"Wow, I never saw that one coming." Karen's eyes are wide as she stares at the ring Dally usually wears. It sits comfortably on my pointer finger, as big as it could be.
"Yeah." I just shake my head, it hasn't really sunk in yet what I did last night.
"You told Tim yet?" she frowns as though his name alone disgust her thoroughly.
"No, and don't you go tellin' Curly." I give her the sharpest look that I can muster and my mood falls when she doesn't even have it in her to joke back at me.
"Curly won't be knowing anytime soon." She fiddles with the bars of her swing. We've been sitting in the old park for what must be an hour by now, Karen didn't want to be going anywhere else, and I agreed.
"What do you mean?" I look over at her, her brown eyes are cast towards the ground, and I know if I wasn't around she would be crying.
"We ain't seeing each other at the moment." She sniffs, finally looking up and out to nowhere at the rows of houses in front of us.
"What? Karen I'm sorry, I hadn't a clue."
"No, it's alright," she pauses, putting a hand on her stomach like something is making her feel real ill "we're okay." Her eyes meet mine, and I'm sure I look like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Glory." Is all I can muster as I stare at her stomach.
"I found out Saturday, I've been late for a month." She looks right ashamed, and I put my hand on hers.
"How can I make this better?" I ask slowly, still unsure of how exactly to proceed, getting the birds and the bees from Danny and my father didn't exactly prepare me for anything.
She doesn't respond, just keeps swinging and looking longingly into the air, so I sit next to her, trying to do the same thing and cursing Danny for not preparing me well enough for situations like this.
We swing, and swing, and I feel more and more awkward sitting next to her, because what can I do? We rock until the sky starts to darken, and I decide it's time for us to get going. Karen is still comatose.
"Karen, it's time to go home, it's getting dark, and cold." I stand, stretching out my hands to grab her off of the swing.
Instead she collapses to the ground, a loud cry escaping her lips and sending chills down my spine.
"They'll hate me Sylvia." She cries, her breath ragged, and I fall to the ground next to her, rubbing her back as she continues to let out screams and sobs like a stuck animal, waiting to be slaughtered, only Karen will be slaughtered by the world.
"He hates me." She stutters "Oh God, what have I done, what have I done?" her sobs disappear and turn to screams altogether.
I try everything to get her to stop, even screaming at her myself, everything about the spectacle is chilling.
"I can't do this." she rips at her hair "Get it out, I don't want it, get it out."
Her fists start to beat at her own stomach, and I panic, she doesn't stop, and her screams become incoherent, just jumbles of words thrown wildly into the chilly air. I can't get her to stop, so finally I just tackle her, tapping into every bit of courage I have, and I stay there, holding her to the ground, and taking her hands in my own.
I don't know how long we sit there, but by the time her screams turn to hiccups, the sky is dark, and I know I'll be getting in trouble with Danny for not making dinner.
"Come on, Karen, we need to get you somewhere warm."
She nods, clearly embarrassed I had to see her break. Her eyes are downright puffy, and her cheeks are red with streaks of tears.
YOU ARE READING
Sylvia
FanfictionI don't even know if I remember the first time I saw him. Back then I didn't pay him one glance, but there was something about Dallas Winston like the irritating way gum sticks to the bottom of your shoe, and glory, I hated to love him. He was bold...
