"Hello?" I ask grogily into my phone, it's early.
"I had to call you right away!" Lindi. . .
"What?Why? Is something wrong?" I sit up too fast.
"No, no nothings wrong." it sounded like she was ready to jump up and down "We've settled on a name!"
"Oh!" I said relived. "What is it?"
"We are keeping Ethan but we've decided Ethan Ledger Pierce and I'm going to call him Ledger."
"Ledger, where have I heard that before?" I ask confused.
"Okay I'll admit I stole the name, "she paused "and you know how much we like batman. . . it's the last name of the actor who played the Joker, okay?"
"Ahh, I knew you guys would do something like this." I laugh.
"Do you like it?"
"Yeah, It's cute." I paused realizing I hadn't talked to Lindi in a while, I didn't even tell her about my latest hospital visit. "Hey have you talked to mom lately?"
"She told me you were in the hospital a couple weeks ago but that everything was okay and they are monitoring the fibriod." I nod and take a breath.
"That's it?" I heard and 'Ah hm' "Well they did another ultrasound while I was there, and it's a girl." Lindi gasped.
"Any names?" I giggle.
"I don't really know, I was thinking August since that's when she's due." Truly I did have most of her name picked out but her first name was iffy. August Finnely Campbell. Mark's middle and last name.
"Cute."
Lindi always talked forever, so it took a while to get her off the phone. I'd been almost three weeks since I found out I'm having a girl. I started down the stairs to the kitchen excited. I hadn't gotten to see Nat for the past week and I missed him. We were going out to lunch today. I took a peak at the calendar on the fridge, exactly a month until a graduate which was good for two reasons; one I was out of school for the time being. Two, I'm five months now and I'll start to show soon. Over the past months since I met Nat and Joan, Joan is distant. Always with her boyfriend, Axel and secretly hating me. I think she's jealous of me hanging out with Nat. But there was another problem, I could never stop remembering being at the mall and Nat kissing me back. I know he likes guys, but with me he was a normal person, my best friend. But I always felt giddy to see him, always. And even the shortest time left me missing him terribly. Since Sam moved into her apartment a while ago, I've been trying to get the barn put together and get used to it. That sometimes meant sleepovers. I like those nights.
Apparently it wasn't as early as I'd thought, it was noon. Nat would be here soon. So I grabbed a glass of orange juice and went upstairs to change. I chose simple black yoga pants and and a plain long t-shirt. I hear a beep come from my phone and examine myself in the mirror before I grab it from the bed. I was starting to get a bump. I turned and lay flat on my bed as I rech for my phone, I could even feel the bump which made me think better and I fllipped myself around.
B there in 5mins, Be Ready! -Nat
I slid on the only shoes that fit me now, which were my flats. Then I walked back downstairs and waited in the living room, well if waited means sitting down and immediatly getting up because Nat pulled into the driveway not five seconds later.
"That was, quick." I said lowering myself into his car.
"Yeah I texted you late." he backed out "So where to go?"
"Don't make me pick, I can never choose." I sigh loud and laugh.
"What are you in the mood for?" he smiles drumming his fingers on the steering wheel to his favorite band.
"I don't know, anything?"
So we headed toward the mall where all the little resturants and things are. I kept staring at him as he talked, what is wrong with me? And I wanted to hold his free hand sitting on the center console. . . I sigh and look out the window.
We choose this buffet place and sat at a booth with everything they had on our table.
"You have to try this!" Nat slids a plate toward me with a piece of pie.
"A rebel you are!" I wave my fork at him and take a bite of the pie. My eyes light up with the taste of creamy lemon meringue with a hint of something extra. "Oh my god! This pie, this pie is the best thing I've ever eaten!" We both laugh and continue to devour the pie. We both seem to look up at the same time and this weird feeling washed over me like it was just me and him laughing, just us in the whole building. He stares for a moment more and I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and then it's gone. We continue eating our lunch and lots and lots of pie, until we realize that the resturant was getting crowded and loud so we leave. When we get to the door he pushes it open and then his arm rests on my shoulders as we walk. It was normal and strange at the same time. Didn't we have a moment back there? Was it real? Did he feel it too, or was it all in my head? He showed no expression to indicate that feeling, but maybe he had and I didn't notice. As we walked down the sidewalk of the strip mall I paused as I accidently stepped on the back on my heel. I lean against the wall of a store and fix my shoe.
"You alright?" Nat had stopped in front of me and waiting. I smiled that he cared enough to do that. I was breathing heavy from walking so much, which I didn't used to do. I nodd. "You sure?" I stop using the wall for support and stand, I slowly walk right next to him. We find the car and sit in it for a while
"So I've been meaning to ask you."
"Yeah?" I turn to him, we are so close our arms touching.
"I have a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, and I need a ride. . ." I look up at him, and then back down. He opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "I mean you don't have to stay you can drop me me off and come back to pick me up. I can go it alone, I have no problem with it. But if you want you can-" I truly hoped he would come with me, I hated going to the doctor. I hated the smell of rubbing alcohol and those latex gloves. Even if it was just a check up, I hoped I didn't have to go alone.
"I'll go, it's fine. You shouldn't have to go alone, but of course you're the stubborn one." He grins and I smile back. He sighs and then, "Well, if you have nothing to do tonight or for the rest of the day, we could go see a movie." I look in his eyes to see if he actually wanted to.
"What movie?" I test.
"We'll see when we get there."
"Alright."
"Alright"
It was already close to five because we stayed so long at the buffet talking and well, eating all of their pie. So we caught the next showing of the most popular movie that had recently come out. I hadn't been to the movies since, well since before December, with Mark. Mark. I wondered what he was doing. I bet he still likes to get Sour Patch Kids and Dibs when he comes here. But why should I think about that? What he's doing, or what he like? What do I like? I like M&M's scattered in my popcorn and Cherry Coke, like Nat does. See that's a sign if I ever saw one, he's a keeper if he likes the same movie theater snacks. But he's not a keeper because he's not even mine, but maybe he is mine. Mine, my best friend Nat.
YOU ARE READING
Skinny Love
Teen Fiction'A teenage girl comes face to face with her past and must deal with its consequences.' Ella got pregnant at seventeen, by her best friend but he doesn't know about it. Instead of telling him she changed schools and took on a new life where no one kn...
