The needle in Melanie's vein stuck straight out of her limp arm. The long slack of the pink belt rested against her bottom jaw. Melanie knew as she slipped out of conciousness, out of sight, that it was best for her and her baby.

The Philedaplhia suburbs weren't as hard as the inner cities, but a girl still had to be careful. Melanie wasn't old, but she wasn't young either, so she caught awfully long glances from men she felt awfully bad for. Her mom told her not to pity the men, they were drug addicts and crooks, not men of God, but Melanie wasn't so sure.

Leo, the one blond among brunettes in front of DeFlora's Floral, was why she wasn't sure. Granted he was the same as the rest: he catcalled, he smoked, he even wore his pants down low...er than most, but he was very GQ, in a very G-Unit way. Most, his blue eyes, even in their reddest state, knew how to look at her to make her feel ashamed. And excited. He was the reason she went to confessional every week.

Leo knew this, of course, but never asked for a date, just playtime, which made Melanie insane and worse, in love. It wasn't a problem until Melanie became pregnant. The word got around fast and Leo dissapeared. She was four months along before he was back in front of the pale blue awnings in front of DeFloras.

"Where have you been?" Melanie let out softly.

"Working.. in my appartment. I have something to show you. Something I want to give you." He said with his eyes loosely afloat about Melanie's head.

"Really?" She asked, her bright eyes begged his to come back down. She knew this could work. She knew her mom was too hard on her high hopes. Leo left with her at once, feeling low for someone so high.

They were only walking for five minutes before the alleys grew dark, literally growing around her; fenced walls fortressed the streets, apartment buildings shot into the cloudy sky like rain fell to the ground, but it all seemed more unnatural than rain. Melanie felt her stomache for warmth, but her belly felt like cold-press, a collection of anxious energy in a murky, icy darkness. They walked until they were under a street lamp next to a man in sweatpants and a leather jacket. Leo stopped and spoke to the man, he gave him a large bill and recieved only a small package that he palmed. He put his arm around Melanie who shivered and stopped at this touch.

"What is that?" Melanie asked, looking back at the man. "What did he give you for all that money?"

"It's for the baby, to make sure it's healthy. Come on let's go." He said as he leaned into her eyes. He made a step onto the crosswalk and pulled Melanie with him.

They got to Leo's apartment. In the daylight, the lonely books on the floor held a minimalist scholarly appeal, blindly she had never paid enough attention to them, they were covered in ash and dust. Months ago, the light through the blinds had warmed her skin as she sat on an old mattress, the only furniture in the room, but now the blinds were closed and the darkness felt dank. He led her past the books and through a tunnel of a hallway and onto another bed. He pulled out a needle.

"Babe I want you to do something for me," he said looking her in the eye.

"Leo I don't want to," she said as she skirted to the middle of the bed. She knew what was next. She never asked questions about what he did because he always treated her well enough. She thought of how happy she was when she saw him at the Floral shop again, she thought he left for good.

"What is that, Leo?" She asked as she moved back closer to the edge of the bed.

"Well Babe, it's like vitamins, for your head," he said as he took her right arm at the wrist, "It will help you relax. It will help the baby relax. It's for girls pregnant young as you. I wouldn't lie," he said as he touched her belly with his other hand. She took a deep breath in, letting the balloon in her shirt inflate under his hand. He winced.

"Okay babe are you ready?" He asked as he took her belt off.

"Leo no. I'm already pregnant," she smiled as she put a palm over her crotch.

"Not that," he smiled sheepishly as he slipped her belt through the loops, gently removing her fingers off the belt buckle. He held his hands open palmed with the belt lying like a dead snake in between them. She put her arm over the belt and Leo wrapped it around her forearm like an anaconda in a knot.

"Lay down, relax," he said, and she laid down on the dirty mattress.