"Two 18-year-old seniors walked into a backstreet clinic like ruining a life was just another after-school errand, but one phone call from her mother wiped the smirk off both their faces".
CHAPTER 1
Madison walked into the counseling clinic like she was late for a manicure.
Rain streaked the black windows behind her. The waiting room smelled like old carpet, coffee, and fluorescent lights that had been buzzing too long. Tyler came in behind her, private school tie loose, thumbs moving across his phone like nothing in the world could reach him.
They were both eighteen.
Old enough to know what they were doing.
Young enough to think consequences were things that happened to other people.
Madison dropped into a plastic chair and chewed her gum loudly, one hand resting on her stomach.
“Can they hurry up?” she muttered. “I’m not missing senior photos over this.”
Tyler laughed under his breath.
“Relax. We fix it tonight, and nobody has to know.”
Behind the desk, the receptionist slowly looked up.
Madison caught her stare and narrowed her eyes.
“What?” she snapped. “Don’t stare at me like I’m some tragedy.”
Tyler leaned back, arrogant and careless, tapping one polished shoe against the floor.
“It’s not a baby problem,” he said. “It’s a future problem.”
The room went silent.
Then Madison’s phone lit up.
May you like
Mom.
For the first time that night, her face changed.
