Three's a crowd

59

There are a lot of things that you want to be positive. Positive relationships, positive test scores, positive influences. All my life I have been told not to dwell on the Negatives life throws my way.

"Brittney, if you always focus on the negative you'll never have the chance to see all the great positive things life can bring!" My mother had said when I was struggling with an assignment that I didn't make an A on.

Back then it made a lot of sense. Positive things were good and negative things were not. I had never realized that the roles could be switched depending on the situation. Like now for example.

At seventeen all I wanted was to enjoy summer and then fight for my relationship with Riley. I never expected that I would be sitting on the closet floor wishing for a negative result on anything, and yet here I was, staring at the little test.

Two lines.... pregnant.

Of course the one time I wanted something to be negative it was in fact positive. I didn't even have a chance to think before the sobs escaped my mouth. How could this be happening?

I let the waves of emotion rock over me until I finally composed myself and took another shower. At least if Riley came back I could say my eyes were puffy from soap water.

Riley. Yet another thing to worry about. How would I tell him? How could I tell him? I know how both our parents gave up the college experience to start families, they reminded us every time they had the sex talk with us — a lot of good it did apparently.

Still I had too didn't I? He had the right to know he was going to be a father. Not that it made telling him easier at all.

When I climbed out of the shower and dried off I almost felt numb from the initial shock of it all. I pulled on my clothes and left my wet hair pooling down my back as my mind ran at a million miles an hour.

I needed to figure out how to tell him, to persuade him that he still needed to chase his dream regardless of me and my current situation. I couldn't ask my parents, I was too fragile right now and I knew them well enough to know that their disappointment would crush me more than I already am.

Riley's mom on the other hand was reliable and trustworthy. She knew Riley better than anyone, and I knew she would be shocked but I also knew that with her job she wouldn't make me feel any worse than I already did.

'Hey are you almost done with Riley? I need to talk to you privately if that's okay?'

I sent the text and grabbed my purse walking down into the kitchen to get some water.

'No problem, I'll come to you. Riley's going to be here a while."

I took a deep breath and opened the door when she arrived ten minutes later.

"Hey sweetie, how are you feeling?" She asked as I crumpled into sobs. "Britt honey what is it?" She closed the door and walked me to the couch.

I couldn't find the words to explain it to her, looking in her eyes and seeing the concern behind them was too much for me. Instead I reached in my purse and took out the little stick, handing it to her.

"I see, so you're not sick sick." She spoke comfortingly as she rubbed my back.

"Are you mad?" I sniffled between sobs as she pulled me closer and hugged me tightly.

"No Britt I'm not mad. A little shocked, but I could never be mad. I'm guessing you haven't told Riley yet?" She asked as I shook my head.

"Well what do you want to do?" She asked with a small smile.