“I’ll see you guys in a little bit,” I say, pushing back from the twelve-seater dining room table.
“Have fun, yo,” Zoe says. Edie shakes her head and waves goodbye.
I weave through all the people that separate me and Parker, smiling with my straight white teeth and deep red lips. When his brown eyes meet mine, Parker smiles and hugs me, since his parents are watching closely. “Hello, Claire,” Mrs. Remington, Anna, says kissing my cheek. “That dress looks amazing on you.”
“Claire,” Elizabeth snaps, “why don’t you take your little boyfriend to the den with the rest of the kids?”
“Come on Elizabeth, let the kids do what they want,” my dad says with a wink. Elizabeth glares at my dad, but he ignores her and leads her into the dining room.
“We’ll leave you two alone,” Mrs. Remington says, smiling. She totes Mr. Remington off to the kitchen and they disappear in to the swarm of caterers.
Parker puts his lips to my ear and whispers, “Destiny has brought us together. Our hearts having minds of their own. Our bodies and souls blend together to become a passionate flame.”
I giggle, because I always used to get on him for not saying things like guys in movies do. He took it very seriously to find the worst lines ever. I stop myself and pull away. “Can we go up to my room?”
He wiggles his eyebrows; and the look in my eyes must tell him something’s up so he takes me seriously and follows me up the stairs to the second floor. Even through my closed bedroom door I can still hear the sounds of music and voices from downstairs. I sit on one of the small couches and pat the cushion next to mine, inviting Parker to come close to me. “Want to blend our souls together? I can go fast.” he says with smile.
“No thanks,” I say. I look down at my lap, feeling tears starting to fill my eyes. Parker notices, and wraps his strong arms around me. I feel a little better, but guilt is driving me over the edge. I don’t know if he would be so sweet to me if he knew. I doubt it though; I’ve seen Teen Mom and I know how almost every boyfriend acts.
“What’s the matter?” he asks. “If I did something wrong, I’m sorry.” His big brown eyes are so sincere and he squeezes my hand.
“Oh God, I’m going to throw up!” I cry. Parker takes me seriously and leans back a little. My stomach does hurt, but I know I’m not literally going to puke. At the beginning of summer break I did throw up a lot, and I had assumed it was the flu… The thought sets in. That was MONTHS ago! Am I more than just a few weeks along? I burst into tears and flop back onto the couch cushions.
“What is it?”
“I’m pregnant.” Those two words are words I thought only sluts would say. Words no girl in Haumea, California under the age of 23 has ever said, on the record. This is a nice town, where girls are convinced that their only option is to “take care of it”, and the decision is made easier by hushed bribes usually provided by the father’s family.
I study Parker’s face closely. He lowers his eyes and his cheeks flush; his mouth opens to say something, and then closes.
“I am so sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I knew you were under stress from getting ready for the game and-”
