Cherry Blossom

Franklin

Lena's POV

My head was buzzing, I couldn't hear anything anymore. I could see Stef's lips moving in front of me, but not a damn sound. My vision became blurry, and I wasn't even in my body anymore.

What the hell just happened? What did she fucking say? I don't understand, I don't understand at all.

"Hi Lena, I was at the swimming pool, see how my suit is pretty!" Frankie said, showing off her suit, and lifting up her arms for me to see.

And that's when I saw it. A birth mark, on the left side of her stomach, in the shape of a crescent moon, so recognizable. And I felt myself getting sick.

I couldn't even breath, my heart stopped beating into my chest, my whole world was falling apart. What is happening? Why is this happening?

"Lena?" I vaguely heard her say. But I was frozen, I couldn't move, I was sweating, and my head was spinning around. The pain I feel right now is unbearable and I don't know what to do, what to say.

"Frankie, let's get you in the shower right now to remove the chlorine off of you, baby." Stef asked Frankie as she looked at me, but I didn't dare look at her. I couldn't for the life of me.

"Lena? Are you sure you're okay?" she asked as I managed to nod so she would leave. I needed her away from me, I couldn't stand to be in a room with them anymore, I want to scream, I need to get out of here to be able to breath.

"Okay... well I'm going to give her a shower so you can help yourself, and you're staying for diner woman." She said before she grabbed Frankie's hand and walk away.

And the second she couldn't see me anymore, I got up and ran, I ran outside, I needed to go, I couldn't stay here. I ran outside and I found a trashcan to throw up as tears was burning my eyes. I was sobbing at this point, and I felt like I was going to pass out.

"This is impossible. This can't be happening. She was dead. She is dead. What is happening?!" I rambled over and over, to try to reason myself, but I couldn't.

Everything matches, the story, the place, the date, the birth mark. The name... Francesca, my dead baby Francesca... I never saw the body... this can't be happening...

I was barely seventeen when I got pregnant, I was a self-conscious teenager, I was misunderstood and had just one friend. My best friend Franklin...

He was sick, he had leukemia and he was dying. He was still a teenager, barely had the time to experience anything in his life. The last month of his life, he stopped his treatment because it was useless. He wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of his time on this earth and do everything that he could still do. He was an awkward kid like me, I was his only friend as well. He was the sweetest guy, he was funny, and brave and I wanted to give him the occasion to be intimate with a girl at least once in his life and he wanted it as well.

At that time, I wasn't really questioning my sexuality, we were teenagers, and we were a bit stupid, and we just wanted to make the most of his time left.

We did it one time. One single time, without protection... we thought that with his heavy treatment there were no way I could get pregnant, but I did. I did and I didn't know.

He died a month later and I was devastated, I wanted to die with him. He was the only person that understood me and could make me laugh and feel good about myself.

Six months passed and one day, as I was at school, I felt an unbearable pain in my stomach. I thought I was dying; I thought a knife was ripping my inside and I collapsed on the floor. I woke up at the hospital and I barely had the time to open my eyes that I felt a hard slap on my face... it was my mother. They told her I was pregnant, before they even told me.