Payton Caroline Martinez (payton_martinez) wrote in btvsal, @ 2011-03-27 20:41:00 |
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Current mood: | worried |
Entry tags: | neely bale, payton martinez, place: la, ~eric kinkaid |
A Little Scare
Who: Eric and Payton (with a brief appearance by Neely)
Where: Shattered Records
When: Saturday, March 26th – Early Afternoon
Payton hadn't had the most spectacular week, unfortunately. Nothing seemed to go right for the brunette cheerleader and what she felt that came down to, ultimately, was that she was late. Not late to get to things, mind you, but late as in... late. She'd been worried that she was pregnant and wasn't sure how to handle it. She'd always been careful when it came to sex but... a week or two ago with Eric, she hadn't been quite as careful. So, it was with a petulant frown that she went to work that day, dressed in black tights and a white dress shirt, rolled up at the sleeves, her long dark hair cascading over her shoulders. She had a doctors appointment set in a few hours, but... since she'd been born, she'd never had the need to go to the doctor, which gave her an uneasy sense of dread.
She was currently restocking one of the shelves, giving off the aura of 'do not FUCK with me' while she checked the clock every-so-often. God, she just wanted this day to be over.
For his part, Eric had been blissfully unaware of any problems that Payton had been having. The two teenagers had been thick as thieves for weeks now, and their public notoriety as a couple had only increased since Payton had been seen with some of her fellow cheerleaders at a baseball game a few weeks ago, enthusiastically congratulating a certain blonde-haired shortstop. About the only hiccup, in fact, was that there was apparently some nastiness between his girlfriend and his kid sister. That was a situation that he would have to deal with at some point, but for now, Eric was content to simply let sleeping dogs lie.
A tiny bell jingled as the door to the record store opened and Eric stepped in, wearing a light-blue polo t-shirt that clung a little to his shoulders, jeans, and sneakers, his hair purposely mussed. In each hand, he held a large plastic cup, each with a bright red straw sticking out of the top. It only took him a moment to spot her and he walked over to her, a big smile on his face. "Hey, legs - where's the Aerosmith in this place?" he teased, holding out one of the slushies to her – cherry.
She took the slushie with a small smile and couldn't help it but laugh, brief though it may have been. He was just a sweetheart, wasn't he? "Over this way," she replied, pretending to led him in the direction of Aerosmith, when in fact, she wanted to get him alone. Emmy and Neely were over near the counter, and the last thing that she needed right now was for them to overhear her conversation with Eric."Missed you," she murmured, once she'd pulled him into a more secluded area.
She was feeling a little flush at the moment, admittedly, so the slushie would do good to lower her body temperature. "I've... also been meaning to talk to you about something the last few days," she admitted. She'd put it off, hoping that she was wrong, but now... well, she was worried. "We haven't had the chance to really talk."
He glanced briefly over his shoulder as she started tugging him toward another section of the store, looking at the other two women near the counter, guessing they were Payton's co-workers. As his gaze moved around the store, Eric couldn't help but look interested - all appearances suggested this was a very cool place to work. "I missed you, too, beautiful," Eric replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek once they were alone.
"You've... been a little scarce at school," he acknowledged. And, curiously, they hadn't been able to spend much time together the last couple of days. Normally, they took whatever opportunity they had to secret themselves away in her bedroom for a few hours, Eric dashing out just before her parents came home. "Is... is everything okay?" Eric asked, sipping from his own raspberry flavored slushie.
Despite the fact that she could come across as a bitch at school, Payton tried to play nice at work, actually taking the time to talk to customers, which made for a rich environment for the teen. She took a sip of her own drink as she pulled Eric into a private corner, lowering slightly so she wasn't immediately approached by a customer.
She took in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to stay calm as she had over the last week. "I don't think everything's okay," she told him, almost at a whisper. The last thing she wanted right now was for anyone to overhear this conversation. "Remember – the other week at the park... we didn't have a condom?" She made a face. "Well, I think that one came back to bite us in the ass."
It was as if he'd been sitting in an airplane and the cabin suddenly lost pressure. He felt as if the breath had been stolen from his lungs, and all the ambient sound of the record store suddenly became muffled, almost to the point of non-existence. Eric was relatively certain that he had turned a shade or two whiter as those words fell from Payton's lips.
"I... " he started, blinking, his expression confused yet comprehending. "But I... " Eric leaned in closer then, lowering his voice. The last thing he wanted to do was to embarrass her or get her in trouble at work. "But Payton, I didn't... finish inside you." They'd been very careful. "Oh, my God... "
"I know," she replied, looking absolutely mortified herself. "I was there, remember?" She turned away from him slightly, trying to control her breathing. "You're the only guy that I've been with—The only guy that I've let that happen with, but if I'm late, then there's only one explanation," she finished at a hush. "I hope that I'm wrong, but please, please don't panic or push me away." That was one thing that she worried about more than anything. That he'd find a reason to push her away, despite how good they were together.
Eric didn't say anything at first. Of course he was the only guy she'd been with - he'd never doubted that, not even with his kid sister haranguing him about it. As she turned from him, Kinkaid's face fell a little. She was always so confident - this was the first time he'd heard or seen her so upset, though with good reason. Eric took a step toward her and lifted his hand, resting his palm gently on her shoulder, turning Payton around. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, Payton," he said, a slight tremor in his voice. "But ... I'm not going to push you away. I... I couldn't. I can't."
She looked up to meet his eyes, as if looking for a hint of a lie in them, but what she saw, with absolute certainty, was complete honesty. She let out a breath that she didn't realize that she'd been holding in, and pushed his arms aside so that she could hug him properly. "I'm sorry. I know that you're just as scared as I am." She knew that she'd pushed him where the sex was concerned as well, so she couldn't be bitchy about that, even though her first instinct was to be. "I have an appointment soon... can you come with me?" She asked, her lip wibbling slightly.
He hated seeing her look like this, looking so sad, so worried. He knew it was at least partly his fault - he should have refused, been more responsible. But those thoughts melted away as Payton pulled herself to him, his arms wrapping around her body, holding her close. Eric looked down at her, gazing into those big brown eyes, reaching up a hand to touch her cheek. What are we going to do?
"It's okay. Don't apologize, okay?" He couldn't even comprehend what this could do to them, to the rest of their lives. "I'll come with you, Payton," Eric answered with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
"Thank you," she replied, pressing up on her toes to kiss him briefly on the lips. She wanted to be pissed at him, but that wouldn't have been unreasonable. He wasn't the one that decided that they didn't need the condom, after all. Was it possible that, in the heat of the moment, they'd irrevocably changed both of their lives? She brought the straw to her lips and took another sip of the cherry flavored slushie.
"I'm sure Neely wouldn't mind if I left a little early. The sooner we find out, the better, you know?" She murmured, trying to think logically here. If she was pregnant, she had options. … They had options. God, as much as she didn't want to think about it, she had to. She just hoped that they were prepared for the consequences.
As she rose up on her toes to kiss him, Eric reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He wished he could tell her that it would be alright, that there was probably some other explanation. "Yeah, no, you're right. We should go," Eric replied, taking another sip through his straw. He didn't even want the thing anymore - his stomach felt like he'd swallowed a rock. But, she'd asked him not to freak out, so he wouldn't.
"I've got my truck here. I can drive us if you can give me directions," Kinkaid said, trying his best to keep the tremor out of his voice. It was working - mostly.
"Okay," she replied, nodding slowly. "Why don't you bring the truck around and I'll talk to Neely," she told him, kissing him gently on the cheek before going to do just that. Neely and Emmy were both still talking by the counter, although when Payton approached them, they quickly stopped. "Hey, boss. Would it be okay if I ducked out a little early today? I have, uh – " she looked over to Eric, watching him leave the store, " – an appointment."
Neely arched an eyebrow at that, since it sounded vaguely ominous. She checked her watch and shrugged. It was only a few minutes, so she didn't see the harm. "Sure. No problem. Let me know if you need to take a day or two," she added. Payton was actually one of her best employees, so of course she was going to look out for her.
"Thanks, boss," Payton replied. She tried for a smile, but it came out strained. She was quick to collect her bag from the break-room and made her way outside to meet Eric, hopping into his truck.
They drove in relative silence, Eric following her directions to the clinic, glancing over at her occasionally and giving her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. The way he was driving, being a little more careful than usual, it was as if he feared she'd suddenly become terribly fragile, than any minor fender bender would shatter her. The drive didn't take long, and when they pulled up to the clinic, Kinkaid got out, just stopping himself from going around to open the door for her.
If she was pregnant, she certainly wasn't going to have the baby now.
Once Payton had checked in, the teens sat quietly in the waiting room, Eric doing his best to maintain his composure, glancing at his girlfriend furtively now and then.
Payton took in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep her composure despite how absolutely terrified she was. For someone who was usually so cool and composed, you could just tell that she was shit-scared. Looking over to Eric, she reached over and grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze. "Whatever happens, we'll figure it out," she told him, trying to be reassuring. She wasn't sure that she was overly successful, but the point was that she tried. When she was called up, she gave his hand another squeeze and asked for him to wait for her there, before going into the doctor's office.
Eric squeezed her hand back, faint traces of worry evident on his face. "Right," he replied. What else could he say?
"I'll be here when you're finished," he said, meaning every word. He had no intent of running out of there and leaving her high and dry. Whatever happened, he bore a significant share of the responsibility for their situation. He wasn't going to run from it.
As Payton disappeared behind the door, heading for the doctor's office, Eric leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, nervous energy manifesting itself as his knees bounced rapidly, waiting.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Payton reemerged with the doctor trailing behind her. She turned to him and spoke a few words that poor Eric couldn't hear, placing a hand to the doctor's arm briefly before turning back to her boyfriend and nodding toward the exit. She wanted to get the hell out of there, dammit. As soon as they were out, she hooked an arm around his and let out a breath.
Not one to pussyfoot around, she said: "He's 99% sure that I'm not pregnant. He's sent off a vial of blood for tests, but... he's sure it's a health thing. Apparently I should eat more." She laughed briefly and rolled her eyes, trying to loosen the tension. "He also gave me this wonderful little thing called The Pill, which I'll go on after I get my period, so we don't get a scare like this ever again." The certainty with which she spoke her words was staggering considering the mood that she went into the doctor's office with.
Eric, meanwhile, had damn near been sweating bullets waiting for Payton, looking up now and then at the various reading material scattered around the waiting room. He couldn't bring himself to get up and read any of the pamphlets that were in their little plastic holders. The most he could do was just wait.
Finally, she emerged, and Eric was on his feet, walking out with her, the two teens linking arms as they headed for his pickup. "So... you're not pregnant?" he asked, eyes widening. Realizing what she'd said, Eric couldn't help but let out a relieved chuckle, unlocking the car with the remote on his keychain, walking her to the passenger side of the truck.
"Oh, my God... Payton... that's... that's great news." Eric leaned down and kissed her firmly on the mouth, his relief evident.
"Isn't it, though?" She replied, kissing him back. Sure, the doctor had said that she had other health issues to worry about, what with the lack of eating, but that was manageable and easily fixed. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a clearly relieved squeeze. "At least now we'll be better prepared," she told him, glad that, while it was a lesson learned, nothing of serious consequence had happened.
Strong arms encircled her petite form as she pulled him close, his arms tightening around her, giving her a relieved hug. After a moment, he loosed his arms, still encircling her waist, and looked down at her, his expression tender. Eric lifted a hand to touch her cheek, brushing her hair away from her face.
"Honey, I'm so sorry. I... I should've been more responsible," he said, swallowing hard. It was a stupid decision, and while the sex had been fantastic, it wasn't worth what they'd just gone through - never mind the very real consequences of what could have happened.
She shook her head slowly. "It's not your fault, Eric. Let's just be glad that this is over with, okay?" She replied, giving him her stern 'my word is law' face. She didn't want him to feel guilty for a decision that they had both made, after all. She was just as responsible as he was. She looked up and meet his eyes, trying to alleviate his stress levels. "It's all gonna be okay."
"Alright. I can do that," Eric said, seeing that steely look in her eye. This was the, "You don't want to mess with me right now," Payton, the one he'd bumped into in the hallway back at the beginning of the semester. He was glad to see that Payton back, even if she'd only been gone for a little while. Finally, a smile broke over his face, and he reached for her hand, brushing his thumb over the back of hers.
"So, since you've got the rest of the afternoon off from work, what would you like to go do?" he asked. He didn't want to say "celebrate" - that seemed like the wrong word to use to describe this situation.
If she'd thought about it, she would have realized that she'd never shown that vulnerable side of herself to anyone before. Anyone else might have wondered what that meant. Payton? Pushed those thoughts aside. She'd had enough angst for one day, thank you very much. She rolled her eyes and pretended to think about his question for a moment, putting on her best 'I'm so innocent' expression. "Well, I know what I'd want to do. Even if it is incredibly poor timing," she lilted.
No, he knew her too well to be fooled by that innocent look that she was giving him. He half-expected her to start twirling her hair or cracking bubble gum the way she was looking at him. It only took a fraction of a second for him to realize just what she was insinuating. Part of him wanted to say, "That's a terrible idea. Remember what just happened like 30 seconds ago?" But he didn't. He'd be lying if he said that wasn't on his mind, as well.
"And... that would be what, Payton?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.
"Sex, obviously," she purred, placing a hand on his chest, over where his heart would be. If anything... sex just gave her a sense of normalcy. If done right, she could forget everything except the person that she was sharing it with. She sighed, knowing that she'd never be able to word it right for him and curled her fingers against his chest lightly. "If you're not feeling it – " which, frankly, she wouldn't blame him " – we could always watch a movie, or something."
"I have a feeling that if we go back to your place and watch a movie, we're going to end up in bed anyway ... " Eric replied as she curled her slender fingers against his chest. His right hand moved to rest on her lower back, his smile taking on some of the mischievousness that she had been exhibiting. "Besides - what kind of idiot would I have to be to turn down sex with my gorgeous girl?" he asked, leaning down again to give her another kiss, this one longer, lingering.
"It's a very distinct possibility,"she replied with her well-known mischievous smirk, glad that they had put the whole sour topic of pregnancy behind them for now. She didn't really want children, herself, but was glad that the topic didn't have to come up with Eric. Who knew how he'd feel about the whole thing? As soon as he lent down to kiss her, she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him back. "Hm. Suddenly glad that you're not on the short bus," she teased.
"Wow, with compliments like that, I'd be a fool not to take you back to your place," Eric replied, rolling his eyes and extricating himself from her arms, giving her another quick kiss on the cheek. "Come on - we'll swing by the video store and at least pretend to do something other than just have incredibly satisfying, responsible sex," he said, opening the door for her and offering her his hand to help her up into the truck.
She took his hand gratefully and hopped into the truck, getting herself nice and situated in her seat and clipping on her seatbelt. She let him round the car and do the same before replying: "So, what kind of movies are we going to pretend to watch? Action, Horror... Disney?" She couldn't help it but tease him sometimes, could she? The wench.
"We're not going to have sex while we've got Beauty in the Beast playing in the background, if that's what you're suggesting," Eric retorted, swinging up into his seat, closing the driver's side door with a heavy thud. "That's just weird." Eric pulled on his seatbelt and cranked the engine, glancing over his shoulder and putting the vehicle into reverse, backing out of the parking spot. He couldn't be happier leaving the clinic, considering the situation they'd been facing less than an hour before.
"Right now, I feel like laughing. Comedy sound alright to you?" he asked, putting the truck in gear and heading for the highway.
Oh, the idea of them having sex while watching Beauty and the Beast sounded utterly hilarious to her and she couldn't help it but laugh and shake her head just picturing it. "Actually, a comedy sounds perfect," she had to agree. She pursed her full lips in a thoughtful pout, trying to think of a semi-recent comedy that she might have liked. "There are a few Drew Barrymore ones that I like... although I guess they're more romantic comedies. What do you suggest we get?"
"I don't care how funny you think it sounds, Payton, it's not happening," he retorted with mock sternness. There was a possibility that it might happen with some other Disney movie someday, but never with Beauty and the Beast. He had too many memories of watching that with Andrea when she was sick.
Eric turned onto the main thoroughfare, guiding the truck in the direction of Payton's house, knowing there was at least one video store near her parents' home. "Honestly, considering we're probably just going to leave it playing in the background, I'm not sure we have to give it too much thought," he joked, checking his blindspot and changing lanes. "I doubt the video store has a 'movies to leave playing in the background while having sex' section."
"Hm. Good point. We'll just have to make it up as we go along," she replied, amused by the fact that they were discussing this, in all honesty. What couple does that? Well, them, clearly, but moving on. "I'm sure that we've got a few movies at home, if you want to save the hassle of going to the store and picking one." Now, where was this practicality when it came to having unprotected sex? She leaned over and rubbed a hand across his thigh. "Just an idea."
Whatever intent he may have had of actually going to the video store evaporated the moment that she reached over and ran her hand along his thigh. With a touch, she could probably get him to do just about anything, he realized. "Oddly, I'm a little short on cash this week," he said, taking the next left, heading directly for her house. "Maybe we should just save a little money and see what you've got in your video library at home."
He was, after all, only a teenaged boy and was, therefore, highly susceptible to feminine wiles.
She had to smirk at his explanation to get her home, honestly surprised it was that easy, given his resolve to rent a movie in the first place. Then again, it was her doing all the tempting. "Don't worry. I'm sure that we'll find something," she replied with a lilt, moving her hand oh-so-slightly to rub along his inner thigh. Hm. If she wasn't careful, they'd get into a car accident, wouldn't they? Oh, but she was enjoying herself. It was a nice break from the reality of the last week or so, that was for sure.
She would, no doubt, be able to see the tension settling into his shoulders as she ran her hand lightly along his inner thigh. Eric shifted in his seat, trying to relieve some sudden... discomfort without being crude about it. "Worse comes to worse, we can always swing by my place and pick something up," he said, trying to maintain the illusion that he's really concerned about not spending money unnecessarily. He knew Payton well enough to realize that she didn't believe a word of it anyway.
If they did have to go back to his house, Andrea was there, but the most that she would do was roll her eyes and probably sigh at him. She'd get over it. "Payton... you're going to get me pulled over if you don't watch it," he said, his voice slightly breathy.
"I'll be good," she replied in that same teasing tone as she retrieved her hand and set it on her own lap. "See? I'm a good girl." Can you just picture a halo over her head? No? Well, it was doubtful that anyone could at this point. She smirked, noticing his discomfort, and couldn't help but feel smug about it. "And we can do whatever you want, baby. I'm easy."