It was almost the last week of school when she noticed changes. Changes in her behavior and changes within her own body. She wasn't sure why. She hadn't given herself permission to change, but it was happening anyway. Her friends just told her it was all in her head and her parents told her it was what she wanted.
She sighed as she leaned against her locker, her hand on her stomach, trying to fight the nausea that rolled over her body with every movement and every breath she took. The nausea had began about a month earlier and it still hadn't let up. She thought it was the flu, but could the flu really last that long?
"April." A voice interrupted her thoughts. Carli's voice. Carli was her best friend and she was one of the only people that knew about her "changes." She was the only one that had offered to help her. They had an appointment that at the local clinic. Carli's mom didn't ask questions and her own parents just told her to find out. They had given her the money and she had left in a hurry. "How are you feeling?" Carli's voice was naturally caring. Carli was the exact opposite of herself. Carli was tall, outgoing and very talented. She played in the band and sang in the chorus. She had piano lessons on the side. Naturally sexy and tan with the matching charm to go along, she was it. Meanwhile April was short, slight and pale. Clumsy and shy, April was the other half.
"The same as usual." Her hair was a mess and it felt greasy even though she has washed it the night before. Everything was progressing faster than she wished. It didn't help that HE was away.
He was Wesley. Wesley was April's boyfriend and he had dropped out of school because of her several months earlier. He was tall and sweet...everything she wanted. Even through her sickness, she couldn't live without him.
"Well we'll find out soon enough." April tried to smile back, but it felt and probably looked too fake. Even to Carli.
"I just want to know." She hid her face behind her hair, trying to hide. It seemed like everyone was staring at her. Even if they weren't, it felt like it. It made her feel dirty and used, and judged. She knew they were judging her and she hated it.
"Just a couple more hours."
Carli had just gotten her license and a new car, so she had offered to drive April to the clinic that was just across the highway from the school. She told her she needed to get some things too, just to make her feel better.
April knew from experience that Carli needed to be careful so she didn't end up like her. She regretted very little of it, but she was still preparing herself for it.
Carli's arm circling around her waist brought her back to reality. "We need to get to Spanish." April nodded and started walking uneasily with Carli down the hall; where she stopped into her new future.
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As the bell rang, she ran towards the gym where she knew Carli would be waiting. It felt like she was treading water and soon she would lose her footing and she would go under and drown. But as she saw Carli's black bob in the distance, she relaxed a little. It was just Carli. Carli wouldn't judge her for the world and for that she was glad.
She was out of breath and she had barley took three steps before she came to a stop, gripping her abdomen, as she focused on the ground. Her vision was a little blurry and her stomach was heaving. It did this every time she got in a vehicle, walked, moved in any way to be honest. The footsteps on the pavement were deafening. But she focused on the pale white of the sun bleached concrete. "Oh honey." Carli's voice was comforting as she pulled April away from the curious stares of high school and towards her sparkling car that was idling in a space two feet away.
Everyone else was either getting into their cars or running to catch the bus, but they took their time and soon, she was in the safety of the leather interior. It smelled new and the smell was easier on her stomach than the eraser shaving smells of the halls. Finally her breath slowed and her heart took its normal rate--- which was fifteen more beats than a normal person, thanks to the sickness.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Carli's hand lingered on the parking brake, making sure April was ready for this.
"It has to be done." She whispered it to herself more than anything.
Carli nodded and slowly backed out of the space and pulled into the line of cars that were leaving the campus. "What do you think of all this?" She knew she shouldn't care what other people thought, but it was Carli, who had been supporting her from the very beginning.
Carli's eyes flashed over to her face and down to her stomach for a second before she answered. "I think you are, but if not, I just hope we got you help in time. In case it's something serious."
April nodded and looked out the window. They were at the STOP sign behind the gym, waiting for the buses to go before they could cross the road to the highway. It seemed like forever, but they finally moved forward. Her heart was beating faster and her skin was growing paler than her normal ivory shade. Her hands were clammy. She thought about how much she hated the feeling of her hands being clammy. It felt so gross and foreign.
"Calm down," Carli whispered as she turned on her signal and entered the right lane, that led straight into the clinic's parking lot. But this was easier said than done. April's whole life was about to be affected either way, and it was hanging in the balance whether she was ready to face it or not. But she had to be ready for this, she had no other choice. Carli's hand reached over as she put the vehicle in park; they sat there in silence before her friend made the first move and opened the door, letting a stream of Georgia heat flood into the vehicle. The heat hit April's face, sending a wave of nausea through her. She violently opened the door and leaned over, throwing up on the asphalt below. She coughed and heaved, her body cleansing itself. Carli stood by, helplessly as her friend unsteadily leaned up and finally stepped out of the car. "Are..are you?"
"I'm fine." April interrupted.
Carli just nodded and took a napkin from her person and started dabbing at the tears on April's cheeks. "Just remember this." Carli's face was serious as she looked at her friend, "I love you and I'm here for you." She kissed April's forehead and gently tugged her towards the door, promising air conditioning and water.
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An hour later, both the girls sat on plastic chairs, waiting for the doctors to come back. While April had been checked out and carefully examined, Carli had checked into birth control and had been back right as April was finishing up. The tests weren't that bad, but the results were taking a while.
"How much longer?" Carli asked. April shrugged. It was five o'clock and school ended at three thirty. As she stood up to pace the door opened and a male doctor came in. He was tall and lean, and about thirty years old. He looked nice, but April still shook at the mere sight of him. This man held the answer to her future.
But in the last second his face changed, and at that moment, April knew what she had been suspecting for weeks. She was pregnant.
