A week later, Angela was back at school, only she wasn't herself. She was very distant and quiet. I could tell that something was wrong, but every time I would ask, she'd just shrug her shoulders and act as if I wasn't sitting next to her. I wanted to help her, but I had my own problems. I had this baby coming in just two and a half more months, plus school was getting in the way. Karen was going to take me shopping after school for some things that the baby would need. We still needed to figure out where he would be sleeping. Karen had even told me that she would be talking to my dad to see if we could move both me and him into a bigger room.
I sat in my classes, barely paying attention to what my teacher was saying. I was too freaked out about this shopping thing. 'I mean, what if I buy all boy stuff and the doctor was wrong and I was having a girl?' I thought to myself. I clenched my hands together under the desk and the bell rang, making me jump. I slid out of the seat and left the class. I went to my locker, grabbing the rest of my stuff. I turned and nearly ran into Jeffery. I rolled my eyes and pushed passed him. "I don't have time for this, Jeffery," I told him sternly, but he followed me.
As I pushed the doors open, he grabbed my arm, making me stop. He sighed heavily.
"Lindsay, listen to me, please," he begged, pitifully. I rolled my eyes and tried to wiggle my arm from his grasp, but he didn't budge. "Lindsay, I know you don't want me to be the father of this child, but I am the only one willing to take responsibility for it."
"It's a boy," I said harshly. "My baby is a boy. Why can't you just let this go, Jeffery? I mean, you should be relieved that I don't care about what you do or say about me or this baby. He isn't yours."
"But you don't know that."
"I have a pretty dang good feeling about it." He shook his head, muttering to himself.
"Lindsay, please. I just want to make sure that this baby is cared for like it should be." I tried again to get my arm out of his grasp, but he held on, tight. "Lindsay, I want to know that you're willing to cooperate." I looked into his green eyes and saw that they were hard and cold. I stepped really close to him, our faces inches apart.
"Even if he is yours, you won't have anything to do with him, Jeffery. If this baby is determined to be yours, then you'll go to jail, and I'm really tempted to call the cops and tell them all about the underage drinking that was going on at your house that night. Now, before I let my temper fly, I suggest you let me go right now. Before things get worse." He looked taken aback by my words, and he let my arm go. I walked down the stairs to the car, where Karen sat, looking scared out of her mind.
"Are you okay?" she asked as I fastened my seatbelt. I shrugged my shoulders.
"As I could possibly be," I replied coldy, letting my bag hit the floor at my feet. I stared out the window as Angela got into the backseat. She too, was quiet. I saw Karen out of the corner of my eye, turning her head to look at the both of us.
"Are you girls okay?" I didn't answer and neither did Angela. I looked into the rearview mirror and she just slumped in the back, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared out the window. Karen sighed heavily and started to drive away from the school. The radio was turned down low, but Karen hummed to it anyway. I could tell it was some song by Katy Perry, I could never remember the name of it. I leaned my head against the cold window as she drove. I pressed my forehead into the glass as I stared out at the snow covered ground.
Karen pulled into an empty parking space and she shifted it into park. She turned the car off, but she didn't get out, neither did Angela. I felt the silence weighing heavily upon us. I grasped the door's handle and pushed the door open. I carefully got out, making sure to grab cart return bar as I walked, trying to avoid slipping and falling. I heard a door open and Karen came up beside me, looping her arm through mine. She turned her head as she shouted, "Hurry up, Angela!"
