Chapter 19

Her fears of him leaving her once they did it were all unfounded, instead they became even closer. Their lovemaking only added to their relationship; nothing was taken away. Both would have died if the other broke up with them.

A month or so after they first did it, he was going to take her out to eat and to the theater Saturday night. She called him around five to see how he was doing; he'd been busy that afternoon and they hadn't talked yet. He'd said he'd come over at six or so.

His mom answered the phone.

"Hi Karen, what's up? Is Ryan there?" Jen asked.

His mom paused. "No."

"Oh. Well, this is Jen."

"I know," she said curtly.

What's the matter, she thought? "Oh, well anyway we're going out tonight and I just wanted to call him to see what's up."

"Oh really?" asked his mom sarcastically. "Where are you going?"

"Um, to dinner? And to a movie?" asked Jen, her heart racing. His mom was still speaking in that tone.

"Are your parents going to be there?"

"My parents? You mean are they coming with us?" she responded, surprised. Jen knew something was up. Was Karen mad at her? What had she done?

"No. I mean, will they be at your house or will they be gone?"

"Um, I think they'll be home," she said slowly. Uh oh.

"Good. I don't want Ryan going to your house anymore, especially when your parents aren't home. Do you understand?" she demanded.

Jen gulped, her heart beating in her ears. What could she say? "I guess," she said.

Karen took her surprised tone as being sarcastic. "Good. And another thing, I don't want you coming over here anymore either. Maybe if JR or myself is here. Especially if Will and Robby are here and Ryan is supposed to be watching them. Got it?"

She tried to keep from crying. She played with her shoelace, still holding the phone to her ear. She couldn't bring herself to ask why. "Yes," she whispered.

"That's good. You know, Ryan may think he's a grown man but he's not. His parents still make the rules. I hope you can understand that," she said coldly.

"Yeah, I do."

"Good. Good-bye Jen."

"Good-bye," she stumbled.

His mom hung up.

Jen laid back on the bed. She squeezed her eyes shut and the tears began to fall. Why was his mom being like this? Why did she hate her? I betcha she knows we've slept together, she thought. Fuck! Now she hates me, she thought, crying into her pillow. She's not going to let Ryan see me anymore. She panicked at the idea.

Still crying, she got into the shower. He might still come over, she reasoned. She had to talk to him. What would he do? Would his mom convince him that she was a slut? No, he'd never think that about her. She got angry as she stood in the hot water. Stupid bitch, she thought. What's her problem? I can't believe this crap.

When she got out of the shower there was a message from Ryan on her machine. She hadn't heard the phone ring in the shower. He was still coming over, and he hadn't sounded like anything was wrong. His mom must not have said anything, she thought.

How did she know? She got even angrier. Ryan must have told her. Big mouth. Or he told his dad, and of course JR told her. She wondered if JR thought she was a slut too.

She tried not to think about it as she got ready. She couldn't cry anymore, not after she put her makeup on. She turned the radio on. She had thought she knew what she was going to wear, a simple black dress that Karen had once complimented her on. She changed her mind, resenting his mom and the stupid dress. Instead she chose a dark blue dress, with black nylons and heels. She hoped she looked pretty.

She leaned over the sink, applying the finishing touches to her makeup. She heard the front door open, and heard Ryan say hi to her parents, then come bounding down the hall, calling her name. He never had to ring the bell anymore. Jen stayed in the bathroom while he pushed open her bedroom door and came into the bathroom.

He smiled at her in the mirror. He took his hand from behind his back, and held out flowers. She widened her eyes, putting on yet more eyeliner. He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"You look beautiful," he whispered. "And you smell nice too!"

She looked down as she put the lid back on the pencil.

"I brought you flowers," he offered, holding them out again.

"I know. I saw," she said quietly, not looking at him.

"Awright, what's the matter?" he asked.

She didn't answer him, but instead walked back into her bedroom, picking up the wet towel off the floor. He followed her.

"What? Are you mad at me?" he asked. Dammit, he thought. I didn't do anything!

"Not exactly," she answered.

"Well then, what exactly? I know you're upset. What did I do?" he demanded.

She sighed, sitting down on the bed. She knew she was going to cry. He kneeled on the floor before her, taking her hands.

"What?!? What's the matter? Oh Jen, are you pregnant?" he whispered.

She shook her head furiously, leaning over her lap as she started to cry.

He held her head. "Baby, what's the matter?" he whispered. Oh shit, he thought. She's breaking up with me.

She said something he couldn't understand. She was crying too hard. He prompted her, raising her face up so she looked at him.

"I can't hear you if you bury your face in your arms," he told her. "Come on, can't you tell me?"

"You mom hates me!" she repeated, sobbing and wiping the tears away from under her eyes, so as not to smudge her mascara.

"What?!?" he exclaimed. "My mom doesn't hate you! Why do you say that?"

She nodded tearfully. "Yes she does!" she insisted. "They hate me. She thinks I'm a slut."

He sat on the bed next to her. "She doesn't! What happened?" he asked slowly.

She began, telling him the story of the phone call, ending with, "Ry! She knows we did it! Now she hates me!"

Ryan was furious at his mother. How dare she treat Jen that way?!?

"Ryan, did you tell her we did it? Did you tell your dad?" she demanded.

He paused, then nodded.

"Ryan!' she screamed, sobbing again. "Why did you have to tell him? That was really stupid. Why?!?"

"He asked if we'd done it! I didn't think he'd tell my mom! He wasn't mad at all, Jen. He told me about his first time and we had 'a little moment' you could say."

She was still mad. "Well look where your 'little moment' got us," she snapped.

"Jen, he asked me straight up whether we'd done it yet. I wasn't going to lie. He doesn't mind, really he doesn't. He loves you Jen, they both do. We didn't do anything wrong, got it? I don't know what my mom's problem is," he said angrily. "She had no right to treat you like that, okay? I'm not a little baby. You can come over anytime you like Jen, okay? It doesn't matter what she thinks."

She shook her head. "It's her house, Ry. If she doesn't want me there then I can't come over. They are your parents, Ryan."

"Yeah, but I want you there, okay? I will be disobeying her, not you! And I bet you my dad will be on our side. We're going to get this settled once and for all, okay?"

She didn't say anything.

"My mom probably just has PMS," he said, trying to lighten the mood. He didn't want to scream and yell in front of her, it always upset her when he did, and plus, she was upset enough already. "Jen, I gotta go. I'm gonna go home and find out what the fuck my mom's problem is, okay? I'll come back though, I promise. You stay here."

She nodded.

He hugged her. "Jen, you are the most important thing in my life, got it?"

She smiled.

Ryan drove home as fast as he could. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so angry. He made it home in ten minutes, pulling into the driveway and slamming on his brakes. He ran into the house, slamming the front door behind him. He ran into the living room, where his parents sat watching TV.

"How dare you say that to Jen!" he yelled at his mother.

His dad looked up quickly. Ryan stood there, staring at his mom like he was about to kill her.

"Ryan! Don't speak to your mother that way!" he ordered.

He ignored his father. His mom just looked back at him. "Well?" he demanded. "What the hell's your problem?"

His father jumped up. "Would you mind telling me what is this all about?" he said angrily.

"Your wife told my girlfriend, that she is not allowed to come over here anymore, and that I am not allowed to go over to her house anymore. She was completely rude to her. I'd like to know where you get off saying that shit!"

His mom slammed the magazine down. "Don't you speak to me like that!" she snapped, jumping up. "You may think you're an adult, but you live in my house, and you will not speak to me like that! Ever!"

Ryan threw his hands up in the air. "Oh yes! I am just a little baby who doesn't know anything! I have to consult my mommy before I do anything!" he yelled sarcastically. "Well wake up! I have a life and I will do what I please!"

JR grabbed his arm but he pushed him off. "What's the matter with you? You promised me you wouldn't tell!" he yelled in his dad's face.

"What the hell is this all about?"

"Your wife thinks my girlfriend is a slut, now, because you couldn't keep your damn mouth shut. I confided in you, and you had to run off and tell her, because, for, whatever reason you did it!"

"I never said she was a slut!" yelled his mom.

"Well, practically! That's how you made her feel anyway!" he yelled back.

JR looked at his wife, then his son, who both were fuming with the same fiery temper. "I don't know what all happened here," he began, "but I'm sure we can all sit down and talk about this like adults, okay?"

"I just want an apology for Jen, okay?" said Ryan. "Nobody speaks to my girlfriend like that. Nobody!" he yelled at his mother.

"Aright, aright!" snapped his dad, grabbing Ryan and forcing him to sit down.

"You need rules, Ryan!" shouted his mother. "You are not an adult. I will not sit by and let you have sex and whatever else you're doing! You are too young!"

"Oh yeah?!? How old was dad?" he asked pointedly.

"Let's get this straight," said his father calmly. "You told Jen that she was no longer allowed to come over here anymore? That was really out of line. We didn't discuss that at all, Karen."

"I didn't say that, I only said that she could only come over when we're here."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Same damn thing," he said.

"Especially when the boys are here. They're very impressionable and I don't want them thinking sex is okay for them!"

"Give me a break! They're little kids! And what, do you think we're going to do it when they're in the room or something? You guys have sex! Will they think it's okay for them because you do it too?"

"Well, we're married. You and Jen are not. And you're still too young!"

"Oh, yeah. I suppose you waited until your wedding night."

Karen blushed. "You are too young!" she repeated, still shouting.

His dad yelled at her, "I told you that in confidence too! I didn't think you were going to yell at Jen! I can't believe this. You owe her an apology Karen. You were way out of line!"

She burst into tears. Ryan groaned; he hated it when his mom cried. Sure enough, his dad retreated, saying he was sure she meant well and that they did need to discuss some ground rules.

"This is bullshit!" shouted Ryan. "We are in love. We are! I don't give a flying fuck what you have to say about it either! What's the matter with you? If it comes down to you or Jen, I'm sorry, but you are not going to win."

"What is that supposed to mean?" sobbed his mom. "You'd turn your back on your family?"

"Will you force me to? Are you gonna make me? I will if you force it. You'll chase me away. Why don't you wake up and realize I am not a little boy anymore!"

"Well when you live in my house you will do what I say!" shot back Karen.

"Well then maybe I won't live in your house!"

"Oh yeah? Where are you going to live?"

"I don't care, I'll drop out of school and get an apartment if I have to. I'll get a full time job so I can live. You're not gonna run my life!"

"Do her parents know you had sex?" demanded his mom. "Do they? I'm willing to bet they don't. I'm sure they'd feel the same way I do."

"Man, I'm outta here," Ryan snapped, walking to the door angrily.

"Where are you going?" demanded his father. "You're running away like a child!"