Alaska

Chapter Thirty-Four

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

The next day, Lexi went through her entire day at school with the thoughts of shopping for baby things to keep her going.  Once again, she sat alone in class and avoided Ariel and Violet's looks and when class was finally dismissed at two o'clock she bounded out and was the first at the elevators.

Angel was waiting at the mall a few blocks down from the school, wearing her pink nursing scrubs, her brown hair tied in a high ponytail to cool her down from the blaring sun up above.  It was only the first week of June and yet the temperature was already rising to an irritating point.

"Ready for baby stuff?" She grinned, excitedly.

Lexi nodded and followed her sister through the double doors of the air-conditioned mall, waddling through the first floor with her hands on her large belly, nervously awaiting the baby store.

It was a lot more overwhelming than she thought it would be.  The store was flamboyant and bubbly with many multi-coloured sections of cribs and clothes and toys.  Of course, she had been inside a baby store many times before, but now, to know that she was shopping for herself, made loads more difference.

"What do you wanna look at first?" Angel asked, brightly.

They were standing at the entrance of the store, overlooking everything.  Lexi shrugged and pointed at the cribs section at the far end of the shop.  She figured that a crib was the most essential thing needed for a baby.

Lexi instantly found a crib she had seen a few months ago when browsing through stores with Angel.  It was white in colour, with wooden bars and a light yellow mattress and Lexi associated it with nurseries, picturing a typical home with a white picket fence and a stereo-typical nursery.  It was perfect.

"You're looking at this one quite a lot, aren't you?" Angel beamed as she stood behind Lexi who was rubbing at the polished handles admirably.

"It's pretty," Lexi said, a hint of a smile on her face.  "I can see her in it."

"Can you?"

Lexi nodded and rubbed her belly as she felt her baby flop around inside.

"Then let's order it for Penny!" Angel patted Lexi's back and skulked off for a shop assistant.

The two of them spent three whole hours shopping at the mall.  They had purchased a large variety of things like:  a crib, a changing table, a butterfly mobile, two packs of diapers, six boxes of toys and a bunch of baby onesies.

"I'm sure this is enough for the day," Angel said as they bounced out of the shop carrying mounds of shopping bags.  "I'm sure you'll get a shower in Pennsylvania, anyway."

"Just as long as it's not at the Country Club!" Lexi said, and the two of them burst into fits of laughter.

***

As Lexi packed away her baby's things to take to Pennsylvania at the beginning of July she came across a onesie that was hidden in the back of her closet.  A onesie she had recieved at Christmas from Angel.  Her baby's first onesie.  She smiled and placed the soft yellow material over her large shelf of a belly and felt small pats against her stomach wall, inside.

"This is yours, little girl!" She cooed.  "I really can't wait to meet you.  You're my sweetheart and you're going to be my priority from now on."

There were a few more kicks as a reply and then Lexi sat down, fingering at the soft garment, and thinking.

It had been almost six months since she had received it.  Six months since Christmas.  Six months since the day her parents found out she was pregnant and six months since she found out she was going to be living in Ohio just a few weeks later.  A lot had happened and it suddenly felt like she was living a whole new life.  Ohio had certainly changed the person she was, and the views she had on life, and there were a few people who helped.  Including Ashton...

***

Thirty weeks...

Next Thursday, Lexi's mood had heightened a small amount and she was a lot more determined to get home to Pennsylvania and start her new life as a mother.  She was so much more jovial that she couldn't help flashing a few small smiles to Violet and Ariel who stared at her in confusion.

During a compulsory class of History however, she was snapped back into her stressed senses when Ms.  Olsen padded into the room during Mr.  Tawner's lecture about Abraham Lincoln. 

"So," she exhaled with a toothy grin on her face.  "I'm here to remind you girls that by tomorrow you need to hand in your papers for the Annual Competition.  I wish you all luck!"  It was quick and direct and she moved out as swiftly as she came in.

Lexi stared, open-mouthed.  She had completely forgotten about her memoir on Alaska.  She still needed to touch a few things up and add one last inspiring paragraph...  For tomorrow!  Yet what was it going to be about?  She was completely blank, once again.  The fact that Ashton and her were over and she was still writing about his ex girlfriend dragged her inspiration level down to zero.  The oncology ward at the hospital had only done so much!  It was useless.  She had screwed everything up.  She had no chance of winning, now.

As she was driving home, her knuckles paper white on the steering wheel of her beetle, her mind raced with mounting thoughts on what she could write about, though nothing came to mind.  It was impossible to do more research at the hospital, or find one of Alaska's relatives to interview.  She was done.  She might as well give some lame conclusion and send it off without the chance of winning.  She was giving away a full scholarship to college.

Just as she was shaking her head, giving up, she whizzed by a golden sign that she saw from the corner of her eye.  For a fraction of a second she ignored it and continued driving, but then she saw the gleaming silver words written on the sign in her mind, again and stomped on the brakes.

OHIO WESTERN CEMETERY

She didn't have much inspiration, but maybe if she spent some time with the actual girl she was writing about, something she had been wanting to do for a while- maybe something would come to her mind.  She found a parking spot a few feet down from the wrought iron gates that held the entry to the grave infested landscape and made her way out, glancing at the church across the road, where JJ's funeral had been held.

JJ's funeral...  The day that Ashton and Lexi had fought and never made up.  It seemed like it was yesterday, and yet a whole month had passed.  A whole month without Ashton.

She groaned as she trudged along the sloping grass, across the many slabs of gravestone.  She couldn't be thinking about Ashton at a time like this.  A time when she was here for Alaska. 

Sun beams poured down on her face and illuminated the many grey marble stones surrounding her, which reflected up and produced dancing shadows across the grass.  The air was still and warm, yet there was still something chilly that crept up her spine.

Finally, she halted in front of Alaska's gravestone, staring at it in mild interest and wondering what she needed to do to get inspired.  She waited, hoping something would hit her, then she sighed and shook her head.

"I'm so stupid," she said out loud into the piercing silence.  "I'm sorry I even came here, Alaska.  I'm just a frenzied pregnant teen in need of some enlightening."

Silence.

Lexi raised her eyebrow, half expecting a voice to speak back.

"Anyways," Lexi continued.  "I'm Alexia Whitmore.  We haven't cordially met.  I'm seven and a half months pregnant with a baby girl and I'm attending Morgan Term College for a pregnant teen course.  I'm supposed to write something to win this scholarship and I chose you because for some reason I got inspired and-"

"Are you actually speaking to a gravestone?" Came a voice.

Lexi gasped, her heart literally stopping in her chest cavity and she felt a sudden dizziness overwhelm her.  She whipped around, in search for the sound source and her eyes rounded, goosebumps accumulating on her pale skin and dryness becoming of her mouth.

It was Ashton.