Just Like Juno

[Jen]

Type of story: One-shot

Rating: T

Main Characters: Matilda and Lucas

Genre: Romance/Angst

Warnings: SC (Teen pregnancy theme)

Is Story being proof read: No

Spoilers?: No

Summary: Matilda takes a pregnancy test.

Just Like Juno

With Juno it started with a chair. For me, he slept with her so I slept with him. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Tears were streaming down my face as I slammed the door. I flung myself onto my bed and curled up into a ball. I continued to rock as the thought of Ric and her continued to whirl through my head.

I crawled slowly away from the end of the bed and snuggled down between the sheets. I shivered as the clean sheets touched my naked legs. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to forget him, forget her, and the fact that he was probably already in bed with her right now. This thought tore at my stomach as a wave of nausea swept over me. My shoulders shook violently as I wiggled slowly into the mattress, and pulled my pillow close.

There was a faint tapping at the door.

“Mattie?”

Followed by a cautious pause. Then,

“Are you alright?”

I attempted to blink back my tears and clear my throat, before I replied feebly,

“Yep.”

I heard my voice crack, and evidently so did Lucas. Ignoring my positive response my doorknob turned slowly and I saw Lucas poke his head into my room.

His face was pale, matched perfectly by his blonde hair that had become a few shades lighter over the summer. But it wasn’t that feature that drew me to him. Even at fifteen when we first met, it was his crystal blue eyes that caused me to feel a shiver down my shine and butterflies in my stomach each time he walked by. Even now, three years later, when we had both grown and gone through many partners since, my stomach fluttered slightly as he edged into my room, closing the door softly behind him.

“Tilly?”

He used my nickname, the one that only he knew. I sniffled, but refused to poke any more than my eyes over the top of my bedclothes.

Lucas moved forward, his bare feet tapping on the floorboards as he came across the room towards my bed. The end of the mattress sank slightly as he sat on the end.

“What happened?” he asked quietly, still gazing at me solemnly.

I gulped and reluctantly opened my mouth, attempting to relive the vivid memories of that evening. However, I felt another surge of tears, and before I could utter a single word, they had begun to pour once more. I buried my head into the sheets, not wanting to look at Lucas.

The weight from the end of the bed disappeared. It returned, but this time was near my shoulder. I felt his fingers comb smoothly through my hair. I braved his perfectly kept face, to raise my eyes over the rim of the sheets once more. Lucas was now sitting beside my head, looking down on me.

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s okay.”

Lucas got up from his post and began to head to the door.

“Stay.”

He turned at the sound of my request. This time my voice did not quiver. It was quiet, but determined. Lucas smiled slightly and approached the bed once more. I loosened the sheet around my neck and tugged it open. Without needing to say a word, Lucas slid carefully between the sheets. I felt his legs touch my own as he lay beside me, his head propped up and elbow resting on the side of the pillow, facing me.

He delicately swept a lock of hair out of my eyes as I continued to gaze at him sadly. Although the tears had stopped, I felt my face flush at the sudden closeness.

Lucas let his head fall next to mine and snuggled further into the covers, letting his body press against mine. I let my eyes close and turned on my side, away from him. His arms curled around my body, holding me securely against him, as if he was ensuring I would not fall over the edge.

I couldn’t help but smile. The whirling ocean inside me began to subside as I rolled over to face him. I opened my eyes, to find myself staring into his captivating blue irises once more. Tenderly, he lent in and pressed his lips on my forehead.

I watched his lips, flushed pink, and pressed mine against his. It was not strong or powerful in the way that it was when I was with Ric, but soft and comforting, to match Lucas’ personality. The thought of Ric’s lips clashing with someone else, made me jerk my eyes open suddenly.

“Are you okay?” Lucas asked, but his eyes remained closed.

I nodded uselessly, knowing that he could not see.

Our lips met again. I drew in a deep breath, smelling a mixture of spearmint toothpaste, sunscreen and the faint smell of sea salt. I opened my mouth, allowing his tongue to explore, stroking the side of my cheek.

I closed the bathroom door slowly, hearing the faint click as the latch locked. I turned around, leaning heavily on the wooden door. The mirror above the sink showed a reflection of a girl, eighteen, eyes wide and blonde hair falling carelessly passed her shoulders. The moon streamed in through the single window, and bathed the tiled room in soft moonlight. My normally bronzed skin looked pale and my eyes sunken from lack of sleep; I had been awake half the night.

I had remained tossing and turning in bed for hours before finally deciding to take the test. I had bought it a week previously, but had not worked up the nerve to take it. It lay sitting at the bottom of my cupboard, underneath a mountain of clothes. Fortunately, Tony knew better than to begin poking into my room, so I knew it had been safe.

Sitting on the cold floor, I stared down at the white plastic stick and waited. I rested my head on the wall and closed my eyes. The orange lights that danced before my eyes merged to form a stream. This widened and was soon an ocean, rolling up and down beneath a black sky. The ocean slowly became smaller until it was contained within a large bottle. It was orange juice. A girl, sixteen, short hair pulled back into a pony tail pressed the large bottle to her lips and gulped down a large amount of juice before wiping the residue with her free hand.

Juno had always been a favourite of mine. Although I knew it was fictional, the prospect of following a path not unlike Juno’s frightened me. I was not ready to be a mother; I could hardly take care of myself. I was constantly forgetting my lunch, my homework, and I’m pretty sure that if we had owned a dog I would forget to feed that too. But what I lacked most of all was a mother of my own. Her face smiled down at me happily. Her expression changed from joy to concern as I heard her familiar voice say, “It will be alright, sweetheart.” Her voice was loud, as though she was standing beside me.

I opened my eyes with a rush to find that I was still sitting on floor of the bathroom, the test clamped tightly in my right hand. I looked down, staring at the result.

Slowly, I stood up from the floor, willing my legs to remain upright. I opened the door and headed down the hallway towards the kitchen.

A shadow formed in front of me and I looked up slowly to see those familiar blue eyes looking back at me.

I saw Lucas’ eyes dart over my bedraggled looks, his eyes flickering towards my right hand where I held the test. Although his eyes indicated a slight panic at the result, the glass of water he was holding in his hand remained perfectly calm.

“You’re - ?” The words seemed unable to form from his mouth.

“No,” I replied.

Lucas nodded.

For a moment we both remained standing three feet apart. In one swift movement I lunged forward, letting the test fall from my fingers, and hugged him. Lucas’ seemed slightly unnerved by my sudden surge of affection, but as soon as his arms closed around my body, I felt secure.

Lucas was the cheese to my macaroni, the Bleeker to my Juno. I tugged on his shoulder and pressed my lips against his cheek, before wandering slowly back to bed.

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A/N: I wrote this yesterday in pretty much one sitting. Please read and review. Comments are much appreciated - the good, the bad, and the ugly .

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