Just Like Heaven Read online

  “You are not to stay in Collinswood and rot, you are to leave and make your mother and I proud.”

  “I know but-”

  “Don’t waste your health and vitality,” Conrad interrupted and Arthur lowered his head, knowing exactly what his father was referring to.

  “Demi is trying to trap you, as would any woman in her right mind. Look at you, you’re a Cooper!”

  “Well…” Arthur realized that it had crossed his mind upon hearing of the pregnancy that perhaps Demi was just trying to keep him close by and prevent him going to Duke.

  “You need to go to Duke and enjoy yourself, have fun; there will be plenty of time to be a father when you are good and ready.”

  “But what about the baby?” Arthur asked guiltily.

  “Don’t let it be any of your concern. It’s Demi’s baby, her problem to contend with, not yours.”

  “But it is my baby too,” Arthur said.

  “Don’t allow Demi or the baby to stand in the way of your future,” Conrad told his son sternly who nodded naively in acceptance of his father’s words.

  “Jared keeps saying how he can’t wait to come and visit you at Duke,” his father delivered the final card he had, not even flinching at using his youngest son’s illness to manipulate his eldest.

  “Yeah, he’s told me how excited he is to come and visit. But Jared likes babies too.”

  “Babies mean hospitals and Jared has had his fill of them.”

  “I guess.”

  “It’s the truth. Arthur, we all make mistakes in our youth, the mark of a true man is whether or not he lets these mistakes determine his future.”

  “Did you ever…make mistakes?” Arthur asked warily.

  “We aren’t talking about me. Why don’t you go inside and show Jared your campus online, he’d like that.”

  “Yeah, alright.” Arthur made to leave and then paused. “Thanks for helping me out with all this, Dad. I didn’t really know what to do.”

  “It’s okay, son,” Conrad Cooper watched Arthur leave and then resumed polishing his car but his mind wasn’t really focused on the task anymore, instead he was thinking about a past mistake he had made and wondering where they were now?

  ####

  “I need to tell you something,” Demi looked across at Hayley nervously. Hayley, who had been preoccupied with poring over their yearbook and declaring who would age well, abruptly stopped when she noticed Demi’s anxious face.

  “What is it?” Hayley asked brightly, turning herself on the bed so that she was looking directly at Demi who squirmed slightly beneath the scrutiny.

  “I…um,” Demi sighed, not really knowing how to break such massive news to her friend. The last time she had something big to off load, the news about Arthur, it had not been received well and Demi was reluctant to confide in Hayley once more but felt she had no one else to turn to and could really use a female perspective on everything.

  “Come on, you can tell me.” Hayley smiled and Demi was reminded of a time when they were six years old, camping beneath the staircase in Hayley’s house.

  They sat curled beside one another, listening intently to every sound which the house made, which now that they were camping downstairs, seemed frightening and foreign.

  “What if a monster lives downstairs?” Demi asked fearfully as they each snuggled deeper in to their sleeping bags.

  “If a monster does live here, he will eat you first,” Hayley declared confidently.

  “Why would he?”

  “Because you are plumper and would therefore be a better meal.” Even as a young child Hayley had the ability to be cuttingly cruel.

  “Oh,” Demi said sadly.

  “But don’t worry; I won’t let him eat you.”

  “You won’t?”

  “No, because you are my bestest friend.” Hayley leant over and gave Demi a reassuring squeeze.

  “You’re my bestest friend too,” Demi affirmed.

  “Best friends are like sisters; they tell each other everything and save one another from monsters.”

  The two little girls hugged, feeling safe in the presence of one another until a pan fell from the side in the nearby kitchen. They screamed and immediately fled the tent, eager to return to the sanctuary of Hayley’s bedroom upstairs.

  Now it wasn’t kitchen monsters which the girls had to fear, but the monsters which accompanied adolescence; peer pressure, self-image and the burdens of sexual awakening. And despite past promises, these were monsters which they could not protect one another against, only offer support.

  “Really, Dem, what is it? Is it about Arthur going to Duke? I wouldn’t worry about it. You’ll be off in Georgia doing your thing anyway.”

  “But the thing is…I won’t be going to Georgia.” Demi said softly. Hayley furrowed her brow and looked puzzled.

  “Why ever not? Of everyone I know, you’ve always been the one with the plan. Go to Georgia, train to be a nurse, help save lives. You’ve always known where you were going.”

  “I’m not going to Georgia anymore because I’m pregnant,” Demi blurted out the truth and watched as Hayley’s mouth literally fell open.

  “What?”

  “I’m pregnant.”

  “Oh my God,” Hayley said in disbelief. “You’re pregnant.”

  “Yep.”

  Hayley looked at Demi and realized she didn’t recognize the girl who she had grown up with. The Demi she knew was dependable and head strong and more importantly, going places.

  Hayley had never been studious and her mother would often wax lyrical about how she could benefit being more like Demi.

  “You should study more with Demi, she’s a bright girl, maybe she will rub off on you. She won’t be stuck in Collinswood come graduation, that girl will see the world, mark my words.”

  At the time Hayley had felt insanely jealous, but now, sat on her bed and absorbing the news of Demi’s pregnancy she pitied her, realizing that of everyone, Demi had so much more to lose because she had been held in such high regard. Having a baby would destroy not only her dreams, but people’s perception of her.

  “I can’t believe it.”

  “Yeah, it’s mental.”

  “Does Arthur know?” Hayley asked delicately.

  “Yes, and he’s fine about it. Excited even. He’s not going to Duke so that we can stay here and be a family.”

  Hayley wondered if Demi was aware of just how ridiculous she sounded. She was a teenager, there was no way she was about to start a family. She was talking as though she were thirty five and married.

  “Arthur’s giving up Duke?” Hayley asked, sounding unconvinced. She remembered how excited he had been at the party, bragging to anyone who would listen about he was leaving Collinswood for Duke to make something of himself.

  “This town won’t see me for dust!” he’s slurred. “The only place I want to see Collinswood is in my rear view mirror!”

  It was hard to believe that Arthur would remain in a town he so clearly had outgrown, even for the sake of his unborn child.

  “Arthur is glad to give up Duke for us to be together. He never really wanted to go in the first place,” Demi said with as much certainty as she could muster in an attempt to convince not only Hayley, but also herself.

  “Well great, I’m glad he’s stepping up,” Hayley managed to smile. “But I still can’t believe it. What about becoming a nurse? What about your dreams?”

  “I’ll still become a nurse,” Demi said, forcing herself to sound positive. “There’s night school, and my Dad will help with the baby.”

  “Babies are a lot of work,” Hayley said, speaking with experience as her cousin’s often roped her in to looking after their multitude of young off spring.

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “Will you?” Hayley asked, trying to see through the façade which Demi was hiding behind but failing.

  “I’ll be fine,” Demi repeated.

  “Well then, congratulations,” Hayley reached f
orwards and embraced Demi. It all felt so surreal, the girl she had always looked up to and admired was throwing her life away. Anyone looking in would have betted on Hayley being the one to end up a pregnant teen. How surprising life can be.

  “How’s your Dad taking the news?”

  “Really well.”

  “He’s such a nice guy.”

  “Yeah. He’s the best.”

  The two girls sat in silence, no longer caring about the yearbook which lay open between them. Something had shifted, changed in their relationship. The future was no longer this exciting prospect, it was on their doorstep and in a few short months it would be a screaming, wailing reality.

  “When are you due?”

  “March.”

  “Spring baby, cool. Have you thought about names?”

  “No, I need to talk all that over with Arthur.”

  “It sounds like he’s being really supportive. Most guys our age would just bail.”

  “Yeah.” Demi didn’t have the heart to tell Hayley the truth; that when she first told Arthur he had accused her of having another man’s baby before ignoring her for a week. Not the behaviour of a guy who was ready to become a father.

  “You okay?” Hayley asked, sounding concerned.

  “Yeah, just tired,” Demi tried to sound breezy with her reply.

  “Well, hey, if you feel up to it, want to go to the mall and check out baby clothes? They have the cutest stuff but I’ve never had a reason to really look before!”

  “That would be fun,” Demi smiled, feeling relieved that Hayley was being so supportive. At least someone was on her side.

  ####

  Jared gazed in wonderment at the laptop as Arthur dragged the mouse to show him different views of the Duke campus.

  “Wow,” he breathed, impressed.

  “Pretty nice, right?” Arthur smiled.

  “And you’ll have your own room?” Jared asked.

  “Well, I’ll be sharing with another guy, but basically my own room.”

  “Awesome.”

  Watching the screen with wide eyes, both Jared and Arthur welcomed the distraction of college. It was a promise of something new, something exciting. It had been too long since the Cooper family had felt a need to look to the future, investing all their energy in just enduring the present.

  “I can’t wait to come visit you,” Jared beamed, his eyes sunken in to his small head, his skin as thin as paper. Each day he looked paler, as though he were just slowly fading away.

  “Me neither. I’ll take you to a game-”

  “And buy me a beer!” Jared interrupted.

  “I don’t know about that,” Arthur laughed. He loved spending time with his younger brother where the focus wasn’t his ailing health. They had something positive to focus on and it was joining them together in a way neither of them had experienced for some time.

  “Show me the girl’s dorms again,” Jared suggested cheekily which made Arthur laugh. He was just about to put the relevant images on the screen when his phone buzzed to life. He quickly scanned the message which was from his friend Ollie;

  Dude just seen your girl in town browsing baby clothes…you might want to tell her to slow her roll a bit! Chicks, always trying to tie us down! Lol. See you later at mine, be there for 9. Bring beer.

  Arthur frowned at the message and felt his cheeks flush. What was Demi doing so brazenly advertising the fact that she was pregnant? She should be keeping it a closely guarded secret, did she have no shame?

  “Everything okay?” Jared asked.

  “Yeah little man, everything’s fine.”

  “Girl trouble?” Jared suggested, trying to sound smart, like one of the lads.

  “Is there any other kind?” Arthur joked. “Let’s check out these dorms then…”

  As they scanned through the library of images Arthur tried to hide the fact that he was seething. He didn’t want his friends to know that Demi was pregnant. Luckily they saw it all as a joke, but what if they found out the truth? Arthur realized as he sat there with Jared that he was ashamed of anyone finding out that he had gotten her pregnant. They would think him foolish and reckless.

  When his phone buzzed some few minutes later he almost couldn’t bring himself to read the message, fearing it was one of his friends demanding to know why he hadn’t told them that he was going to be a father. Thankfully the message was just from Demi.

  Hey handsome, how are you? Just checking in to see what time we are meeting later. Can’t wait to see you xxxx

  Arthur felt himself steel at the sight of her name of his phone’s display. He didn’t want to see her. Currently, he felt so angry at her for parading around baby clothing stores that if he saw her, they would just row. He quickly typed back his reply and then resumed browsing the Duke website with an enthralled Jared.

  I’ve got plans babe, sorry.

  He didn’t even notice that he’d forgotten to put a kiss on the end of the message as he pressed the send button.

  “Duke looks so amazing,” Jared said excitedly from his position beside him.

  “Yeah, it does,” Arthur agreed. “I wouldn’t miss going there for anything.”

  ####

  “We should probably start thinking about names,” Demi said absently as she sat in the car beside Arthur. He didn’t respond, instead remaining focused on driving.

  “I like Amber for a girl and Jacob for a boy. What do you think?”

  Still Arthur didn’t answer. Demi sighed, assuming he was just ignoring her and flipped on the car stereo. As usual, their song came on, the text of their matching tattoos being sung harmoniously, but Arthur swiftly switched it off. He was in no mood to listen to it.

  “Is something wrong?” Demi asked directly.

  “I’m driving,” Arthur huffed.

  “You don’t normally mind if we listen to our song while you are driving.”

  “Well today I do!” Arthur snapped.

  Demi shrunk in her seat beside him, alarmed by his aggressive tone. They’d argued before but he wasn’t usually this hostile without good reason. She replayed their last few interactions in her mind but she couldn’t think of anything which she’d done to warrant angering him.

  The rest of their journey was conducted in awkward silence with Arthur seething behind the wheel and Demi not knowing quite what to say to ease the tension. She was relieved when they pulled in to the parking lot at the mall.

  The sun was shining brightly but it did nothing to help raise the couple’s spirits. Arthur got out and began walking swiftly towards the mall leaving Demi behind struggling to keep up.

  “Wait!” she called as she desperately pounded her short legs in an effort to keep up with Arthur’s brisk pace.

  But Arthur didn’t wait. He ploughed ahead and only ceased walking once he was within the pleasant air conditioning of the mall. Around him people were milling about, shopping and going about their business. He turned and fixed Demi with a steely look which sent a shiver down her spine.

  “What the hell has gotten in to you?” she asked, breathless from her almost sprint across the car park.

  “Nothing.” Arthur said through clenched teeth.

  “It obviously isn’t nothing,” Demi protested.

  “I don’t want to discuss baby names!” Arthur said, lowering his voice on the latter part of his declaration.

  “Well, we need to talk about them at some point,” Demi stated. “We can’t just refer to them as he or she.” She added mockingly.

  “You just choose whatever name you want.”

  “We have to agree on it.”

  “No, we don’t.” Arthur said flatly.

  Demi studied his body language, his arms were crossed and he was turned away from her. It was obvious that he was displeased with her and didn’t want to be around her.

  “Why did we even meet up today?” Demi sighed wearily. “You’ve been putting me off for days and then when we do eventually meet up, you are off with me.”

&nbs
p; Arthur grabbed Demi’s arm roughly and led her in to a nearby café which was relatively quiet. There he selected the table at the rear, away from other diners, and they sat down.

  “Order whatever you like,” he told her flippantly.