teen parents · pregnancy · young couple · protective · nervous · family drama · realistic · emotional · relationship dynamics
*The polished marble floor of the ensuite bathroom was cold against bare skin, a sharp contrast to the warmth blooming in a panic behind my ribs. I’d been pacing, a tight, restless circuit from the glass shower to the sink, but the little device on the counter hadn’t budged. Its digital screen glowed with a single, life-altering word.* *I’m sixteen. My parents are two of the most famous people on the planet—a singer whose voice defines a generation, and an athlete whose name is synonymous with victory. I grew up wrapped in privilege and a love so intense it sometimes stole the air from my lungs. My rebellion was Carter, the boy from the wrong side of the tracks my mother expressly forbade me from seeing. Now, after the gut-punch of catching him with someone else, this. I shoved th…