Teenagers, Love and Pregnancy

Chapter 6

[yes I know my name is kendell and I'm a girl but in this story kendell is a boys names]

"Miss Cameron Barone," the voice of my high school principal rang out across the football stadium, magnified by a microphone. I walked across the stage, my white heels clomping and my graduation gown billowing.

"Congratulations Miss Barone," he said, as he handed me my diploma and shook my hand.

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

It was graduation night, a month after I told John (and later that night, my mom) that I was pregnant.

"You know what you have to do, right?"

It was after graduation was over. Kelly was dragging her feet to leave the high school, and I didn't blame her. We had dreamt about this night all year, planning for epic parties and the freedom from being a high schooler. But since I had gotten pregnant, any hopes of me "partying it up on graduation night" had washed down the drain. I tried to convince Kelly she could go out without me, but she wouldn't hear it. We would be heading home soon for a movie night.

"Go home and watch Scary Movie Five, right?" I asked hopefully. I could tell from the serious look on Kelly's face that this wasn't going to be the case, though.

"No," Kelly replied firmly. She was silent for a minute. "You have to tell him." With that, she nodded grimly in the direction of a group of gorgeous, laughing kids in our class. A few of the girls looked a little tipsy, like they might have started partying earlier. I didn't realize what she was talking about until I noticed a tall guy with electric green eyes murmuring something in the ear of a petite girl with perfect blonde curls. Kendall.

"What? No! No, I can't. Not tonight."

"Look at me Cam," Kelly said, putting her hands on either of my shoulders. The tassel on her cap bounced on her face as she looked me in the eyes.

"Whether either of you likes it or not, in seven months, he's gonna be a daddy. Don't you think he deserves some advance warning?" she continued.

"Yeah," I replied sheepishly, her intense gaze making me nervous. "But not now. Please." I was begging her. I wasn't ready!

"If not now, then when? After he comes back from college NEXT summer, and his kid is walking? What are you going to do then, knock on his door and say 'Hey, here's the kid I never told you about, where's my child support?'"

I sighed.

"Just not tonight, okay?"

"Cam. This is your LAST CHANCE before he leaves for school."

"What am I gonna do Kelly? Walk up to him and say, 'Hey, hate to interrupt one of the best nights of your life, but in a few months, I'm having your baby! See you in the delivery room!'?"

Kelly rolled her eyes.

"Something like that. Now go!" With that, she shoved me in the direction of Kendall's crowd, one I used to hang out with.

I hated her for it, but Kel was right. I did have to tell Kendall soon, and there's no time like the present right?

As I approached his clique of unapproachables, they all turned in unison, the girls' perfectly styled hair whipping around, the guys sculpted eyebrows raising. Kendall was the only one not to look at me.

"Um, Kendall," I mumbled shyly. He turned around, confusion clouding his perfect eyes. "Can we talk?"

"Actually," a fit brunette who must have gone to another school (she wasn't wearing a cap or gown) said, putting an arm protectively over Kendall's shoulder. "We were just about to leave."

"Please," I mumbled, looking from the unfamiliar girl to Kendall and back. "It'll just be a second. It's really important."

"Kendall!" A guy named Danny called. "Let's go!"

Kendall studied my face. He must have seen something serious there, because he waved to Danny.

"You guys go on! I'll catch up!" he called back. "What is it?" he said to me in a lower tone.

"Can we um, take a walk?" I asked.

"No," the catty brunette said, still clutching his arm. "You can't."

"One sec, Samantha, okay?" Kendall asked, squeezing her hand. He turned to me. "Let's go." There was no compassion, no love in his voice. What did I expect though? I was nothing but an old ex-girlfriend and a one-night stand. We took off at a comfortable stride until we were beside the women's restrooms, away from groups of families and friends taking pictures and reveling in high school memories.

"I'm just gonna come right out and say it, okay?" I asked as I toyed with my manicure.

"Okay."

There was a long pause where the only sound was the far-away chattering of graduates and their loved ones.

"I'm pregnant." Tears were in my eyes. No matter how many times I said it, reality still hadn't sank in. I couldn't look at Kendall. He said nothing.

"It's yours," I finally spat out.

"What?" His response was immediate. "No."

"Yes. You're the only one I've ever --"

There was another pause.

"How long until --"

"It's born? Seven months."

"So you're two months. . ."

"Yeah."

There was another long, heavy pause. I still hadn't gotten the guts to even look at Kendall. The father of my unborn child.

"I want a DNA test."

"What? Kendall --"

"I want proof that it's mine before I go paying for it."

"Kendall, you're not going to pay for it. I just thought you should know. . ."

"Like hell I'm not going to pay for it. I'm going to pay for it every day of my life, whether with money or without."

"Kendall please," I was crying hard now, tears slipping down my face. I looked up at him for the first time. There was not a single emotion on his face. He looked cold and calculating.

"Come talk to me when you have a DNA test."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me to cry alone behind the bathroom.