Chapter 29

Andy just stood there and stared at me after he managed to get the words out. Tears started to run down both cheeks. "Www ... What am I... [sniffle] going to ... do?"

I stood up and pulled Andy over to the bed and sat him down. I put my hands on his shoulders and said, "Look at me, Andy." He sniffled and stared into my eyes. "We'll work everything out. Tell me what you know."

"Crystal missed her period ... How can this... [sniffle] be happening ... to me?"

"How long ago should she have had her period?" I asked.

"A couple days ago."

"It's probably nothing, Andy. Periods are irregular. Being a couple days late is too soon to know if you're pregnant," I explained.

"No, Kyle. This is the second time she missed it. Her period is over a month late."

"Oh. Has she taken a home pregnancy test?"

"Yes. She took one Monday night. It was positive. Crystal didn't believe it. She took another one last night, hoping to get a different answer. That one said she was pregnant too."

"Ummmm..." I groaned. Andy and Crystal were in deep trouble.

Andy asked, "Is there a chance the tests could be wrong?"

"It's possible, but not likely. The test is unreliable if you take it too soon. Unfortunately, thirty days is not too soon. You need to get this confirmed."

"How ... do I [sniffle] do that?"

"I'll take you and Crystal to the family planning clinic in Lancaster. Let's do it after school tomorrow. Can you call Crystal and get her OK now? I'm going downstairs to tell Ed to go running without us."

"OK, Kyle," Andy said.

I shut his bedroom door behind me when I went downstairs. I wasn't going to worry Mom or Dad until we were sure what was going on. As soon as I got to the bottom of the steps in the basement, Ed asked, "What's up with Andy?"

"I can't say right now. Andy and I are going to skip training this evening. Go ahead on the run with Jeremy without us."

"Does this problem involve Crystal too?"

"I can't say, Ed. I'll let Andy tell you when the time comes."

"Tell him I will help any way I can," Ed said. "I've been there too."

"You have a guess don't you? Don't say anything to anyone," I asked. "We'll tell you when we can."

Ed said, "Tell Andy his friends will be there for him." I nodded. "I mean it, Kyle."

"I know you do, Ed. You can let yourself out when you're done, right? I need to get back to Andy before he falls apart."

I went back upstairs to Andy's room. I asked, "Did Crystal say it's OK to set up an appointment at the clinic?"

"She said to go ahead," Andy answered.

I called the family planning clinic. They could see Crystal at 4 pm tomorrow. I handed Andy the upstairs phone so he could call Crystal and let her know what is going on.

I called Penny on my cell phone. She agreed to come along after school. We would tell our parents that Penny and I were celebrating our one year anniversary of getting together again by going out to dinner.

I called Coach Caffrey. We needed permission to skip practice. When Coach answered, I explained, "Coach – Can Andy and I miss practice tomorrow? We have a family emergency that we need to take care of."

"What's up, Kyle?" Coach asked.

"I can't really tell you right now, Coach. You'll have to trust me on this one."

Coach Caffrey said, "Are you or Andy in trouble? Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"Not right now, Coach. We'll explain later when we know more. Can we skip practice?"

"Go ahead, Kyle. If you need help, make sure you talk to your parents. They will help no matter what."

"We will talk with our parents soon, Coach," I promised. "I'll talk to you on Friday. Thanks for understanding."

Andy looked shocked when I said we'd talk to our parents. He stammered, "You can't tell Mom and Dad. Not now Kyle!"

"I will keep quiet tonight, Andy. You're going to have to tell Mom and Dad if the clinic confirms that Crystal is pregnant."

"How can this be happening, Kyle? How could Crystal end up ... pregnant?" Andy started to cry. I hugged him, trying to console him. Andy probably cried for ten minutes before I managed to calm him down.

Andy stared into my eyes. "I'm too young for all this. How can this be happening to me?"

"Andy. You are maturing. You make sperm. You have sex – frequently. You most certainly are old enough to get a girl pregnant."

"I know that ... I mean I don't think I can do this. How can I be a father? I'm only fifteen."

I squeezed Andy's shoulder. "You may need to do some growing up really quick. You can do it. Justin and Sherry Baer did it. Jon and Amy Miller did it. Mom did it. You know Mom, Dad, Will, Abby, Liz and I will help you any way we can."

"I don't know how I can do this," Andy said.

"You're stronger than you think. You'll get through it," I promised. Andy was calmer now. I excused myself. I had one more arrangement to make. I needed to explain why Andy and I wouldn't be home for supper tomorrow night. Mom and Dad were in the family room reading.

I went in the room and sat down. I said, "Did you know that tomorrow is my one year anniversary with Penny?"

Mom said, "Is it? Congratulations, dear," Dad agreed.

"I want to take Penny out to dinner tomorrow evening to celebrate."

Dad said, "On school night? You can wait until Saturday evening."

"We won't be out all evening. We will be home by 7:00 or 7:30. We will be able to get our homework done. It won't interfere with school."

Mom said, "I suppose it's all right – as long as you're home by 7:30." Dad nodded, giving his assent too.

"Penny and I invited Andy and Crystal to come too. Is that OK?"

I knew instantly that alarm bells were sounding in Mom's and Dad's heads from the looks on their faces. I added, "It's important. You need to trust me on this."

Dad asked, "You'll talk to us if you have any problems, right?"

"Absolutely."

"You and Andy are allowed to go. You have to be home by 7:30," Dad said.

Mom added, "You can talk to us about anything, Kyle. We'll understand."

"I know. I know I can. Thanks for understanding, Mom. Thanks, Dad." I beat a hasty retreat. I hated telling them little white lies. If I stayed any longer, I knew I'd have confess what was going on or start telling some big fat lies to my parents.

I checked on Andy before I went to my room. He was lying on his bed listening to his MP3 player. I let him alone. I went back to my room and got my MP3 player. Music always helped calm me down.

I have learned enough biology to know what was going to happen tomorrow. A girl doesn't miss two periods, have a positive result on the home pregnancy test and then not turn up pregnant. The visit to the clinic was going to confirm that Crystal was pregnant. How did it happen? Crystal was on birth control. How had Crystal and Andy ended up among the unlucky 5% who got pregnant when they were using the pill?

Penny and I were going to have a long talk about birth control. We needed to make sure we were doing everything we could to avoid becoming parents. We weren't ready for that kind of responsibility yet. I probably listened to music for a couple hours before I finally went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a black day. I knew it.

Superficially Andy looked OK on Thursday morning; just a little distracted. I told him that he and Crystal should meet me after school in the parking lot. I was distracted too during much of the day. I kept thinking about Andy and Crystal.

I told Ed about missing practice today. I knew he suspected what was going on. I told him to keep it confidential. He promised to help any way he could.

Penny and I held hands as we walked out to my car after our seventh period Grammar class. We waited at my Golf until Andy and Crystal walked out together. Andy had his arm over Crystal's shoulder. The drive to Lancaster was quiet.

I had Crystal sign in when we arrived at the clinic. We found seats together. Penny and I held hands while we waited. About ten minutes later the nurse called, "Miss Wagner?" Crystal followed the nurse.

Andy tried to follow. I held him down and whispered, "All you can do is wait, Andy. They won't let you back there yet."

"Why am I here if I can't be a part of this?"

"You're here to provide moral support for Crystal. They will let you meet with the doctor when they tell Crystal if she is pregnant. All you can do now is wait."

"Great!" Andy answered.

The clinic always depressed me. It held too many bitter memories of that awful day when Ed and Stef found out they were going to have a baby. Penny squeezed my hand occasionally to remind me she was there for me. She knew how much I hated this place. Andy waited quietly, looking shocked and a little depressed to be there.

Crystal returned after about fifteen minutes. We all sat and waited quietly. The nurse returned about half an hour later and announced, "Miss Wagner, please come with me."

Crystal got up and asked, "Can my boyfriend come too?"

"Yes," The nurse answered.

Andy stood. I said, "Be strong. You can do this."

Penny added, "We're here to help you." Andy nodded and slowly followed Crystal and the nurse. They were gone for fifteen minutes.

Penny and I knew the second we saw Andy and Crystal what the verdict had been. Pregnancy confirmed! Andy was pale and had a hollow, shocked look in his eyes. They were a little red from where he had been crying.

Crystal didn't look happy but she seemed to be taking the news much better than Andy. Crystal confirmed that she was pregnant. Penny and I led the unhappy couple out to my car. I drove us back to the McDonalds on Route 30 East. We ordered our dinner and found seats in the back of the restaurant, away from other people.

Crystal explained, "The doctor said that I'm due on May 22nd."

Penny asked, "What else did the doctor tell you?"

"I need to have a pre-natal exam as soon as possible," Crystal explained. "He told us our choices about the baby."

I asked, "Are you going to have the baby?"

Crystal stared at me. "I have to. Abortion is a sin. I don't have a choice."

"You have choices. You need to talk to your parents?"

"Parents?" Crystal said hurriedly. "I can't tell my parents. My dad'll kill me."

Andy added, "I'm not ready to tell our parents. Not yet!"

"Damn it Andy! Grow up! You can't hide this," I insisted. "It won't go away." Penny kicked me under the table. I understood my lover's subtle signal. I shut up.

"This is a really big decision," Penny continued. "You can use all the help you can get. Your parents will understand better than you think."

I got Penny's drift. Keep a light touch with the advice. "Andy, how will you get Crystal to her pre-natal checkup next week?"

"Uhhh ... can you drive us?" Andy asked.

"I've got football, studying, scouts. You can't always count on me," I said. "You're going to need more help than I can give you."

Penny continued, "How will the two of you pay for everything? Having a baby costs a fortune."

"I don't know." Crystal said. "Andy?"

Andy answered, "I have no idea."

"This is why I told you that you need to talk with the parents," I said. "They can help with all this."

Crystal said, "Daddy will kill me when he finds out."

"Yeah, Mom and Dad will freak," Andy added.

"You aren't going to be able to keep this secret very long," I said. "Mom and Dad are suspicious already. I think they are going to ask questions when we get home, Andy."

"Really?" Andy asked.

"This is too big for kids your age," Penny said. "Your parents won't be happy when they find out. They do love you and will help you when they get over the shock. Trust them. It's the smart thing to do."

Andy asked, "Would you and Penny help us if we tell our parents tonight?"

I looked over at Penny. She nodded yes. "We can do that. You'll tell them tonight?"

Andy straightened up. He said quietly, "Yes." Crystal nodded too. We needed a couple more minutes to finish our dinner. We loaded up in my Golf and headed for Paradise. We agreed to tell my parents first. I thought they would be more understanding.

Dad was in the living room when we got home. Mom was in the kitchen. I told Dad we needed to talk with him and Mom. I got Mom. Everyone sat down in the living room. Dad said, "You've got us. What's up, Kyle?"

I looked at my brother and said, "Andy?"

Everyone looked at Andy. He hesitated for a few seconds, cleared his throat and said, "You know how Crystal and I have been dating for four months, right?"

Mom responded, "Yes."

"Well, Crystal and I have been ... uh, having sex."

"Dad said, "That's not exactly a state secret. And?"

"Well ... Kyle and Penny took us to the family planning clinic tonight..." I watched Mom and Dad stiffen. "And ... uh, Crystal is pregnant. I'm the father."

Mom and Dad slumped down. The color drained form Mom's face. Dad squeezed her hand to reassure her. Finally Dad asked, "You always told me you were careful, Andrew. How did this happen? Why weren't you using birth control?"

"I did at first. I always used rubbers when we started having sex. I stopped after I got back from camp because Crystal started taking birth control pills. I don't know how this happened. It shouldn't have."

Mom asked, "Crystal, have you been taking the pills every day?"

Crystal looked at the floor and mumbled, "Usually." Andy looked at Crystal in shock.

Mom queried, "Usually?"

"I forgot sometimes," Crystal said. "It's hard to remember."

"OK, dear," Mom said. "I understand how this happened."

Dad asked Crystal, "Do your parents know yet?" She shook her head no.

Andy said, "We're going over there next to tell them."

Dad said, "You had better get over there and break the news to them. Go on." He waved for us to leave. Crystal, Andy and Penny headed for the door. Dad said, "Kyle, just a second."

"I'll catch up, Penny." I said. "What's up, Dad?"

"You could have warned us last night," Dad said.

"We weren't sure," I explained. "I didn't want to worry you if it was a false alarm."

Dad shook his head and sighed. "Thank you for helping your brother. I'm glad he came to us right away."

"It was like pulling teeth to get him to do this tonight. He and Crystal wanted to wait to tell you."

"Thank you for convincing Andy to talk to us now. It's better this way. Please ask the Wagners to call after you break the news to them. We need to get the two families together as soon as possible to figure out what we're going to do. Maybe we could get together on Saturday night."

"I'll do that," I answered. I headed outside and hopped in the Golf. We arrived at the Wagner's house five minutes later.

Crystal led the way inside. She called out, "Mom! Dad! I want you to meet some people." She led us to the living room. Mr. Wagner was already there. He had a couple beers on the table beside his chair. There were a couple empties on the floor. Mrs. Wagner joined us. Crystal and Andy sat together on the couch. Penny sat beside them. I sat in a chair beside Penny. Mr. Wagner turned the volume down on the TV.

Mr. Wagner asked, "What's up, honey?" He took a swig of beer.

"I wanted to introduce you to Andy's brother Kyle and Kyle's girlfriend, Penny Edwards. They took Andy and me out to dinner tonight."

We exchanged pleasantries. When that was done Mr. Wagner picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV. "Is there anything else, honey?"

Crystal looked at the floor and mumbled, "Andy?"

Andy straightened up. "Yes, there is, Mr. Wagner. You know how I have been dating your daughter for the past four months. Well ... Crystal and I have ... uh, been intimate."

Mrs. Wagner blushed. Mr. Wagner glared at Andy. "INTIMATE?"

"Yes. We found out tonight that Crystal is going to have a baby. I'm..." Andy faltered as Mr. Wagner glared at him. Crystal squeezed his hand. "I'm the father!"

Mr. Wagner glowered at Andy. He clicked the TV off and drank the rest of his can of beer. "God damn it! You bastard. You took my baby's virtue." Andy shrank down a little.

"I'm ... sorry," Andy explained.

"You FUCKING BASTARD! Is that the best you can do? You're sorry."

"It was an accident. We didn't..." Andy pleaded.

"Accident? You slipped and stuck you God damn prick in my daughter. ACCIDENT! Right! You're one of these boys that jumps in bed with every girl he dates aren't you?"

"Uh ... I uh..." Andy stammered.

"HOW MANY? How many sluts have you fucked?"

"Uh ... I..." Andy stammered. I could see him mentally counting. "Thirteen." Crystal looked at Andy in shock.

"THIRTEEN? You worthless piece of shit. You fucked thirteen girls?"

"Uh ... only twelve were girls ... One lady was a grown..."

"You whoring piece of trash! How many girls have you knocked up?"

"NONE!" Andy answered. "Well, one now."

"What the FUCK were you thinking?" Mr. Wagner demanded.

"This shouldn't have happened. Crystal is on the pill and..."

"NO SHE ISN'T! CONTRACEPTION IS A SIN! My little girl wouldn't do that."

Crystal interrupted. "I am taking the pill, Daddy."

Mr. Wagner slumped back, popped the top on another can of beer and drank the whole can down. We sat there waiting for the next explosion. It didn't take long.

Mr. Wagner glared at his daughter. "You worthless, little slut. You spread your legs wide open for the first boy who comes along."

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

"You let this son of a bitch fuck you. You compound that sin by defying God's will with birth control. You're a little tramp, God damn you. You're all going to hell!"

Mrs. Wagner patted her husband's arm. "Calm down Allen, this isn't helping."

"Shut up, Ellen," Mr. Wagner growled. "My worthless tramp of a daughter sleeps with this bastard and gets herself knocked up. This is a fucking disaster. How can I calm down?" Mr. Wagner stood up and stared at Andy again. "You fucking prick. I oughta..." He balled up his fists.

I jumped in front of Andy and Crystal. Penny and Mrs. Wagner joined me to block the way. I straightened up so I looked imposing. At least I hoped I looked imposing. I towered at least six inches above his head. I probably outweighed him by twenty pounds too. I said, "Stop, Mr. Wagner. This isn't going to help. You can beat up my brother but it isn't going to change anything. Crystal will still be pregnant. Let's sit down and talk about this calmly. Crystal and Andy need our help, not our abuse."

Mrs. Wagner and I backed Mr. Wagner up until he sat back down in his chair. He sat quietly for a half a minute while Mrs. Wagner and I stood over him. Finally he said, "You're right. We need to deal with this problem. It just that when I think about this ... this boy fucking my only daughter I..."

"ALLEN!" Mrs. Wagner warned.

"Sorry. What do we do now?" Mr. Wagner asked.

"My parents suggested that both families get together Saturday evening. Would that work?" I asked.

Everyone agreed. Mrs. Wagner called Mom and arranged for the two families to meet on Saturday night at 7 pm at our house. While Mrs. Wagner was on the phone I whispered to Andy, "Don't say anything. I'll thank them for their time and we'll get out of here while you're still in one piece." Andy nodded. Andy, Penny and I left quickly when the phone call was over, thankfully missing any more fireworks from Mr. Wagner.

--oooOooo--

Andy was completely out of it on Friday. He went through the motions that day, his mind occupied with the fact that he could be a father in seven months. I did the best I could to help him keep his head together.

I went straight to Justin Baer at practice Friday afternoon. I asked, "Justin, could you..."

"You mean Coach Baer, right?"

"No. It's Justin for this. Can you talk to Andy? He found out he got Crystal pregnant yesterday. This is still top secret. Only the parents, Penny and I know. He needs to talk to someone who knows what he is going through. Can you help?"

"Of course, Kyle. I'll keep things quiet until you tell me otherwise." Justin said. He headed over to Andy. "Yo, dude! Let's take a walk. You and I have something to talk about." I watched as Justin put his arm over Andy's shoulder and walked him away from the practice field.

I found Coach Caffrey next. "Coach, can we talk?"

"Sure Kyle. What's up? Is this about yesterday's emergency?"

"It is Coach. You shouldn't play Andy tonight. He's a little out of it right now. He got bad news last night."

"Did he? Have you talked to your parents about help?" Coach asked.

"Yes. We talked to my parents and his girlfriend's parents last night."

"Good. Adults can help."

"I know. I have an adult talking with him right now that knows exactly what it takes to get through this problem." I pointed over at Justin and Andy talking in the distance.

"Ahhh ... I understand," Coach said.

"This is still secret. Don't say anything to anyone." I said.

"Understood. I'll put Jason in for Andy at wide receiver. Brett can handle punts."

"Good. The last thing you want when you're on the football field is to be daydreaming. Andy could get hurt. We're going to need him next week when we play Cornwall."

"Yes, we will," Coach answered. I headed onto the practice field. The coaches inserted Jason Harting in Andy's spot immediately. Justin spent the entire practice talking with Andy.

On the way home from practice I asked Andy, "Did the talk with Justin help? I hope you don't mind I had him talk with you."

"No. It was good. Justin gave me a lot to think about." Andy sighed. "I guess I can get through this. Justin did."

"That's right. Everyone in the family will help you."

"I know. Thanks for everything you have done, Kyle."

"That's what big brothers are for."

--oooOooo--

Andy rode to school with me after dinner to catch the bus to the Trojan's field. It was an away game. Last year the Trojans had a good defense, a decent running game and an inexperienced quarterback. The game video showed that the quarterback had improved substantially. The Trojan's best running backs had graduated last spring, so they concentrated on their passing game for their three victories this season. Their record was 3-2.

Andy suited up for the game but knew he would sit on the bench for the whole game. Justin had discussed that with him during their long talk. Andy accepted his temporary demotion gracefully.

We won the coin toss and took possession of the ball first. We used our spread offense on the Trojans. They weren't able to cover everyone. We used nine plays to move the ball down the field. Drew carried the ball in on a screen pass to score our first touchdown.