dialogue:

kingsley's mouth dropped. "holy shit, chris, what?"

"i'm not certain but,"

"why are you calling me about this?"

"wh- i don't know," chris began, obvious hurt in his voice. "i guess you're the only person that i can talk to."

"we're not friend, chris." kingsley was mad.

"i know but,"

"we're not friends because you said that, chris."

"kingsley, i know, and i'm sorry. i messed up, and,"

"and," kingsley interrupted again. "and i'm not just someone you can treat like shit and then go to when you get sad or –" she stopped herself. she shut her eyes for a second as she realized that was exactly what she had done to chris. she didn't need to hate chris to prove that vinnie was a good boyfriend, and she didn't hate chris, but she tried telling herself she did. she didn't need to convince anyone else. it was just a game she continued to mess with. 

"kinsley, you there?" chris' voice snapped kingsley out of her trance and straight into work mode.

"okay, chris, i'm gonna talk you through this, can you keep up?" kingsley sat down at her desk and cleared the table. 

"uh, i'll try?"

"okay, how many times have you and effiel, um," she stuttered a bit. "done it?"

"kingsley!"

"just answer the question, chris! i'm trying to get a timeline."

"i don't know, like, five times."

"you've dated her for like, a week, chris, do you even know her eye color?" 

"okay, are we slut shamming or are we making a timeline?"

"okay, okay, okay. when did effiel tell you?"

"she texted me like, ten minutes ago."

"she texted you? what a –"

"focus, kings."

"right! did she send you any proof? a photo of a test or?

"yeah, yeah."

"okay, and did she mention when she knew?"

"she said she was found out minutes before telling me."

"okay, i'm trying to put grudges aside, but she could be lying, chris." 

"you mean it's not possible the kid is mine?" kingsley frowned at the slight bit of relief in his voice. 

"it could be, or it could not be. but chris, if it's yours and effiel wants to keep it, you have to help her raise it."

"i can't fucking raise a baby, kings!" chris said, kingsley could hear the fear in his voice. "i'm gonna fuck it up! i can't be around it, kings, it'd be better if effiel did it herself–"

"chris!" kingsley yelled through the phone. "i'm sorry that you're insecure, or that your plans of community college might be dented because of this, but it's not the baby's fault you were stupid. i don't like effiel but if she wants to be a mother then you stand up, chris. you don't back down, you don't go off and be coward. and maybe effiel agrees with you and asks you stay away from the baby–"

"i don't wanna be away from the baby." chris said, he was now obviously crying. 

"what the fuck, chris. you're not making any sense. look, are you at home?" 

"yeah."

"okay, i'm gonna come over. we can talk it through." 

* * * 

"okay, so have you talked to effiel since she told you?" kingsley asked chris as he sat on his bed along with him. 

"i told her that i wanted to talk to her but she didn't answer me." 

"okay, well what you need to do is tell effiel that whatever she wants to do with the baby is cool with you,"

"but,"

"it's not your choice, chris." 

"and then, after that you need to tell her that you'll support her for the next nine months and be there for her but when the baby is born, you want a dna test. you don't even have to date her, just help her and then if the baby isn't yours than oh well at least you were a good friend to effiel and you can move on, and if it is yours, you help raise it. if y'all aren't dating than y'all will figure out a custody agreement. effiel's gonna get way more time than you in the beginning because she's the mom,"

"but,"

"that's just the way it is. a baby needs their mother more than they need their father. physically and emotionally."

"physically?'"

"breast feeding, duh."

"oh."

kingsley continued talking and walking through chris on what the best choices were to do. chris wasn't stupid. he had an idea of what to do. there's no "correct" way to parent. chris didn't really need parenting advice but he did need a friend. 

after a while, kingsley picked up her phone. 

"shit!"

"what's wrong?"

"vinnie's game! oh no! i missed vinnie's game, no, no, no! i have to go, chris, i'm sorry." kingsley stood up and left before chris could get a good goodbye in. 

* * * 

kingsley pulled up to the fields to see her boyfriend and his sweaty teammates walk out of the dugout, baseballs and baseball bags in hand. 

"no, no, no, no, no," kingsley continued to mumble as she got out of her car and made her way over to vinnie. 

"hey, you, were you–" vinnie began speaking. his sweet smile appearing on his face.

"i'm so sorry, vinnie!" kingsley said before even processing the fact that vinnie had spoken.

"what?" vinnie asked.

"i'm so sorry i missed your game, vinnie, i swear i was gonna come but things just happened and,"

"where were you?" vinnie asked, not harshly, but kingsley was sure that was coming. for now, vinnie still had his sweet ora.

"i was- y- okay but you have to promise me you won't get mad."

"i don't like where this is going."

"it, i was at chris'," vinnie's face dropped. he lightly nodded his head and began to walk away. 

"no, vinnie, let me explain." kingsley said as she grabbed vinnie's arms. "you have to let me explain, vinnie, effiel is gonna have a kid,"

"what are you talking about?" vinnie asked.

"chris called me,"

"why?" vinnie struck. 

"because effiel is pregnant and she's saying it's chris' and," kingsley was out of breath and tears starting brimming her eyes. she was overwhelmed.

"why did he call you?" vinnie struck once more causing a tear to roll down her cheek. the sight pained vinnie but he kept his harsh manor.

"i don't know, vin. he said i was the only person he knew to call and he was panicking and please don't be mad at me i wanted to come to the game and it all just," kingsley began to actually cry now.

"why did you go over there? why couldn't you just call?" vinnie asked. you could tell he was trying to remain harsh but couldn't at the sight of his heaving girlfriend. 

"because he got all crazy and he was crying and talking about not raising it and it just happened and then i looked at the time and i freaked out,"

"you shouldn't have gone to his house, kingsley. i mean, anything would have been better than that."

"i know, i didn't even want to go over there but again, everything just happened and i didn't even," kingsley began to loose her breath again. 

"you know i'm mad?" vinnie said setting down his bag and kingsley just nodded furiously. "but i love you." vinnie wrapped his arms around kingsley's neck and hugged her. 

"i'm so sorry, vinnie." kingsley said in his chest.

"i know." vinnie said and kissed the top of her head.

❇️ b speaks ~
it's 2 am and i typed "b spanks"
instead of "b speaks" and i am
loosing it. i'm going to be lmao 

i love y'all, pms are open,
happy holidays mofos.
it's good to be back