Beautiful Mistake

xxi

As a present for the holidays, I have three chapters for you guys! I hope you enjoy them all. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

-

"I've arranged a public speaking for you and Collin today around two o'clock. I have a speech prepared for you if you want to add a few things about your current situation," He says referring to me actually being pregnant, "Then you can."

"Okay. I'll try to memorize it." I take the paper from his desk. It starts off sounding like me but then breaks off into statistics, "Alright, thanks, Mr. Santiago." I leave the classroom and make my way to my Math class.

-

At lunch, Tess finds me and takes me by the hand, "I have something to show you." She pulls me along with her throughout the hallways and brings us to one of the doors that take us out to the quad.

"What's out here?" I ask, as we walk across the quad and enter a small area where a few people sit on their laptops.

"A freshman hacked the security cameras around the school and found a video of Collin and Liliya fondling each other in the janitor's closet."

"You mean they were," I refuse to finish my sentence and Tessa nods enthusiastically.

"I heard there's an assembly today and Justin said he'll hack the projector computers and play it in front of the entire school for fifty dollars each."

My eyes widen and I pull her aside, "Tessa, I can't do that."

"Yes, you can! This is the perfect time to ruin both of their reputations. Or at least make them even worse than they already are."

"No, I'm not doing it. It's a horrible idea." I let go of Tessa's hand and walk away from her and the group of computer geeks.

I join Mr. Santiago and Mrs. Gideon in the teacher's lounge. "A pregnant girl should not have to suffer school lunch," I complain, sitting down on a bean bag chair. "And how come teachers get a paradise room?"

"We deserve a little paradise from dealing with thousands of teenagers a day." Mrs. Gideon says, rubbing her temples.

"I get what you're saying." I look up as the door opens and Collin walks in, joining us in this once wonderful room.

"Hey Mr. Santiago, I got your note a little late." He pulls up a chair to the table they are sitting at and Mr. Santiago tells him about the assembly.

"Okay cool. You said two?"

"Yes, two o'clock. I'll send for you at 1:30 so you have some time to speak with each other and get the words down."

"I don't think any talking between us is happening. Don't you remember the agreement Caroline made a big deal about?" Collin says, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at me.

"I did not make a big deal out of anything! You're the one who's being a dick hole!"

"Caroline! How many times do I have to tell you about your language?" I cross my arms and sit back in my bean bag. "You two act like children! You have your own child on the way and you're going to have to have some sort of agreement."

"I don't want his sausage loving girlfriend around my kid," I mumble, taking a dollar from my backpack and standing up.

I walk over to the vending machine and put the dollar in. My eyes scan over the items and I see it costs a dollar and change.

I sigh and turn around, "I need a quarter."

"I don't have one, sorry." Mrs. Gideon says, looking through her purse.

I look over to Mr. Santiago and he shakes his head. I face the machine and press the money back button.

I get four quarters back and I give them to Mrs. Gideon, "Why are you giving me these?"

"I have no use for them anymore." I slowly sit back down on the bean bag chair. "Can't believe I'm four months pregnant already." I look at Mrs. Gideon who places both of her hands on the table, "Do you have any children?"

"No, I uh, I don't. I mean I'm only 31 so I have some time." She smiles and then it falters, "My husband passed a few years ago but I choose to keep his last name. I haven't found anyone that I think deserves to have a child with me."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Mr. Santiago says, taking her hand in his to comfort her.

Collin sits back in his seat and makes eye contact with me. He mouths his words and I try to interpret them. 'He likes her.'

I look at the both of them and Mr. Santiago looks as if he was about to fall out of his seat. I shrug and look at the clock.

"The bell is gonna ring soon. I better skedaddle." I grab the table and push myself up.

"I gotta go too. My sausage loving girlfriend is waiting for me." I try to hold back a laugh as I walk out of the lounge and into the hallway of hormonal teenagers.

After three minutes of walking, I finally turn into the corridor of my English class. The bell still hasn't rung but I'd rather be in the classroom before anyone else. I turn around to take a peek at the rest of the people and I see Collin and Liliya making out on their way into the janitors closet, again.

He's really going to have two baby mamas if he doesn't cool his jets. The bell rings and Mr. Florence comes from the opposite end of the hallway.

"How're you today Caroline?" He asks as he unlocks the classroom door.

"I'm pretty good, how're you?"

"I've been let down by a lot of students. I'm hoping you've finished your essay?"

"Yeah I finished it." I smile proudly and walk into the classroom once he gets the door open.

"That's good, can't wait to read it." I sit down at my desk and take out my folder. My essay sits on the inside and before I can take it, a small hand takes it out of the pocket.

I look up to see Liliya scanning over the paper as she reads some parts in an annoying high pitched tone, "My friends mean the most to me, they've all been here for me through thick and thin and I don't know what I'd do without them." Liliya lightly lays my paper on my desk and rests both of her hands on either side, "Look pig, I want you to stay away from my man. He obviously doesn't want you, he obviously doesn't like you, and even an idiot knows that he loves my-" She's cut off by the bell but I think I can fill in the blank.

She stands up straight, eyeing me the entire time. Liliya turns on her heel which causes her cheerleading outfit to flair up. Her footsteps are loud as she makes her way over to Collin who sits in the back with his friends. I roll my eyes and turn my attention to Mr. Florence who is collecting the small amount of the essays done.

He then passes them back but only after mixing them up. We all get random essays and have to edit them to fit the criteria. Mine is done in ten minutes because the entire thing is about the different types of butts and how they mattered.

I look over my shoulder at Collin and Liliya, a common thing I do in this class. But this time Collin locks gazes with me, making my heart ache at the sight of his green eyes. He looks away first and I stare for a few seconds longer before turning back around.

Even though I want nothing to do with him, it doesn't stop me from caring. Through all of this, the pregnancy, the fights, the 'I'm done with you forever' thing, I still care about him. I may play like I hate him to other people but to myself, I know I still want him.

A sigh escapes my lips as I go over the essay again, making sure I didn't miss anything before.