Prince's P.O.V.
I went to bed that night, but Elle never showed up. I missed the warmth of her body lying next to me, the shallow breaths that filled the room, the sweet smell of her hair in my nostrils. I just wanted to talk to her, to work things out and make everything better.
Ok, so maybe I overreacted with Elle. But she was really starting to piss me off. Why did she tell her mom that she wanted to keep the baby if she didn't know? The truth was, I didn't know if I wanted to have the baby, either. Hearing her talk about it made me realize that this was going to be harder than I thought. Uncertainty kept me up for most of the night.
Elle tip-toed into my room early that morning, rumaging through her bags.
"Oops. Sorry to wake you." She said starting to walk out of the room with a toothbrush.
"Wait- Elle! Stay. I want to talk." I said standing up quickely. She stopped walking, turned around, crossed her arms, pursed her lips and lifted her eyebrows up.
"About what?" She asked.
"The baby."
"Well I don't want to talk about that." She replied and continued to walk to the door. I ran infront of her and blocked her way of getting out. "Move, Prince." She said coldly. I stood my ground.
"Why don't you want to talk about it?" I asked.
"Will you yell at me again?"
"No. I'm sorry." I replied.
"You won't move, will you?" She questioned. I shook my head no. Elle sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting at the edge.
"Have you made a decision yet?"
"No." She replied. Anger started to grow in me.
"How hard can it be?!" I asked, trying to control myself.
"You have no idea." Elle stated. Something was in her voice that I've never heard before. It was like sincerety but pain and confusion mixed into it.
"Well don't I get a say in it?" I asked.
"Yes, you do."
"Then why won't you let me?" I started to sound more cold.
"BECAUSE I ALSO HAVE A SAY IN IT, PRINCE." Elle had finally snapped. She was like that. She'd try to contain herself, but, like everyone else, she had her limit.
"Well then, why don't you want to keep it?" I asked, finally starting to sound nicer.
"Because what the hell are we supposed to do when it comes, Prince? This is a kid were talking about. Not a puppy, not a cat. We can't back out of it when the baby comes. We're sixteen for heavens sake! What? Will we move in with each other? Get married? What if things between us don't work out again like last time? What about school, huh? What about the media? Paparazzi? We have NOTHING figured out. It's not fair to the baby. When it comes to this, were two idiot's trying to find their way in the dark." Elle spat.
"Wow. I never thought of it like that." I sighed, sitting down next to her.
"Of course you didn't." She replied, got up, and left.
"You know, she's right." Jaafar said walking in with Paris.
"Were you guys listening the whole time?" I asked annoyed.
"Yupp. I don't get why you're so pissed, Prince. I know you want to keep it, but she's still deciding. She has to carry a baby around for nine months. She has to give birth to it. You haven't looked at all the aspects of the whole situation. She has. I mean, what happen's when the kid's seven months old and you finally realize that you guys shouldn't of had the kid? What? You put it up for adoption? That would tear you both apart, and you know it. It may seem like an easy decision to you, but it's not." Paris said, holding onto my hand.
"Nicely said, cuz." Jaafar patted Paris on the back.
"I understand all of that-" I answered, being interrupted as I shook my head.
"No. No, you don't. If you understood it, the decision making wouldn't be easy." Jaafar said.
"Why are you guy's trying to convince me to not want the baby?" I asked.
"Were not trying to convince you. In fact, I'm almost as excited as you are about the kid. But we just want to make sure this is really what you want to do. It's an enormous responsibility. It's like taking care of Blanket for everyday of your life, times ten." Paris replied intensely. I finally started to get it. Why Elle was taking everything so seriously. In my mind, it was like having a new baby cousin. You'd hold it and kiss it while it falls asleep, but once it starts crying or needs food or a diaper change, you pass it on to the responsible one. But with this kid, it would be mine. Our's. We will be the responsible one's. We will be the one's that the kid come's running to for help in tears.
"Prince? You alright?" Jaafar asked, shaking me gently. I snapped out of my trance.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking." I answered their questioned looks. "I gotta go." I added, walking out of the room, searching for Elle. When I finally found her, she was sitting at the edge of the pool, her feet sticking into the water. I quietly walked to her side and sat next to her. I slowly let my feet fall into the pool, letting the cold water wrap around my legs.
"I'm sorry." I whispered. She just looked down, staring at the little tan she got on her feet from flip flops. "I was horrible. I can't believe how harsh I was, Elle. I'm truely sorry."
"It's ok." She replied, a smile slowely evolving on her face.
"No, it's not ok! I'm sorry I rushed you into deciding. Just take as much time as you need." I said holding onto her hand.
"I've already made my decision."
I went to bed that night, but Elle never showed up. I missed the warmth of her body lying next to me, the shallow breaths that filled the room, the sweet smell of her hair in my nostrils. I just wanted to talk to her, to work things out and make everything better.
Ok, so maybe I overreacted with Elle. But she was really starting to piss me off. Why did she tell her mom that she wanted to keep the baby if she didn't know? The truth was, I didn't know if I wanted to have the baby, either. Hearing her talk about it made me realize that this was going to be harder than I thought. Uncertainty kept me up for most of the night.
Elle tip-toed into my room early that morning, rumaging through her bags.
"Oops. Sorry to wake you." She said starting to walk out of the room with a toothbrush.
"Wait- Elle! Stay. I want to talk." I said standing up quickely. She stopped walking, turned around, crossed her arms, pursed her lips and lifted her eyebrows up.
"About what?" She asked.
"The baby."
"Well I don't want to talk about that." She replied and continued to walk to the door. I ran infront of her and blocked her way of getting out. "Move, Prince." She said coldly. I stood my ground.
"Why don't you want to talk about it?" I asked.
"Will you yell at me again?"
"No. I'm sorry." I replied.
"You won't move, will you?" She questioned. I shook my head no. Elle sighed and walked over to the bed, sitting at the edge.
"Have you made a decision yet?"
"No." She replied. Anger started to grow in me.
"How hard can it be?!" I asked, trying to control myself.
"You have no idea." Elle stated. Something was in her voice that I've never heard before. It was like sincerety but pain and confusion mixed into it.
"Well don't I get a say in it?" I asked.
"Yes, you do."
"Then why won't you let me?" I started to sound more cold.
"BECAUSE I ALSO HAVE A SAY IN IT, PRINCE." Elle had finally snapped. She was like that. She'd try to contain herself, but, like everyone else, she had her limit.
"Well then, why don't you want to keep it?" I asked, finally starting to sound nicer.
"Because what the hell are we supposed to do when it comes, Prince? This is a kid were talking about. Not a puppy, not a cat. We can't back out of it when the baby comes. We're sixteen for heavens sake! What? Will we move in with each other? Get married? What if things between us don't work out again like last time? What about school, huh? What about the media? Paparazzi? We have NOTHING figured out. It's not fair to the baby. When it comes to this, were two idiot's trying to find their way in the dark." Elle spat.
"Wow. I never thought of it like that." I sighed, sitting down next to her.
"Of course you didn't." She replied, got up, and left.
"You know, she's right." Jaafar said walking in with Paris.
"Were you guys listening the whole time?" I asked annoyed.
"Yupp. I don't get why you're so pissed, Prince. I know you want to keep it, but she's still deciding. She has to carry a baby around for nine months. She has to give birth to it. You haven't looked at all the aspects of the whole situation. She has. I mean, what happen's when the kid's seven months old and you finally realize that you guys shouldn't of had the kid? What? You put it up for adoption? That would tear you both apart, and you know it. It may seem like an easy decision to you, but it's not." Paris said, holding onto my hand.
"Nicely said, cuz." Jaafar patted Paris on the back.
"I understand all of that-" I answered, being interrupted as I shook my head.
"No. No, you don't. If you understood it, the decision making wouldn't be easy." Jaafar said.
"Why are you guy's trying to convince me to not want the baby?" I asked.
"Were not trying to convince you. In fact, I'm almost as excited as you are about the kid. But we just want to make sure this is really what you want to do. It's an enormous responsibility. It's like taking care of Blanket for everyday of your life, times ten." Paris replied intensely. I finally started to get it. Why Elle was taking everything so seriously. In my mind, it was like having a new baby cousin. You'd hold it and kiss it while it falls asleep, but once it starts crying or needs food or a diaper change, you pass it on to the responsible one. But with this kid, it would be mine. Our's. We will be the responsible one's. We will be the one's that the kid come's running to for help in tears.
"Prince? You alright?" Jaafar asked, shaking me gently. I snapped out of my trance.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just thinking." I answered their questioned looks. "I gotta go." I added, walking out of the room, searching for Elle. When I finally found her, she was sitting at the edge of the pool, her feet sticking into the water. I quietly walked to her side and sat next to her. I slowly let my feet fall into the pool, letting the cold water wrap around my legs.
"I'm sorry." I whispered. She just looked down, staring at the little tan she got on her feet from flip flops. "I was horrible. I can't believe how harsh I was, Elle. I'm truely sorry."
"It's ok." She replied, a smile slowely evolving on her face.
"No, it's not ok! I'm sorry I rushed you into deciding. Just take as much time as you need." I said holding onto her hand.
"I've already made my decision."