I'm Right Here

Chapter One

It was a mistake. Just one drunken mistake that changed her whole life.

Annie stood there inside the school washroom with three positive pregnancy tests on her hands, and a horrified look on her face.

"Shit, Anne." Camilla, her bestfriend, said. "What now?"

Annie didn't answer. She couldn't speak, she couldn't even move. It was hard for her to believe that all of this was true.

It's a dream, right? This is just some fucked up dream. She told herself. There was no way all of this was true. She remembered doing it, but there was one in a million chance that she got pregnant on her first time. There was just no way!

"Annie," Camilla called to her again.

"I don't...know what to do." She muttered almost a whisper.

"Well, first thing's first: you have to tell your parents."

"That's the hardest part. Cam, they're gonna kill me, especially that pig!"

"Well you have no choice! It's part of the consequence. They're bound to know it at some point."

Annie kept silent for a moment, considering an option. She looked at Camilla, "I could just run away."

"No!" Camilla immediately said. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"If I told them, he's just going to kick me out anyway. Besides, once I'm gone, they'll figure it out."

"And then what? How do you plan on taking care of that—"

Camilla stopped when a group of girls entered the washroom. Immediately, she grabbed the tests from Annie and shoved it in her bag. "We'll talk about this later. Let's go bak to class."

Annie couldn't concentrate of course. She didn't wake up that day only to find out that she already has life growing inside her. The very thought of it was already making her sick.

What if all three of those tests were broken, and it just showed positive when they really mean negative? Pregnancy tests aren't always a hundred percent accurate. But to show the same result three times? This really wasn't a dream.

Annie sat by the steps of the school entrance. It was already dismissal and she and Camilla agreed to meet at the front of the school.

She looked at the students and envied that they don't worry about a problem like hers. Some of these kids were drunkards and some probably screw people more times than she would in her entire life, but she felt like nothing can compare to that burden that she was carrying on her shoulders; or in this case, her stomach.

The worst that she could think of was her parents finding out. She didn't know whether or not to tell them immediately. She knew it was going to break her mother—and she was the only one Annie worried about. She thought about her option before and realized how it really was a stupid idea.

She didn't care for that pig, Garth, her step-father. He never cared for her either anyway. Back when her mom and him were still dating, whenever he would drop by their house, he would greet her in front of Cassandra and she considered it as "getting along." But then this one time when Cassandra stayed late at work, she called Garth to watch over her until she gets back and the bastard just laid at the sofa and watched television all evening. He didn't make dinner nor bothered to order pizza. He just laid there with his beers on the coffee table and screaming at the live game. When Cassandra came home that night and asked how they got along, the pig said, "We had fun."

But Garth's true colors appeared a few months after they got married. When finance became a problem, he started to take it all seriously. Cassandra was usually calm when it comes to matters like that. Her budgeting skills were flawless and she always managed to fit everything together. But Garth, the drunk asshole that he was, managed to sweep everything off the table. They literally had nothing and they had to sell their house—the house where Annie grew up—just to get them by. That was how they ended up living in Garth's shit-hole in the shitty neighborhood.

And then Cassandra got pregnant to Crystal and everything became worse. Three months after Crystal was born, she got sick pretty bad. Cassandra worked double shifts just to get enough money for her. Annie cried at night and no one knew. She didn't like it seeing her mother like that. She didn't have time for her anymore and she cursed Garth for it. But as if it was a wake up call, Garth suddenly got a job and he too started working non stop. Finally, they got enough to buy Crystal's medicines and she got better. Garth kept working and didn't come back to his old habits. He still drinks but thank goodness, it wasn't as worse as before. But, his relationship with Annie never developed.

Camilla sat beside Annie, leaning over to her as she does. "I got it!" She tried to exclaim in between breaths.

"You got what?" She asked.

Camilla's face suddenly became serious. "You need to tell him first."

"What? No! I'm not gonna do that. No way!"

"Well he's the father, isn't he? He needs to know what kind of fuckery he has done to you."

"Do you even know what it feels like to find out that you're going to be a parent at this age? It feels like a nuclear bomb just dropped and exploded. Like one big BAM!"

"Trust me, Anne, I know. I'm not the one who's carrying the child here but I freaked out just as much as you did."

Annie shook her head. "I don't think I can."

"You have to. He's partly responsible for this too."

The two fell into silence. Annie didn't feel the need to tell him. They weren't close anyway. She didn't remember talking to him before that. They had no interaction whatsoever. They were completely strangers.

"Who is the father, anyway?" Cam asked. "You never mentioned."

"But do you have an idea?" Annie said carefully as if someone was prying into their conversation.

"Bryan?"

Bryan the varsity. Nice fellow, good looking, but no. Bryan was too good for someone like Annie.

She almost let out a snort. "No."

"Jason Greene?"

"Are you serious?"

"I didn't know how drunk you were that time. You could've fucked anyone."

Jason Greene smoked crack and everyone knew it. Annie was really drunk that time, but she would've woken up if Jason's hands were all over her.

Frustrated, Annie buried her head in her hands with a groan.

"Oh come on! Just tell me who it is. I don't want to guess. It could be anyone."

Annie sat up and turned to face Camilla. Just then, a guy wearing a black hoodie walked passed them. And she could swear, in that slightest moment that he looked at her too.

Annie's heart stopped and she didn't know why. "You really want to know?"

"Yes, please!" Cam said irritated.

She nodded toward the guy and Camilla looked at his direction. She faced Annie with her eyes wide and jaw hanging open.

Jake Morrison? Camilla mouthed.

Jake Morrison. Annie mouthed back.