High School Hockey Boys

09

"Fin, the hospital called. They want to set up your next appointment." Mom said, sticking her head around the open door. I nodded and grabbed my phone, dialling the number for the maternity ward.

"Hello?" A happy voice chirped.

"Um, hi. I'm calling to schedule an appointment." I said.

"Name please."

"Finley O'brien."

"Oh yes, here we are. How does the twenty-fourth of this month sound?" I checked the calendar on my wall.

"Is it possible to have the appointment be early in the morning?" I asked.

"Of course! What time works for you?"

"Nine-thirty?" I suggested.

"Sounds good. See you then!" I hung up and wrote the appointment down. I returned to the homework I'd been doing and sighed. This is how the rest of the school year is going to go. But what really concerns me is how I'm going to do exams. First semester exams are in two months. And what about second semester. I'll be roughly eight months pregnant by then.

I groaned and closed my binder. I made my way downstairs after putting on some socks and grabbing a sweater.

"Mom, I'm going for a walk!" I called as I slipped into my shoes.

"Be back for lunch!" She said, and I stepped outside. I sighed deeply as I walked down the street. What am I going to do?
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While I'd been thinking I'd made my way to the park a few block from my house. As I sat down on a bench I noticed a young couple pushing their baby in a swing. They all looked so happy. When the time came, is that how it'll be for me? I sighed for what felt like the millionth time today. I began overthinking everything, and clenched my hands as they started to shake. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called the first person who came to mind.

"Hello?"

"I-is my dad home?" I asked.

"He's busy at the moment. Finley what's wrong?" Hermione asked.

"Everything! Everything's wrong!" I whimpered and tears fell onto my cheeks.

"Honey where are you? I'll come get you. Maybe we could stop at that café your dad told me you liked." She offered kindly.

"I-I'm at the park. O-on the corner of f-fourteenth and Jackson."

"Okay, I'll be there soon." She said and I hung up. As I waited I tried to get my breathing under control. I whipped at tears that wouldn't stop coming and jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Hermione appeared in front of me, an expression of concern on her face. She helped me off the bench and into her car, then drove off toward the café. We were silent the whole ride, as well as when we got into the coffee shop. I muttered my order to Hermione and she told me to go pick out a seat. I immediately walked over to the back booth beside the window and waited. It wasn't long before Hermione placed our food on the table and sat across from me.

"So what's going on?" She asked. I didn't answer as I began to rip a small section of my turnover.

"Honey, you can talk to me. I won't tell your father if you don't want me to." She said quietly. I paused, wondering where to start.

"It's just, I've been really stressed lately. With everything that's been going on..." she looked at me curiously and I sighed.

"It started a few weeks back at a party. I found out my relationship with one of the Ravens' boys was just a bet."