Fourteen by C.M. Smith (short story to read .txt) 📕

“I know what you mean.” Ashley laughed. “The twins are almost four and it seems like just yesterday, I was in labor.”

I remembered hearing about all of it. Macie had only been a few months old when Ashley announced that she was pregnant, and it had only taken a few months after that to find out that she was pregnant with twins. Darla and Christine Mahon were the most energetic kids I’d ever known. They’d definitely gotten their personalities and energy from their father, while their looks were all from Ashley. The two of them were going to have their hands full when they got older and started dating, though Kyle had already declared they’d never date, much less get older.

Evan and I were Calvin’s godparents, and Darla and Christine’s godparents were Kyle’s brother and sister-in-law.

“Are we not good enough for you, Anna?”

I looked across the table to see Vince pouting, his bottom lip shoved out so far he could probably wrap it up around his head if he so desired. I laughed and waved him over to me, holding out my arms as he bent down and hugged me.

“You feeling okay?” he asked as he pulled back and bent down in between Christina and me.

“Totally stressed out.”

He laughed and patted my knee.

“That’s not good for the little man in there.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Fuck ‘em all,” he grinned, standing up again and kissing my cheek. “You’re gorgeous.”

“I tell her that, and she refuses to believe me tonight,” Evan said, matter-of-factly.

I scrunched my nose and stuck my tongue out at him. He laughed and grabbed a chair, pulling it up behind me and draping his arm over my shoulders.

We talked without interruption, Ashley pointing out people such as Brittany Feldman, who had been managing the local hardware shop for the past five years, and Grace Alcott, who had moved out to Hollywood and hadn’t been able to land more than a few commercials here and there.

Steve Forrester, dragging a stick-thin blonde around the middle of the floor, still looked like he had in high school. He’d taken over his parents’ construction business and seemed to think that he owned the world because of it. Adam Laveque hadn’t appeared yet, but his alcoholism had been common knowledge around Collins Point for about four years now, or so I’d been told. Other classmates that I barely knew had stopped at our table to say hello, spouting on about their lives and sliding away when someone else called their name.

“Evan!”

We both looked in the direction when we heard a voice that I’d tried to forget, and I cringed, placing my hands protectively over my stomach as Grace walked up to us. She was carting around a guy that looked like he might’ve just graduated high school, and was doing everything in her power to show off the ring on her left hand.

“Hello, Grace,” Evan said coolly. “How’ve you been?”

“Fabulous!” she said in a sing-song voice, waving her left hand at him.

I looked behind me at Ashley who rolled her eyes. I laughed and looked over at Christina who was mimicking Grace’s hand movements.

“This is Antoine,” she proudly announced, gripping the guy’s hand. “We’re engaged.”

“Never would’ve known,” I heard Ashley mumble.

I pressed my lips together, clearing my throat and looking down at my stomach in an attempt not to laugh at her.

“Congratulations,” Evan said, coughing and grabbing my hand. I looked over at him and smiled, squeezing his hand before I looked up at Grace again. “You remember Anna, don’t you Grace?”

Her gaze slowly shifted as she appraised me. “Arianna Weller?”

“Hello, Grace,” I said through my teeth in an attempt to be polite.

“You still hang around with her?” she asked, crossing one arm under her breasts and jutting a thumb at me. “I thought you would’ve grown out of that years ago.”

“They’re married, half-wit,” Ashley snapped, slapping her hand on the table. “Where have you been for six years? Collins Point is not that big of a town, so don’t be a dumbass and pretend that you didn’t know.”

Christina choked on her drink, fanning herself as she gasped for air.

“Nice to see you again, Ashley,” Grace said dryly.

“I wish I could say the same to you.”

“Well, we have to get going,” Grace said, turning on her heel before any of us could say anything more.

“Damn!” Kyle said, his voice booming. “I thought she was a moron back in high school. She hasn’t changed much, has she?”

“No.” I laughed and saw her smack Antoine’s arm as they stormed over to their table.

We continued talking about all the ways our kids annoyed and amused us, briefly mentioning our careers and pretty much ignoring the rest of our classmates.

Brittany had meekly made her way over to us, being as polite and nice as anyone else. She’d gotten divorced from Steve three years ago, she’d said, and he’d given up the rights to their daughter. The blonde he was carting around was their former nanny, and it was hard to hold a grudge against someone who had to watch her ex-husband troll around the room with someone else.

I made her sit with us, and we spent the rest of the evening at our little round table, sharing stories. By the end of the night, I was exhausted and more than ready to go home as opposed to going out to the dinner we’d promised everyone else.

“You okay, babycakes?” Evan whispered into my ear, trailing his hand up and down my arm.

“Are you going to make that nickname permanent?”

“I’m thinking that I kind of like it, so yeah, probably.”

I laughed, leaning my head against his and smiling when he pressed a soft kiss against my ear.

“We’re here for another couple of days,” he whispered, nuzzling his nose into my hair. “We can go out to dinner with them tomorrow night if you want.”

“Will they be okay with that?”

“They have to be. Plus,” he began, his other hand trailing back to my stomach, “you have