Scars Out Of Love

Baby Steps(16)

Would I make the wrong choice? What would my choice even be? I had relied on Sky to choose for me, I put no thought into what I would do. I didn't want a kid, I was never good with kids, and now I would have to keep it.

"You don't even know why my choice would be."

"I talked to your mom, your awful with kids, and I know you, you're kind so you wouldn't get an abortion, but you couldn't be responsible for a life, so you would turn to adoption."

How was she right? She was always right.

"I don't want a kid Sky!"

"I know, but we have other stuff to think about, like school, which both of us have to return to on Monday in order to graduate."

"We missed that much?"

"Yup."

"Damn."

When we got back to the motel, Sky parked the car and assisted me up to the room. She helped me find a position on the bed that didn't cause me immense pain then sat next to me and gently put her arm across my shoulders, leaning it against the backboard as to not put any weight on me. She turned the tv on and flipped through the channels, ending on a show about remobilizing dolphins.

Although school hauntingly remained on Monday, I would enjoy every second of watching shows with Sky, which is all we did, until the day we had to return.

On the first morning of the school week, Sky woke me up by holding her phone near my ear while playing a nineties rock song by Nirvana.

"No." There were no other words, I couldn't be bothered to come up with something more creative than just no, plain and simple no.

"Too bad." She tried not to be too rough as she pulled the blankets off the bed. I rolled over and buried my head in the pillow, which was soon pulled out from under my face.

"How will this affect me graduating? I'm only on my freshman year."

"You won't get credit for your classes, then you'll have to retake them and you'll be behind on what you need, so by the time you'd be in senior year, you'd have to double up on classes."

Damnit she had a point, a point that flew past my head since my brain focused in on two words, senior year. Sky was two grades ahead of me, so by the time I would be on my last year, she would be gone. I never liked to think of the future, but this made me realize something I dreaded, I would be alone once again, after she left. I thought of this fact as Sky started to tickle my feet and I reluctantly agreed to get up. Pain ripped through my torso as I moved my hands to my side to push me up. I moved past the pain and used Sky as my reason to keep trying. She assisted me while I got dressed and did my hair, considering it hurt to outstretch my arms. We walked halfway to the car before Sky swung her hands behind me and picked me up. She managed to hold me in a way that didn't send shock waves of regret through my body. She once again positioned me in her sister's car and got behind the steering wheel.

The brakes squeaked as she parked in a spot at the school parking lot. She walked around the front and picked me up out of the car, despite my arguing. We walked towards the school and she set me down on the top of the steps, before wrapping her arm around my waist and holding my hip, to relieve the pressure on my body. She helped me to my first class and the teacher wrote her a pass to hers. She whispered into my ear and told me she loved me as she walked out.

After each class, Sky would show up at the door and help me to my next destination, using my injuries as an excuse each time as to why we were tardy. After lunch she brought me to my next class, but instead of just saying she loved me, she showed it by pressing her lips to mine. She pulled back and watched me hobble into the room until Mrs.Higgs tapped her shoulder, "I need to see you and River in my office, now please."

I turned around and walked back towards her, going towards Sky for assistance. She yet again put an arm around my waist and I rested my head on her shoulder.

"It's against school rules to display affection in the halls."

"She's injured."

We walked into the counselor's office and Sky sat on the couch, pulling me into her lap.

"You two have missed multiple classes and are in danger of loosing credits, are you aware of that?"

We both nodded.

"It appears on our records, that the days you miss are connected with each other and based on your relationship I would assume its reasonable to believe that one of you is influencing the other."

"Ya, the days we miss are always together, because River needs me. You don't know half the shit that's happened in the last week alone."

"What kind of stuff would that be?"

"My brother died, she got raped, self harm, my sister attempted to split us us, then broke her ribs, oh and her parents kicked her out."

"Is this all true, River?"

My tears spoke for me.

"Last time she was in here, River confessed to being gay, Sky may I inquire about your sexuality."

"I'm gay." She said it so casually, she was so much more comfortable with it than I was.

"Ok, good to know, not that I would ever tell anyone, but now I believe I am legally required to know about what's been going on, considering that they can be considered criminal acts."

"We already dealt with it, but if you must know, we're living in a motel and have cops searching for the sexual assaulter. My sister got sent to jail and now we're using her car to get around."

"River, you look surprised, would you guys like a minute to discuss?"

Was it that obvious? My expression must have given away the fact that I had no clue what had been happening legally.

"Ya, we need to talk privately for a minute."

"Well, I need to head to a meeting in a few minutes, so you can use my office for as long as you need, I'll excuse you from your next classes."

She walked out of her office and locked the door.

"You forgot to mention I'm pregnant."

"I know."

"I didn't know your sister went to jail."

"I didn't want to bother you with it."

"Sky, it hurts."

She pulled an orange bottle out of her pocket and handed it to me. I screwed the top off and dropped a single pill into my hand and quickly tossed it into my mouth. I felt the medicine slide down my throat as Sky took the drugs back and recapped them. I lied against her chest and prayed the pain would go away soon, not only physically, "Where are we even supposed to go from here?"

"Don't know."

With that the medicine started to take affect and as my wounds became less and less noticeable, I became more and more panicked. I stood up and started pacing, "Where do we go from here? It can't go down anymore! Can it? What else is gonna happen? What else can happen? Death? Is that's what awaiting us, just a tragic dea-"

Sky stood up too, "You're beautiful."

She grabbed my head and crashed my lips into hers.