The Notorious R(uth) B(arakat) G(rimaldi)

Chapter 18: A Friend in Need

"Ruthie?" The timid voice took Ruthie a minute to place. She'd picked up her family's landline, something she rarely did anymore, mainly because it was never, ever for her. They'd actually debated simply taking the landline out, but her dads had argued that, on the off chance that some emergency could come up, it could come in handy. Plus, her nonna Grimaldi sometimes called on the landline.

"Amelia?" Ruthie blinked in surprise, unable to keep the disbelief out of her voice. She hadn't spoken to Amelia since before the dance, and it was now nearly Thanksgiving. "Why are you calling me on this line?"

"I didn't think you'd answer if I called on your cell phone and you knew it was me," Amelia replied, and those extra words told Ruthie that Amelia wasn't just sounding timid, she was crying. They'd been best friends for years, and she could hear it, the tears, the nose, the trembling voice.

"What do you want?" Ruthie asked, successfully biting back the urge to ask "What's the matter?"

"I'm pregnant, Ruthie."

There were a few seconds of silence, then Ruthie sat down on the floor under the phone with a thump. It was a place she knew well, from the years she'd spent on the phone to Amelia and other friends before she'd owned a cell phone.

"Oh, no," she finally said. "Amelia, are you sure?"

"Yes. I took a test, then I waited a couple days, and I took another one. Both positive." Then Ruthie heard crying, not sobbing, but the quiet keening of complete and utter hopelessness. "It's Brett's, Ruthie, and he said he won't marry me, when I told him after school he said he wouldn't marry me!"

Ruthie was shocked, not at Brett's response, but at the fact that Amelia had actually expected it of him. She swallowed. "Well, Amelia, what did you expect? Did you really think that he'd just drop everything and marry you?" Her last two words were quiet. She continued before Amelia could say anything. "And is that honestly what you wanted? To marry Brett Carmichael?"

Amelia was a smart girl. Not like Ruthie, she hadn't skipped a grade of school, or been the youngest person ever to make National Merit Society, but she was clever, and she was bound to get a scholarship somewhere good, especially considering her financial situation. She was good at chem and bio, and wanted to be a doctor. But not if she got married and had a baby.

"Ruthie, can I come over? I know we haven't been very close lately, and I know it's all my fault, and I treated you really badly, but I need to talk to someone, and you're the only person I have, so can I please?"

"Sure," Ruthie said, nodding. "Sure, Amelia, I'll leave the front door open, okay?"

She hung up the phone and went to the kitchen to get some food ready for Amelia's arrival.

Her Pop came in from the backyard while she was doing this, giving her a delightfully cold hug.

"Amelia's coming over, she's really upset, so we're going to be talking in my room, okay?" she told him, laughing as he rubbed his cold, red nose against her neck, tickling her.

"Sure," he said, relenting and putting on the water to make himself some tea. "Anything I should know about?" he asked.

Ruthie shook her head. "Not yet. I'll tell you after I talk to her if you need to know, okay?"

Pop nodded. "Will she be staying for dinner?"

Ruthie shook her head. Dinner was such a normal thing, and she had a feeling it was going to be a while before Amelia's life even resembled "normal."

Twenty minutes later, the two girls were sitting in Ruthie's room, drinking tea and eating Oreos. At least, Ruthie was. Amelia was drinking the tea, but shuddered at the Oreos, saying they made her feel sick.