Weeks later Beth, Jess and Miles looked back on that morning in Student Services and recognized it as a defining moment for their friendship. Jessica's parents couldn't be contacted for a few hours and Jess recalled that her father was delivering a presentation that morning and her mother was at college herself. Jess assured Principal Barns that she would be fine to wait for them to be contacted at lunchtime as long as Miles and Beth stayed with her. So the three of them settled in the nurse's office for the morning sessions.
Jessica pulled her feet up on the nurse's bed and Miles and Beth sat opposite her with Miles occasionally smoothing Beth's hair down or rubbing the small of her back tenderly. They spent the morning talking about what the Clones had done and how the whole school would know about Jessica's pregnancy. Miles provided a male perspective to the conversation and this new dimension helped Jessica come to terms with her secret being out before she had the opportunity to prepare. Beth watched in silence how Miles counselled her and listened intently to her fears and worries. His perspective helped Jessica realize that telling people herself about the pregnancy would have been hard for her and that this way, albeit public and upsetting, would have deprived the rumour mill from having the story of the year rattle on for weeks and would also generate sympathy for her for the way in which she was so publicly treated by the Clones and the father of her child. Miles encouraged her to remain quiet about the incident, allowing her innocence to provide a stark contrast to the terrible behaviour of Michael and the Clones.
Their conversation had drifted onto families and Jess spoke about how supportive her parents had been. They accepted Jessica's situation and had dealt with it as a unit, giving Jess as much space or support as she needed. She told them how this gave her comfort when she dared to allow her thoughts to drift to the future when she would be a mother, struggling with college work and motherhood simultaneously. Beth interjected with funny anecdotes about her quirky mother and ever-patient father, making Miles and Jess laugh by recounting stories from her early childhood and ways in which she had been embarrassed by her mother time and time again. Miles spoke openly about his "incredible" parents and how his family life was his sanctuary. He spoke of their concerns for Charlie and his heart condition, but Charlie's infectious passion for life and new experiences propelled them all as a family.
It was at this point Beth came to understand how the young, round nurse knew Miles because he and Charlie would do fun runs together, raising money for local charities and many events took place at St Anne's, coordinated by Student Services. Miles also occasionally helped out with the local special school, volunteering at events and supervising the younger children who, according to the nurse called him "Miley Bear," a nickname Beth now used to tease Miles.
They had spent this strange morning swapping stories, making each other laugh, supporting Jessica and listening to each other's histories and in the process had cemented their friendship through their new-found understanding of each other.
The following weeks were hard for Jessica, navigating the tides of blunt questions and whispered conversations behind her back took its toll a little, but her friendship with Beth and with Miles provided her with all the support and protection she needed in school. At home, her parents were subdued but remained steadfast in their support of her decision to keep the baby.
Having returned from their suspension from school, the Clones and Michael avoided Jessica and aside from a few classroom hushed conversations and looks from them, Jess was left alone. Classmates regarded Jess more favourably now she had removed herself from the group that had ignored or persecuted them throughout the years and Beth watched how Jessica found herself to be included in more classroom conversations and their peers smiled and acknowledged her more. Jessica's confidence was slowly returning and apart from occasional hormonal bouts of sickness, the colour returned to her cheeks and she appeared much happier.
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Chronicles of a Fat Teenager (Complete - Sequel coming soon)
Teen FictionAt sixteen, Beth Evans was used to living a solitary life. "The Clones" were a group of perfectly pretty girls in school who preyed on Beth's insecurities. In order to survive Beth honed her self-deprecating humour and lived her life from the sideli...
