Church Girl | JJK

1. church girl ☆

"Rei I'm pregnant," your twin sister whispered to you. It was typical Friday night for you, lying in bed watching old episodes of Rick and Morty.  It was summer vacation before senior year, and you'd spent the last few weeks doing nothing but waste away, the LA heat becoming too much to bear. You weren't one of the families rich enough to have a pool in their backyard, so you'd lie out on a towel on the long dead grass in the yard wishing the time away.  

It seemed unusual at the time that Bea had chosen to stay in, she was the wild one after all, always at parties, at boys houses, places she shouldn't be. You on the other hand were the complete opposite. Baddie and the Bore were the nicknames that had been coined for you at school. Bea was spunky with short bleached blonde hair, you were studious with your undyed black hair falling to your hips.

But despite the differences the two of you had always been inseparable , that was until she dropped the bombshell that changed the course of your life forever.

You stared at her in disbelief, your mind struggling to process what she had just revealed. Pregnant?  The dim glow of the TV cast eerie shadows across the room, and the hot LA night suddenly became suffocating.   "Bea.." you said slowly, struggling to process. "We're 17."

"I know," was all she could reply.

"How long?"

"6 months" she said bluntly. Fuck. 6 months. She had been carrying this burden for 6 months, and you had been completely unaware. You clearly knew nothing about your sister. "You need to tell Mom and Dad."

Bea's eyes widened in panic at the suggestion, her hands trembling as she reached out to grasp yours. "No, Rei, please," she pleaded, her voice thick with fear.

"Bea, are you insane, you're going to start showing any day now. You can't hide this from them!" You we're amazed she was able to get this far, but your Mom and Dad despite the love, were busy people. They busted their asses every day in blue collar jobs, Dad spent long hot days on construction sites and your Mom cleaned the houses of the LA elite, they were never around. But they didn't have a choice, they had 3 kids, you, Bea and Nick.

Nick also required all of their time and energy, having being diagnosed with Autism, so you and Bea had essentially been left to it. Guess nobody expected Bea to end up pregnant.

"I'm leaving." She said in between hitched breathes.

The weight of Bea's words hit you like a freight train, leaving you momentarily stunned. "Leaving?" you echoed, disbelief coloring your voice. It felt like the ground had been pulled out from beneath you, leaving you teetering on the edge of an abyss.

"No, Bea, you can't just leave," you protested, but Bea seemed determined, her voice barely a whisper as she confessed, "I can't do this, Rei. I can't face them. I can't face anyone."

My fingers closed around her arm, desperation coursing through you. "Bea, please," you pleaded.

"He's picking me up tomorrow, and we're heading up to Oakland," she said, shaking her head and pulling her wrist away.

"He?" you questioned, confusion creeping into your tone.

"His name's Jake," she confessed, her gaze flickering away from yours. You tried to recall any Jakes she might have known, but your mind drew a blank. Bea had always had a knack for keeping her secrets hidden. "We met at a New Year's Eve party last year," she added, as if sensing your silent inquiry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" you asked softly, feeling a pang of hurt at the realization that she had kept such a significant secret from you. You'd always been open with each other, or so you thought.