The first thing I want the universe to know is that when I said, "Aww, that baby is so cute. I want one," I didn't mean it.

The second thing I want everyone to be aware of is that I did not intend to make the same mistake again. Especially not with the same guy.

+++++++

"Emi, wait."

"Seriously, Mel. Stop stressing. You're going to go into labor," I laughed as my friend rolled her round blue eyes at me. She swung her equally as round stomach to block the doorway and leveled me with a serious look.

"Emi, you can't tell me you're going back there this summer. They ridiculed you."

I glared at the unwarranted reminder of my life back in my hometown.

"I miss my parents, and so does Kenji."

"Does he even remember them?"

I gave her a look and she apologized, "Okay, that was uncalled for, but I only said it because I don't want you to leave me."

She smiled and I caved and laughed at her pleading grin.

"You could come with me?" I suggested.

"Are you kidding?" she said, round eyes bulging out of her head. "After the horror stories I heard about your freshman year? No thanks."

"It's really not that bad," I lied. "I was hormonal when I told you those stories."

"Whatever," she said, finally moving out of my way. "Call me when you get back to Helltown."

"That's not even creative."

+++++++

"Mel, I'm in Helltown. Help."

Melanie laughed on the other end of the phoneline as I stood at the bus station with my luggage in one hand and Kenji in the other. Judging by the way the other bus patrons were whispering, I could tell they hadn't forgotten who I was.

"Just get out of the station as fast as possible," Melanie suggested. "Prejudiced people like to congregate at stations."

"Oh, yeah?" I laughed, hiking Kenji up on my hip. He held my phone to my ear as I walked out of the station. "What science do you have supporting that?"

"All the science."

"Oh, okay, sure. Listen, Mel, I've gotta let you go, but you should visit me this summer."

"Oh, yeah, totally," she replied unconvincingly. "Bye, Emi."

"Bye, Mel."

The line went dead and Kenji put my phone in his jacket pocket.

"Thanks, little man. Ready to go see Jiji and Baba?"

"Will they have cookies again?"

I looked at him with surprise.

"You remember?"

He ignored me and played with the barrette holding back my short black hair. I laughed under my breath and hailed a taxi. Kenji was full of questions for the driver, who looked like she wanted to shoot herself, but refrained from telling the three-year-old to shut up, which I appreciated.

Finally, we pulled up to my childhood home and I paid the driver, who sped away as quickly as she had come. Rolling my eyes, I led Kenji by the hand to the front porch and prepared for the billions of questions my parents would have for me about boarding school. Maybe it runs in the family.

+++++++

"Cameron, I am serious this time."

"Yeah, okay, sure, Lauren," the green-eyed boy replied patronizingly to his stepmother who was young enough to be his sister. "I'll get right to it."

She smirked which made him panic.

"Oh, don't worry. I already took care of it for you."

He sat up quickly.

"Lauren, what did you do?"

She grinned and turned on her expensive heel, stalking into the kitchen. Cameron hurried after her.

"Lauren-"

She turned to face him suddenly and he stopped short. With a steady face, she stated, "You're getting a job."

He went pale.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes," she said with a wicked grin.

Glaring at her, he stormed up the stairs to his room. She called gleefully after him, "Have fun babysitting for the rest of summer!"

She laughed until she heard his door shut. With the loud slam, her smile dropped and she collapsed onto one of the bar stools by the island. A heavy sigh left her ruby-painted lips and the weight of her intricate updo made her shoulders sag.

+++++++

"And what's this? A toe?"

"That's my nose, Jiji!" Kenji giggled. I rolled my eyes fondly as I finished the dishes in the kitchen. I watched my son and my dad on the couch as my mom dried by my side.

Turning to her, I asked how things had been around the house.

"Quiet," she replied, watching as Kenji ran away from his grandpa who was threatening to steal his nose. "But nice."

She smiled and the wrinkles around her mouth creased. I felt guilty, something not unusual for me.

"Stop it."

I looked up to see my mother looking at me sternly with her eyebrows set firmly.

"None of this is your fault and you have nothing to regret."

"I know, Mom."

"No, you don't."

I sighed and let her talk because I knew she was right, even if I was too proud to admit it.

"Kenji is a blessing and the best thing that ever happened to this family."

"I know, Mom, but-"

"No buts. That's the end of it."

I nodded and finished the dishes in silence. Once we were done, she said, "By the way, I hired a babysitter."

I froze.

"You what?" I whispered harshly.

My mom set me with a look and I apologized for my tone.

"A woman I met at the supermarket needs a job for her son and as it turns out, her son is Bill's son!"

"Who's Bill?"

"Honey," my mom called into the living room. "What's Bill's last name?"

My dad stopped playing with Kenji to scratch his head in thought.

"Uh... Donovan? No, Donahue. It's Bill Donahue."

My face went white. I felt light-headed.

"His son?" I asked my mom who turned to me with an oblivious smile. "Cameron Donahue?"

"Yes, that's the one," she said excitedly. "Didn't you two go to school together? Were you close?"

If by close you mean that he's the father of my child, then yes, we were close.

+++++++

It was freshman year, the end of football season, and my best friend Lucy convinced me to go to a party Chad Daniels was throwing to celebrate his last high school football game. After only three months, Lucy had determined she was in love with Chad and wanted to use any excuse to get close to him, which included sneaking into the party in the back of her older brother's van. And of course, I came with because I'm a supportive best friend and she promised me ice cream the next day.

That night I was sitting alone by the liquor cabinet as I watched Lucy try to chat up Chad, who was not at all interested. I didn't feel like being the one to break it to her that the senior quarterback was ace. So I just watched, until some drunken idiot stumbled up to me and spilled a bright red drink onto my white top.

"Ugh!"

"Sorry," the sleaze leered as he stared at my still nonexistent breasts through my soaked shirt.

"Hey, dude, back off," a deep voice said behind me.

I turned to face my savior and was awestruck by the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life. His hair was dark and his eyes were a piercing grey. He was pale with a billion freckles and a happy smile. Even while threatening the pervert behind me, his enthusiasm was contagious. It made me giggle, something I never did. He looked down at me and grinned like he was Prince Charming or something.

"Hey, sorry about the douchebag," he said. I giggled again. "Can I get you a drink?"

Grinning stupidly, I nodded and the night went downhill from there.

The guy, I never got his name, pumped me full of alcohol over the course of the night until I couldn't see straight. All I felt was his steady, warm hand on my back as he led me upstairs. I briefly remembered looking for Lucy in the crowd but giving up when everyone blurred together into one writhing mass.

We reached a door and the guy slowly pushed it open, whispering words I couldn't process as his hand slid lower down my back.

"Hey, occupied!" a voice shouted and the guy pulled away and I pouted at the loss of contact.

I remember my vision being consumed with wide, panicked green eyes.

"Hey, dude, is she okay?" the green eyes asked loudly.

"She's fine," my prince charming answered gruffly. His hand was back at my waist and steering me away from the room but green eyes grabbed my wrist.

"Ma-maybe you should go," green eyes slurred out. His eyes were unfocused, but maybe it only looked like that because my eyes were unfocused.

"Maybe you should go, pipsqueak," prince charming responded coldly. I looked up at him and his eyes were stormy.

"Maaaaay... maybe I should go," I said, stepping away from prince charming's suddenly cold hand.

"No!" he said suddenly and I jumped towards green eyes. Green eyes put an arm in front of me and stared up at the hulking man.

Squinting for a second, green eyes said, "I'll scream."

Prince charming's eyes went wide and I watched him flee the scene. Turning to green eyes, I giggled again. Green eyes giggled too.

"Thanks," I whispered.

He smiled sloppily and said, "It's- that's- it's what's right."

I nodded in agreement and stepped closer, deciding that if the other guy had been prince charming, then green eyes was my knight-in-shining-armor. God, I was an idiot that night.

And when I woke up, I was naked next to Cameron Donahue in a stranger's house. Quickly dressing, I did my best to ignore my pounding headache as I stepped over the few teens still scattered about the floor and took a taxi home with my emergency money. A few months later, I was kicked out of school for breaking the school's strict no pregnancy policy.

Now I found myself standing in his living room as our moms discussed payment and he played video games and I had a panic attack.

Looking over his shoulder with those cold green eyes, he asked, "You went to school with me, right?"

That was another thing about that fateful night: the next day, Cameron didn't remember any of it.

"Yeah," I said shortly, not wanting to give anything away. I'm a chronic oversharer by nature and one slip-up could send my painstakingly built life crashing down around me.

The buff brunet quirked an eyebrow and asked bluntly, "So you got knocked up?"

And that's why I never told him.

"Whatever, dude. I don't care too much about that stuff," he said in what he must have thought was a comforting way.

"Cameron," his mom said and he looked up away from me to her with disdain.

"Yes, Lauren?"

My eyes went wide. If I ever tried pulling that with my mom... I didn't even want to think about it. White people are crazy.

His mom glared and said, "You'll be with Kenji and Emi all day today to learn how to take care of him."

He groaned and I glared at him.

"Do I have to? It shouldn't be that hard. Can't we just play video games?"

"Kenji doesn't play video games," I said coldly. "I don't want him growing up violent or unappreciative of human life."

Cameron slid his glass-green eyes over to me and looked at me like I was dirt under his shoe.

"God, are you still a goody-two-shoes? How did you ever get laid?"

I gasped in indignation and his mom exclaimed, "Cameron! Apologize!"

Turning back to his video game, he muttered, "Whatever. Sorry."

"Cameron, you had better be well-behaved," his mom threatened, "because your father and I are cutting you off."

"What?!"

"You'll be sustaining your lifestyle with your own income now," his mom said sternly, but the corner of her lip kept quirking up smugly.  "Now go get dressed for your day at the park."

Cameron groaned and thundered up the stairs and I started to wonder what my mother had gotten me into.

+++++++

Hey, guys! What do you think? I hope the Asian MC doesn't turn y'all off of my story. I don't see a lot of them and I know how this site is about diversity (not good), so please give my faceclaims a chance. While you're at it, give my story a chance too. And maybe a comment and a vote? Thanks!