Stolen Innocence (Evergreen) [Student/Teacher Love Story]

thirty six

Everything after that happens so fast. My dad - without giving any warning - is grabbing his jacket and bolting out of the house, and suddenly it's just my mom and I. Her wide eyes are on me, as she watches me, horrified.

"Iris...sweetie..." Her harsh exterior crumbles as she rushes over to me, wrapping me in her warm arms which, usually, I would find more comforting than anything. Right now it just feels...cold. Everything feels cold as we sit in the silence of the words that have been spoken. My mom's sobs are wracking her body, and - for a moment - I wonder how much of this she can take.

"Where did...where did dad go?" I ask, my voice barely more than a whisper and she just shakes her head, crying harder.

"I'm so...so sorry, baby," I flinch at that word but accept her comfort anyways.

"How do you know?" She asks and I hesitantly produce the results that I've been holding onto since I found out. I was planning on showing Fiona when she agreed to take me to Planned Parenthood, but she still hasn't responded.

She flinches back as if she's been shot before indicating for me to put it away, which I do.

"I'm so sorry, Iris..." She continues to apoligize but I start to tune her out and it becomes background noise. White noise filling up the space in between my ears as I realize what this means now that she knows.

"What do we do now?" I cut off her incessant apoligizing and her eyes cut up to mine, ablaze with fire.

"Come on," She indicates for me to follow her, and I do. We drive in silence for about 30 minutes until we're pulling up in front of an unassuming building with the letters PP in the front.

My heart hammers in my chest as I follow her through the front doors, up to the receptionist, past other women - of all ages - waiting quietly in the lobby. My mom talks to the woman first, who peers around her to get a look at me, pity clear in her features.

I wonder what she said. How she phrased it.

"Hi, Iris?" She beckons me over, tugging me out of my stupor as I hestintaly approach the desk. Her eyes are full of pity, but she looks kind.

"How are you doing?" Her question is pointed and I know that she's not asking cause she actually cares. I just shrug, glancing around the room. I'm not sure exactly what we're doing here, or what comes next and my anxiety is through the roof.

"Fi-fine," I stutter and my mom reaches for my hand but I tug it away before she can.

"Okay, we'll get you all checked in, do you wanna just wait in one of those chairs for me? I'll call you back in just a few minutes," I nod hesitantly, and then I realize that by 'we', she means her and my mom. As I sit down, I realize just how much of a child they probably see me as.

I sit there for a few minutes in silence, trying not to notice how the other women in the room keep stealing glances at me. Sighing, I tug my hoodie over my head, trying my hardest to disappear.

"Iris?" My name is called and I realize my mom came and sat by me at some point in my haze. She's sitting there, with a numb look on her face so I nudge her and she nods, getting up to follow me.

Um.

As we reach the door with the kind-eyed nurse, she stops my mom.

"Oh, we thought we would just talk to Iris. In private," She looks to me and I nod emphatically. Yes, that is exactly what I want.

My mom looks a bit confused, but when she looks to me and sees the look on my face, she hesitantly nods, taking her seat again. I turn back to the nurse and she ushers me down a very purple hallway. Feels cozy. Yet sterile.