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February 4, 1991

"Good morning students and faculty, I'd like to thank everyone who came out to the winter formal this past weekend, also student council is now in the process of selling tickets to our annual Valentine's carnival, come spend a romantic evening with your loved one with rides and games in the back parking lot..."

The principal's voice was drowned out by the sounds coming from a stall in the girls' bathroom. The door opened and Kellie stepped out, she grabbed a paper towel and wiped her mouth off she turned the water in the sink on and cupped some in her hand and splashed it on her face. She stood against the sink before covering her mouth and dodging back into the stall, the bell then rang.

Time seemed to move slower than usual, the clock ticking seemed to get louder to her, her teacher droning on and on.

"God you're beautiful" his voice echoed in her head as bits and pieces of that night flashed in her mind.

She tapped the eraser of her pencil on her notebook nervously as she stared at the clock. Melissa looked over from her desk noticing Kellie's apprehensiveness and looked at her concerned. She flipped open a notebook and began to scribble something on the page. A note landed in front of her face and she hid it in her lap and opened it.

"Are you okay?� it said, she looked over and looked at Melissa.

"Kellie?" someone asked, she looked up to see her teacher "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I need to be excused" Kellie said as she stood up from her desk and ran from the classroom.

Melissa worriedly watched as she ran away "Uh...Ms. Carpenter?" she asked raising her hand, the teacher nodded and Melissa stood up and left the classroom.

Kellie stood against the sink in the bathroom.

"Hey" Melissa said coming in "What is going on with you?" she asked.

"Nothing I'm okay" Kellie said to her.

"You are not, you look like you're having a nervous breakdown" Melissa said to her.

"Can you come to my house after school?" she asked.

"Probably why?"

"I may need your help with something" Kellie said.


~*~



That afternoon they got to Kellie's house after school was over.

"Hi girls" Kellie's mom said to them as they came in.

"Mom" Kellie said surprised "What're you doing here?" she asked.

"Was a slow day my boss said I could leave early" she said to Kellie "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You look a little pale that's all, can I get you girls a snack?"

"Uh no, thanks I have to talk to Miss about something important" Kellie said to her.

"Thanks Mrs. Mitchell" Melissa said to her.

"Come on" Kellie said grabbing her hand and pulling her along behind her up the steps Kellie pushed her in the room, looking around the hall before closing her bedroom door and locking it.

"Miss, something is wrong."

"I'll say, we get out of school, we stop at the store, you make me wait outside, you nearly pull my arm from it's socket dragging me here, what is going on with you?" Melissa asked.

Kellie sighed and sat down on her bed "Remember the night of your boyfriend's birthday party?" she asked.

"Yeah..."

"My parents were at a party with some of my dad's co-workers, my sister was at a sleepover and my brother was spending the night on campus...the house was empty it was the perfect opportunity and I...took it, so we came up here...you get the picture."

"Unfortunately" Melissa said to her.

"Okay, so? Did something happen? Did you and Kev have a fight or something?".

Kellie reached into her backpack and pulled out a paper bag and pulled a box out.

Melissa glanced at it "What is that?" she asked nervously.

"A pregnancy test" Kellie said to her.

Melissa covered her mouth in shock "Oh my god" she said "Are you pregnant?" she asked.

"Well obviously I don't know yet."

"Okay well, come on, lets get this show on the road" Melissa said to her.

"What?"

"Oh come on I really don't have to explain how to take a pregnancy test do I?"

"My mother is downstairs!" Kellie said to her.

"Then why am I here?" Kellie looked at her.

"I'm scared."

"I'll be right out here" she nodded and took the stick before going into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Well?" Melissa asked when she finally came out.

"It takes a couple minutes" she said crossing her arms

"This cannot be happening.

"Well you know that condoms are only effective about ninety-five percent of the time" Melissa said to her, Kellie looked nervous "What? You didn't use one?".

"...I don't remember."

"Kellie!"

"Well...what? I told you it happened really fast!"

"During all that sweet talk you couldn't have told him to grab one?"

"I didn't want to kill the moment okay?" she said.

Melissa started to laugh "Wow, I know hormones can make you a little dumb but this..."

"Miss! can you save the lecture please? I am really scared right now."

"Well I wouldn't want to kill the moment..." Melissa said to her.

Kellie looked at her, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, really, I didn't want to make you cry" Melissa stammered.

"I'm not crying because of you, I'm crying because of how stupid I am" she whimpered "God!" she groaned. "I could be pregnant, I could have a baby, I can't have a baby I'm sixteen, I am a baby" she rambled.

"Okay, just relax."

"This is the longest two minutes of my life" she said. Melissa got off of the bed and went into the bathroom "Miss?" she asked as Melissa looked at the test lying on the sink.

"Its two lines" Melissa said to her.

"Please tell me that means I'm not pregnant" Kellie said to her.

"I'm sorry Kel."

"Oh god" she said putting her head in her hands "Are you sure?"

"It says right here" Melissa said handing her the box and the test "If two blue lines appear on the screen, you are pregnant". "Whoa" Melissa said catching her, she sat her down on her bed and went into the bathroom. "Here" she said handing her a damp wash cloth.

Kellie took it and put it on her forehead "What do I do?"

"Well obviously you need to tell someone...besides me that is".

"Miss, you have to promise me, no one knows about this, no one, I mean it."

"Absolutely, your secret is safe with me."

"Better be."

"I promise."

The next morning, Melissa stuck her head into the girls' bathroom "Kel?" she asked when she heard someone throwing up in one of the stalls "Kel" she said in a sympathetic tone.

The toilet flushed and Kellie came out "There can't possibly be anything left to throw up" she said leaning against the sink.

"Have you told anyone yet?" Melissa asked.

"Ugh no" Kellie said.

"Kel, come on."

"What? I have plenty of time to tell people."

"You don't think people are going to wonder why you're throwing up every ten minutes?".

"Miss, I can't do this now okay? Just thinking about it is making me sick" Kellie said to her.

"Its not going to be the most pleasant task."

"Yeah come back to me when my boyfriend is staring down the barrel of my father's shot gun".

"Okay, I'm sorry" Melissa said to her.

"No, I'm sorry, you're right it has to be done...but how?"

~*~


Kellie's mom, Lynda, was cleaning up their house that afternoon, sweeping a feather duster across the top of the mantle.

"Ken? Ken!" she yelled to her husband.

"Yes dear" he replied.

"Did you take the trash out?" she asked dusting.

"Yes I did" he said reading the paper in his den.

"Did you empty all of the trashcans and not just the one in the kitchen?" he looked over his newspaper.

"I'm on it" he said getting up from his chair and putting his newspaper down. He went around the house with a trash bag emptying the garbage cans, once he finished he took the bag out to the trash cans and lifted the lid off when he found the box to the pregnancy test sitting on top.

He dropped the lid and the bag and picked the box up "Lynda!!" he yelled into the house "We have a problem!" he yelled again.

~*~


Kellie slowly approached Kevin, and tapped meekly on his shoulder.

"Oh hey" he said turning around to look at her.

"Hi" she said to him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Nothing you just look a little sick, you feeling okay?"

"Yeah I'm alright, I just wanted to ask you, what are you doing after school?"

"Nothing."

"Think you can meet me on the bleachers?"

"Yeah sure, you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Alright I'll meet you after class" he said shutting his locker and kissing her on the cheek. She covered her mouth and dodged off to the bathroom once more.