Age Is Just A Number !!! (Watty Awards 2012)

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER !!!

                                                                  Chapter 3

"Well, who is this guy? I didn't even know you had a boyfriend, let alone sleeping with him!" My father said.

"This guy..." I told them, I know it just made it sound worse, but I couldn't tell them it was Mr. Harrison. I didn't want him to get in trouble.

"Well, obviously. I meant, what's his name?" My father went on; it was getting harder and harder not to say that it was Mr. Harrison.

"This guy, Thomas." I told them, which that isn't a lie. Mr. Harrison's first name is Thomas.

"I can't take this." My father replied as he got up from the table and left the room.

"You really upset your father. Why would you do this, Rachel? You had so much going for you. You get straight A's, and you’re an amazing girl. You could do whatever you want." My mother lectured.

"I'm sorry, Mom. It was an accident."

"I'd hope so. But, let's not make this awful for you. We need to make a doctor's appointment to see how far you are. Rachel, the most important question for you is: Are you going to keep this baby? Are you going to get it aborted? Are you putting it up for adoption?"

"I need time to think about that. I just don't know right now." I told her as I got up and left the room.

"What are we going to do? Rachel is pregnant, Nancy. The worst part about it, is that she is sixteen. I'd be fine with it if she was thirty and had a house of her own, a husband, and a job!" My father told my mother after I had left the room.

"I know, David. She is young, but we cannot stress her out about this. This is a tough time for her and it will only be tougher now that she's pregnant. She's got a lot of decisions to make, so we need to support her no matter what. Stress and pressure will only make it hard on her and the baby." My mother replied to him.

I went downstairs after my parents were done talking. I walked over to my father, "Dad, I'm sorry. I don't want you to be mad at me."

"Rachel, I'm not mad. I'm disappointed; you let me and your mother both down. But, we're not going to stress about it. I will love you no matter what decision you make. It just scares me that my little girl, is going to have a baby." My father told me, this made me tear up. I never liked upsetting people, but I hated upsetting my father, he was the person I always tried to impress the most, but I let him down.

Within two weeks, my mother had scheduled me a doctor's appointment.

"Well, Miss. Dixon, you are indeed pregnant. You are about six weeks along, which is still early. Make sure you take lots of prenatal vitamins, unless you would prefer the alternative; an abortion." The doctor told me.

I went over to Mr. Harrison's house to tell him what the doctor told me.

"Well, it's a definite yes. I'm carrying your baby. Both of my parents know, they don't know it's you. I told them it was my boyfriend, Thomas. Yeah, that's your name, I know, but I didn't want to completely lie to them."

"Well, have you decided what to do with, It?" Mr. Harrison replied to me.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to raise it?" Mr. Harrison asked me.

"I have no idea. And it wouldn't just be me raising it! It's your baby too! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be having this problem! Maybe I should just dump the baby on you; it'll teach you a lesson not to sleep with your students..."

"Hey, what happened that night took two people. You didn't have to follow along, you could have said no. It's not just my fault, sweetheart." Mr. Harrison said in a sarcastic voice.

"Don't call me--" I tried to finish the sentence. I felt something in my throat and my stomach churned. I held it with one hand, then I felt something; I put my hand over my mouth. My cheeks puffed out, they were filled with vomit.

"Rachel? Are you okay?" Mr. Harrison asked me, I couldn't answer; I had to rush to the bathroom.

"Ahhh, blehhh, blahh." I threw up into the toilet. It was embarrassing, Mr. Harrison ran after me; it was sweet of him.

"It's okay...Do you need anything? Water?" Mr. Harrison asked, grabbing onto my hair. He gently pulled it back from my face and patted my back.

"N...O..." I choked out when I could.

"Here, take this." Mr. Harrison told me, handing me a toothbrush.

"Thanks. What you did, it was really sweet, you didn't have to do that, especially after the way I talked to you."

"It's nothing. I mean, it was instincts of being a teacher, I guess."

"I'd better get going. If I'm late for dinner my mom will get really mad at me. See you on Monday at school." I told Mr. Harrison.

"Okay. If you need anything, call me, seriously, I'll get or do anything." Mr. Harrison said as he gave me a kiss on the lips.

"Mr. Harrison, I just puked, and you're kissing me..."

"It doesn't matter anymore, considering part of me is growing inside of you." He told me, that kind of creeped me out, but it was true.

"I bought you some clothes today. Your others are getting a little bit tight, you're starting to show." My mother told me when I walked into my room.

"Mom, I'm six weeks. I'm not showing." I told her as I looked down at my belly, it was starting to get round, this made me sad, I didn't want to get fat.

"Well, you may not need them now, but in two or three weeks, you'll need them, trust me."

I pulled on the first outfit. It pants with a rosy red print on them and a light pink camisole. "Mom, I'm sixteen, not forty. I think this outfit is a little bit to...old for me."

"I agree; that is totally not your style. Don't worry, I bought more." She told me, shoving another outfit in my face.

"I like this, it's comfortable. But, I don't really want to go around in school in this shirt. I don't want to brag that I'm sixteen and pregnant." I told her, it was a cute shirt, but nothing I'd want my friend to see me in.

"Okay, then we'll save it for the baby shower." My mother told me. Baby shower? Are you kidding me, my mother was totally out of her mind.

I pulled on the last outfit; it was fitted overalls with a light print on them. They were very comfortable. "I like this one, Mom." I told her, facing her so she could see.

"Oh! Rachel! I love those. Well, it's set; you have your maternity wear planned out. I'll set them on your dresser so in a few weeks when you need them, they'll be there."

"So, I went to the doctor a few days ago, and it is one hundred percent, that I'm pregnant. My mom got me all of these clothes to wear."

"Well, Preggo, have you decided what you're going to do with Rachel Junior?" Julia asked me, I liked that she called the baby 'Rachel Junior’; a baby girl would be great.

"I want to keep it. But, it would be hard for all of my family, with the baby crying, and I don't have a job. I just don't know yet."