in my current state, he didn't do anything. He didn't come for me to see if I'm alright; he didn't even give me that Tucker smile with the dimple.

Nothing.

"Well, Caroline, it was certainly nice to see you again. Let's not make it twenty years before the next visit, sugar." Tucker Sr. looked down at me. "You look pale, child, but pregnancy agrees with you."

He tugged on Tucker's gray hoodie and my mouth hung open as they walked right past us. And Tucker didn't even look back at me. Tears willingly went down my face as I watched him leave the building, out the front doors. He was gone.

My heart literally broke right then.

"Abigail, explain. Tell me this isn't true." Carol's foot started to tap faster as she waited for me to answer her.

I dropped my head down and cried into my shirt as my heart shattered. Tucker left me with his dad who knew Carol. Obviously, Tucker told him I was pregnant or he wouldn't have said anything. Tucker didn't even have the decency to look at me as he walked by.

I continued to cry my broken heart out at the loss of the man I loved and he just left me here while Carol and my dad fought.

It had been three weeks since I saw Tucker, after he left me crying on the floor in the police hallway. Once my dad and Carol cooled down enough, they took me back to the apartment, which I was alone in. I cried myself to sleep that night, and then woke up with Jade curled into my side. Jade's shell was securely built up around her; she wouldn't talk to anyone except for me.

We were excused from school to help Trish with Rachel's funeral, which was not easy. Trish was the biggest mess of all that next day. She screamed at me, then Jade, while she threw Rachel's things all over her room, finally collapsing on the floor in an emotional mess. Jade and I stayed by her side at the mourning of her only child. Trish slept in her bed, curled up in Rachel's blankets, and then neatly folded her clothes into boxes. It only took Trish four screaming days when the room was finally emptied and Rachel's things were put away. However, Trish was ready to plan the funeral.

Rachel's funeral turned out to be so beautiful and peaceful. White and pink roses filled the church as the priest said a few kind words. Jade gave a very inspirational talk on best friends, and how this life didn't end but continued on, and how she would see her friends again. Rachel look so at peace in the coffin, her gorgeous red hair around her face on the soft white pillows, bright red lipstick on, which was Rachel's favorite.

Surprising everyone, Trish stood up at the pulpit to say a few words, the minister holding her hand the entire time for balance.

"Rachel had many dreams that won't get to be fulfilled in this life. But I know she is in a better place, where all her dreams can come true. Rachel was my baby girl, with so many accomplishments; she wanted to be like me." Trish sobbed into the microphone.

That's when I broke down. Rachel wanted to move to L.A. to start her acting career she worked so hard for at Juilliard and she wouldn't have that; she would never get that chance.

When the service was over, the pallbearers carried the coffin. Some ushered out Trish, who had a death grip on Jade's hand, but Jade wouldn't let go of me. Us three walked behind Rachel's silver coffin as we headed outside. At the back of the church, I saw Jett and Brad. To be honest, Brad looked like hell. He looked like he hasn't slept in five years. His eyes were swollen and puffy with bags underneath them. I personally think Brad and Rachel were getting closer and closer. Losing her probably hurt him just as much as us.

I kept my head down as we passed them, not caring to look for Tucker or not. I knew he wouldn't be there. I called him a few times, but the calls went straight to voicemail. Jade told me that Jett hasn't heard or seen Tucker since that night. My heart broke that I wouldn't see him again—that he was gone for good. I didn't want to believe it, but when each day passed and didn't hear from him, I started to believe that he wasn't coming back. He didn't want anything to do with me, or his baby.

The burial service was exquisite, with all the flowers from the church surrounding her grave site as her coffin slowly lowered into the ground. Rachel was ready to rest in peace. Trish cried out as she said goodbye to her daughter one last time, tossing a single white rose into her grave. Jade kept her arm looped through mine until we crashed on my bed together. We shut the world out for a couple of days, only answering calls from our parents. People from school tried to call, left us messages with their condolences. Jett sent over flowers for the both of us, but kept his distance. I sent him a text, telling him thank you for the flowers, and Jade didn't respond to him.

We were out on the balcony having our mourning time; while Jade smoked on the opposite side of me, I sipped on hot chocolate.

"I'm going to go see a doctor about my cutting. Will you come with me?" Jade flicked her butt over the rail.

I almost spit out my cocoa, "You sure?" I asked facing her.

She quickly wiped the tears from her face. "Yes. Rachel would have wanted me to." She sniffed and I pulled her into my arms.

Two days later, we were both sitting in Dr. Walter's office a therapist for Jade. When Jade told her dad, he was so happy for her, he cried. I was so happy for Jade. I controlled my binging to a minim, but morning sickness hit harder for me every day. Usually when I would talk to Carol, my stomach would twist and turn; when she would get a little out of control, I would race to the bathroom. Jade helped me by pulling the phone away from my ear and stuffing the little device under the pillow for five-ten seconds, then let me have it again when I got my breathing under control and the nausea settled down.

We grew closer every day, leaning on each other for support though this difficult time.

"Jaiden Monroe?" A lady asked in the waiting room and we both stood up. "I'm sorry, only Jaiden please." The lady announced, holding up a hand at me to stop.

Jade stopped dead in her tracks, "No, she comes or I go," telling her firmly and taking a hold of my hand.

The lady inhaled a deep breath through her nose, "Alright, come on."

We walked down the hallway with dimmed lights, touched up with a light colored gray for the paint and very colorful pictures hanging up on the walls. Trying to make you feel at ease I'm sure, but little did that work for Jade and I.

We entered a dark gray color office, with an older man sitting behind his desk, not looking up as he spoke.

"Ladies, please take a seat."

We both sat on the leather couch, holding hands. Jade's body went stiff as the doctor put down his pen from writing and finally looked up at us.

"Ladies. How are we today?"

"Fine." We said at the same time and Jade's hand tightened in mine.

"Well, let's start shall we?" He got up from his chair and moved around to the matching leather set in front of us.

Neither of us saying anything, he started. "I'm Dr. Walters." He sniffed then reached into his pocket for a hanky, blew his nose, which made me sick because of the sound, then stuffing his dirty hanky back in his pocket. Dr. Walters was a very much older man with white hair, thick glasses, and a very large belly.

"What brings you here today, Jaiden?"

"It's Jade for starters."

I stifled my giggle.

"My apologies Jade. What brings you here today?"

She looked at me with unshed tears, I nodded, "I'm right here," I whispered. Jade looked back at the doctor and let her words flow right out. Nothing was stopping her. She explained her mother's death, her step mother and how rotten she is. She even told him about her cutting, which brought her here, because our friend Rachel. She would have wanted Jade to have gotten help. Jade knew it was wrong to do it, but she embraced the pain. She went on about meeting Jett, how he's helped her along the way, but losing Rachel was something that hurt her so badly, she couldn't go through with it any more. So she decided it was time to get the true help she needed.

Dr. Walter's wrote some things down, clearing his throat then handed us a box of tissues as we were both in tears. I sobbed for Jade, with her being so strong at this moment for her. Plus, being three months pregnant wasn't helping my hormones. They came crashing down around me like a ton of bricks. When Jade felt like she was done explaining everything to Dr. Walter's, he turned to me.

"Abigail dear, you play an important role in Jade's life. You are like her security blanket. I see her holding your hand, looking at you for approval. You're her rock. How does that make you feel?"