Fifteen-year-old Samantha Sawyer lives in Daytona, Florida with her folks, Frederick & Sandra, and her two older sisters, Amanda & Erika. They live in a six-bedroom house. Samantha and Amanda share the same room since it had twin beds. They love that. The final room is the guestroom in case any of the girls' friends sleepover or if one of them gets sick.

Samantha has four friends, Vanessa, Michael, Melissa, and Tonya. She even has a boyfriend, Jordan. They use birth control to be on the safe side, but Samantha decided to be responsible and raise her baby if she ever does get pregnant without exploring other options. She's about to start ninth grade at Daytona High School in September. She's an honor roll students with A plusses and plans on going to college. She's not too sure where just yet. She was born on March 17, 1980.

Erika is 16. She was born on October 28, 1978 and will be turning 17 this year. She's going to be a junior. Her boyfriend is Mike. They agreed to get married before having sex. She works for Payless Shoe Store.

Amanda, who's about to start college, is 17 going on 18. She was born on August 3, 1977. She received a scholarship for Daytona Community College. She works for Subway and will continue during college so she can use her earnings for textbooks. Her boyfriend is Patrick. She wants to finish education and start a career before starting a family. She's going to study to be a teacher. She loves children.

Samantha hasn't been feeling well lately. Her stomach would bug her. On top of that, she feels nauseous.

She was shopping to buy birthday gifts for Vanessa, who's turning 15 on July 5th. She's having a party at her house that day. Her family would be coming. Samantha and her sisters decided to put their gifts together. She knows what Vanessa likes. The party is in three days.

Vanessa has diabetes and she's very good at handling it. She was drinking a lot and would feel tired. When Samantha got concerned, she brought Vanessa to the nurse's office to inform her mom right away. That was when she found out she was diabetic. Vanessa was glad Samantha, who got an award for being a great friend from the principal, did something right otherwise she'd be like that all day. That was when they were in middle school.

Later, at home, Samantha noticed she never started her period at all. She went to the family planning clinic in a flash with Amanda. Samantha spoke to a doctor alone about the signs she was having. That was when she learned she was pregnant. She was only seven weeks and will be due on March 13, 1996, shortly before she turns 16.

They talked about options, but Samantha already knew what to do; keeping her baby to fix her mistake.

"Aren't you too young to have a baby?" asked the doctor.

"Well... I promised myself I would do the responsible thing and raise my baby," explained Samantha.

On the way home, Samantha told Amanda the news.

"I'm scared to tell Mom and Dad," said Samantha.

"I'm sure you'd do fine. They'd be glad you went to them to tell them so they can help you," said Amanda.

"I'm planning to raise the child anyway," said Samantha.

"Are you sure you don't want to explore any other options first?" asked Amanda.

"Positive. I always told myself that's what I would do to fix my mistake," Samantha told her sister. "Mom works for a graveyard shift at a nursing home, so I'm sure she'll help out to baby-sit while I'm in school and while doing homework or study. I don't count on Dad since he works. You and Erika each have jobs, so I won't expect you either of you."

"That's okay. We can help out at night," said Amanda. "I work from 11:00am to 8:00pm. My hours will be different when I start college. Most of them are after my final class. I already had a schedule and I'm showing to my boss so he'll know. Classes begin in late August."

They talked about when will be the best time to tell their parents. Samantha came up with a plan.

That night, Samantha went in the living room where her parents were watching TV and said, "Is it a good time to talk about something?"

"Sure. What's up? You were pretty quiet during dinner," said Frederick.

"I'm pregnant," replied Samantha. "I was worried on how you would react."

"It's okay to tell us anything, honey," said Sandra.

"I'm going to raise the child to fix my error since I promised myself that's what I would do," said Samantha.

"It's good to be responsible," said Sandra.

"Some teens do that unless they change their minds to complete their education first," said Frederick.

"I'm still planning to attend college, but I'm not so sure where yet," said Samantha.

"I'll be willing to help you by baby-sit while you're in school, do your homework, and so you can study since I work from 11:00pm to 7:00am," said Sandra.

"Okay, sounds great. I don't want to count on Dad since he works and might be tired after he comes home from work. Amanda said she and Erika can help out, too. Mom goes to bed at 8:00pm for two hours before she leaves for work," said Samantha.

"We can use the guest room for the nursery room," said Sandra.

"Good idea," agreed her daughter.

"When are you due?" asked Frederick.

"March 13, 1996, just four days before my birthday," said Samantha.

"Would Jordan want to help you as well?" asked Frederick.

"I'm sure he can. I'll have to inform him. I'll be seeing him at the party, so I'll tell him then. I'll also let my friends know," answered Samantha. "We plan to hang-out at the mall after the party since it's from 1:00 to 3:00pm. I might actually wait until then to tell them."

"That would be the best time to do so," commented her father.

After they talked, Samantha felt better to have support from her parents.

The next day, Samantha felt nauseous.

"It's a morning sickness. It happens to any pregnant women. It's normal. I had that feeling while I expecting you and your older sisters," explained Sandra. "Then, I'd feel fine afterward."

"Oh," said Samantha.

"You can ask me about anything if you have any questions," said Sandra.

"Okay, sounds like a good plan to me," agreed her daughter.

She had water and felt better after 10 to 20 minutes. She was glad she can count on her mother on anything. She was off from work for the week and would go back to work on Sunday. She likes the night shift to spend time with her family during the day. She's been there for over 20 years. She wanted to do it ever since she was a child. Daytona Nursing Home is her first job. She doesn't plan to change at all. She loves her co-workers, boss, and all of the residents. Some even died while she works the graveyard shift.

Samantha's thinking of being a dentist, eye doctor, or hairstylist. She'll decide when she applies for college.

Two days later, Samantha left by 12:45 pm with her sisters who were going to the party. They before 12:55 pm since Vanessa's house is only 15 minutes away by car. The party started five minutes later.

The group went in the pool for a bit before it was time for cake. The theme was The BackStreet Boys. Vanessa loved it. That was what she wanted. After they had cake, Vanessa opened her presents and enjoyed them. After the party has ended, the group left about 10 minutes after the guests did to go to the mall like they planned.

At the mall, Samantha told her friends and Jordan the news.

"Wow. How come you didn't tell us at the party?" asked Vanessa.

"I wanted to wait until now and my parents agreed that I should," replied Samantha. "I'm only seven weeks and I'll be due right before I turn 16."

"That's cool," said Melissa.

Jordan had no idea what to expect.

"Would you be willing to help?" asked Samantha. "I decided to raise the child to fix that mistake."

"Well... I suppose you're right. Okay, I'll help out," said Jordan.

"At least you would unlike any guys," said Vanessa as the others agreed.

"And, I'm sure we'd do great," added Samantha.

"That's true," said Jordan.

He knew he can raise the child to fix his mistake although he felt bad. That's what he told her.

"Mistakes do happen," Samantha pointed out. "No one is perfect."

They ate in the food court before they decided to see a movie.

After that, Amanda picked the group up and brought them home except for Vanessa who was sleeping over. She already had permission.

The girls did makeover by painting each other's nails and played with each other's hair. They both had braids after they got comfy in their nightgowns. They watched two more movies. They chatted about everything. They didn't go to bed until it was around 11:00pm. They whispered until they both fell asleep 10 to 20 minutes later.

 

2: Chapter 2

The next day, Vanessa and Samantha had breakfast before Vanessa's mother came for her by 10:00 am.

"Perhaps, I should get a part-time job to support myself, the baby, and Jordan," said Samantha.

"You can work with me at the flea market weekends," said Sandra. "I'll talk to my boss."

"Okay," said Samantha.

"I get $8 per hour since I work from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekends including Fridays," said Sandra. "So, we'd get 24 hours. Flea markets open on Friday through Sunday only. I make about $192 each weekend."

Sandra works for the snack bar. She takes orders and cash people out. She also give them the orders.

"You can customers their orders so that I can take orders and cash them out," said Sandra.

"I like that idea," said Samantha. "When do you get paid?"

"Fridays, I always get paid the weekend after I work. I get the check at the end of the shift because we're packed," answered her mother. "Also, we get a raise if we work very hard."

"Good enough. I wonder who would watch the child when you're there on Fridays? I didn't think of that. We don't need to hire a sitter. We don't need a daycare either since you're home during the day," said Samantha.

"I think a baby-sitter would be good. We can wait until I talk to my boss," said Sandra.

"Okay," said Samantha. "I'll have to search for one. Amanda works from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, so she can take over after she returns from work."

She went to speak to her sister.

"Actually, I work from 3:00 to 8:00 pm on Fridays until I start college," said Amanda.

"My shift is from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm every Friday, so I can take over before Amanda goes off to work. That way you won't need to hire a sitter," added Erika.

"Perfect," said Samantha. "Thanks. Only for one thing: the child would be born during the school year, so I can use a sitter during that time and you girls can be sitters over the summer."

"Alright," said the girls.

"I wonder if I should wait until the date gets closer in case I get a miscarriage," said Samantha.

"Good idea," said Erika.

"Yeah," agreed Amanda.

Later, Samantha felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want anything.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Sandra.

"I'm just feeling sick to my stomach," replied Samantha.

"Do you want soup to settle your stomach, sweetie?" asked Sandra. "You can have any type of soup."

"Sure. Perhaps, I'll have water. I'm not nauseous, thank god," said Samantha. "That's all I care about."

"Okay," said Sandra.

"Do we have Chicken Noodle Soup? If so, I'll have that," said Samantha.

"We do have it," responded her mother.

She cooked some and Samantha ate fine. She had two bowls.

"May I leave the table to go lie down?" asked Samantha.

"Yes, of course you can," said Sandra.

Samantha got up and went to her room to get some rest.

She slept for two hours and felt better after that. She came out to the living room to join her family.

"How are you feeling after you slept for a long time?" asked Sandra.

"Better, thankfully," answered Samantha.

"Good," said Sandra.

"I know," agreed Samantha.

They were watching some TV for awhile. Samantha went to bed a few hours later because she was getting drained. She didn't hear her sister coming in to bed about an hour later. She was already sleeping.

The next day, Samantha went to the flea market with her mother and talked to the manager, Mrs. Rita Young.

"Of course she can join you. It's a fine idea. I don't blame you for talking to me about it," said Mrs. Young.

"Thank you. When can I start?" asked Samantha.

"It doesn't matter. If you want to start now, you can," replied the manager.

She was able to begin right away. She was quick giving customers the orders. The snack bar was packed. She took over the cash machine when her mother went on for her break. She was impressed on how fast her daughter was taking orders and cashing people out. Mrs. Young was amazed, too. She was told that the snack bar can only accept cash, no credit cards.

At noon, Samantha was able to have a lunch break. She went back to work right after lunch and continued giving people orders. When it was over at 5:00 pm, she helped clean up. Then, she left with her mother.

"See you tomorrow, dear. You were excellent," said Mrs. Young.

"Thanks," said Samantha with a grin.

"I'm glad she came to help. I'm proud of her," said Sandra.

"So am I," agreed the manager.

At home, Samantha said, "Since school ends at 4:00pm, should I work at the flea market on Saturdays and Sundays during the school year? I'll just go back to Fridays during school vacations."

"That would be a great idea to do," said Sandra.

"I bet Mrs. Young would agree with me, too," said Samantha. "I like her. She's a nice boss to work with."

"She is. I like her, too," said Sandra.

"I can also use the earnings to buy stuff for the nursery," said Samantha.

"That's a nice idea," said her mother. "I'll pitch in if you want any ideas."

"Sure, I don't mind," said Samantha.

An hour later, Samantha came to the table slowly as possible when she took off with her mouth covered.

"Is Samantha okay?" asked Frederick.

"I'm just about to go check on her," said Sandra.

She was about to get up when Samantha returned.

"Were you alright?" asked Sandra.

"I just threw up a bit, but I'll be okay. I thought I'd be humiliated if I did that at the table," said Samantha.

"It's okay when it happens," said Sandra.

"It can happen to anyone," said her father.

"True," said Samantha. "I hope it won't happen every night though. I'd be tired of it."

"I bet," said Sandra.

"Were you like that often at night?" asked Samantha.

"No. Just in the morning," said Sandra.

"You're lucky then," said Samantha.

She felt fine during supper.

The next day, the snack bar was busy again. Samantha speeds up once again giving people their orders. She would be fast when giving orders and cashing them out while her mother was on her lunch break. She didn't make one error. She loves math. Even though all of the customers enjoy Sandra, they knew Samantha was much quicker.

One of the customers said it to her while Sandra was in the ladies' room. Samantha felt wonderful, but she didn't want to tell her mother that to hurt her feelings. The customer left before her mother came back. Samantha did something smart: making up a white lie saying the customer gave her a great comment on how good she was.

"That's very good to hear," said Sandra.

"I agree," said her daughter. "It felt amazing. Do customers give your comments like that?"

"They do. I never had a bad one," said Sandra.

"Wow," said Samantha.

After work, at home, the family was getting ready to go out for dinner at Bubba Gump. Vanessa was going, too, so Sandra picked her up on the way home from work. Amanda and Erika were home already from work an hour earlier.

"Is everyone ready to leave now?" asked Frederick.

"I am, Dad," replied Amanda.

"Me, too," said her sisters and Vanessa.

"Yes, darling," said Sandra.

"Good, let's get going," said Frederick.

Vanessa and Samantha love to be together. That's how close they are, although they're close to their other friends.

Samantha told Vanessa a secret by text earlier and she agreed to not say anything to upset Sandra. She understood why Samantha told a white lie. They talk about everything including secrets since they're great at keeping them.

They trust each other all the time. The girls agreed to tell their friends, since they're experts at keeping secrets, when they get together next week. At Bubba Gump, Samantha and Vanessa were able to sit together alone in one booth with Samantha's family sits behind them. They do that often.

"I'll be doing Fridays during the summer and other school vacations, and do Saturdays and Sundays during the school year since school gets out at 4:00pm," said Samantha.

"Good idea," said Vanessa.

"I know," said Samantha.

The meal was great and fast. After dinner, Sandra dropped Vanessa off at home.

"Thanks for taking me out," said Vanessa getting out of the car.

"Our pleasure," said Sandra.

They took off after Vanessa went inside.

"What secret you told Vanessa?" asked Erika who must have snooped.

"Sorry to say, but secrets should never be told. Friendship rule is keeping each other's secret to keep their trust," said her sister. "So, my lips are zippered."

"That's right," agreed Amanda. "That means no questions about secrets are allowed."

"The only way you can tell a secret is to tell a grown-up that you trust to keep a friend safe," said Samantha.

She refused to say anything to upset her mother. She didn't want to tell her sisters in front of Sandra. She doesn't plan to, period. Amanda is the only who knows.

Because Erika is a blabbermouth and Samantha would get very upset when Erika tells the secret. Amanda would get mad, too. So ever since that happen, Samantha doesn't trust Erika, just Amanda. She was worried that Erika might repeat the secret to her mother, which is why she didn't dare to take that chance.

At home, each time Erika asked about the secret, Samantha would not answer. She kept ignoring it by changing the subject until Erika finally stopped, which made Samantha happy.

 

3: Chapter 3

On Tuesday, Samantha had an ultrasound appointment.

"Cute little thing," said Samantha.

"Would you like to know about the gender or do you prefer to wait for now?" asked the technician.

"I think I'll wait for now. I thought it's too soon to tell," said Samantha.

"Okay. We can wait until your next visit, which is next month," said the doctor.

"Sounds good," agreed Samantha.

Later, at home, she was showing the sonogram to her family, who thought it was very adorable.

"I want to know the gender when the time is right," said Samantha. "Honestly, though, I rather wait until the baby arrives."

"I don't blame you. Everyone feels that way," said Amanda.

"That's if they choose to do so," said Erika.

"True," agreed Samantha. "I'll decide next month when the next appointment arrives."

That night, her back started to hurt after dinner.

"Why don't you sit on the recliner to rest your back?" suggested Frederick.

"Sounds good," agreed his daughter.

That's what she did. She was excused from helping out so she can rest her back, so her mother took over. She liked the idea. It got better about two hours later while she had the heating pad on her back.

"How's your back now, Sam?" asked Sandra.

"Better. I find the heating pad helps out," replied Samantha as she took the heating pad off.

"That's good," said Sandra as her daughter agreed.

The next day, Samantha went out to go over to Melissa's for the afternoon. She lives two streets over. Sam was invited to have lunch there.

Melissa's parents made tuna sandwiches with potato chips for lunch. Samantha can have tuna, but not chips. She wants to have a healthy baby. She passed down the chips.

"Are you sure? There's plenty," said Joe.

"Yes. I have a reason. I'm pregnant and my goal is to give birth to a healthy child," said Samantha.

"We understand," said Katie.

"Yeah. Mom gives me advice whenever I have questions," said Samantha.

"That's a good thing," said Joe.

"I know," said Samantha.

After lunch, the girls hung-out in the backyard. They stayed out there for almost two hours until Amanda came by to pick Samantha up to bring her home. Later, the family went out to do some shopping after they had dinner.

Samantha was getting maternally clothes- that pregnant women wear. Sandra gave Sam some great fashion advice and they did it together. They were all set after that.

The next day, Samantha was with Jordan. They were planning to pick out baby names early. They made a list.

The names Samantha picked out for girls were:

Sonya Lynn

Catherine Sandra

Mary Beth

Erica Muriel

The names Jordan picked out for boys were:

Jordan James, Jr.

Michael Jack

Erica Richard

James Travis or Travis James.

"I like the names you picked out," commented Samantha.

"I like yours, too," said Jordan.

They both circled the names they liked best. So if it's a girl, it will be Mary Beth and if it's a boy, it will be named Jordan James, Jr. They agreed the nickname would J.J.

"We can decide what the nursery room would be like," said Jordan.

"Okay," said Samantha. "Should we wait for a bit longer in case something happens to the baby unexpectedly?"

"That's the plan, probably in a few months. I can make blue prints. We can do it ahead of time so we can make a decision together," said Jordan.

"Sounds good to me," said Samantha. "It's good when new parents work things out together."

"I agree with you," said Jordan.

"Do you have an extra room at your house if you want to spend time on weekends there? We're using the guest room at my house because it's big enough," said Samantha.

"We do," replied Jordan. "We live in a four-bedroom house. We also have a guest room."

"My mom's going to baby-sit while I do homework and study and I'm in school since she works the third shift, so I'm all set," said Samantha.

"Here's another idea: if you have a test to study on a Monday, I can take over for the weekend," said Jordan.

"Perfect. I also work with my mother now at the flea market every weekend. I'm doing Friday through Sunday during school vacations and Saturdays & Sundays during the school year since we get out at 4:00 pm," continued Samantha.

"Good idea. The child can be with me while you work the whole weekend," said Jordan.

"Okay. Even better," said Samantha. "I get $8 per hour for the start. I could get a raise one day. It would be great."

Later, Samantha felt sick to her stomach and felt nauseous.

"Now what?" muttered Samantha.

She got up to the kitchen to get some water. However, she rushed upstairs to the bathroom and threw up a bit. She felt okay after that.

No one was home. Both of her sisters were working. Her parents went to see a rated-R movie. She went to bed an hour before her family came home. She left the lights on so they won't have to get in a dark house. She was still asleep when Amanda came in to bed about 20 minutes later.

The next day, Samantha woke up with a headache, but she had no idea what to take during pregnancy, so the only option is to rest and have peace & quiet. That's what she did for the most of the day.

It went away later that afternoon and she was happy about it. She wanted to take it easy for awhile. She felt good enough for dinner. They were having pork chops, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn.

After dinner, Samantha was helping out when her back started to hurt.

"Not again," mumbled Samantha as she went to the recliner to sit there.

The heating pad was nearby, so she put it on. Her parents already knew. Her back got better an hour or two later.

On Friday, Samantha went to work with her mother and was a hard worker again. She already saw her first check in the back, but waited until the end of the shift like her mother does. She made $192 last weekend for the start when she grabbed the check.

She opened her own account to cash her check. She'll save money to support herself, the baby, Jordan, and her whole family.

"If you would like me to pitch in, let me know," said Samantha. "I'll save half to buy baby items."

"That sounds nice. Thank you for offering, honey," said Sandra.

"No problem," said Samantha with a smile.

Her sisters pitch in sometimes. That's why Samantha wanted to help out, too. But her sisters encouraged her to save money for the baby.

"It's okay for Samantha to help us. I don't mind. Neither does your dad," said Sandra.

"Plus, I'd have time to buy the items I would to decorate the nursery, " said Samantha. "Jordan and I agreed to wait for a bit anyway."

"I don't blame you," said Frederick while his wife agreed.

Amanda and Erika understood.

"You do got a good point," said Amanda.

The next day, at the snack bar, it was packed, but it was cleared quickly when Samantha took people's orders and cash them out. Her mother went home sick, so she asked Samantha to take over for the day. She might come by or have Frederick to pick Samantha up. She only had a headache.

One of the co-workers offered to help out by giving customers their orders. When a customer gave Samantha a credit card, she knew what to do right away. There was a reason for not accepting credit card because there was no machine for that.

"We can only accept cash. Sorry," said Samantha.

"Okay, thanks," said the customer as he switched over to give her cash.

After he got his order, the co-worker said, "We do accept credit cards."

"No, we don't. Mrs. Young and Mom told me. Besides, we have the sign for that," said Samantha showing the co-worker the sign. "We do not have the machine for that, so I can understand why we can only take cash."

"That's right. Good job remembering that," said Mrs. Young. "So, you need to stay over it, Joseph. Samantha knows what to do."

"Plus, he thanked me for letting him know," said Samantha.

"Good. That's what good workers are honest about," said Mrs. Young. "In case you don't know, we can accept $100."

"Okay," said Samantha.

At noon, she went on a lunch break. She went back within 15 minutes later. At 4:00 pm, Mrs. Young offered Samantha a ride home when they leave at 5:00 pm.

"Let me go call Mom to tell her," said Samantha.

"Go ahead," said Mrs. Young.

That's what Sam did and it was all set.

"If you need a ride in the morning, call me. Your mother has my number," said the manager.

"Alright, but I'm sure my mom should get better for tomorrow," said Samantha. "If you don't hear from me, that means I'm coming with her."

"Good idea," said Mrs. Young.

At 5:00 pm, Mrs. Young did bring Samantha home. She thanked her boss and went in.

"How's Mom?" asked Samantha.

"She came down with the flu after she came home," said Frederick. "She called out for tomorrow so that she can rest."

"Okay. Mrs. Young said she'll get me if Mom's not better tomorrow. I told her I'd let her know," said Samantha.

"She might want Mrs. Young to get you. She'll tell you tonight or tomorrow," said her father.

"Alright," said Samantha. "That's fine."

Later, Samantha was told that her mom doesn't think she'd return to work tomorrow.

"Do you want to let me know in the morning so I can call Mrs. Young?" asked Samantha.

"I will let you know, sweetie," said her mother.

"Mrs. Young can be my ride whenever you're out," said Samantha.

"That's a fine idea," said Sandra.

"I like my new job," said Samantha. "I'm not ready to take a day off unless I'm sick."

"I don't blame you," said Sandra.

"I don't need to worry over a weekend if you can't baby-sit since the child would be with Jordan, so I don't need Amanda or Erika now unless Jordan can't for any reason," said Samantha.

"Even better," said Sandra.

"I know. Thank god to have support system," said Samantha as her mother agreed.

The next day, at 6:00am, Sandra told Samantha to have Mrs. Young pick her up.

"I still have that flu," said her mother.

"Okay. Can you give me her number? She told me you have hers," said Samantha.

"Sure," said Sandra.

That's what she did and Samantha called Mrs. Young to tell her.

"I'll get you at 8:00 am and I'll bring you home like I did yesterday," said Mrs. Young.

"Sounds good," said Samantha.

After they talked, she went back to bed for another hour until 7:00 am to get ready.

At 7:55 am, Samantha said, "I should go out there to wait in case Mrs. Young honks the horn while Mom's sleeping."

"Good idea," agreed her father.

Samantha went outside and waited for only five minutes when Mrs. Young showed up.

"I decided to come out since Mom's resting and I didn't want you to honk the horn," said Samantha as she got in the car.

"I don't blame you," said Mrs. Young.

At the flea market, Samantha helped getting ready to open the snack bar area. The co-worker kept telling her about using the credit cards, but she kept ignoring him until... she said in a nice way, "Which part of no credit cards don't you understand?"

So, she told Mrs. Young about it.

"I ignored him until I spoke up by asking which part of no credit cards he doesn't understand," said Samantha. "I said it in a nice way so I won't make a scene."

"Good work. He's like to your mother often," said Mrs. Young.

She ended up suspending for two weeks without pay and will make him leave right after the flea market closes.

"That will teach you a lesson. If you're like that again, I will fire you, Joseph," warned Mrs. Young.

"And, people will not work with you one of these days," added Samantha. "I know what I'm doing after being told by the manager, not you."

After work, when Samantha got home, she told her mother about everything and added, "So, I told Mrs. Young and he got suspended without pay for two weeks and warned him if he kept it up, he will get fired. He should know we don't accept credit cards."

"I know. It's good you did something," said Sandra.

"You got that right," said her daughter. "Perhaps he'll remember to mind his business next time."

"I agree," said Sandra.

"Mrs. Young was glad I talked to her about it," said Samantha.

A month later, Samantha was at the ultrasound appointment.

"You're going to have a boy," announced the doctor showing it to her.

"Wow. I think I might it as a secret until the baby is born," said Samantha. "I'm going to name it Jordan James, Jr. or J.J. for short like my boyfriend and I planned."

"Okay. Every mother does that," said the doctor.

After the appointment was over, Samantha went to see Jordan who had two blue prints.

"One is for the nursery here and the other at your house," said Jordan.

"Very nice," said Samantha. "We can do it at my house before we do it here."

"Okay, that's a good idea," agreed Jordan.

One nursery room had animal wallpaper and other would be painted yellow with star designs for borders. Samantha loved the designs.

"Do you want to buy the same cribs and diaper station or different?" asked Samantha.

"It would be easier if they're different," said Jordan.

"Alright. I'm saving money to buy the stuff we need. We can also buy different baby clothes. If I tell you what I'm having, you must promise not to tell anyone," said Samantha. "I found out we're going to have a son.

"Okay, I promise," said Jordan. "We can buy boy clothes then."

"Sounds great," said Samantha. "We can start doing that next month."

"Alright," said Jordan.

"I made over $500 so far. I know baby furniture is expensive, so that's why we can buy them then," said Samantha.

"We can buy the clothes for the start," said Jordan.

"We can do that," said Samantha. "I'll use the closet and drawers for the clothes."

"I'll do the same," said Jordan.

Later, at Wal-Mart, Samantha and Jordan picked out the clothes for infant boys together. They got some for each month. They picked out a few socks and a pair of shoes.

"After we paid them, we can divide them," said Samantha.

"Good plan," agreed Jordan.

The clothes were $35. At Jordan's, they divided the clothes and Samantha left the rest in her bag. She helped Jordan putting most of the clothes and one pair of shoes in the closet and put socks in the drawers.

"We can put the rest of the clothes in the drawers if we don't have room in the closet," said Samantha.

"We got room in here. The shorts can be stored in the drawers when warm arrives. When we get the pjs, we can put them in the drawers as well," said Jordan.

"I like the idea," said Samantha. "I'll do the same at my house."

"School starts up next Monday, so we can buy clothes for ourselves," said Jordan. "We'll get the pjs at Target while doing school shopping on Thursday."

"I got new clothes already when I went shopping with my family. I don't need a new backpack just yet. I can just buy notebooks and binders though," said Samantha. "Mrs. Young knows Friday is the final one this week until the school vacation. Like I said before, I'm only doing Saturdays & Sundays during the school year."

When Samantha got home, she put all the baby clothes in the closets and the socks in the drawers. A few days later, they each bought about four to six pjs. They also got diapers before they did school shopping.

"We can get diaper bags next month when we get the nursery items," said Samantha.

"That makes perfect sense to me," agreed Jordan.

They paid the items, which cost them $29.62. Later, they went to Jordan's and put the pjs in the drawers. Samantha did the same thing after that. She knew the cribs, diaper bags & stations are the final items to buy besides the wallpaper and borders. Sandra found yellow paint, so they'd be all set. It would be at Samantha's according to the blue print.

She told Jordan they didn't need to buy any yellow paint.

"We can buy more if we needed to," said Jordan.

"Mom told me we have two sets of yellow paint," said Samantha.

"Oh, okay, great," said Jordan.

"I know," said Samantha. "There are three walls, so one or two should be good enough."

 

4: Chapter 4

On Monday, it was the first day of school and Samantha left with Erika. She would rather do that than taking a bus. Erika and her parents agreed with that decision. The high school is 15 minutes away, only one block from Vanessa.

It was 7:00 am and school starts at 7:30 am every day. They arrived there by 7:15 am. They had schedules by mail, so when the bell rang, they went to their classes. High schools never had homerooms.

Samantha's class schedule is Math, Science, English, Gym, History, lunch, and French. Samantha had French during middle school and would get As and Bs, so she knew she'd do fine during high school. She has all of her friends and Jordan in some of the classes. She was glad.

Then, a girl showed up to Samantha.

"Hey, do I know you?" asked a girl.

"Yes, you were at Vanessa's party, Allison," said Samantha.

"I knew you looked familiar," said Allison.

"I did remember you came from Tampa Bay," said Samantha.

"Yes, I just moved here a few weeks ago. Vanessa and I grew up together before she came here for sixth grade," said Allison.

"I know. I was her first friend. She did tell me about you," said Samantha.

At Gym, Samantha isn't sure she should do sports while she's pregnant, so she spoke to her Gym teacher, Mrs. Lynn Hines.

"I can excuse you from sports. You can still exercise until your stomach gets bigger. I teach yoga so you can do that. It helps you prepare for labor," said Mrs. Hines.

"Okay," said Samantha.

She did a few exercises until sports began, so she sat on the bleachers. She is sure her doctor wouldn't blame her for doing that until after the baby is born. She was worried to get a miscarriage if the ball hits her stomach.

"No fair! How come she gets to sit out?" asked a boy.

"She has a medical reason," replied Mrs. Hines.

"Yeah, you would want to do the same thing if you were in my shoes. The ball would hurt the baby," said Samantha.

He realized she was correct and stopped being the pill. She always knows how to handle tough people. She would tell them to treat others the way they want to be treated. She does that when her friends get picked on. She doesn't stand for that.

Samantha noticed Vanessa was being teased for being with Allison, who is African-American, and she went over.

"Leave my best friend. How would you like it if someone teases you?" asked Samantha.

Then, the bully took off.

"Thank god you came to stop that mean people," said Vanessa.

"I know," agreed her friend. "I can't stand it when people tease my friends."

"I'm glad we can always count on you. Allyson gets teased a lot because of her skin color, but she didn't care. She likes being herself. Our old friends would stand up for her. She didn't mind. She knows how to take care of bullies. She would ask them if they had a problem with having dark colored people. If they do, she tells them to get over it," explained Vanessa. "I stand up for her, too."

"Wow. That's good," said Samantha. "Bullies shouldn't be raised to be mean."

"Exactly," said Vanessa.

Later, Samantha noticed Allyson was getting picked on, but she was walking away. However, Samantha decided to cut in and said, "Quit picking on my friend. I don't think you would want to be treated the way you treated her."

Then, she walked away. Allyson loves it when her friends stick up for her like Vanessa mentioned earlier.

"I'm proud to be different," said Allyson.

"That's a good thing," said Samantha.

"I know," said Allyson with a grin.

"I always say that to any bullies who would pick on my friends, which works all the time. I always knew I'm a great friend. If anyone isn't my friend, I'd still do it," said Samantha.

"I agree," said Allyson. "I live across the street from you now, so we can go to school and go home together each day."
"Sounds good. I ride with my older sister after my folks approved it to make it easier," said Samantha.

"Perfect," said Allyson.

That's what they did after school. The girls spoke to Erika about their idea and she agreed to do so.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad won't mind," said Erika.

"Neither would mine," said Allyson. "They both work. They were transferred here. I had to take a Srta bus to get to school."

When they in Sawyers' driveway, Allyson thanked the girls and went over to hers. She had her house keys.

"Allyson has an older sister, who is in college in Savannah, Georgia. It's just the two of them. Their younger brother passed on at the age of six, he was kidnapped and was found dead. Luckily, the killer got caught and was thrown into jail for good. That was only five years ago. Vanessa explained it to me," said Samantha as they went in the house. "Vanessa said it wasn't a secret, so it's okay to say it, but Allyson doesn't like to talk about it too much... it's too painful. I understood."

"Oh, I see," said Erika.

"Yeah," said Samantha.

"Hello, girls," said Sandra who was in the living room.

"Hi," said Erika.

"How was your first day?" asked Sandra.

"Good. I have my friends and Jordan in some of my classes," said Samantha.

"Mine went great," said Erika.

"That's good," said Sandra.

"Our neighbor, Allyson, is in my classes, too. She remembered me from the party. We decided to go to school and come home together daily," said Samantha.

"That's a nice idea," said her mother as Samantha agreed.

Later, Allyson came over looking scared.

"What's up?" asked Samantha.

"May we talk in private? I need your help," said Allyson.

"Sure. Let's go to my room," said Samantha.

They went there and sat on Samantha's bed.

"I'm pregnant. I just found out. I'm worried to tell my mother with my father around. Dad's very strict. Mom and I talk about anything. I started dating last year. Dad threatened to throw me out if I ever get pregnant. I was on birth control. I felt so stupid to skip a pill. The thing is I'd plan to do an abortion or give it up for adoption. I have too much going on. I miss my brother. Plus, I was abused by a baby-sitter when I was a child. It's still haunting on me even though she was ordered to stay away from me," said Allyson. "Also, Kurt and I decided to be just friends until college. I don't want to be a single parent. Those are reasons why I'm not ready to be the mother just yet."

"That's true," said Samantha.

"If I do abortion, I might do it with my mom without my dad knowing it. She can't stand on how he treats me. She always protects me," said Allyson. "When I go tell my parents, can you go with me in case Dad's there?"

"Sure. I don't blame you," said Samantha. "My parents are great. I made a mistake by getting pregnant, so I'm raising the child to fix it. Luckily, my mom works the final shift, so she will baby-sit when I'm in school, do my homework, and when I need to study. Jordan's going to have the child on weekends. I work with my mother, doing the snack bar at the flea market."
The girls made a plan on how to tell her dad if he's there while Ally tells her mother.

"Are you ready to talk to your parents?" asked Samantha.

"I think so, but I'm a bit nervous," Allyson admitted.

"It's okay to be worried," said Samantha. "I was worried, too, but I felt better after telling my parents. I'll just let them know I'll be at your house for awhile."

They did. Luckily for Allyson, only her mom was home. Her father was out.

"Oh, good, it's just you. May we talk about something?" asked Allyson.

That was when her father came home. She was glad to have a friend over. They sat in the living room.

"I'm pregnant. But I have no plans to be the mother yet. Trevor's death and being abused by a baby-sitter still bothers me. Plus, I want to go to college after high school. Kurt and I plan to marry after college is completed. He would want to do so before having a family. I am very sorry to let you both down. I felt so dumb to skip a pill," explained Allyson. "My plan is to have an abortion or do an open adoption."

"You're not letting me down. It's good to tell me so I can help you," said Jocelyn.

"I still wouldn't allow it," said Jake.

"Jake, if Allyson said she's not ready, it's her decision," said Jocelyn.

"I don't care," said Jake.

"I do. If you won't help her decide, then I will. You cannot force her to do something she doesn't want to do," said Jocelyn.

 

5: Chapter 5

The next day, Allyson came to Samantha and said, "I'm still glad you came with me. Mom decided to file a divorce from Dad. He threatened to kill me last night after you left. That's why she plans to throw him out and do a restraining order to keep him away from me and my older sister, Becky. Mom phoned her to tell her what was going on. She's glad that Mom's doing something right."

"Me, too. Your father shouldn't threaten you to kill you," said Samantha.

"I'm glad as well. He has been like that since Trevor's death," said Allyson. "None of us knew why Dad changed to be a loving parent to a strict one. We didn't do anything to cause that."

"I bet," said Samantha.

"I'm going to the family planning clinic after school. I told Mom I'd ask you to come along," said Allyson.

"Sure, I don't mind," said Samantha. "That's where I learned I was expecting."

"Thanks," smiled Allyson.

"Not a problem," Samantha smiled back.

After school, the girls went off to the family planning clinic and Allyson found out she was six weeks. They discussed the options. Allyson has time to decide either abortion or adoption.

"I want my father to support me no matter what I choose, but it's hard to count on him. I want our relationship back. We used to be so close. Becky and I miss that," said Allyson.

"You can always try to tell him that if you needed to and perhaps, things will get better," said Samantha.

"I could give it a try. I'd tell him Trevor is in our hearts. Just because he's dead, it doesn't mean Dad would need to be strict," said Allyson.

"I agree with you," said Samantha.

At Samantha's, they did homework together and then, they talked about options.

"Just decide what would be the best for you and your baby," said Sam. "If you don't want abortion, do adoption. I'd go to the adoption center with you so I can support you."

"Okay. I might make a decision tonight," said Allyson. "Can you still go to the abortion clinic with me?

"Sure," said Samantha. "It's good you have time to think about it."

"I know," agreed Allyson.

The next day, Samantha noticed something was wrong with Allyson and went to her.

"Is everything okay?" asked Samantha.

"I tried to tell Dad something, but he would not listen," replied Allyson.

"Gosh. What kind of a father he is? He better shape up before the divorce," said Samantha.

"I know. I hate him even more," said Allyson.

"I'm sure everything will be alright," said her friend.

"I haven't made a decision just yet," said Allyson.

"Don't worry, take your time," said Samantha.

Allyson is still glad to have a great friend by her side.

"I think it would be better for me to have abortion because of the relationship issues with my father," said Allyson. "He might not believe in it, but I know Mom would support me."

"If you feel abortion is a good choice for you, go for it," said Samantha.

"But I don't know where to have it done since the doctor didn't tell me," said Allyson.

"I can ask Amanda. Her friend had an abortion herself this past Spring. She had family issues like you, but hers is different: her parents were abusive. She went to court because she was scared of what her parents might do to her if they find out about her pregnancy. She went away in Idaho and she's glad about that," explained Samantha. "Her boyfriend had no problems. He didn't mind. As matter as fact, he didn't blame her for making that choice. He agreed not to tell her parents. He understood why."

"Wow. Kurt doesn't know I'm pregnant or getting abortion. Should I tell him?" asked Allyson.

"It's up to you," said Samantha.

"I might call him later on without my father knowing it," said Allyson.

Later, Samantha asked Amanda about where the abortion clinic is.

"Julie had hers done at Ocala Women's Center in Ocala," said her sister.

"Allyson thinks abortion is the best choice for her. She has issues with her strict father. She only counts on her mother," said Samantha.

"I understand," said Amanda.

"Julie would know what Allyson is going through since she had rough life with her abusive parents, although Allyson's dad is overprotective," said Samantha.

"That's true," agreed Amanda.

She gave her sister the number for the clinic. Then, Samantha called Allyson to tell her on what Amanda told her.

"Oh, good," said Allyson. "Mom told me Dad took off while we weren't home. He took everything. There was no note."

"What?!" exclaimed Samantha. "That's terrible. He has no right to do that to your family."

"I know. I really do miss that relationship we used to have. He doesn't see that," said Allyson. "Vanessa couldn't believe it when I called her."

"I bet. I can't believe it either," said Samantha.

"Let me put it this way: I'm also glad that he's gone. I couldn't stand him," said Allyson. "My mom and I are still staying here though. She thinks he might be heading back to Tampa Bay."

"I won't be surprised if he is," said Samantha.

"Me either," said Allyson. "I also made a decision. I'm glad you called me. I'm sticking with abortion. My mind isn't on adoption anymore. Plus, I'd forbid my father to see his blood grandchild when the child meets me at 18."

"I don't blame you," said Samantha. "You don't need that."

"My mother agreed with the idea," said Allyson. "I'll let her know and I'll make an appointment to go there."

"Good," said Samantha. "Amanda gave me the number."

She gave it to Allyson.

"Thanks," said Allyson. "I'm sure Mom will call it tomorrow."

The next day, at school, Allyson went to Samantha.

"Mom called the clinic last night. I will be going there after school tomorrow at 5:00pm, so she will pick us up. We'll tell Erika later when we go home with her and remind her tomorrow," said Allyson.

"Okay, great," said Samantha.

At lunch, Samantha was looking for Allyson and went to Vanessa.

"Where's Allyson?" asked Samantha.

"She went to the nurse before lunch," said Vanessa.

"Was she okay?" asked Samantha.

"She noticed she was bleeding," whispered Vanessa.

"Whoa, that's not a good sign. I bet she's having a miscarriage. She would be glad since she was getting abortion done tomorrow. She'd have to cancel if that's the case," said Samantha.

"She told me earlier," said Vanessa.

"You could tell that she was glad to have me since I was in her shoes when I got pregnant although I felt better after talking to my parents," said Samantha.

"That is a good thing," said Vanessa.

After lunch, Samantha had heard Allyson got taken to the hospital. So, after school, she and Vanessa asked Erika to bring them to the hospital. When they got there, Allyson's mother was there and went to her.

"How's Allyson?" asked Vanessa.

"She'll be okay. Only she lost the baby. They're removing it now. So, I'm going to cancel that appointment later on," said Jocelyn. "I think she's glad."

"I think so, too," said Samantha as Vanessa agreed.

"How did she loose the baby?" asked Vanessa.

"I'm not sure. She had no idea until the doctor mentioned there was no heartbeat," said Jocelyn.

"Wow," said the girls.

Ten minutes later, the doctor came out and said, "It's all set now. She was losing blood a bit, so we had to give her more blood."

"Okay," said Jocelyn.

"You can go see her. She's in the recovery room," said the doctor.

He brought them to go see Allyson.

"She might be still tired about the operation. She can go home tomorrow and will need to rest from school until Monday so she can get some rest," said the doctor.

"Alright," said Jocelyn.

Allyson woke up an hour later.

"How are you feeling?" asked Vanessa.

"A little sore," replied Allyson.

"I bet," said Samantha.

"I'm just glad I lost the baby, so I won't need to worry about the abortion," said Allyson.

"Your mother went to call to cancel it," said Vanessa.

"Okay," said Allyson.

The next day, Allyson was back at home and was resting in bed when Samantha came over.

"I heard you were home, so I decided to stop by," said Samantha.

"Good. Dad changed his cell phone number, so Mom couldn't reach him. But I didn't care," said Allyson. "Becky didn't know where he went either. She didn't hear from him."

"Boy, your father isn't a good one to have," said Samantha.

"Sometimes I feel guilty, but I figured it's not my fault," said Allyson.

"Just remember it's never your fault," said Samantha. "Jordan and I are going to start to buy nursery room items on Sunday after I get out of work."

"That's cool," said Allyson.

"Yeah," said Samantha.

On Sunday, after Samantha got out of work, she went to Wal-Mart with her mother and Jordan to pick out nursery items.

"We buy them for my house first and gets your next to make it easier," said Samantha.

"Sounds like a fine idea," said Sandra.

"I agree since we're getting the nursery room done at your house first," said Jordan.

Then, they bought the items for the nursery room.

"The guestroom bed can be for the child when it gets bigger," said Jordan.

"Good idea," said Samantha.

At home, Samantha had to sit out since she wasn't allowed to carry any heavy stuff even though she's four months pregnant. They didn't want her to lose the baby. Samantha didn't blame them. She didn't want that either.

Two weeks later, the nursery room was done with the help from Samantha's friends and Jordan. Even Allyson helped out.

"We can start at Jordan's next week," said Vanessa.

"Okay," said Jordan.

"I like the idea, too. We can buy those items this weekend. We decided to do it separately since we were doing it here first," said Samantha. "I'm getting my check Friday, so I should have enough. Mom gives it to me when she gets home from work."

 

6: Chapter 6

On Saturday morning, Samantha caught a cold, so Jordan didn't mind getting items for his nursery room for his house on your own. She knew she could not take any medicine without consulting her doctor due to the risk of birth defects.

Sandra called the doctor and was told Samantha would need to rest, not taking any cold medicine.

"Okay, she knew we would have to ask you first," said Sandra.

"It's good to do so," said the doctor over the phone.

After that, she told Samantha.

"That's fine," said Samantha.

That night, her friends decided to start the nursery room at Jordan's tomorrow.

"You'll need to do so without me. I just caught a cold this morning. I already mentioned it to Jordan and he didn't mind," said Samantha.

"Okay. We can take pictures if you want," said Michael.

"Sounds good," said Samantha.

She had the cold for a week and had to stay home from school plus work until she gets better. She found out it was pneumonia. She didn't get better until the following Saturday, at night. So, she'd be able to go back to school on Monday. Allyson told her the nursery room for Jordan's was all done. She showed Samantha the pictures.

"I like that," said Samantha.

"Me, too. Jordan was glad we helped him out. His mother couldn't help out," said Allyson.

"Why? Was she working?" asked Samantha.

"Yes, she was always tired, but Jordan didn't mind since she knew he had us," said Allyson.

A month later, Samantha had an ultrasound appointment. Her stomach was getting bigger.

"Your baby is fine," said the doctor. "You will need to sit out from Gym for the rest of the time until after the baby is born."

"My Gym teacher already knows it," said Samantha.

At home, Samantha was feeling nauseous, but had water and felt better.

"It's too bad no candy for you when Halloween comes next month," said Erika.

"I don't care. I already know that," said Samantha. "We're only in September anyway."
Later, Samantha's back started to hurt. It didn't get better for another three hours and Samantha had just gone off to bed at the time. She slept sitting up to rest her back. It was already better when she got up the following day.

When October came, Samantha helped with the Halloween decorations and got candy with her money.

"I don't think I want to go trick or tricking until next year, so I'll just give out candy if you don't mind," said Samantha.

"I don't mind. Your sisters would be working anyway," said Sandra.

"Perfect," said Samantha.

On Halloween, Samantha helped giving out candy to the younger kids. Her parents did some, too. They were done by nine when candy ran out.

"I can't wait for Thanksgiving now," said Samantha.

"We'll be joining your grandparents this year," said Sandra.

Her parents live in Orlando.

"Okay, we usually do that anyway," said Samantha.

"We'll be going there right after you girls get out early for Thanksgiving vacation and will be back on a Sunday, so we won't be working on those two days. I'm going to mention it to Mrs. Young," said Sandra.

"Sounds good," said her daughter.

A few weeks later, on a Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the girls left school at 11:30 am and when they got home, they went inside before they left for Orlando at 12:30 pm. They packed their suitcases the night before to be all set. They were there 30 minutes later.

"Hi, Grandma," said Samantha going to her.'

"Hello, dear," said Grandma Kathy.

"I can't wait for tomorrow," said Samantha.

"I can't wait either," said Grandpa Joe who came in from the living room.

"Hi, Grandpa," said Samantha hugging him.

"How are you all?" asked her grandmother.

"Good," said Erika.

"Your stomach's getting bigger. What's going on?" asked Grandpa Joe.

"I'm having a baby. It's due right before my birthday," said Samantha.

"She's being responsible enough to raise her child. I didn't mind since I'd be helping out," said Sandra.

"Oh, that's great," said Grandma Kathy.

"Plus, I'm working with Mom to support myself, the baby, and Jordan. I decided to pitch in to help my family out," said Samantha. "I just got a raise. I'm making $8.25 per hour now."

"Wow," said Grandpa Joe.

"I was glad for her," said Sandra.

"I make $217 per week altogether. I was surprised, too. I have been working very hard to earn that," said Samantha.

"That's very good money to make," said her grandfather.

The next day, Samantha helped setting the table at 10:00 am. The turkey was due to ready by noon. They were adding mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and corn.

"Can you have any of that?" asked Grandma Kathy.

"Yes, I can," replied Samantha. "My doctor told me I could. My baby has been very healthy. I just had an ultrasound two weeks ago and it has been doing great."

"What's the gender?" asked Grandma Kathy.

"I didn't want to know until the baby is born. The nursery room is done though," said Samantha showing her grandmother the pictures. "This is at my house. The other one is at Jordan's."

"You did a great job," said her grandmother.

"Thanks. My friends helped out. They had to do it at Jordan's without me because I had a cold," said Samantha.

At noon, everything was ready and they sat down. While Samantha was having lunch, she was taking her time: she was getting nauseous.

"I hate to get that feeling," said Samantha.

"I know how that feels," said her grandmother.

"Uh-oh. Excuse me," said Samantha as she left the table in a flash with her mouth covered.

"She gets that often. She feels fine after that," said Sandra.

"I see," said Grandpa Joe.

Samantha came back five minutes later.

"Are you going to be okay now?" asked Sandra.

"I'll be okay. I just threw up a bit," said Samantha.

She did felt fine for the rest of the meal.

"We'll have sandwiches tonight," said Grandpa Joe.

"Okay," said Samantha. "The only thing I can't have is chips."

"That's fine," said Grandpa Joe.

That night, they had sandwiches at 6:00 pm. Samantha only had one sandwich. She figured one is enough for her.

On Sunday, the Sawyers are getting ready to head back home.

"Thanks for a great Thanksgiving weekend. I had fun," said Samantha.

"Not a problem, sweetie. See you for Christmas," said Grandpa Kathy.

Then, they left. They stopped at Bubba Gump on the way back for lunch. They were back home by 2:00 pm.

The next day, Allyson felt depressed about something. Samantha went to her friend.

"I didn't have a great Thanksgiving," said Allyson. "My old sitter was over and abused me again."

"The one who was supposed to stay away from you?" asked Samantha.

"Yes. My mom was so mad that she threw the sitter out," said Allyson.

"How did the sitter find you?" asked Samantha.

"She found us on the internet. My mom didn't want her over—period. But she still did and beat me up," said Allyson. "She'd have to get fined to be near me."

"Good," said her friend.

"I know," said Allyson

Two weeks later, the phone rang and Samantha answered.

"Hello," said Samantha.

It was Jocelyn telling her Allyson was kidnapped last night.

"By who?" asked Samantha.

"It was the old sitter. She was in jail, but escaped and took Allyson," said Jocelyn. "Can you help me find her?"

"Sure," said Samantha.

Then, her cell phone rang. Allyson had texted her for help. She was trapped at her old sitter's house and couldn't get out. She gave the address to her so she can call the police. Samantha mentioned it to Jocelyn, who phoned the police right away. Five hours later, Allyson rushed in to Samantha's.

"My father planned that," said Allyson, who was crying. "How could he do that to me? I decided to come here to be with you."

"Oh, my. I bet your mother must be angry," said Samantha.

"She is. Jessica and Dad are both taken to jail," said Allyson.

"He was there after you were abducted?" asked Samantha.

"Yes, he was," replied Allyson.

"Gosh. Your father has some issues," said Samantha.

"I know. He had a nerve to do that," added Allyson.

"At least you're safe now," said Samantha comforting her friend.

"I don't think I want ever to be the mother now at this point. This is bugging me even more. It feels like I'm having too many bad memories of my childhood again," said Allyson.

"You can always try to forget everything and be the mother. You can pretend those things didn't happen so you can move on with your life. Nothing should stop you being a mother," said Samantha. "You have time to decide after you finish college. Kurt would have to understand."

"He doesn't know about my childhood life," said Allyson.

"He'd be glad you tell him and he would tell you the same advice I just gave you," said Samantha.

"I suppose you're right," said Allyson.

"But you don't have to share it with your kids," said Samantha.

Allyson felt better after talking to Samantha.

"I feel that you're my therapist. You help me so much," said Allyson.

"It's good to have that feeling," said Samantha.

"I know," said Allyson.

The girls hugged.

 

7: Chapter 7

The next day, Samantha did the Christmas decorations with her family. She couldn't help putting the tree up, just to decorate it. Her sisters did the stockings. Allyson was over to help. She wanted to forget about everything. It has been working so far.

"I think I would want you to be my next best friend," said Allyson. "Because I tell you everything and you help me a lot."

"I like that," said Samantha.

"Me, too," said Allyson. "I talk to Vanessa, too. I trust you both."

"Glad to hear it," said Samantha.

"I think we should have a Christmas at your house the day before Christmas Eve," said Allyson.

"That's a nice idea," said Sandra.

"I would like that, too," said Samantha.

After the decorations, they went to Samantha's room to make a guest list.

"This is for us kids only. No grown-ups allowed," said Allyson.

"Unless they want to attend, too," Sam pointed out.

"Good point," said Allyson.

They laughed. The next day, the girls mailed out the invitations after they came home from school.

"We can be in charge of the party," said Allyson.

"Okay, great idea," said Sam.

Later, most of her friends got permission to come when they called.

"I wonder how come Vanessa didn't call yet," said Samantha.

"I'm not sure," said Allyson.

"Maybe she didn't ask her parents yet," said Erika.

Two hours later, Samantha decided to call Vanessa.

"Hi. Did you get the invitation?" asked Samantha.

"Yes, but my mom won't let me go," replied Vanessa.

"What? Why?" asked Samantha.

"Erika was rude to my mother," said Vanessa.

"Rude?" asked Samantha.

"Yes," said Vanessa. "My mom didn't tell me what your sister said."

Sam was so mad that after they talked, she went to Erika and,"What did you say to Mrs. Jones?"

"What do you mean?" asked Erika.

"Vanessa can't come to the party because you were rude to her mom," said Samantha. "Thanks a lot."

She took off very mad. She told her mother.

"Oh, really?" asked Sandra.

"Yes," said Samantha. "So now, Vanessa can't come over to the party."

"I'll go have a talk with Erika," said Sandra.

She had Erika to tell the truth.

"You will be grounded for a week. In the meantime, you need to call Mrs. Jones to apologize if Vanessa wants to come to the party," said Sandra. "After that, there will be no phone calls. No nothing. You can only leave the house for school and work."

Thankfully, Mrs. Jones forgave Erika and was able to let Vanessa to go to the party. Erika apologized to Samantha as well and she forgave her sister.

Two weeks later, on day of the party, the guests arrived at 5:00 pm and it started an hour later. The group of friends had fun. Jordan surprised Samantha with a necklace with her name on it.

"This is pretty," said Samantha. "Thanks."

They did party games and more. The group left at 9:00 pm when their families came for them. Only Allyson stayed overnight because her mom had a Christmas Party, too, but hers end at midnight. The girls talked about how fun they had during the party.

"Two more days until Christmas," said Allyson.

"I know. My grandparents are coming over tomorrow and will be here until New Year's Day," said Samantha.

"That sounds nice," said Allyson.

"Yeah," said Samantha.

The next day, Samantha noticed her grandparents didn't show up yet.

"What time are they due to arrive?" asked Samantha.

"They should be here any minute," said Sandra.

"They could be caught in traffic," said Erika.

"They could've called us to tell us," said Amanda.

"You have a good point," said Sandra.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang and when Samantha opened the door, the police was there.

"Hello. I'm here to inform you there was a car accident and both of your grandparents are being rushed to the local hospital. They were wearing seatbelts," said the police.

"Will my parents be okay?" asked Sandra.

"They should be fine," said the police.

Then, the family left for the hospital. They waited for awhile when a nurse came.

"Your parents will be just fine, Sandra," said Dr. Andrews who was a friend of Sandra's.

"That's a good sign," said Sandra. "We were worried when they didn't arrive."

"All they have are cuts and a few bruises. They were lucky to be alive," said Dr. Andrews.

"I agree with you," said Sandra.

"They are well enough to leave here," said the nurse.

"Good," said Sandra.

"They are coming out here. Their car is getting fixed at a nearby garage," said the nurse. "The door on the driver's side got damaged."

"Glad they got car insurance to save money," said Sandra.

That was when her parents came out.

"I'm glad you're both doing great," said Erika.

"Thank you, my dear," said Grandma Kathy.

"The accident happened when I had a heart attack, according to the doctors, but they said it wasn't serious," said Grandpa Joe.

"Wow," said Amanda.

"I know," said Grandpa Joe.

Then, they went to the Sawyers.

"Good thing you're staying until New Year's Day while your car is being repaired," said Samantha.

"I agree with you, dear," said Grandma Kathy.

"This is also a great early Christmas present," said Amanda.

"That's true," said Erika.

"I like that kind of a gift," said Samantha.

That night, they had ham for a Christmas Eve dinner. They added mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, and squash.

"I can't wait to open gifts tomorrow morning," said Samantha.

"Me either," said Amanda.n

"It's coming quickly," said Grandma Kathy.

"I know," agreed her daughter.

"This is going to be so exciting," said Erika.

"I'm going to be too thrilled to go to sleep," said Samantha.

After dinner, they cleaned up and got comfy by eight pm.

"We can watch a couple of Christmas movies," said Sandra.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," said Samantha.

Then, the doorbell rang.

"Who could it be at this hour?" asked Grandpa Joe.

Samantha got up to answer and it was Allyson who seemed upset.

"What's up?" asked Samantha.

"My mother got shot in the head," said Allyson.

"What?" asked Samantha. "By who?"

"By my father. He shot her. I found her like that. Then, I saw my father there who apparently killed himself. By the time I called 911 and when the ambulance, he was dead," said Allyson.

"On Christmas Eve?" asked Samantha.

"I couldn't believe it," said Allyson. "Thank god my mother would be okay."

"Gosh," said Samantha. "Good thing."

"Do you mind if I stay here until Mom gets out of the hospital?" asked Allyson.

"Sure, you'd be safe. At least your father won't bother you anymore. Why would he do that for? He's lucky that your mother didn't get killed otherwise he'd be thrown in jail for life," said her friend.

"I know," said Allyson as she came in with her overnight. "The bad part is that Mom lost her memory because of what my father did to her."

"Yikes," said Samantha.

"Thankfully, she'll get therapy for her to remember things again. And, she will be out for work for awhile so she can recover. I offered to call her boss and he was okay with that," said Allyson.

"At least your mother's boss is good to her," said Samantha.

"I know. He couldn't believe what my father did," said Allyson.

"Me either," said Samantha. "Let's forget it to have a good Christmas. I want you to be happy and strong."

"Thanks. I didn't want to bother Vanessa since she's 15 minutes away and you're the closest," said Allyson.

"That's true that you are," said Samantha. "She would understand."

"She's that type who does understand," said Allyson. "My other friends care about me, too."

"That's really good," said Samantha with a grin.

Two hours later, after a Christmas movie was over, the gang went to bed. Samantha added a cot in her room. Amanda didn't mind at all. Allyson did forget about what happen so she can have a good night's sleep.

The next day, when Samantha got up, no one was up yet. She was too excited to go back to sleep. It was only after seven am and it was too early for anyone to get up. None of them get up until around nine every Christmas.

Two hours later, everyone else got up.

"We can have breakfast before we can open gifts," said Sandra who was making scrambled eggs with bacon and toast.

Samantha knew bacon is too fatty for the baby, so she skipped it and ate the eggs & the toast. Sandra didn't mind.

"You need to eat your bacon," said Grandpa Joe.

"I can't. It's too fatty to feed it to the baby," said Samantha.

"She's right. I did the same thing when I was expecting all three girls," said Sandra.

"I understand," said Grandma Kathy.

After they had breakfast, they went over to the living room to start opening presents. They had a great time. Samantha had more stuff for the baby and herself. Some are the words to put on the wall.

"Wow," said Samantha. "These are cool."

"You can use those letters to put the baby's name," said Sandra.

"That's so neat," said Allyson.

Samantha and Allyson decided to keep the gender a secret. They know the way. Allyson already knew what Samantha was having. Later, they added J.J.

"That's a good way to keep it as a secret. We can just put the full name when the baby comes," said Allyson.

"That's the plan," said Samantha.

"Good," said Allyson as they giggled.

That night, Allyson had a phone call saying her mother might not make it. She had a stroke when she got shot. They will keep her mother in the hospital until further notice.

"I hope she does make it," said Allyson.

"I'm sure she will. We can pray for her to get better. The doctors are doing their best to make it happen," said Samantha.

"True," agreed Allyson.

She knew her friend is great supporter. She has been helping her all this time. She's glad she can count on her. Allyson has been visiting her mother each day since the day after Christmas. Her mother didn't have much time to live. She was in a coma and they might have to take her out in a coma if they need to.

A few days later, on New Year's Eve, when Allyson decided to go see her mother, the nurse came to her and said, "I was just about to call you. Your mother just passed away. We knew she wouldn't make it."

Allyson couldn't believe what she was hearing and exclaimed, "But it's New Year's Eve! I thought she would last a bit longer."

"We thought so, too, but it didn't happen," said the doctor.

She was disappointed and when she went back to Samantha's, her friend noticed how upset she was.

"Were you able to see your mother?" asked Samantha.

"No. The doctor told me that my mother passed away," said Allyson who was pale.

"Oh, no. That's awful," said Samantha.

"Thank god I visited her all this week," said Allyson.

"True, you should be thankful for that," said her friend.

"I am, but I can't believe that my mother's dead. I should call Becky. She knew what Dad did and she was mad. She was glad that he's dead now," said Allyson.

"I believe it," said Samantha.

Allyson did call Becky and she got very upset. Allyson knew it was a long vacation for college, so it was the best time to mention it to her sister.

"I was upset, too," said Allyson.

"I can take over the house so you can still stay in Daytona," said Becky.

"Okay, sounds great," said Allyson.

"I'll have to start to go back and forth," said Becky.

"Yeah," said Allyson.

"Because I like the college where I am," said Becky.

"Or I can just stay with Samantha's family for now until you graduate in a few months," said Allyson.

"I could do it that way to make it easier," said Becky.

"I'll leave my stuff there, so I can save the house for us," said Allyson.

"Good idea," said Becky.

"Should I mention it to the judge? You're my family and you're old enough, too," said Allyson.

"I would," said Becky. "Where are they sending Mom's body?"

"In Tampa Bay," said Allyson. "They're putting Dad somewhere else for what he did."

"Good idea," said Becky.

"I know," said Allyson.

After the girls talked, the funeral director came and set up the arrangements for Allyson's mother, which will be a week from Saturday. The wake is the night before. The funeral service will be at Blount & Curry Funeral Home. The burial will be at Oaklawn Cemetery.

"It will be in Tampa Bay. We're heading our way there now," said the funeral director. "We just picked your mother up."

"Okay, I'll call my older sister back to inform her," said Allyson. "She's all that I got. My father killed himself, but they don't want Dad to be at the same place. All of my grandparents are dead. My younger brother, Trevor, is dead, too. Both of my parents had no siblings. I only have cousins from my great-aunts and great-uncles. They're all dead, too."

"Alright, we'll add that to the death notice," said the funeral director.

After he left to bring Jocelyn to Blount & Curry Funeral Home in Tampa Bay, Allyson called Becky back to let her know about the arrangements.

"Okay, thanks," said Becky

"But I don't think I'll attend. It might be too painful since Mom and I were so close like she is to you," said Allyson.

"Just let me know if you change your mind, so I can come by to get you before the funeral," said Becky.

"Okay, I will, but I doubt it," said Allyson.

After they talked, Samantha said, "If you go, want me to go with you to support you?"

"Sure. I'll think about it first," said Allyson.

"Take your time. If it will upset you more, you don't have to go. No one's forcing you," said Samantha.

"At least Becky understood, too," said Allyson.

"That's good to know. You're lucky to have a caring sister like her," said Samantha.

"I agree. We're more than sisters, we're best friends," said Allyson. "We never fight at all. We just talk it out if one of us is upset with each other. We would apologize right away. That's what we always do. We share secrets and we don't spill it to anyone. Becky did it once. I'll explain in a minute."

"That's good," said Samantha. "I'm the same way with my older sisters, too."

"I have a secret to tell you," said Allyson. "It's only an example."

"Okay, spill it," said Samantha as we laughed. "My lips are zippered up."

"I remembered that I accidentally snooped in Becky's diary," said Allyson

"Oops," said Samantha.

"I know. When she caught me, she didn't flip-out or gave me a silent treatment. All she told me was that she was upset with me. I apologized for doing that and she forgave me. That was only once and I never did it again after that," said Allyson. "I never lose her trust."

"Well, that was a lesson learned," said her friend.

"I know," said Allyson. "I have another example. One time, Becky accidentally told my secret to a boy I had a crush on in middle school. That was a bit before I was with Kurt. But she was able to admit that she did it by accident. I understood and forgave her. I didn't get mad as long as she tells me."

"That secret is safe with me, too," said Samantha. "I'm good at keeping secrets, too."

"What secrets?" asked Erika.

"Can you stop asking me every time?" asked Samantha. "Don't eavesdrop."

"That's right. Our talk has nothing to do with you, so please mind your business," said Allyson.

"Allyson's right, leave the girls alone," said Sandra.

That night, they watched the special event for New Year's Eve to watch the ball drop that will happen at midnight. Samantha's family do that every year.

"I can't believe it will be 1996 already," said Allyson.

"I know. It would be two months until I give birth, too," said Samantha.

"Geez. That's coming by so fast," said Allyson.

"True," said Samantha.

They watched the performers and everything else. And, at 11:59 pm, they get to do countdown with the audience and when the zero hit, it was midnight for New Year's Day 1996.

"Happy New Year!" exclaimed the Sawyer family along with Allyson.

They cheered. They all headed to bed after that. The next day, none of them got up until it was after ten am.

"We can go out for the day," said Sandra.

"Would anything be open?" asked her mother.

"Yes, some places do open for New Year's Day," said Sandra. "The only places that do not open are the banks."

They went out for the day. They hang out at the beach since it was a beautiful day out. They ate lunch at Sonny's. They didn't go back home until later that evening after they spent time at the mall. Later, Sonya's parents had a phone call saying their car is all set to leave the garage.

"I'll bring you there tomorrow before you leave for home," said Sonya.

"Okay. That's a good idea," agreed Grandma Kathy. "I'll drive this time. The doctor didn't want your father to drive until this weekend."

"I agree with you," said Sandra.

"Me, too," added Samantha.

"I understood," said Grandpa Joe.

"It's hard to believe that I'd be in school tomorrow already. It seems that Christmas vacation had just started," said Samantha.

"I know," said Erika.

"My Spring classes doesn't start for a few weeks," said Amanda.

"Oh, yeah, that's right. Colleges start different for Spring classes," said Grandpa Joe.

"I'm working the usual shifts at Subway. It helps me pay for the textbooks, which I'll be getting next week," said Amanda. "Sometimes, I get overtime when I don't have any classes. I still work after my final class. Also, I do homework during my break often."

"Do you get a lot of homework?" asked Grandma Kathy.

"Not really," said Amanda. "I just passed my finals. They were all As. I took three classes at a time."

"Good for you," said Grandma Kathy.

"Thanks," said Amanda.

"What time do you have to leave? The garage opens at 9:30 am," said Sandra.

"We can leave from there when it opens at that time," said her father.

"Okay, so we can get up at 8:00 am to give us time to get ready. Sam and Erika would already be gone for school and Frank would be at work," said Sandra. "If you guys want, we can go out for breakfast before we go to the garage if you want to leave a little later."

"Sure," said Grandma Kathy Anne.

"Fine by me," added Grandpa Joe.

"Do you mind if I join because I don't work until 11:00 am?" asked Amanda.

"Sure you can," replied Sandra.

 

8: Chapter 8

The next day, Erika and Samantha were able to see their grandparents, who were up an hour earlier, before they left for school. They were glad about that. Their grandparents went back to bed for a bit longer until they got up at 8:00 am.

At school, Samantha was getting sick to her stomach.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Vanessa.

"It must be that morning sickness," replied Samantha.

She asked her teacher if she can get some water from the bubblier and she had permission to do so. She felt better after that. She was glad.

"Feeling better?" asked Vanessa.

"Yes," replied Samantha.

"Good," said Vanessa.

At lunch, Samantha had a tuna salad with water. After lunch, the girls went to their next class along with the others. They were heading in the same direction, so it was easier for them to walk together.

In the school library during English, Allyson came to Samantha and said, "Samantha, Becky's going to court to take custody of me, but I'm going to tell the judge we're staying where I am since I like living across the street from you and that Becky's staying in Tampa Bay for college until she graduates and I'll be with you until then. I'm wondering if you can come with me so we can tell the judge that."

"Sure. When?" asked Samantha.

"It's on Sunday," said Allyson. "I told Becky I'd invite you so she knows I'm with you for the time being. She agreed with me."

"Okay," said Samantha.

"We're going to be in Tampa Bay where the court date is taking place. It's at 9:00 am, so Becky is getting me the on Friday after school before the wake and we'll be staying in her apartment," said Allyson.

"Alright," said Samantha.

"Another thing is that I thought about the weekend and I think I'll stay in Tampa Bay and try the wake. We might as well stay over that weekend to make it easier for Becky," said Allyson.

"That would be the best thing for us to do," said Samantha.

"I'm lucky to have you as my best friend," said Allyson with a grin.

"I agree that you are. If you didn't have me, you'd go to Vanessa," said Samantha.

"I know, Vanessa is very supportive of me, too, since I made sure I tell her these things. I never leave her out for anything," said Allyson.

"Good," said Samantha. "Did she know about this?"

"Yes, before I went to you actually," said Allyson.

"I always count on her and the others, too," said Samantha.

"Vanessa wants to come with us so she can be supportive of me there. She'll be at the court, too," said Allyson.

"That's fine," said Samantha. "She already knew your family."

"She did. She didn't like my father for the way he treated me. She liked my mother and Becky though," said Allyson.

"I believe it," said Samantha. "I'll let Mrs. Yates know, so she can give me that day off."

"It should last an hour or so," said Allyson. "Becky can always bring you to the flea market."

"I could tell her I'll be late," said Samantha. "I'll call her when I get home, so she would know ahead of time. I'll have to tell my mom, too."

"Terrific. Thanks," said Allyson.

"Not a problem," said Samantha.

After school, they went home with Erika. At home, Samantha went to her mom and said, "Allyson decided to go to the wake Friday and see how it goes, but we'll be staying in Tampa Bay because she invited me to go to the court the day after the funeral, which would be Sunday at 9:00 am. The funeral is Saturday. I might take the weekend off from work although Allyson said her sister can always bring me to work because the court could last for an hour, but I don't think I'll bother. I don't want to work for just one day."

"Okay. What are they going to court for?" asked Sandra.

"For Becky to take custody of Allyson, but they're planning to stay across the street from us. Allyson wants me to go so she can tell the judge that she'll be with me until her sister finishes college this May and she was going to save the house. That way Allyson won't have to move back and Becky can wait to complete the college in Tampa Bay. She's going to graduate there in a few months," explained Samantha.

"That makes sense," said Sandra.

"Do you think I should call Mrs. Yates and tell her now so she can give me the weekend off?" asked Samantha.

"If you want to do that now, you can. That would be the best bet," said Sandra.

She called Mrs. Yates and told her boss she'd be out of town for the weekend and won't be working during that weekend and it was all set. She puts the requests down in her notebook. She keeps put in there for anyone who calls for a weekend off for any good reason.

"All set. I'm glad I decided to call her ahead of time," said Samantha.

"I agree with you," said Sandra.

"Allyson tells me she counts on me and Vanessa to support her," said Samantha. "She always tells Vanessa, too. I didn't blame Allyson for that. I would've been afraid that Vanessa would be upset if she wasn't included."

"You got a good point. At least Allyson's a good friend to Vanessa to include her," said Sandra.

"I know. I admire Allyson for that," said Samantha.

Allyson came out after she was done talking on the phone with Vanessa.

"I already requested the whole weekend off because it would've been pointless to work for just one day. Mom didn't blame me," said Samantha.

"That was a better idea," said Allyson. "Vanessa got permission to come with us."

"We can pack our overnight bags on Thursday night to be all set. That way we won't have to rush home on Friday to do that after school before your sister comes for us," said Samantha.

"That's odd. I was thinking about the same thing," said Allyson as they giggled.

"I told Vanessa she can come here with us after school. She'll pack Thursday. Her mother didn't mind her coming with us," said Allyson.

On Thursday night, the girls packed their overnighters to be all set like they planned. They added funeral clothes. Samantha had a black dress while Allyson had a white blouse with black pants.

"My sister still decided to get me after school tomorrow since the wake isn't till tomorrow night," said Allyson.

"Okay," said Samantha.

"I'm a bit nervous about Sunday," said Allyson.

"You'll do fine since you'll have me and Vanessa," said Samantha. "Are you afraid they might send you back to Tampa Bay?"

"Yes, but luckily, our lawyer will be there, too," said Allyson.

"That's good," said Samantha.

"I know," said Allyson.

"Don't think about Sunday so you can focus on school tomorrow," suggested Samantha.

"That's true," said Allyson.

In the middle of the night, Allyson woke up from a bad dream. She couldn't stop thinking about her mother. Samantha heard Allyson crying and went to her friend.

"Are you alright?" asked Samantha as she comforted Allyson.

"I still miss my mother, that's all. I couldn't believe what Dad did to her," said Allyson wiping her tears.

"Everything will be okay," said Samantha. "You could keep your mother in your memories by thinking all the good times you had with her."

"Okay. I could give that a shot," said Allyson. "I'm just angry about this."

"Your feelings are normal," said Samantha. "Like you said before, your father won't bother you anymore."

"That's the only thing I'm glad about," said Allyson.

The next day, Samantha, Vanessa, and Allyson went to Samantha's to get their things after school. Vanessa had her things in the locker. They didn't wait too long before Becky came to pick them up.

"Hi. You must be Becky. I'm Samantha," said Samantha. "It's finally nice to meet you."

"Same here," said Becky. "Allyson's very glad she has you and Vanessa."

"I know," agreed Samantha.

They were in Tampa Bay within 20 to 30 minutes later. They went to Becky's apartment.

"Wow. This is a nice place," said Samantha.

"Thanks. This isn't too far from college. It's only 10 minutes away from here," said Becky.

"That's not too bad," said Samantha. "I'm debating where I want to go college. My oldest sister just started at Daytona Community College. I might choose that since it's close to home."

"That's a good choice," said Becky. "That's where I'd be going. This is my Bachelor degree. I'd be going for a master's degree. I'm studying to be a teacher. I just got accepted for that college."

"That's cool," said Samantha. "I have no idea what I would like to do yet. I'll decide when I start looking into colleges and thinking about the career when it's time. I'm thinking to study for stylist, nurse, or journalist."

"Those are good choices. You would also be good at therapy," said Becky.

"That's true I would be," said Samantha. "Especially I have been helping Allyson out during her tough times."

"Exactly," said Allyson.

That night, the girls got ready for the wake.

"The limo will be here shortly," said Becky.

"Okay. We're almost ready," said Allyson.

Samantha was fixing Allyson's hair. She was doing a French braid.

"I love fixing my friends' hair. We do it during sleepovers," said Samantha.

"She's good at that," said Vanessa. "She just did mine, too."

Vanessa had hers curled.

"You do a great job," said Becky.

"Thanks," said Samantha.

Ten minutes later, the limo came.

"The limo's here," said Allyson.

"Alright," said Vanessa.

That was when the girls went out to the limo. The limo was from the funeral home.

"The limo will also take us to Mom's funeral and burial," said Becky.

"That's if I decided to go tomorrow," said Allyson. "I wanted to see how it goes tonight."

"I understand," said Becky.

"This is the second time I'm going to a funeral since Trevor's death," said Allyson. "I remember how upset I was back then. It still bothers me. That could explain how Dad changed. I still say it. None of us did anything to deserve that. I remember he used to be a loving parent while Trevor was alive."

"So do I," said Becky. "No one understands why he changed."

"I heard they're going to cremate him although that's not what he wanted, but he deserved to get cremated," said Allyson. "The ashes are going to be scattered into an ocean."

"That's a good idea," said Becky.

"I was glad about that when she told me," said Samantha. "No one should be treated poorly like your father did."

"I agree," said Becky.

At the Blount & Curry Funeral Home, the girls sat down to get ready for the wake. They noticed some family members were there, too, which were their cousins from their great-aunts and great-uncles.

"This is a nice surprise," said Becky.

"Yes. We saw it in the paper. How did your mother passed?" asked Lucy.

"Our dad shot her in the head before he killed himself. She was in the hospital for a few days before she died," said Allyson. "I have been seeing her the whole time."

"Your dad? Why did he do that?" asked Lucy.

"I have no idea. I do know he was always acting tough since Trevor's death," said Allyson.

"I do remember that," said Lucy. "In fact, we didn't want to deal with your father for years when he got rough. That's how it restrained our relationships."

"You still could've call or see me and Becky," Allyson pointed out.

"I know, but if we did things without your father, you never know what he would do," said Lucy. "There were chances things could get worse. The only one we bother with is your mother and your father didn't even know about it. We didn't want to get involved with your father around."

"It still bothered me and Becky though," said Allyson as she went to go sit with Samantha and Vanessa.

"I hate to break it to you, but Allyson's right," said Becky. "How come Mom never mentioned us that you kept in touch with her?"

"She wanted to keep you both safe. She was worried something would happen if your father finds out. In fact, he was the one who kept us away from you both," said Lucy.

"I agree with you," said Lucille. "I was like, 'it's not fair to you both from not seeing us.' He didn't care at all back then."

"What's going to happen you both now?" asked Lucy.

"I'm going to court Sunday to take custody of Allyson and we're staying in Tampa Bay, but she will be with my neighbor until I graduate in a few months. I'm going to another college in Daytona to study to be a teacher," said Becky. "I just don't want us to get separated."

"I don't blame you," said Michelle.

Then, the wake started. Allyson tried to keep it cool. She was afraid to embarrass herself if she started crying. Samantha held Allyson's hand to comfort her friend. Allyson was crying an hour later and went out to the lobby.

"Excuse me for a moment," said Samantha as she went out to the lobby to be with Allyson. "Are you alright?"

"I couldn't handle it much longer. I tried not to get more upset in front of everyone," said Allyson.

"It's okay to feel that way. Anyone can be like that, especially during funeral services. It can be hard to forget a loved one," said Samantha as she sat on the floor with Allyson.

"I don't think I want to come here tomorrow. It would make me feel even worse," said Allyson.

"I give you credit for trying the wake first. That's all it matters," said Samantha.

"That's true," agreed Allyson trying to feel calm.

"Want me to stay in the apartment with you if you choose not to come back?" asked Samantha.

"Sure. I don't want to see her to be buried. Her wishes were to be laid with Trevor," said Allyson. "They want to take my father's name so they won't have to be buried there for what he did. I'll be so glad if did that. We're going to see if that's what they'll do. They'll put ashes somewhere else. If he wasn't a tough, he would've been buried with Mom."

"I know," said Samantha.

The girls talked for a bit longer when the people came out after the wake was over. Then, they went to the limo to bring them back to the apartment.

On the way back, Allyson said, "I'm not going to the funeral tomorrow. I couldn't handle it at the wake."

"I don't mind," said Becky. "Do you want to wait until the branch that will take place at the church where we used to go before you moved to Daytona Beach?"

"Yes," replied Allyson. "I don't want to see Mom buried to be begin with."

"Okay," said her sister.

"I'll stay with you, too," said Vanessa. "Are you still hurt about tonight?"

"That's another reason I didn't want to go tomorrow. I can't believe we didn't know that Mom stayed in touch with our cousins we haven't heard from for years," said Allyson.

"Let's put it this way: it's not her fault. Your father is to blame. It's not even right to keep you all from seeing your own cousins," said Samantha.

"Samantha's got a very good point," said Vanessa.

"That's true," said Becky.

"So, you can't blame your mother. Like Lucy said, she wanted to keep you all safe without getting hurt by your father if he found out," said Samantha. "I think your mother did what she thought it was best for you girls."

"I suppose you're right," said Allyson.

"Leave that to Samantha the expert on relationships," said Vanessa as they all giggled.

At Becky's apartment, the girls changed into their nightgowns.

"You should get some rest," said Becky.

"I'll be okay, it's only nine pm," said Allyson.

In the middle of the night, Allyson was tossing and turning in bed.

"No, no," mumbled Allyson. "Mama!"

Samantha heard her friend as she went over to Allyson.

"Mama!" Allyson cried out.

"Allyson," said Samantha as Allyson woke up. "You were having a bad dream."

"I still can't stop thinking about my mother," said Allyson.

"I bet," said Samantha. "It'll be okay."

"I'm still angry what my own father did," said Allyson.

"I know," said Samantha.

The next day, Allyson didn't go to the funeral or the burial. She was grieving about her mother. She wanted to wait until the branch.

"I thought about what my cousins said. I didn't blame my mom to keep me and Becky safe by keeping touch with my cousins without Dad knowing it since he chased them away the way he acted," said Allyson. "But they still should've keep us in touch without Dad knowing it, too."

"You got a very good point," said Samantha.

"Yeah. They should've," said Vanessa. "They think they were worried about your safety."

Allyson knew her friends were right.

An hour later, they got ready to go to the branch. The limo arrived after her mom was buried and went to the branch at the church. Allyson rather handle that than funeral services.

"I'm nervous tomorrow about what to say to the judge," said Allyson.

"I'm sure you'll make out fine," said Samantha.

"We believe in you," said Vanessa.

"Thanks, guys," said Allyson with a grin.

Becky came over and said, "Did you see the collage about Mom over there?"

She showed them.

"Wow. Those are nice pictures. I didn't see them last night. Did they save it for the funeral?" asked Allyson.

"Yes," said Becky.

"I wonder if I can take them. I want to keep her in my memories," said Allyson.

"That's a nice idea," said Becky.

"Who made them anyway?" asked Samantha.

"I did," said Lily.

"Wow," said Vanessa.

"Is it okay if I can take them?" asked Allyson.

"Sure you can. It's a good way to keep her in your thoughts. I had pictures of your father, but I didn't want to add them for the way he treated you," said Lily.

"I don't blame you," said Becky.

"Me either," said Allyson. "I moved on from him. But it's still hard to forget my mom. We were so close. She understands me and she couldn't stand him when he treats me badly."

"I believe it," said her sister.

The branch ended later that night. Allyson did take the pictures before the limo brought them back to the apartment.

"You better get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow," said Becky.

"Okay," said Allyson.

The next day, they were up by 8:00 am. They got ready and left for the court. Allyson hasn't said one word on the way.

"You're awfully quiet," said Samantha, who noticed.

"I'm still nervous, that's all," said Allyson. "I don't think I spoke to a judge before."

"Oh, it's okay to feel that way. But I'm sure you'll make out great," said Vanessa.

"Yeah, we'll be with you," said Samantha.

"I'm glad for that," said Allyson.

At the court, Allyson spoke to the judge and told him what she planned while Becky continues college until May.

"I just want to stay in Daytona Beach. I'm happy there," said Allyson.

"Good. I'll let you do that then. Becky just needs to sign the paper saying she'll take custody of you and you'll be all set," said the judge.

"Great. Thanks," said Allyson.

Becky signed the papers. Allyson didn't want to be in foster care or get separated from her sister. The judge didn't blame Allyson for it. After that, everything was alright. Then, they headed back to the apartment to gather their suitcases and put in Becky's car. She planned to take the girls back to Daytona Beach.

"I'm glad things went fine," said Allyson.

"I told you so," said Samantha as they giggled.

 

9: Chapter 9

They got back in Daytona Beach two hours later.

"I'll bring you and Allyson home first so I can bring Vanessa on my way back to Tampa Bay," said Becky.

"I like that idea," said Vanessa.

"Either way is fine with us," said Allyson.

"My mom is at work anyway. I took the whole weekend off from work for the funeral and the court," said Samantha.

When Becky brought Allyson and Samantha to her house, the girls went inside.

"I'm glad the custody is settled now," said Allyson.

"Me, too," said Samantha while she was unpacking her suitcase.

"At least I can stay with you until Becky graduates from college," said Allyson. "I didn't want to go back to Tampa Bay to put my bad memories behind me between what happened to Trevor and to me."

"Good. I don't blame you for that," said Samantha.

A few weeks later, it was Winter Vacation and Samantha worked that whole weekend. Samantha took another job and would work weekdays and keep the weekend job from the snack bar. Her new job is working for Winn-Dixie as a bagger. She liked it. Her wage is $10 per hour. Samantha had a work permit before that. She just wanted it for the money to continue to do so and save the money for the baby. She'll work there after school during the school year and she'll get extra during school vacations. She can also save it for college. Her boss, Mr. Michaels, is very good to her. Mrs. Young knew Mr. Michaels from school a long time ago, which was why Mrs. Young told Samantha about the job. Samantha's co-worker, Henry Johnson, is the cashier and they work in the same lane on the other side. He's also very nice.

Most of the time, Samantha gets tired when she gets home from work. She goes to bed by 9:00 pm.

"Mr. Michaels said I can work after another job, but I told him I think doing one job in one day is plenty for me right now. He understood since you and I work until 5:00 pm," said Samantha. "I like Monday through Thursday to keep my weekend job at the flea market. I told him I can do Fridays during school year. He said he can do it that way. I can tell him about Fridays before the Winter Vacation is over."

"That's good," said Sandra. "I like my hours."

An hour later, Allyson came to Samantha and said, "I want to end my life. I'm still depressed about Mom."

"Killing yourself is not the answer," said Samantha.

"I know, but I miss her so much," said Allyson.

She told Samantha what she had in mind to kill herself. Allyson wanted that between them, but Samantha knew that wasn't a good idea. So, she went out to her mom right away to tell her.

"You're smart to come out to me. I think Allyson needs therapy," said Sandra.

"Me, too. Poor thing is so depressed, even after her mom's funeral. I'm worried about her," said Samantha.

Luckily, Samantha saved Allyson in time and the girls talked for a long time. Allyson started to feel better after a long chat.

"I've been worried about you. You can always tell me about your feelings," said Samantha.

"Thanks. I wish shouldn't tell you about what I wanted to do," said Allyson.

"That's okay. You're going through a rough time," said Samantha. "It's always good to come to me."

"I'm glad I can talk to you," said Allyson.

"I think I should study to be a therapist when I start college. I would like to help people with their rough moments," said Samantha.

"That's a good idea," said Allyson.

When the Winter Vacation was over, Samantha already told Mr. Michaels to work Fridays during the school year and do Mondays through Thursdays during school vacations.

"Okay," said Mr. Michaels.

"I like working for Mrs. Young with my mom," said Samantha. "I'm there Friday through Sunday during school vacations and just do Saturdays and Sundays during the school year. I'll why I'll do Monday through Friday while I'm in school."

"That's good," said Mr. Michaels. "You're a good worker. I see Henry want to show you how to scan items."

"Yes, but I've been watching him, so I didn't need to learn," said Samantha.

"Good," said Mr. Michaels.

"After all, I'm the cashier when Mom's on break and give customers their orders the rest of the time," said Samantha.

"That was a good way to help her out," said her boss.

"Yes," said Samantha.

After work, Samantha had an ultrasound appointment, so her mom was there to take her. The baby was still doing fine. Then, they went home.

"Mrs. Yates said if you want to leave the snack bar job anytime, you can," said Sandra.

"I don't think I will. I like Mrs. Young too much," said Samantha. "I have time to work there since I work four days during the school vacation and I'll be working five days during the school year. I enjoy both jobs."

"Okay," said Sandra.

"Besides, I can use all that money for the baby and for college," said Samantha.

"That's true," agreed her mother.

At dinner, Samantha noticed something wasn't right: Allyson wasn't at the table.

"Where's Allyson?" asked Samantha.

"She wasn't feeling well," replied her mom.

"Oh," said Samantha. "I was wondering about that."

After she was done, she got up to check on Allyson, who was in bed.

"Are you feeling okay?" asked Samantha.

"I have a headache," said Allyson. "I took Aleve."

"It must be from stress," said Samantha.

"You're probably right," said Allyson.

The phone rang as Samantha went to answer and said, "Hello."

"Hi. This is the police from Tampa Bay. Is this Allyson?" asked the police.

"No. This is her friend, Samantha. She's in bed with a headache," said Samantha.

"I was calling to tell her some news. Her sister was in a car accident," said the police.

"Is Becky okay?" asked Samantha.

"I'm afraid not. She was pronounced dead at the hospital," said the police.

"Really? She just took custody of Allyson a few weeks ago," said Samantha.

"I know. Will you tell her?" asked the police.

"Sure. I'll have a find way to tell her," said Samantha. "She's been stressed out about what happened to her mom."

After they talked, Samantha didn't know how to tell Allyson.

"Who was it?" asked Sandra.

"The police from Tampa Bay," replied Samantha. "This is going to be tough for Allyson."

"Why?" asked Sandra.

"Can I tell you in the living room?" asked Samantha as they went there. "Her sister got killed in a car accident."

"That's a shame. Didn't she just take custody of Allyson?" asked Sandra.

"Yes," replied Samantha. "I'll have to find a way to break the news to Allyson. This is going to be even tougher on her."

"I know," said Sandra.

After they talked, Samantha went to Allyson.

"How are you feeling?" asked Samantha.

"A little better," replied Allyson.

"Good. I need to tell you something," said Samantha.

"Okay," said Allyson as she sat up in bed.

"The police from Tampa Bay called," said Samantha. "Becky was in a car accident."

"What?" asked Allyson who was shocked. "Is she okay?"

"No, she was pronounced dead at the hospital," said Samantha.

"You're kidding," said Allyson.

"I'm serious," said Samantha.

"She was supposed to take custody of me," said Allyson.

"That's what I said," said Samantha.

"Where am I supposed to live now?" asked Allyson.

"You could always stay with us," replied Samantha. "We would have to tell the judge now. I'm sure he'll let you live here."

"I hope so. I like living in Daytona Beach," said Allyson.

A week later, Allyson didn't attend the funeral for Becky. She was too upset. But she still had to go Tampa Bay to go to court. Her family wanted to take custody of her, but she didn't want to go out of state where they live. Some live in California, a few live in Maine, and the rest live in Rhode Island. She rather stay with Samantha and her family. The court would take place tomorrow. She didn't attend funeral services. She wanted Samantha to go for court. They stayed with a relative, who was at a hotel. Vanessa came along as well. The day after they buried Becky with her mom, the girls got ready to go to court.

"You might have to live with me in California," said her godmother, Alisha.

"No way. I'm happier in Daytona Beach. That's my home now. I want to stay with my friend and her family. The judge let me do that last time," said Allyson.

"It's true. That was when Becky signed the papers to take custody of Allyson. I was there," said Samantha.

At the court, her family fight for her, but the judge told them to let Allyson decide to live wherever she wants and Allyson said, "I want to remain in Daytona Beach and stay with Samantha & her family."

"Okay. It's official. I'm going to let Allyson stay in Daytona Beach where she belongs," said the judge.

"Why can't she live with a family member?" asked Alisha.

"I don't want to move away," replied Allyson.

"And… I said so. It's an order," added the judge.

After that was over, Allyson was glad that she gets to stay with Samantha and her family. She was just happy where she lives. That was when the girls left and headed back to Daytona Beach.

Back at home, Allyson wants to continue sharing the room with Samantha, so Amanda agreed to give her room up and move in Erika's room. For the next few days, Allyson packed her stuff from her old house and brought it over to Samantha's with a help from her other friends. Amanda took her stuff out from her closet so Allyson can put hers there.

"Sorry I couldn't help," said Samantha.

"Don't worry about it," said Allyson. "Keeping the baby safe is your top priority."

"That's true," said Samantha.

"I'm glad we're keeping the nursery room the way it is," said Allyson.

"Me, too," said Samantha. "That's why sharing rooms are the best thing to do right now."

"Exactly," said Allyson.

The next day, Sandra suggested they can move to a bigger house.

"Move?" asked Erika.

"Yes. It just makes sense that way. Our family is growing with Allyson living here now," said Sandra.

"I like sharing the room with Amanda. We're not having any issues with it," said Erika.

"I think buying a bigger house would be the best solution. I just wanted to make a decision that's the best for everyone," said Sandra. "I'll discuss it with your father tonight. He might agree with me."

"Where would you find a bigger house?" asked Amanda.

"Perhaps near the flea market or move to Ocala," said Sandra.

"How would we go back and forth to work?" asked Samantha.

"We can switch to Marion Flea Market to be easier since Daytona Beach is an hour away," replied Sandra. "I'll have to wait and see when I talk to your father. This means, you'd have to switch high schools. Amanda would be in college soon anyway."

"Honestly, I like the idea. We don't have much room. I think Amanda and Erika's room is kind of small to share," said Samantha. "Allyson and I are different since our room is bigger."

"Sam's got a good point," said Amanda. "We can always add a bunk bed to make it easier for me and Erika."

"Yeah, it's big enough," said Erika. "If the nursery room is big enough, why don't we switch rooms? And, Amanda and I can have that room."

"I could do it way, too," said Samantha.

That night, Frederick had news to share at dinner.

"I'm going to be promoted," said Fred.

"That's wonderful," said Sandra.

"Way to go, Dad," said Amanda.

"However, there is more. I'll be transferred to another office in Ocala," said Fred.

"Really?" asked Samantha.

"I was thinking about getting a house that's the best fit for everyone since we have Allyson now," said Sandra. "Plus, the baby would be arriving next month. So, that would be a perfect time to move. When do they plan to have you transferred?"

"In a few weeks right before Sam's baby is born," said Fred.

"Okay," said Sandra. "We can do house hunting in the meantime. I'll let Mrs. Young know this weekend and Samantha would have to work at another Wal-Mart since it would be too far for her to get to Daytona Beach."

"I agree with you," said Samantha. "I'll let Mr. Michaels know."

"Do you think Jordan can still help out when we move?" asked Sandra.

"I can call him after dinner and ask him. I'm sure he won't mind," said Samantha.

After supper, she called Jordan and told him the news.

"Are you still willing to have the baby on weekends when I go back to work? I'll be on maternal leave soon," said Samantha.

"Sure. I don't mind at all," said Jordan.

"Mom will be baby-sitting while I'm working since she works the last shift at a nursing home. She'll be working a new one in Ocala. I'm glad you'll still help out since I'd be with Mom at the other flea market on Saturdays and Sundays. I do Wal-Mart on Monday through Friday during the school year and Monday through Thursday during school vacations," said Samantha. "I'll give the new address or we can meet half-way if you wanted to."

"We can meet half-way. We can make arrangements when the baby comes," said Jordan.

"Good idea," said Samantha.

After they talked, Samantha was glad Jordan would still help out with the baby. She went to her mom and said, "Jordan can still help me out. We plan to make arrangements for the child to spend weekends with him while I work, especially when I go to work with you at the flea market. He said he can meet us half-way."

"That's a nice idea to do," said Sandra.

"I know," said Samantha.

The next day, at school, Vanessa, who couldn't believe what Samantha told her about the news, said, "You're what?"

"Yeah. Dad's getting transferred to Ocala. I'm sure we still can see each other every once in a while," said Samantha.

"Good. Can we come see you when the baby arrives?" asked Vanessa.

"Sure. That's a great idea," said Samantha. "We're leaving right before the baby is born."

"It was time anyway because the family is bigger with me living there. Her family plans to adopt me," said Allyson.

"Really?" asked Vanessa.

"Yes," said Allyson.

"Are you ready for that?" asked Vanessa.

"Honestly, yes. It's better than moving away from here," said Allyson. "If my family was around here, that's different. I love Florida too much."

"Would they be okay with it?" asked Vanessa.

"I haven't seen them in years because of my father," said Allyson.

"Oh, yeah," said Vanessa.

"I don't want them to know I'm going to be adopted by Samantha's family," said Allyson. "Otherwise they might go after me to live with them and I don't want that."

"I gotcha now," said Vanessa.

"I got Facebook, but ever since my old sitter did to me, I got rid of my profile picture. That way no one would find me. In fact, I'm going to change my last name once I get adopted," said Allyson.

"I don't blame you for doing that," said Vanessa.

"Samantha didn't blame me either," said Allyson. "I'm just happier with my life now."

"My parents had just to get adoption papers and go to court this weekend around here," said Samantha.

"It's cool that we'll be sisters," said Allyson.

"You'd have three sisters," Samantha pointed out.

"That's true," said Allyson.

"You adopted? You look too different," said a student.

"Leave her alone," said Samantha.

This was the same bully from last time.

"If you have a problem with it, get over it," said Allyson.

"That's right," said Vanessa.

After school, Frederick had adoption papers from his work.

"Sandra and I just have to sign them before the judge signs them," said Frederick.

"Okay," said Allyson. "I already changed my last name so the rest of my family won't know you and Mrs. Sawyer are adopting me. This is way better than moving away with them."

"That was a good idea for you to do," said Frederick.

"Otherwise they'd try to fight for me," said Allyson.

"You have a good point," said Frederick.

"I can't wait to start calling you both Mom and Dad once the papers are final," said Allyson. "I wish my own father wouldn't treat me badly. I don't miss him to be honest with you."

A few days later, they went to court and the judge signed the final adoption papers and everything was all set to go. Sandra and Frederick already found a place to live in Ocala and it was much bigger. It had 6 rooms, so it was a perfect size. One had twin beds, so Samantha and Allyson wanted to share a room. The other one was big enough for the nursery room. Two of them are big enough for Amanda and Erika to have their own rooms. It had two bathrooms, one in the master bedroom. The last one would be the guestroom.

Later, when Samantha got to work, she told Mr. Michaels she would be moving to Ocala.

"My sister, Lynn, is a manager at Wal-Mart there," said Mr. Michaels. "I'll let her know you'll be there."

"Okay. Dad wants to move in two weeks before I have my baby. It could be next week," said Samantha.

"Once you let me know, I'll notify her," said Mr. Michaels.

"Deal," said Samantha.

 

10: Chapter 10

When Samantha got home, it was time for dinner.

"I told Mr. Michaels that we'll be leaving and he says he'll let his sister know. She's the manager at the Ocala Wal-Mart location," said Samantha. "When are we supposed to let Mrs. Young know that we'd be leaving?"

"We can let her know this weekend. Your father plans to leave next weekend so he can start his new job the week after that," said Sandra.

"Okay. When is our last day of school?" asked Samantha.

"Next Thursday. We'll be moving next Friday, so Sunday is our last day working at the flea market," said Sandra.

"Alright. I'll let Mr. Michaels know tomorrow," said Samantha.

A week later, they spend most of the week packing and getting ready to move. All of the three girls cleaned out of their lockers and signed-out of their high school. Amanda didn't have to worry since she wanted to stay at the same college where she is. She's also staying at Subway near her college. Erika decided to change her job, too, so she told her boss she was leaving Friday. She'll be working at another Payless in Ocala.

On Thursday, everyone was packing to get ready to move tomorrow. Samantha was excused from helping out. Her mom didn't want her daughter to carry or pack anything heavy, so Samantha only packed her clothes with a help from Allyson. She offered to pack Samantha's stuff for her while doing her own. Samantha was happy she had help.

"When we finish packing each box, we can put them in the trailer I rented," said Frederick. "Samantha can be excused from carrying the boxes."

"Sounds good," said Erika.

That's what they did. Allyson helped by carrying the box with Samantha's stuff before Allyson did her own box.

"Thanks. You're a great helper," said Samantha.

"No problem," said Allyson.

"We can pack our nightgowns, hairbrushes, and toothbrushes last. Mom and Dad told us we can pack them in the morning when we move," said Samantha.

"Good idea," said Allyson.

"They said we're leaving by 9:00 or 9:30 pm since Ocala is only an hour away from Daytona Beach. Amanda wants to stay near Daytona Community College. She's staying with a friend who goes to the same college. She doesn't want to leave there and she figured it would be too far for her to go back and forth to Daytona Beach. She asked to put the rest of her stuff in her new room at our new house since she'll be with us during vacations, especially holidays or summer. Mom and Dad didn't blame her for it," said Samantha.

"Me, either," said Allyson.

"She's moving in with her friend tomorrow when we leave. She agreed to pay rent. She said her job is a perfect to pay for it. Erika is following us to Ocala," said Samantha.

"That's good," said Allyson.

Sandra came by and said, "We plan to eat at Cracker Barrel for breakfast on our way to Ocala."

"Sounds good," said Samantha.

"Same here," said Allyson.

Once everyone was done packing, some of them were tired and went to bed by 10:00 pm.

The next day, everyone was up by 8:00 am and got dressed to get ready to leave their old house.

"I'm glad all the nursery stuff is in the trailer. We could paint the room the same way we had in this nursery. I still got the blueprint saved," said Samantha.

"That's a good idea," said Allyson.

"I already put it in my suitcase last night," said Samantha. "It's good to save it in case we move anywhere."

"I agree with you," said Allyson.

When everyone was ready, Frederick shut the power and locked the doors when they left.

"I'll see you during Spring Vacation," said Amanda.

"Don't forget, you can see me when I give birth, too," said Samantha. "Mom or Dad can call you when I'm in the hospital."

"Okay," said Amanda.

When they left, the rest went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast like they planned. After they ate, they continued on to Ocala. They were there an hour later and went to their new house.

"I think someone knew I was adopted. I believe it was my cousin. I don't get how she knew because I didn't have a picture on Facebook," said Allyson.

"That's odd," said Samantha.

"I ignored the request to avoid trouble," said Allyson. "I was afraid she could tell anyone else and cause a rift."

"I don't blame you," said Samantha.

When they got to their new house, they brought everything in.

"We can leave the bed in the nursery room. That way the child can have it when it's old enough to have the bed," said Sandra.

"Good plan. I would like to decorate the way we had it at our old house. I saved the blueprint," said Samantha.

"That's a good idea," said Sandra.

"I think at this rate, I might delete my Facebook altogether," said Allyson. "My cousin apparently told someone I was adopted and is causing trouble. I refused to tell her where we moved because something bad could happen to me."

"I agree with you," said Samantha.

One by one, they unpacked everything. They were done by noon.

"I'm glad you and I are still sharing a room," said Allyson.

"Me, too," said Samantha.

"We can go shopping later to fill our new fridge," said Sandra.

"Okay," said Allyson.

An hour later, Allyson did get rid of her Facebook page. She already told Vanessa she was doing it for a reason. She understood why Allyson was doing it. Allyson had no regrets on deleting her Facebook page.

"I heard your birth mom is trying to find you," said Erika.

"How? I'm not adopted," said Allyson.

"She's a manager at Payless. Her name is Martha Black," said Erika.

"I'm confused," said Allyson.

Samantha knew what Erika was saying, but Vanessa said it was supposed to be a secret. Vanessa told Samantha that Jocelyn was Allyson's stepmother, not her real mom. But Jocelyn didn't want anyone to know because she treats Becky and Allyson as her own daughters. Martha took off on the family when Becky and Allyson were just toddlers. The girls probably didn't remember a thing about it. Trevor was actually Jocelyn's. Allyson's parents adopted him. It was probably closed adoption because no one knew about that.

"I'll be starting to work with her on Monday," said Erika.

Samantha didn't want to bring it up since she promised Vanessa not to say anything. Vanessa knew it because her parents told her. Her parents and Allyson's parents were friends for a long time when they lived in Tampa Bay.

"Do you know anything about it, Sam?" asked Erika.

"I don't have a clue," said Samantha.

She just wanted to say a white lie. And, she wouldn't trust Erika. That night, the family went out to eat while they shopped at Wal-Mart.

"Can I go meet my new manager while I'm here?" asked Samantha.

"Sure," said Sandra.

"I'll go with her," said Allyson.

The girls went to the customer service.

"How can I help you?" asked a man.

"Is Ms. Lily Michaels working tonight? My manager, Mr. Michaels, was supposed to let her know that I'll be working here. We just moved from Daytona Beach today," said Samantha.

"Oh, yes, you must be Samantha. She told me you might be coming by to meet her. Let me bring you to her," said the man. "I'm Nick."

"Nice to meet you," said Samantha. "My friend, Allyson, was coming over with me."

"That's fine," said Nick.

They went up to the manager's office while Nick knocked on the door and opened it

"Samantha's here," said Nick.

"Ah, yes, come in," said Ms. Michaels.

"Allyson can wait up here for you," said Nicky.

"Okay," said Samantha as she came in.

"My brother told me you were moving here," said Ms. Michaels.

"Yes," said Samantha. "Our family was getting bigger and I'm having my baby in a few weeks."

"He said you're a wonderful worker over there," said the manager.

"Thanks. I work as a cashier. My co-worker, Henry, was impressed that I knew how to scans items because I've been watching him. Plus, I was working with my mom at the snack bar at the Daytona Flea Market. We'll be working at another flea market next weekend. During the school, I do that on Saturdays and Sundays, so I've working at Wal-Mart Monday through Friday and he lets me work there Monday through Thursday during school vacations because I help Mom out on weekends. I do all that to support the baby," said Samantha.

"That's very good," said Ms. Michaels. "When do you want to start here?"

"I can start Monday after school," said Samantha. "I get out at 4:00 pm."

"Okay," said Ms. Michaels.

"Mr. Michaels was letting me bring the uniforms here to make it easier instead of getting new ones. I still got the name tag with it," said Samantha.

"He told me you were doing that. I didn't mind," said the manager. "You can see first thing you get here on Monday so I can bring you to your aisle you'll be."

"Okay, sounds good," said Samantha.

"I already did the schedule for you anyway," said Ms. Michaels. "I left the work starting blank until you come to see me."

"Okay. Can I see it? I always write it down so I'd know," said Samantha.

"I'll put in your hours now," said Ms. Michaels.

She did it and printed the schedule for Monday through Friday out while Samantha wrote it down.

"When do you put hours for the following week?" asked Samantha.

"I do it on Fridays, so you can come by before or after work," said Ms. Michaels.

"Okay. Mr. Michaels do the hours on Fridays, too," said Samantha. "When I'm not here Fridays, my mom brings me after our jobs. We'll be starting there next Friday and I'll be with next Saturday. Plus, there's no point to be there on Fridays after school since they close before I get out."

"I agree," said Ms. Michaels. "Their schedule is 8:00 am to 3:00 pm on Fridays, so I don't blame you for doing it. And, they're open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays."

"Mrs. Young told us on it. She's a great boss over there," said Samantha.

"I believe it. I know her. We went to college together," said Ms. Michaels.

Nick came up and said, "Your parents are cashing out, Samantha."

"Tell them we'll be right down, we're just finishing up," said the manager.

"Yes, ma'am," said Nick.

Ten minutes later, they came down and Ms. Michaels met Samantha's family.

"Samantha is a sweet girl," said Ms. Michaels.

"Yes, she is," said Sandra.

"I was working on her schedule and just chatted for a while," said Ms. Michaels.

"That's good," said Sandra.

After that, they went home. They undid the bags and put everything away. On Monday, after school, Samantha started her new location. She was fast when it comes to scanning items, especially when they're busy. She had a busy night.

"Are you going to on the maternal leave soon?" asked Ms. Michaels.

"I'm not sure. I forgot to tell you that I'll be seeing my doctor tomorrow at 4:30 pm, so I'll be in after that," said Samantha.

"That's okay. I understand," said Ms. Michaels.

"I'll let you know on that," said Samantha.

"Okay," said the manager.

 

11: Chapter 11

The next day, Samantha was having her ultrasound.

"Your maternal leave starts Monday since you'd be due soon," said the doctor. "Friday will be your last day until you return to work next month."

"My manager asked me and I wasn't sure," said Samantha. "I told her I'd let her know when I get to work."

After the appointment, she went to work. Her mother was in the waiting room.

"My doctor told me maternal leave starts Monday since I'm getting closer to have my baby," said Samantha.

"That's good," said Sandra.

"Maybe I'll wait to work at the flea market with you after the maternal leave is over because Friday would be my last day and won't be back to work until next month," said Samantha.

"That's fine," said Sandra.

When Samantha got to work, she went to tell her manager right away.

"Okay," said Ms. Michaels.

"I won't be back until next month. I'm sure I can visit with the baby," said Samantha.

"That would be a lovely idea," said the manager. "Everyone tells me you're quick when you scan items."

"Yes, especially when we're busy. I try to take my time so I won't mess up," said Samantha.

"I don't blame you," said Ms. Michaels.

After they talked, Samantha went to her job right away. When she noticed something wasn't right with the credit card machine, she would fix it right away and made it work. The customer had no problem waiting for a few minutes.

"Someone showed me how to deal with me in case something goes wrong with the machine when I worked at the other Wal-Mart," said Samantha. "Thank you for waiting."

"Not a problem. You did a nice job fixing it," said the man.

"Thanks," said Samantha. "Otherwise, I would've let my manager know and show me how to do it."

On Monday, it was Samantha's day to have maternal leave from work and the doctor let her continue to school until she has her baby unless she wants to take time off from school until the end of March. She decided to take time off from school for now. The teachers were nice about it. They said they can give her homework and class work she can do while she's at home. She liked that idea better. Allyson is in Sam's classes, so she offered to bring extra stuff to her while she's home from school. Their teachers liked that idea.

"I like that idea, too," said Samantha.

"I'll watch the baby while you do that," said Sandra.

"Okay, great," said Samantha. "Are you still going to work the last shift at the nursing home?"

"Yes, in fact, I plan to work at a hospital on 200," said Sandra. "I like the last shift so I can spend the day with you guys and it would be a good time for me to help you with the baby."

"I agree," said Samantha. "I'm thankful for that."

"I already applied it," said Sandra. "I have an interview in the morning. I'm going to tell the boss that I'll be working the last shift like I did at the nursing home. I'm going to do Monday through Thursday since working two jobs on weekends would be too much for me."

"I wonder if Jordan can take the child on weekends starting on Friday since you'd be working there. Dad would be working until 6:00 pm, so I won't count on him. Erika works after school like me until 8:00 pm, so I don't want to expect her to watch the baby. That way I can get my homework done on Fridays, too and work as well. I think he said he'd do it Friday through Sunday," said Samantha. "It won't be until after school at 4:00 pm. So, I'll have to figure it out to have to meet him half-way since you'd be working until 3:00 pm on Fridays. I hope it would be before I get to work. I would be back to work at the end of March, so I won't have to worry about that until I get back to work next month."

"I believe your father has a day off on Fridays," said Sandra.

"Or I'll ask Jordan to find a way unless his mother wants to do so Thursday nights. I'll have to ask him on what days she works on and what time she gets out of work," said Samantha.

"That's a good idea," said Sandra.

"It's better than putting the baby in day care since it's so expensive," said Samantha. "I can't afford that right now."

"I agree with you," said her mom.

"That's why I'm thankful that you'd be supportive to watch the child," said Samantha.

A few days later, on March 10th, Samantha felt a sharp pain in her stomach that got her up during the night. That was when she noticed her water broke. She got up to Allyson.

"Allyson," said Samantha.

"What is it?" asked Allyson.

"Go get Mom and Dad. My water just broke," said Samantha. "The baby's coming."

"Okay," said Allyson as she got up in a jiffy and went out to get their parents as she returned. "They're coming."

Then, her mother came in.

"Your father's going to stay in case Erika wakes up," said Sandra.

"She'll be fine," said Allyson.

"He can see us in the hospital tomorrow morning," said Sandra.

"Can I go with you?" asked Allyson.

"Sure," said Sandra.

They rushed out to the hospital right away. At the hospital, Samantha was only two centimeters. She needed to be ten before she could start pushing.

"Your baby is very healthy. You've done a great job taking care of yourself during pregnancy," said the doctor.

"Thanks," said Samantha. "That was my goal."

The next day, Samantha wasn't ready to push yet. She's up to five centimeters.

"How much longer?" asked Samantha.

"It can take a long time for anyone to be dilated," said the doctor.

Samantha dialed Jordan's number from her hospital room and his mother answered.

"Hello," said Mrs. Johnson.

"Hi, Mrs. Johnson, it's Sam," said Samantha.

"Oh, hello, dear," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I know Jordan's in school, but do you mind telling him I'm in the hospital in Ocala?" asked Samantha.

"Sure. Is everything okay?" asked Mrs. Johnson.

"I'm waiting to have my baby," said Samantha. "My water broke during the night. I didn't want to call to wake you up."

"That's okay. I'm anxious to see my new grandchild," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I have a favor to ask you," said Samantha.

"What's up?" asked Mrs. Johnson.

"First of all, do you work at all?" asked Samantha.

"Only three days a week at a restaurant," said Mrs. Johnson.

"How about weekends?" asked Samantha.

"I have weekends off," said Mrs. Johnson.

"The reason I'm asking because when I go back to school at the end of March and work next month especially working at the flea market on weekends with my mom and Wal-Mart, are you and Jordan willing to have the child every weekend starting Thursday nights? Because the hours at the Marion Flea Market is different. They open Fridays from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Plus, school lets out at 4:00 pm. Perhaps letting you having the baby for four nights would help me out so I can get to work after school. I can get the baby on Sundays when I get out of work from the flea market at 4:00 pm. Is that alright with you?" asked Samantha.

"Of course. I don't blame you for that," said Mrs. Johnson.

"Jordan said we'd meet half-way anyway," said Samantha. "Mom works at the last shift. I can ask her if she can meet you while I'm in school so I can get straight to work from there. I work from 4:30 to 9:00 pm."

"Okay," said Mrs. Johnson. "We can talk about it when I get to the hospital with Jordan."

"Thanks," said Samantha.

She told Jordan's mother which hospital she's at and where it is.

"I know where that is," said Mrs. Johnson. "I was born there."

"Okay, great," said Samantha.

After they talked, Samantha felt better after asking Jordan's mom for extra help when she goes back to work. Her mother was with the boss for the interview. An hour later, the doctor finally told Samantha it was time. It took her two minutes before her baby arrived and heard it cry.

"It's a boy! Congratulation," said the doctor.

"Thanks," said Samantha.

Jordan James was 8 pounds, 5 inches, and 4 ounces. He was in the blanket when the doctor gave Samantha her baby.

"What's his name will be?" asked the doctor.

"His name is Jordan James, Jr.," said Samantha.

"That's a nice name," said the doctor.

"Yes, named after my boyfriend. He should be here later on with his mom," said Samantha. "Jordan's father's not in the picture. He took off a long time ago and hasn't heard from his father ever since. Jordan didn't want to do that to our son. That was long before Jordan and I met."

Sandra, who was done with the interview, came in the room.

"How did the interview go?" asked Samantha.

"Great," said Sandra.

"Meet Jordan James, Jr.," said Samantha showing her the baby.

"He's adorable," said Sandra.

"It didn't hurt at all," said Samantha.

Later, Mrs. Johnson arrived with Jordan.

"Hi," said Samantha.

"Did you have the baby already?" asked Mrs. Johnson.

"Yes," said Samantha as she pressed the nurse telling them to bring in her baby.

Two hours later, the nurse arrived with Jordan, Jr.

"Here you go," said the nurse giving Samantha the baby.

"Thanks," said Samantha.

"Congratulations," said Mrs. Johnson.

"Thanks," said Samantha with a grin. "Meet your new grandson."

"He's so cute," said Mrs. Johnson. "What's his name?"

"Jordan James, Jr.," said Samantha.

"It can be J.J. for short," said Jordan.

"Oh, yeah. I remembered we'd be doing that," said Samantha.

"That would be your early birthday present," said Mrs. Johnson.

"That's true. I did thought about that since I'll be 16 next week. I was only three days early," said Samantha. "Honestly, he's all I want for my birthday."

"You'll be doing driving lessons soon," said Jordan.

"Yes," said Samantha. "That would be good because once I start driving; I'd be able to bring him to your house myself unless you still want to meet half-way."

"I think meet half-way is better for us," said Jordan.

"Did your mom tell you that you'll be having the baby starting Thursday nights? It would be easier for my mom because on Fridays, the Marion Flea Market is open from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm and school lets out at 4:00 pm. Plus, I go to work at Wal-Mart during the week for 4:30 pm. It would be tough for me to do so," said Samantha. "On top of that, I work with my mom on weekends."

"She told me," said Jordan.

"I'm glad she would be watching the baby while you're in school since she's off on weekends," said Samantha. "It's good to have support system."

"I know," said Jordan.

Two days later, Samantha was already home with the baby.

"I'm thinking about something. Since the nursery room has a bed, will it be easier for you to sleep in there in case J.J. wakes up during the night?" asked Allyson.

"I have the baby monitor, so I'm not worried about it," said Samantha. "I'll put it on my night stand next to me."

"Good idea," said Allyson.

"Our friends are coming on my birthday. I didn't tell them I had the baby because I wanted to surprise them," said Samantha.

"That's a cool way to surprise them," said Allyson.

"Amanda will be here on my birthday because it would be Spring Vacation for college," said Samantha.

"I wonder how she's making out living with her friend," said Allyson.

"They're making out just fine," said Samantha. "They both pay the rent together. They would take turns to do so. Her friend works at their college library."

"That's good," said Allyson.

Erika came home that night with her manager.

"My manager was bringing me home because my car broke down and it's in the shop," said Erika.

"That was nice of her," said Sandra. "Wasn't that Allyson's real mom?"

"Yes," said Erika. "She's in the car. She wants to know if she can come in to see Allyson."

"It's up to Allyson," said Sandra. "I'm sure she hasn't seen her for a long time."

Samantha came in the living room and said, "Who wants to see Allyson?"

"Her birth mom," said Sandra.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked Samantha. "Besides, Allyson is having a happy life since we adopted her. I'm worried she'd be in a nervous wreck. What if she asks Allyson to live with her?"

"You got a good point," said Sandra. "But we can give it a try."

"Well… okay, then," said Samantha, who was still uncertain about it.

"I'll go get her," said Erika.

Two minutes later, she came back in with Martha.

"I have to tell you that your daughter is a wonderful worker," said Martha.

"Thanks," said Sandra. "Do you want to sit down for a minute?"

"I would love to," said Martha as they sat down.

"Erika tells me you're the real mom of Allyson's," said Sandra.

"Yes," said Martha. "I left the family when the girls were little."

"Did you know that Becky died?" asked Sandra.

"I didn't know about it," said Martha. "When did that happen?"

"A month ago in a car accident," said Sandra. "She was due to take custody of Allyson."

"Really? I thought she lived with Jake and Jocelyn," said Martha.

"They're both deceased now," said Sandra. "It happened a few months ago."

"Wow," said Martha.

"Your ex-husband was a terrible father to the girls," said Sandra.

"Oh, really?" asked Martha.

"It happened since their younger brother, Trevor, died after being kidnapped. The girls had no idea why their father was like that. Even Allyson missed that relationship. Her father shot her mom near Christmas. He killed himself and her mother was in the hospital for a few days until she died on New Year's Eve," explained Sandra. "Trevor must have been Jocelyn's."

"Probably. I only had two girls with Jake," said Martha.

"We adopted Allyson right before we moved here," said Sandra. "She's happy now and says she doesn't miss her father at all."

"That's good," said Martha.

"Her other family members tried to take custody of her after Becky's death, but Allyson didn't want to move away from Florida. She loves it here. She says she didn't have the picture on her Facebook page because she had a tough life when she was younger. She was abused by her baby-sitter. She didn't want to be found by her sitter. And, she tried to changed her last name to avoid trouble so that way no one knows she's adopted, but ever since someone must have found out she was adopted, she wanted to delete her Facebook page," continued Sandra. "In fact, Jake was the reason Allyson hasn't seen her cousins for years. And, apparently they only speak to Jocelyn, Allyson and Becky found out that their mom did that for their safety and was worried what Jake would do if he finds out about all that."

"Wow," said Martha. "Do you think I can see Allyson?"

"It's up to her," said Sandra.

"Do you want me to go get her?" asked Samantha.

"Yes, please," said Martha.

Samantha didn't tell Martha she promised Vanessa not to say anything. She went to Allyson and asked her if she wants to see her real mom.

"I'll be with you if you want," said Samantha.

"Okay, I'll give it a shot," said Allyson.

"My mom was telling your mother about everything based on what happened to you," said Samantha.

"Did she know Becky died?" asked Allyson.

"She didn't know until now," replied Samantha.

"Really?" asked Allyson.

That was when the girls went out to Martha.

"Do you know who I am, Allyson?" asked Martha.

"No," said Allyson.

"I'm your birth mother," said Martha.

"I'm confused," said Allyson.

"Your father was remarried to Jocelyn, who was actually your stepmother, not your mother," said Martha.

"So, Trevor was my stepbrother?" asked Allyson.

"Yes," said Martha.

"How come I didn't know about that?" asked Allyson.

"I'm not sure. They probably wanted what's best for you," said Martha. "I left you girls and your father because I didn't want to be his wife anymore. We used to fight a lot. And, your father was the one who kept custody of you girls. He didn't think I could raise you both because I was working a lot."

"Oh," said Allyson. "My mother must have adopted me. She did treat us like her own daughters. We were very close. I was much closer to her than Dad."

"I believe it," said Martha. "Only if I have only known he was going to be like that, I'd have police take away from him and bring you both to me."

"He used to treat me and Becky in a nice way until Trevor was kidnapped and got killed. The killer is in jail for good. I heard he's going to be executed," said Allyson. "None of us knew why Dad changed from a good person to a strict one. In fact, he took off one day without a note and the baby-sitter, who abused me when I was younger, abducted me, but I was saved. I learned Dad planned it that way."

"Wow, that's a shame," said Martha.

"Mom put a restrained order on my sitter to stay away from me for protection," said Allyson.

"Good," said Martha. "I didn't blame her for that to protect you."

She didn't seem to mind that Allyson was adopted now.

"How are you making out being adopted by Erika's family?" asked Martha.

"I'm doing very well. I feel better and it changed my life to have a happy one," said Allyson.

"She's my manager," said Erika.

"That's nice," said Allyson.

"Do you mind if I come visit you anytime?" asked Martha.

"Sure," said Allyson.

When Martha left, Samantha was worried how it affected Allyson.

"Why did you have to start that, Erika?" asked Samantha.

"It was Martha's idea," said Erika.

"But do you realize what would've happen? She could easily try to take Allyson away and have her live with her mom," said Samantha.

"Martha didn't seem to care at all. You saw all that. They made out fine even after seeing each other to make up lost time," said Erika.

"If something like that happens, you'd be responsible for that," said Samantha.

She walked away and went to see Allyson.

"Samantha has a good point," said Sandra.

"At least I asked you before I brought her in," said Erika.

"It doesn't matter. You should've stayed out of it," said Sandra. "If you're going to be like, don't work at Payless anymore."

Samantha came back out and said, "I told you so. She has mixed emotions about it. She might not want her real mom come to see her anymore. She's very happy with her new life."

"I agree," said her mom.

The next few nights weren't as bad to raise her son. When J.J. wakes up during the night, she would go to him right away to handle him. She would give him formula, changed his diaper if needed, and rocked him back to sleep. That doesn't bother her at all.

 

12: Chapter 12

On Monday, it was Samantha's birthday. Her parents surprised her with pancakes for breakfast. Amanda came last night. She says she still has to travel to Daytona Beach for work. Her parents are okay with it. She took today off to spend time with Samantha for her birthday. She saw the baby and said J.J. was so cute. Samantha says it's short for Jordan James, Jr.

"There's my birthday girl," said Frederick.

"Thanks," said Samantha.

"It's hard to believe you're 16," said Sandra.

"I know. I'm going to wait for a few months to get my driving lessons. In fact, I'll wait until school lets out," said Samantha.

"It's okay to wait for now," said Sandra.

"Some teens are like that," said her father.

"I can't wait for my friends to come later on. I kept J.J. a secret until they come," said Samantha.

"That's good," said Sandra.

"I made Jordan promise not to say anything to any of my friends," said Samantha.

"It's too his father would miss out being a grandfather," said Sandra.

"I know. Jordan says he doesn't want to do the same thing like his father did," said Samantha. "Taking off and not being in the picture."

"I believe it," said Sandra.

Later, Vanessa, Michael, and Melissa came with Jordan. Allyson was glad to see them

"Happy birthday," said Vanessa.

"Thanks," said Samantha. "I have a surprise to show you guys. I'll be right back."

"What is it?" asked Vanessa.

"You'll see," said Samantha.

They suspected she had her baby because they noticed she lost weight. That was when she came out with the baby.

"Wow. You had a new baby," said Melissa.

"Jordan and I have a son, this is Jordan James, Jr.," said Samantha. "We decided to name him J.J. for short."

"He's cute," said Michael.

"When did you have him?" asked Vanessa.

"Last Monday, but I wanted to surprise you guys when you come over. I was three days early," said Samantha.

"This is a nice surprise," said Michael.

"How is he with you?" asked Vanessa.

"Very good. He only wakes up once or twice during the night. I don't have a problem with that," said Samantha. "I keep the baby monitor on my night stand."

"Good," said Michael.

"Jordan, would you mind taking J.J. for a minute so I can talk to Vanessa alone?" asked Samantha.

"Sure," replied Jordan.

Samantha handed Jordan the baby and said, "Vanessa, can we go talk in my room for a moment? I just want to tell you about something. It's important."

"Certainly," replied Vanessa as they went to Sam's room. "What is it?"

"You'll never imagine who came back into Allyson's life," said Samantha.

"Who?" asked Vanessa.

"Her real mother," said Samantha.

"You're kidding. How?" asked Vanessa.

"Erika works at the new Payless and found out her manager is Martha Black, who happened to be Allyson's real mom," said Samantha. "Allyson didn't even know Jocelyn wasn't her birth mother. I didn't want to mention it because you said she wanted to keep it as a secret since she treats Allyson and Becky as their own."

"That's right," said Vanessa.

"She didn't even know Trevor was Jocelyn's," said Samantha.

"Whoa," said Vanessa.

"So, the other night when Erika had a ride from Martha, she suddenly asked if it was alright to see Allyson," said Samantha.

"Did Erika plan it?" asked Vanessa.

"Good question. Anyway, when Martha came in, she talked to Mom for a bit. She didn't even know that Becky passed away last month," said Samantha. "She was mad on how Allyson's father treated her."

"I believe it," said Vanessa.

"Martha did end up talking to Allyson. It turned out well," said Samantha. "In fact, Martha asked Allyson if it was alright to come anytime and she said yes."

"Really?" asked Vanessa.

"Yes, but I was mad at Erika for doing that. Allyson has a better life when adopted her," said Samantha. "When Martha left, poor Allyson had mixed emotions."

"Wow," said Vanessa.

"And, now, she said she might not want her mom over," said Samantha. "She was afraid her mom might try to take her."

"I don't blame her," said Vanessa.

"I told Erika she shouldn't do that at all," said Samantha. "I mean Allyson hasn't seen her mom in a long time. She didn't even remember her mom."

"I'm sure," said Vanessa.

"I don't know if Allyson wants to talk to you about it if she chooses to do so," said Samantha. "I know she's trying to forget it."

"I understand," said Vanessa.

Ten minutes later, Samantha and Vanessa came back out.

"Just in time, it's time for dinner," said Sandra.

"Okay, we were just having a girl talk," said Samantha.

"Allyson just told us about what happened," said Melissa.

"Yeah," said Samantha.

"Allyson made a decision that she doesn't want to see her mom since she was out of the picture for years. She said she'll go back to her when she's ready," said Jordan.

"I don't blame her for that," said Samantha.

"Me either," said Vanessa.

"I think I'd make the right choice. I have no regrets," said Allyson.

"How are you going to tell your birth mom without upsetting her?" asked Melissa.

"I'll go talk to her this week. I think she'll be fine," said Allyson.

"Are you sure?" asked Michael.

"Positive," replied Allyson as she nodded her head.

After they had supper, they had cake. Sandra had J.J. while Samantha was opening her gifts. The party didn't end until 8:00 pm when their parents came for their kids. Vanessa was the only one who was staying over because her parents had a meeting and it would end late. The girls didn't care. The next day, her mom came for her by 9:00 am since she has a dental appointment at 11:00 am.

A few days later, Allyson had the guts to tell Martha she's not ready to see her at this time.

"But we still can see each other when I'm ready to do that," said Allyson.

"I understand," said Martha.

"Are you sure you're okay with it?" asked Allyson.

"Yes, I can still give you discounts when you come for new shoes," said Martha.

"I like that idea," said Allyson.

After that, she felt much better about her decision. She helped Samantha out with J.J. He was going to spend the weekend with his father.

"I enjoy being the mother," said Samantha.

"I bet and I love being the aunt," said Allyson. "It's fun to help you out."

On Thursday, Jordan's mother offered to pick J.J. up. She did it at around 5:00 pm.

"Do you have a baby monitor at your house?" asked Samantha.

"Yes," said Mrs. Johnson.

"Okay. I have two or I'd give you the other one if you didn't," said Samantha.

"How does he sleep at night?" asked Mrs. Johnson.

"He's a good sleeper. He wakes up once or twice often," said Samantha. "It doesn't bother me."

"I'm sure we'll have no problem at all," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I love being the mother," said Samantha. "Even my parents tell me how a good mother I am. And, it's true."

"I agree," said Mrs. Johnson.

"Mom would watch the baby while I take a shower at night," said Samantha. "She just got hired at the hospital where I had the baby. She's keeping the final shift so she still can help me out."

"That's a good thing," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I know," said Samantha.

After they talked, Samantha helped putting J.J. in his car seat.

"Do you have other stuff like a bottle and diapers? If not, I have a diaper you can use," said Samantha.

"Jordan just bought them, so he's all set," said Mrs. Johnson.

"I thought he did that when we went shopping for the baby," said Samantha.

"He thought so, too, but he remembered it," said Mrs. Johnson.

Samantha had a nice weekend. She calls Jordan to see how he's making out with J.J. and he says their son is doing great. On Sunday, Jordan and his mom came to drop him the baby off at around 6:00 pm.

"He's a great baby all weekend," said Mrs. Johnson. "He's starting to sleep all night."

"That's good. He does that here other times," said Samantha.

"I can't believe I forgot to buy the diaper bag when you and I went shopping. I'm glad I thought about last weekend," said Jordan.

"That's okay," said Samantha.

"He just fell asleep in the car," said Jordan.

"Okay," said Samantha as they went to put J.J. in his crib.

"Being a father isn't hard," said Jordan.

"I like being the mom, too," said Samantha.

"We can add another one when we finish education and get married," said Jordan.

"That's the plan," said Samantha.

A week later, Samantha went back on the birth control and has been taking it since. But she and Jordan choose not to have sex at this time. She figured she'd take it to be on the safe side. She also went back to school. She had already finished all of the stuff she would miss while she was out of school for the baby.

A month later, she went back to her two jobs. She manages to handle it and she's glad her mom watches J.J. while she's working at Wal-Mart and Mrs. Johnson loves having him for the weekend while she's with her mom at the flea market. She still saves up money for the baby whenever she needs to restock. She gets discounts at Wal-Mart, so she'd get the items on her way out.

A few months later, she took driving lessons over the summer and had her license. She drives herself to school and work. She also bought herself a car with the money she's been saving for. She got promoted to be the assistant manager, but she can still be the cashier on the side if she's needed to take over. She worked hard enough for it. She was excited.

Allyson started seeing her real mom again, but she says she wanted to stay with the Sawyers so she can help Samantha out with the baby. Martha didn't mind at all. Allyson didn't mind to hang-out with Martha anytime and her mom liked the idea of it. The Sawyers spent a week in Orlando. They brought Jordan along. It would be J.J.'s first to Disney World. They took turns staying with him since babies can't go on rides yet. They can only go on slow ones according to his doctor. Samantha and Jordan had their own room with J.J. with them.

A few weeks later, Samantha started her sophomore year in high school and she didn't find it tough. She still doesn't mind getting up during the night if the baby wakes up for something. Sandra still would baby-sit if the baby's sick so Samantha still can go to school. Anytime Samantha is sick herself, her mom would take over to let her rest.