Jenny

Twelve.

There was that moment when I woke up in which I had almost forgotten what had happened the night before. But then I remembered and it all came flooding into me with the force of a tsunami, drowning me and sucking my lifeless body back into an endless ocean.

It was strange to see Jenny approach me today. It had much to do with the fact that I know was sure she was accompanied with a baby currently the size of a grape. Jenny looked lifeless, which was a step up from how she had looked these past few days. She gave me a small smile as she went past me to her locker. I followed her.

"Uh, hey, Jen. I, um, did some research yesterday." I had spent hours that night researching pregnancy. If I was going to stick it out and help her I was going to have to step up my game and get the facts.

"Oh really? I haven't even started that term paper yet. It's not even due for another three weeks." Jenny didn't look at me as she spoke, shoving books into her locker and taking a few out, shoving them in her backpack.

I found myself stuttering slightly. "Well, no. Not that kind of research. I was, uh, actually looking up what you told me to look up. Apparently morning sickness isn't a disease." Jenny turned to look at me, intrigued. "It's 'nausea in pregnancy, typically occurring in the first few months. Despite its name, the nausea can affect pregnant women at any time of day.'."

Jenny smiled. "Nice job, Rowie." Her smile disappeared and she frowned at the floor for a moment before speaking again. "You're really going to stick by me? Like unconditionally?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But speaking of, how has your mother handled it?"

"She hasn't handled it at all. She doesn't even know, really."

"Who does know?"

"Well, due to your nosy, 'I'm going to get all up in your business' attitude, just you. And before you ask, no I'm not going to tell my mom or even Justin anything until I really have to." She zipped up her bag and shouldered it in one fluid motion.

The bell rang and Jenny just shrugged her shoulders at me, ending our conversation. She started walking off towards her next class, leaving me standing there, surprised that I was the only one keeping her grape sized secret.

During study hall, I nearly ran to the computer lab to do some more research. Knowing that I was the only one to help Jenny for the next nine months made me even more motivated to know how to help her. I was ready and willing to absorb pregnancy websites like a sponge in a kitchen to water.

I searched the term "teen pregnancy" first. The websites that came up were mostly about helping to find support groups in the area, and judging by Jenny's unwillingness to open up to people about the baby, I wasn't sure she was going to like that very much. As I scrolled down, I found a website that contained facts about teen pregnancy. According to the website, teens who are more excited towards school and those who participated in a lot of extracurricular school activities were less likely than others, implying Jenny, to bear children.

I went back to the search engine and searched instead a more vague term, "pregnancy." There was a website about the stages in which a baby grows. Another website had just what was looking for: a guide for pregnant women and future mothers. When I opened the website, I found out it was actually a book.

I scrambled in my backpack to find a pen. I ripped the corner of one of my pages of notes and started to write down the name of the book and the book store nearby they sold it in.

Naturally I was going to go after school, find the book, read it, and pass it on to Jenny. I was determined to help Jenny in every possible way I could for her pregnancy. After all, I was inevitably in love with her, and since this baby was a piece of her, I quite loved it too.

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