Slam

Sam breaks up with Alicia and goes on a date with a girl named Nikki who unabashedly admits she hopes to have a baby very soon. The thought terrifies Sam, and he starts to miss what he had with Alicia. On Sam’s 16th birthday, he is celebrating with family when he gets a text from Alicia asking to meet and saying it’s urgent. He instinctively knows what it’s about and decides to tell his mum he loves her before going to meet Alicia. He finds her at the same Starbucks where they had their first date, and she says her period is late. They go to get a pregnancy test but realize they don’t have enough money, so Alicia goes home to get more. While she’s gone, Sam turns off his phone and returns home. His father is visiting to celebrate his birthday, and he tells a graphic story about the day Sam was born as Sam tries to eat his cake. That night, Sam talks to Tony Hawk, who relates his own experience of finding out he was going to be a father: “It was not exactly what you’d call expected, but I was happy just the same” (86).