I stared down at my sink. This must not be real. This is just a dream, an altered reality. No way in hell could this be happening to me. I'm only sixteen, a high school student. My biggest worry should be next years cheerleading try outs and the SATs. I'm a junior. I should be on the prom committee. I should be spending time with my friends, shopping.
Not pregnant and having a baby. Not getting stretch marks and swelling up. Not becoming a teen mom. I knew something had had to have been up, but not this. Never this. My dad was going to kill me. I was his daughter, and he never had the slightest I was having protected sex, never mind unprotected sex.
I looked up in my mirror, and smoothed out my soft brown hair. I looked at the girl staring back at me. She looked pretty. He green eyes sparkled,brown hair messy, but it worked. She looked terrified though. Like nothing in her life would ever be the same again. She looked stressed. She looked worried.
I grabbed the five pregnancy tests and went downstairs. I better get this over with now rather than later. My dad was cooking breakfast. He was making eggs and bacon. Who could screw that up, right? Wrong. My dad was the worst cook ever. He burned water. Who burns water?
I set the sticks on a paper towel that was laying on the counter. I grabbed the food from him and got to work.
"Let me, Daddy." I told him. He smiled and walked over to what I had set down.
"What are these?" He asked me quietly. I looked over at him. His greying brown hair looked mussed, his green eyes were full of sorrow. Fears, and worst of all, disappointment.
"Dad... I'm pregnant." I turned back to the food and saved the eggs and bacon. "I'm so sorry." I put the breakfast on plates and grabbed a fork and my own plate.
"Didn't the talk work? Safe sex, condoms, birth control. What happened to letting me know you wanted birth control before you had sex?" His eyes were now raging with fury. "How could you do this to me?"
"I didn't do it to you! I did it to me! Don't you understand? I had sex for me! I wanted to stop being the good girl. I had to do something stupid. But I never wanted to end up pregnant!"
He grabbed his plate and stormed out of the kitchen.
"I never thought this would happen Elizabeth! Never in a million years!" And he slammed a door, probably to his bedroom. He always acted like a child when he was upset. I never would have considered acting the way he does. He's a single parent, though. I couldn't blame him. He's always been there for me, and now he wasn't.
A few moments later I heard some stomping coming from the hall. My dad had finished his food. He turned the sink on and rinsed his plate. He must've been really pissed, because a few seconds later the plate snapped in half. I took a few steps towards him, and put my arm on his shoulder.
"I'll be here for you, always. But you have to start being responsible, El. I mean it."
Pause. This is me. Today. As in, pregnant and whiny, barely listening to her dad. I didn't mean to have sex. It just sorta happened. Let me take you back to two months ago when this whole mess started.
I was at a wild party, for James Crane. It was his Halloween bash and I decided to go with my best friend, Jennifer. Okay, I didn't really wan to. But I was invited and was allowed to bring one person with me. I had let it slip to her that like her, I had been invited.
"Elizabeth, you are so going to this kick ass party!" Jennifer got on the escalator and I followed suit.
"What if something bad happens tonight? what if I drink, or smoke?" I whined to her.
"You're worried about that?" She said. I nodded and she scoffed. "I would be more worried about getting an STD or something."
"Jen! I will NOT be having sex at this party," I said, getting off the escalator. "Lets go into this boutique."
Boy was I wrong. I had never been more wrong in my entire life. I was a good girl. Virgin, straight boring brown hair, boring eyes, boring glasses, boring everything. I wasn't your typical party cheerleader type. I was more of a lit geek and a shop till I drop kinda girl.
"Oh shut up El." Jennifer linked arms with me and we headed into a boutique called 'Little Miss Perfect'.
I went to a rack with some brown dresses that had a few accessories.
"You cannot be serious." Jennifer groaned. "Here. Let me help you."
She walked over to a rack of colorful party dresses.
"Jen, these are so not me!" I whined.
"Exactly. Be sexy and dangerous tonight. Not Elizabeth Woods. Be flirty and daring. Not Elizabeth Woods."
I nodded and let her pick out a few dresses for me to try on. I nodded and went into the dressing room. The first one was an aqua blue with sequins on the bodice. I shimmied it on and stepped out for Jennifer to see.
She was on the couch, texting someone. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me.
"No. The color doesn't match your eyes. Go try another on."
And I did.
The next dress was a chiffon hot pink that stopped at mid thigh and flowed out. It was a halter top that had a few ruffles.
I stepped out again. And the dress was rejected.
I tried on the final dress. It was a short dress, in an emerald green color. It was made of lace and had a solid green from the hem to the top of my breasts. There was a black belt with a bow buckle. My log brown hair looked so chic all tossed over one shoulder. My eyes really popped out.
I stepped out for Jen to see. She looked up from her phone and her jaw dropped.
"It's perfect!" she squealed. I smiled at her.
"You really think so?" I kinda blushed when she nodded vigorously. "I'll take it."
After buying the dress we went back to my house.
"Hi Daddy!" I shout and run upstairs.
"Hi Mr. Woods!" Jennifer hollers, flying after me.
I clapped and sat down at my mirror. Jennifer was doing my hair and make, if I would do hers. I had the perfect idea for her.
After 45 minutes of curling irons, bobby pins, and hair spray, I was done.
What once was thin, boring hair, was romantic curls. My hair was pinned up to keep my hair out of my face. Jennifer, smiling, stuck a black head band with a bow on it in my hair. Next, I examined my face.
What once looked like a virgin nerd, was dangerous and mystifying. Flirty and daring. Her emerald eyes sparkled, being complimented with a smokey look with hints of green in the shadow. Her black eyeliner looked perfect. Her fake eyelashes looked real and glamorous. Her glasses, now contacts, were gone. Her tan face dusts with rosy cheeks and pink lips.
"Jennifer. I look... Fabulous. Surreal. So perfect."
"Awwwwww thanks El!" she gushed.
"Your turn!" I giggle and switch spots with her.
Another 50 minutes and Jennifer was done. Her hair was in a loose, gentle waterfall braid, and her hair was curled. I had done her make up with soft pinks that made her highlighted hair stand out.
"I look fabulous!" she said giddily. We clapped and quickly put our dresses as heals on. I went downstairs to look for my dad. I found a note on the table for me.
Gone out. Dinners in the fridge. You and Jennifer can rent movies and have popcorn. See you tomorrow. El. Be careful.
-Dad
I grinned and we left for the party.
A/N: so what do you guys think? party is the next chapter ;)
