Drama Momma (Surprisingly Perfect Sequel)

Would You Rather

We pulled around the corner and went down a wooded road, then up a big, narrow driveway. This house was also brick, but it was all on one floor and had floor-to-ceiling windows in front. It was nice and quiet, surrounded by trees.

"Oh, and look at that three car garage! That would be great for when you get your own car, Poppy," Mom said.

"Yeah, but I kinda need my license first," I said.

We stepped out of the car and into the hot, humid air. Karen waved us on from the front steps as we walked up.

"Are we ready for round two?" she asked.

"Yes!" I said, jumping up and down.

Karen opened the door and led us into a big open space with bright, shiny wood floors. The sunlight made perfect streaks through the massive windows.

"So as we already know, this house is a six bedroom, four bath. A great place to raise a big family!" Karen said.

"Which hopefully won't get any bigger anytime soon," Mom said.

"I'm just happy there's no lugging a stroller and two babies up three flights of stairs," Chrys said.

We walked into the living room, which had a nice fireplace. It was across from the kitchen which had this huge island. There were six stools lined up at it. The countertops were a pretty brown granite.

"Can we see the basement now?" I asked.

"Go ahead, the stairs are right there," Karen said, pointing across the room.

"Come on, Chrys!" I said, trotting down the carpeted stairs.

"Wait up!" she said, trying to catch up behind me.

Just like the upstairs, the basement was nice and bright. There were sliding doors that lead out to the big backyard, where I hoped we could put a pool someday. The basement was the perfect spot for a playroom.

The best part, as I'd seen already in the photos, was the big movie screen along the wall. I just kind of stood there and admired it for a while, thinking about how many movies Destiny and I could watch.

"Wow. It looks even bigger in person," Chrys said.

"I know. Hey, I'll race you back upstairs!" I said, turning and running.

Chrys laughed and followed me upstairs, most likely letting me win, as usual. There's no way I could be pregnant and still that much faster than her.

"Hey, we're down here looking at the bedrooms!" Mom said from down the hall.

Chrys and I turned right and stopped at each room. Two of them had attached bathrooms, so either me or Chrys would get stuck sharing the last shower with the kids. Spoiler alert: I'd make sure it was Chrys.

The last bedroom was painted a soft pink. I stood there, looking out the windows that faced the backyard, rubbing my belly as little kicks hit my left side. This room would be absolutely perfect for a little girl.

We walked through everything once more, and I felt like we were all falling in love with the place the more time we spent there. We thanked Karen and were on our way. Mom said she'd call her when we made our decision.

"I think what I really like is how close this house is to the boys' daycare," Chrys said as we pulled out of the driveway.

"Yeah, let's make this a quick pickup and get to lunch. I'm starving!" I said.

We stopped by the boys' daycare and picked them up, then drove straight over to the diner. They sat us at the one big booth in the corner so the boys' highchairs wouldn't stick out so much.

Mom and Chrys flipped through the menu, but I already knew what I wanted. I was craving french toast for the past few days.

"So, what are we thinking?" Mom asked.

"Probably the cranberry salad," Chrys said.

"Double order of french toast for me," I said.

Mom chuckled and lowered her menu. "No! I mean with the house."

"I know what I want, but the decision really isn't up to me," Chrys said. 

I swallowed hard. It was true. This was all in my hands. They both agreed that I'd be the one making the final choice because I was still in school, and because I was the one to get us the money. We wouldn't even be sitting here talking about these houses if it weren't for me.

"Well it's obvious! The one floor house with the movie theater and the big backyard," I said. "Having my own space would be nice, but I don't want to be all alone in an apartment with the baby and no one else. And the other house was just so much nicer."

Chrys let out a big sigh of relief. "Thank you. I was really dreading the whole stroller and stairs thing."

"Like, I know it isn't what Chase wants, but—"

"But Chase isn't living there full time. You are," Mom said.

"I just don't want him to be mad at me. We never really fight about anything and like, I feel like he'll be kinda upset if I pick the place he doesn't want," I said.

"If he's mad, then so what? Sometimes you have to do what you feel is right for you and your baby. Jace gets mad at me all the time. You're dealing with another person. There's bound to be fights, no matter what," Chrys said.

"Then it's settled. You can call Karen when we get back," I said to Mom.

"Well, actually...there's one small detail I left out," she said.

"Oh no. Is the price still too high?" Chrys asked.

"No. The price isn't a problem. It's just that, Poppy," she said, taking a breath. "It's not in your district. You'd have to change schools."

"What?" I slammed my palms on the table. "But I told you not to look at places outside my district!"

"I know, but there's going to be six of us. We needed a house with at least five bedrooms and that really limited my options. I'm sorry."

I sunk into the squishy seat of the booth. "So it's either live in the apartment house that I only liked a little and keep my school, or get the house I really loved but change schools."

"It's all a matter of what you'd rather do. I'm fine with either place," Mom said.

"Hey, if the bullies are really bad, it might just be best to start off in a new school," Chrys said. "You can have a fresh start."

"Yeah, but people will still pick on me regardless because I'm pregnant!" I said.

"You don't know that for sure. Chrys didn't really get teased when she was showing," Mom said. Chrys nodded in agreement. "Maybe it won't be so bad for you."

I buried my face in my hands. I wanted to live in that house but I didn't want to start all over in a new school. I didn't want to leave Destiny. She'd be super mega upset. My hands went to my belly.

I thought about my baby running in that backyard with their cousins. Or Mom making them all muffins while they sat at the big island in the kitchen. I thought about a big Christmas tree in the corner by the fireplace, stacked high with presents.

It would be hard sometimes, sure, but we wouldn't have to be separate. We could all be together as one big, crazy, happy family. I only had two years left and would probably have to take some time off to do online classes anyway.

"Okay. I know what I want to do," I said. "A new school will suck, but I think what's best for all of us is to be in the one floor house."

"Yes yes yes!" Chrys said, leaning over and giving me a squeeze. "Thank you Poppy!"

"You're positive?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. This is definitely what I want to do," I said.

Mom clapped her hands. The boys followed along, clapping their hands too, while giggling, of course. We spent the rest of our lunch talking about our house and all the new memories we were going to make there.