reckless 【 the outsiders 】

twenty-two.

Gigi had finally got Leigh to tell her family the news. She didn't want Dallas there but she didn't wanna be alone so Gigi offered to be her support. After several attempts at distracting and rerouting her support system, they were finally where Leigh did not want to be. She'd caught her dad just before work so it wouldn't be long, she thought. Turns out, the pregnancy of their daughter is enough to make a person call in.

She didn't know how they'd react which made it a little easier when her brothers weren't completely immature about it and her father ended up not being mad at her. "You're an adult," her father said.

"You have your own place," Levi mentioned.

"Lenny's got a kid," Luke pointed out.

"Luke's probably gonna have one on the way soon." They shared a laugh and their dad offered her and Gigi some steak which he'd made earlier. Leigh asked for two pieces, one for her and one for the baby.

"Kinda sucks that that Winston kid's the daddy, though," Levi began, catching Leigh's attention, the look on her face let him know that he should continue his thought, "The guy's goin' straight for now but what about when he gets tired of that boring stuff?"

"Then I'll be okay."

"Yeah that's what you say now," Levi muttered. He never wanted her sister abandoned or feeling alone in a situation and he's always known Dallas; he simply believed that once you're a troublemaking hood, you're always gonna be a trouble making hood, no matter how much you try and deny it. She understood he was just as scared as she was, he always understood and felt her feelings.

"You guys gonna get married?" Lucas asked.

"Well, we wasn't plannin' on it."

"Dad? You ain't gonna make then get married?"

He shrugged. She knew he wouldn't force them to and she knew exactly why. She appreciated the fact that he was willing to let her choose. "Marriage don't mean it'll last. My momma made me marry your mom and she left. My momma's dad made her marry your grandpa and he left her."

"We're just the type of people that people leave, huh?" Levi joked. Leigh pushed him over and rolled her eyes and he was gonna retaliate but stopped upon remembering he couldn't hurt her for the next seven months. "You're so lucky I can't hit you."

"So what're you gonna name it?"

"Haven't thought about it."

All of a sudden they all had ideas but only her brothers bothered to blurt them out. "How about Lucas if it's a boy and Lucy if it's a girl."

"I ain't namin' my kid after you."

"What about Levi for a boy or Levi for a girl."

She rolled her eyes. "Again, no."

"How about--"

"No."

"She's got plenty of time," their dad intervened, taking a seat with his plate of leftover mashed potatoes, "leave her alone. Annoying a pregnant female is like pokin' a bear."

"I can't believe how chill you are about this, dad!" Levi exclaims, he stood up with his hands dramatically up in the air and shook his head. Leigh actually couldn't either but she loved it, she loved knowing that she could be open with her family and them not be too upset at her.

"It ain't my jurisdiction no more. When you move out, your actions won't face my consequences, just the world's. Leigh will also face world consequences just like Lenny and his girl did."

They spent the majority of the day over there, the girls relaxing for a while before deciding to head back home. "Dad," Leigh says, turning to face the guys still on the couch, "What would you had named me and Levi?"

He chuckled and she remembered the time he told them their mom was the one who named them. He never told his baby name ideas but a part of her always wondered. "Well Corie's my favorite name for a girl, it was my grandmother's name, I would've named you Corie. Dean is my favorite name for a boy."

She nodded with a slight smile and thanked him as she left and closed the door. "Corie."

"Corie is an adorable name."

"Guess I've got my girl's name."

"Corie Winston? Corie Sawyer? Corie Winston-Sawyer?"

"I just found out the first name, alright? Let's slow this down."

Gigi chuckled, looking between her and the road. "Yeah, agreed."

Leigh leaned her head against the door of the car, closing her eyes and imagining what being a mom to a daughter would be like. She hoped the little girl wouldn't become like her and stay in school, graduate, talk to people, love her life. Looking down at her slightly bloated belly and resting a hand on it, she whispered: "Corie."

edited 12-29-21