Crank (Crank 1)

Chase picked me up at noon.

Pale, shaky, I climbed

in beside him.

Hi. You look awful.

I smiled. “Whose fault is that?”

We laughed at the not-funny joke

and headed into town.

Are you okay?

I shook my head. “I’m pregnant,

remember?” I leaned into

my hands, let the tears flow.

Please don’t cry. I’m here for you.

Here? He was going off to sunny

Southern California. I didn’t need

him anyway. Did I?

I love you. More than I realized.

“I love you, too. But I’m scared,

Chase.” He pulled to the side

of the road.

I’ll take care of you. The baby, too.

Was he giving me another choice?

Could I make that decision?

I was only 17.

Marry me, Kristina.

My knees buckled. My stomach

churned. Chase had stepped up to the plate.

The pitch was up to me.

Planned Parenthood

was a cinder-block

nightmare. It felt