Grown ish: Zoey and Aaron's Story (BOOK 1)

Part 12: Secret

Zoey narrates.

I'm walking out of my fashion class with Luca, twiddling my thumbs, anxiously.

'Hey, where you off too?' He asks, but I don't hear.

'Zoey?' He stops me by the shoulders.

'Huh. Oh, right. What did you say?' I ask, shaking my head.

'Zoey, where's your head at? Is everything okay?' He asks, but I smile to get him off my back.

'No, no. Everything's fine.' I say, as he looks at me wearily, but brushes it off.

'I'm gonna go home and rest, I'm not feeling too good.' I say.

'Okay...' He says, confused.

'Oh, and if you see Aaron, can you tell him not to come over to mine tonight? Just tell him I'm really sick, and don't want to spread anything.' I say.

'What? Zoey, now I'm concerned. Clearly your not sick. What's going on? Did something happen between you and Aaron?' He asks.

'No! Of course not. Can you just do this one favour for me, Luca? Please?' I plead.

He shakes his head.

'Fine. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.' He says, hugging me, before we leave our separate ways.

I can't see Aaron right now.

_____

I'm sitting on my bed, my knees up against my chest, in silence. I don't know what to do. I don't know who to trust. I don't even know if it's for sure.

I think I might be pregnant.

Suddenly, I hear a knock on the door.

'Who is it?' I shout.

'It's Jillian. Hey, Zoey. Can I come in?'

I get up, with the blanket wrapped around me and open the door, ushering Jillian in, and closing the door behind her.

I sit back in my huddled position on the bed.

'Zo? What's up?' She asks.

Her face is soft, and welcoming. Jillian and I have become really close since we met, and since Luca and I rekindled our friendship. I know if there's anyone I can trust with this information, or to be non-judgemental, it's her.

'Luca said you were acting weird. Then he told Aaron you were 'sick'. What's going on?' She asks, sitting on the end of my bed.

'What I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone, okay? You have to keep it a secret.' I say, sternly.

'Okay, now I'm scared. You killed someone? Drugged someone? Kidnapped?' She says, stressed.

'Worse.' I say.

She looks at me intently, waiting for me to speak.

'I think I might be pregnant.' I say, as her eyes widen in shock.

_____

Jillian paces around my room, as I rest my head back on the headboard, and rub my forehead. God, my head hurts.

'Wait. How do you even know? Did you take a test?' She asks.

'No. Not yet. I'm late. I've been throwing up everyday. I'm literally tired, all the time...' She cuts me off.

'Does Aaron know?'

'No. That's why I didn't want him to come over. I don't know how to tell him. I don't know how he'll react. Like what am I supposed to say? Hey, you're gonna be a dad, but it's okay because we're in college and in love and can raise a child here?' I say, sarcastically.

'Zoey. Even if you are pregnant, which, by the way, you might not be, there is no pressure for you to keep the child' She says, sitting next to me, holding my hand.

'No, I know. I just...don't know what to do. I haven't taken a test, because I'm scared of the outcome. I'm scared of telling Aaron, I'm scared he'll hate me if it's true.' I say, as I start to cry.

'Oh, no, no!' Jillian says, as she embraces me in a hug.

'Look, we're gonna go to the store and get you a test, okay. And we're gonna do the test and you're gonna speak to Aaron, and tell him the truth. He loves you. So much. I know he's gonna want to support you. But, he can't do that unless you tell him, okay?' She says, as I hug her tighter.

_____

Jillian and I go to the store to pick up a test. I'm literally wearing one of Aaron's old hoodies and tracksuit bottoms, so that no one recognises me. As we enter the store, Jillian and I separate momentarily to look around. I pick up a test and start to walk back to her, but as I'm looking down, to lay low, I accidentally bump into someone, and drop the test on the ground.

'Oh, shit, sorry...' I say, but the person bends down before me, to pick it up.

'It's no problem....Zoey?'

_____