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College just wasn't for JP and Mangerine. They'd both decided that early on.
All Mangerine had ever really wanted to do was work at the stables outside of town and JP didn't really care what he did as long as the people he cared about were with him, so he ended up keeping his job at the smoothie stand. They didn't make a ton of money, but they didn't need to.
And they'd talked about wanting to start a family as soon as they could quite a few times.
That's why nobody was really surprised when JP and Mangerine announced they were having a baby around the end of Craig, Kelsey, Vanessa, and Stacks' second year of college.
The four friends were happy for JP and Mangerine, and they could see how happy the two were with the news.
Kelsey, Stacks, and Vanessa were able to have a baby shower for Mangerine during winter break. They invited some other girls who worked at the stables, some of the girls from the Creek days, they even managed to track down the other Horse Girls.
They all talked, caught up, played some games, and presented Mangerine with some nice gifts to help with the baby.
But Mangerine was most touched by the gifts from the three girls who put the gathering together in the first place: an organically made horse themed onesie meant to help keep a baby's skin smooth from Vanessa, a dinosaur plushie designed to help soothe babies while they sleep from Stacks, and a custom mobile with knights riding noble steeds from Kelsey.
Craig, Kelsey, Vanessa, and Stacks wanted to be there when Mary was born so badly, but she'd decided to come right after spring break ended, and none of them could really afford to come back home without falling behind. By the time things had calmed down, JP and Mangerine told them to just wait until they came back to Herkleton for the summer to see Mary.
So, while their first day back in Herkleton was spent unpacking and seeing family again, they all made sure to set aside a time on the second day to visit JP and Mangerine and finally meet Mary. They decided to wait until nighttime when JP was done with his shift to go to "their" house.
JP and Mangerine were originally looking for an apartment, but upon learning that Mangerine was pregnant, Paula said they could stay in JP's room to help save money on rent and they could use Laura's old room as a nursery (Laura had moved out to get her own place with Kat a while ago). All Paula asked in return was that they help cover some bills and groceries.
While Paula was never really able to babysit due to her work schedule, she still dotted over her granddaughter any chance she got.
Anyway, when the four friends got to the house and rang the doorbell, Mangerine was the one to greet them.
"You made it," Mangerine greeted.
"Hey, Mangerine," Craig greeted.
"Good to see you, my friend," Kelsey greeted.
"Hi," Stacks greeted.
"Hey," Vanessa greeted.
"I feel like I haven't seen you all in so long," Mangerine stated.
"Is that them," JP called out from inside the house, "Are they here?"
"Hey, JP," Craig called into the house.
"Oh my God," JP called back out, "Get in here, you guys. I can't wait any longer."
"He's been excited to introduce you all to Mary," Mangerine explained as everyone stepped inside.
"Well, we're excited to meet her too," Kelsey added, "I plan to prepare a sonnet about this day when she grows older."
"That's sweet," Mangerine blushed, closing the front door.
The group walked into the living room to see JP kneeling by a car seat on a table turned with its back to everyone else.
"Guess who has ten fingers and toes and is super excited to meet her new favorite uncle and aunts," JP built up.
As he said that, JP turned the car seat around and revealed Mary to his friends.
And, of course, they all thought she was adorable.
"Aww," Craig cooed, "She's so cute."
"She has the spirit of an animal in her," Vanessa observed, "I can tell."
"I'm sure she will be a mighty warrior with a strong heart like her parents," Kelsey complimented.
"Or a scribe," Stacks added on, "Like Mary Shelley or Mary Pope Osborne."
"Alright, who wants to hold her first," JP asked.
After they all took turns holding Mary, the six of them ended up splitting into three groups: Mangerine, Vanessa, and Stacks in the dining room with Mary and JP, Craig, and Kelsey in the living room.
While Mangerine, Vanessa, and Stacks weren't super close, they still had a certain kinship on account of their partners being best friends.
"So, things have been alright with Mary," Vanessa asked, "Hasn't been too much?"
"Oh no," Mangerine brushed off, "Me and JP are usually able to coordinate our schedules so one of us is home with her."
"What do you do when you're home with her," Stacks questioned, "Read any good books?"
"I don't think I could trust myself to get distracted with something like that yet," Mangerine explained, "I'm always afraid I'll miss when she needs me if I get too engrossed in something. I usually just throw something on TV I can passively watch."
"Oh," Stacks responded, "I guess I can understand that. I can get so engrossed in my books sometimes that Kelsey has a hard time getting my attention."
"Speaking of books, though," Mangerine changed the subject, "You have no idea how hard it was to find a horse book she liked. She never seemed to respond to any of the ones I read to her, so I had to..."
This was starting to annoy Vanessa a bit. Any time the subject seemed to change from Mary, Mangerine steered the conversation right back to Mary. Almost as if she had nothing else going on in her life.
"What about work," Stacks questioned, "How are the stables?"
"They're good, thanks," Mangerine answered, "Oh, speaking of horses, look at this."
She then proceeded to strike a pose similar to a horse's gait and make a whinying sound like she did when she was younger, which Mary attempted to copy before falling over.
Meanwhile, JP was showing Craig and Kelsey pictures of Mary he'd taken on an old camera.
"...and this was her first time watchin' Bluey," JP excitedly explained, "And this was when Mangerine tried to feed her apples. And this was when we took her to the hospital after she almost choked on an apple."
"I can't believe you bought a camera just for pictures of Mary," Craig gasped.
"Oh, I don't have just this one," JP countered, "The first one filled up pretty quick, so now I got three of 'em. These are just the latest."
Three cameras? Craig knew JP loved Mary, but he thought that seemed excessive when she wasn't even half a year old yet.
"Oh my God," JP gasped, "Look at this one. This one's one a' my favorites."
JP then showed Craig and Kelsey a picture of Mary in what seemed to be a professional portrait studio.
"This just really captures her essence," JP gushed, "She got her Mom's good looks, but her eyes, those are my eyes."
As much as Craig and Kelsey loved hearing about Mary, and they were happy to see him so happy, but Craig also wanted to talk to him about other things besides Mary.
"Hey," Craig questioned, "You got any pictures of things you and Mangerine have done without Mary?"
"Oh no," JP answered, "We don't really leave the house much 'side from work, food, and the hospital. Mary keeps us pretty busy."
Craig couldn't help but find this a bit...off. He and Vanessa loved each other, but they each also had parts of their lives without each other, and they were ok with that. It really seemed like all JP and Mangerine had in their lives was Mary.
"What about the drums," Craig asked, "Do you still play?"
"Oh, I ain't touched those in months," JP answered, "Those really set Mary off. I've been meanin' to ask Laura if I could keep 'em in her storage unit."
Craig was definitely shocked by this, remembering how much JP loved playing the drums when they were younger. Even Kelsey was a bit shocked hearing JP abandonded his creative outlet.
Then JP asked something that shocked them a bit more.
"When are you two gonna have kids so Mary has someone to play with," JP questioned.
That question definitely caught Craig and Kelsey off guard.
It wasn't like they hadn't thought about having kids of their own. They'd even both talked about having kids in the future with their respective partners. But they definitely weren't ready for kids right now.
"I mean," Kelsey stammered, "I'm not sure if now's a great time for that. I know Stacks wants to buckle down and start writing her book after she gets her English degree."
"Yeah," Craig added on, "And Vanny says she's going to go out and take down some corporate pigs when she's done with law school, so that's probably gonna take up a lot of her time."
"Guys," JP reassured, "I'm not gonna be mad if you don't wanna have kids right now. Bein' parents at 20 ain't for everyone. Guess your kids will just have to be friends with baby number two."
Craig and Kelsey's eyes almost popped out of their heads. Was Mangerine really already pregnant again? JP picked up on his friends' shock and realized how that sounded.
"Oh, that ain't happenin' now," JP countered, "I'm just sayin' 'cause me and Mangerine already know we wanna give Mary a little brother or sister someday."
Craig and Kelsey still didn't want JP thinking they hadn't thought about having kids themselves.
"I mean," Craig admitted, "It's not like me and 'Nessa haven't talked about kids before."
"Yeah, me and Stacks too," Kelsey agreed, "We know we wanna adopt a sweet little girl someday and turn her into a warrior!"
"Well, we know you and Stacks are gonna stay safe," JP thought out loud, "But Craig, you and Vanessa have to be careful if you don't want kids yet. You gotta make sure you use protection ev'ry time."
Craig and Kelsey tried to hide how awkward they felt after what JP just said.
"Thanks, man," Craig awkwardly thanked.
"No problem," JP obliviously responded, "I may have a baby now, but I'll still always look out for you two."
Craig and Kelsey smiled at that.
"JP," Mangerine called from across the room, "I think something's wrong with Mary!"
"Wait, what," JP stuttered, running over to Mangerine and Mary, "What do ya mean?"
"Her head feels warm," Mangerine explained, "I think she might have a fever."
"Oh my God," JP panicked, heading upstairs, "I'll go get the baby thermometer!"
"Wait," Mangerine exclaimed, following JP with Mary in tow, "Let me take her up there in case we need to give her medicine!"
With JP, Mangerine, and Mary gone, the four remaining friends tried to think of something to talk about while they were gone.
"So," Craig began, "Mary? Cute baby, right?"
"Well, yeah," Kelsey agreed, "Obviously any child of JP and Mangerine would be cute."
"Mangerine tried to get her to copy a horse's gait," Stacks observed, "I'm sure it'll be sweet to see them both do that when she's able to sit up."
"So, we're gonna be like them and only talk about Mary now," Vanessa muttered to herself.
"What was that," Craig questioned. Vanessa could be curt about a lot of things, but she usually tried to avoid speaking that way about her friends.
"I mean," Vanessa explained, "It just kinda seems like Mangerine doesn't have a life outside of Mary."
"You know, I didn't want to say anything," Craig added on, clearly hesitant, "But JP said they don't leave the house much. I think we might be the only real friends they have. JP doesn't even play the drums anymore."
"What would we do about any of that, though," Kelsey questioned.
"I don't know," Craig thought out loud, still feeling a bit uncomfortable talking about his friends this way, "Try and tell them this mindset isn't healthy?"
"There has to be some sort of healthy balance," Vanessa added on, "They're just changing who they are for this baby."
"I think as long as they're happy," Stacks countered, "That's all that really matters."
"You don't think them revolving their entire lives around their baby isn't a problem," Vanessa questioned.
"It's not like they aren't still JP and Mangerine," Stacks explained, "They're just making some sacrifices because they have different priorities now."
Craig and Vanessa realized Stacks did have a point. JP was still optimistic and tried to help his friends in his own way and Mangerine was still kind and loved horses.
"This is their quest," Kelsey added on, "And we can't stop them. All we can do is be there for them, however we can."
Craig and Vanessa started really thinking about Kelsey and Stacks' words. Craig knew Vanessa supported his dream of being an architect and Vanessa knew Craig would support whatever she did in the future to help preserve nature, even if it resulted in a few acts of environmental terrorism.
Kelsey and Stacks also supported each others' dreams of developing a role playing game and writing an LGBTQ+ fantasy book for kids respectively.
And each of these dreams would come with their own sacrifices, similar to the sacrifices JP and Mangerine were making so they could raise Mary.
As long as JP and Mangerine are happy, all their friends can really do is support them and help them however they can.
Speaking of, as this conversation was ending, JP and Mangerine came back down the stairs, JP holding a calmer Mary in his right arm.
"False alarm," JP reassured, "She was just hot. We left her in front of the fan a few minutes, she's fine now."
While JP gave this brief health update, the two other couples each exchanged a look between themselves, silently agreeing on a way they could help JP and Mangerine.
"You know," Vanessa offered, "Since we're going to be here for the summer, me and Craig could watch Mary if you ever need a babysitter."
"Me and Kelsey too," Stacks added on.
"Oh no, you guys," JP brushed off, "You don't gotta do that."
"Please," Craig persisted, "We insist."
"Yeah," Kelsey agreed, "Anything to help lighten your load."
"That would actually be nice," Mangerine thanked, taking JP's free hand, "It's been a while since me and JP had a real date night."
"I tried to set up a date in the backyard, make it real romantic," JP added on, "But Mary started cryin', I started freakin' out, and I ended up knockin' over the umbrella that I tied the fairy lights to."
"But I still appreciated the effort," Mangerine reassured.
Mangerine could see JP's mood starting to dampen, as he usually started feeling bad whenever he remembered a time he thought he let somebody down. She also suspected he felt guilty about "forcing" his friends to watch Mary, even though they all offered too. So, Mangerine tried distracting him before he got too down.
"Speaking of date nights," Mangerine steered the conversation, "Kelsey, tell me more about that market you and Stacks found. We never got to talk more after you shared those pictures."
"Oh yeah," Kelsey remembered, "Well, Stacks first found it when she saw one of the booths there might have a signed first edition of Ythrith of Scriggth: the Beginnining. But it turned out that market housed more than just one beloved tome..."
As Kelsey continued her story, with occasional interjections from Stacks, Mangerine could see JP brightening up again. She could also tell her friends were starting to get a bit tired of only talking about Mary, so she was happy to start introducing other topics for them all to discuss. The six of them ended up talking more about what they'd been up to since the four students' winter breaks ended (tests, dates, weird shopping trips, breaking into government buildings and leaving piles of mulch on certain government officials' desks) until Paula came home.
At that point, the four friends decided to leave and JP and Mangerine put Mary in her crib and went to bed.
Before they fell asleep, though, JP had something on his mind after talking to his friends.
"Mangerine," JP questioned.
"Hmm," Mangerine responded as she climbed into bed.
"Do you ever regret not goin' out and seein' the world before havin' a family," JP asked, "Like how Craig and Vanessa n' Kelsey and Stacks did?"
"Never," Mangerine responded, "Not even for a second."
"Are ya sure," JP added on, "'Cause if ya do, we could always try n' find a way for you too..."
Mangerine interrupted his ramblings by taking his hands in her's.
"Ever since you gave me that ring from the prize machine at the mall," Mangerine explained, "I knew that all I ever needed in my life was you and the family we'd have together."
JP remembered that night. He took Mangerine to the meadow where they first met, where the Horse Girls used to frolic. It was past dinnertime, so there weren't any more kids around the creek.
He'd packed them a picnic dinner, worn his nicest jersey, they ran around the meadow a bit after eating for old times' sake, and then they just laid in the grass and looked at the stars.
Then, JP took the ring out of his pocket and asked Mangerine to marry him.
He really did want to get a nicer ring for Mangerine, but it was the best an eighteen year old fast food employee could afford. He'd promised to get her a better ring someday, but she told him she loved it because he gave it to her.
"I love ya," JP adored.
"I love you too," Mangerine replied, placing a soft kiss on his cheek, "Now, let's get some sleep before Mary wakes up."
"Sounds good," JP agreed, "My eyes are droopin' and tellin' me it's time to sleep anyways."
And on that note, Mangerine cuddled up to her big, goofy husband and they both slept (for about 10 minutes before Mary woke up.)