To be fair, Cory is protective over me too, only Cory is the one that I get fucked by. Not my Dad.
“Okay,” Dad says. “Stand still and tell me what has you twisted.”
“Fuck,” I sigh. “I don’t know how to even say this.”
“Bluntly,” Beth says.
“Want me to?” Cory asks and I shake my head.
“Fine… I’m pregnant,” I say. Both of my parents just stare at me. They don’t say a word for more than two minutes.
“Who’s the Dad?” Mom asks. “Does he know?”
“Yeah,” I laugh dryly. “He knows.”
“I didn’t realize you were seeing anyone,” Dad says. “It’s just a baby. I don’t really understand why you were that nervous to tell us that.”
“Because that’s not it,” I say with a shaken voice. “I’m trying to find any reason to not have an abortion or to throw myself off a bridge. I want you to understand that the only reason I’m bringing this up to you instead of doing one of the other two options is because Cory and Beth convinced me to tell you. I didn’t want youto know. I have no desire to tell you this.”
“Well, that’s one hell of a lead-in. What’s up?” Mom asks.
I start to tear up and Cory looks pained as he forces himself to not comfort me. “Bella, what’s going on?” Dad asks. “Did someone hurt you?”
“No, no. It’s nothing like that,” I say, trying to sniff back my tears.
“Who’s the father then?” he asks.
“Cory,” I say slowly.
“No, I want to hear from you,” Dad says.
“No, Dad. That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh,” Mom says, wide-eyed. “Oh, wow.”
“Wait. Back up,” Dad says, shaking his head.
“Cory is the father,” I say with a sigh. “I am hoping like hell that I look different from everybody in this family because mom’s a whore and cheated on you or you stole me out of someone’s house. That is the only reason I am telling you all. I don’t wanna have to have an abortion, but I will if we are full-blood siblings. So please… tell me that mom is a whore.”
“Well, fuck,” Dad sighs.
“I told you we should’ve told him sooner,” Mom says to Dad.
“Yeah yeah. I know,” he says. “Hindsight is 20/20.”
“What?” I ask. “Are we not commenting on the whole father bit?”
“So… biologically speaking… You two are not related,” Mom says.
“What does that even mean?”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Cory says. “I asked you so many times over the years. You lied to me repeatedly.”
“I know,” Dad says softly.
“What?” I ask again.
“You’re adopted,” Cory says. “I first asked them whenever I was like six years old and you were a baby. I learned about pregnancy because my teacher was pregnant. I commented saying that I didn’t remember Mom being pregnant with you. They blew me off,” he says. Cory stands up and comes over to hug me.