Chapter 2
Abby opened the door and demanded to know what his deal was.
“My deal, young lady, is that you’re holding up traffic! People are trying to get places, and you’re just sitting there crying like a fucking baby! What are you, anyway, fresh out of driving school?”
Abby was speechless at this man’s attitude.
“What, cat got your tongue? Speak up!”
“I’m so sorry,” Abby apologized. “My car broke down, I’m hungry… I was just trying to get on this exit to go for lunch, but yeah, my car broke down.”
“Sorry isn’t good enough! I’m trying to get to the hospital because my daughter is having her baby. In fact, what’s a little girl like you doing being pregnant already, anyway? You should’ve kept your legs shut and stayed in school!”
Just then, a tour bus pulled to the shoulder, and another man got out. This man was a little older than the first one, but he seemed much nicer.
“Excuse me!” the second man intervened. “What’s going on here?”
“That girl is holding up traffic!” the first man complained.
“No, she’s not! Can’t you see that her car is stalled?”
“I don’t care! Stupid teenagers like her shouldn’t even be on the road, let alone with a baby on board!”
Abby was getting angry, too, now. “I can use my goddamn car as I please!” she spat. “And so what if I have a baby? She makes me happy!”
“Get on the bus, ma’am,” the bus driver urged. “I’ll handle this.”
Calum Hood and his friends watched the whole thing unfold from the comfort of their tour bus. There was a young girl who was visibly upset, holding a toddler girl on her hip. Meanwhile, there was an older man shouting at her and making her feel uncomfortable.
The girl was beautiful, despite her face being red and puffy from crying. She had long, curly brown hair, a curvy frame, and the toddler looked just like her, although her hair was blonde. Eventually, the girl approached the front of the bus, got on, and froze.
Abby couldn’t believe her eyes when she boarded the bus and saw her favorite band sitting there.
“Oh, my God, you’re 5SOS!” she finally managed to say. “Hi… I’m Abby.”
“I’m Calum,” Calum greeted her warmly. He scooted over to his left to offer Abby a seat next to him.
“I know, you’re my favorite,” she said, taking the seat offered to her.
“Where were you headed?” Ashton asked.
Abby shrugged. “Just… away. It’s none of your business.”
“You’re running away from home?” Michael asked. “Why?”
Abby sighed. “Well, I needed happiness in my life. Y’all are actually one of my only sources of happiness, besides my daughters. My stepdad hates me, my ex-boyfriend won’t have anything to do with my unborn child, and my life is just a hot mess right now.”
Calum put a calming hand on Abby’s shoulder. “You’ll be safe with us, I promise.”
Abby offered a small smile, setting Calum’s heart aflutter. “Thanks, Calum.”
“You look cute when you smile, you know? You should do that more often.”
Abby smirked. “No, I don’t. I never get such compliments.”
“Well, you should! In fact, with your red face right now, I can only imagine what it looks like when you’re not crying. Do you want to get lunch? Are you hungry?”
“Yeah, sure! I was headed to McDonald’s when my car broke down, anyway.”
“We can do that.” When he saw the driver get back on, Calum told him to take them to McDonald’s for lunch.
“Tell me about yourself,” Calum prompted when they started eating their food. He’d paid for all of them at the drive-thru, despite Abby’s desire to pay for herself. “You indicated that you’re pregnant?”
“Yeah, I’m 34 weeks; the baby is due November 2nd.”
“And your parents didn’t make you go to school all this time, did they?”
Abby nodded meekly. “My mom and stepdad had a whole fight about it. Mom was trying to convince my stepdad to let me take classes online, but he wasn’t having any of it… and he unfortunately won out, so I had to.”
Calum’s eyes widened. “A broken home?”
“Well… not completely broken. My mom loves me, at least.”
“Hey, we have a song about living in a broken home!” Luke pointed out. “Do you know it?”
“Yeah, by heart,” Abby said. “I cry every time I hear it because it’s so relatable.”
Luke suddenly started singing the first verse and chorus, and then the others, minus the driver, came in, singing the whole song from top to bottom. This cheered Abby up immensely, and she clapped at the end.
“Thanks, y’all,” Abby said. “That cheered me up.”
“You’re welcome,” Calum said.
“So, where are we going, Nashville?” Abby asked.
“Yep!” the driver said. “I’m sure your Romeo, aka Calum, would love to show you around Music City!” Abby blushed, and the driver laughed. “Just pulling your leg.”
“Yeah, we have a show there on the 24th,” Calum said. “And I’d love to show you around, if you’re interested.”
“Sure! I’ve never been, but I heard it’s a great city.”
“Oh, it is!” Michael gushed. “Nashville is actually where my girlfriend lives. She said she’s coming to the show, so maybe you could meet her?”
Clarissa Milburn had met Michael on a family trip to London two years ago, when the guys were still living there. Clarissa had fallen for Michael’s humorous nature and he for her southern charm. They had started dating during the trip and afterwards continued long-distance, sending each other daily calls and texts. When she’d met his parents for the first time, they’d conceived their daughter, Layla, who is now 18 months old.
“Oh, yeah?” Abby said eagerly.
“Yeah, and she’s actually just two years older than you are and also a teen mum.”
“Oh, okay! I’d love to meet her.”
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