WHEN LINDY FINALLY arrived back at Krist and Shelli's house, her hands were shaking on the steering wheel. She felt frozen in her seat, unable to move or even flinch. In front of her, Kurt was getting out of his car, the rain matting his hair to his head. He waited for her patiently.
You have to act normal, the voice in Lindy's head reminded her. You can't let him know.
Kurt waved her forward, shouting, "C'mon Lindy, I'm getting soaked!"
Her hand was still quaking as she turned the key in the ignition, shutting the car off and slowly getting out. The cold rain pelted at her, dampening her clothes and face. She didn't mind. Tears were filling her eyes and if they happened to spill, they would have mixed in with the rainfall, camouflaging her distress.
"Get inside, you'll get a cold," Kurt chided her, sounding uncharacteristically nurturing. It was usually Lindy who was the motherly one.
Motherly. As in mother.
The word sounded like a death sentence. Lindy held the jacket that she'd thrown on in her car tight around her body, wishing that she would stop shivering. Kurt must have assumed it was only from the rain, for he said nothing and only pushed her forwards towards the door.
Krist and Shelli were still up, crowded onto the couch watching television. Both of them craned their necks back as Kurt and Lindy walked in.
"Did you tell her?" Krist called out excitedly.
Lindy made a valiant effort to smile as both Kurt and Krist launched into a winded explanation of what their upcoming single entailed. She was grateful that Kurt was preoccupied with the good news, as he didn't once notice how quiet she was being. The only person in the room who seemed to take note of her behavior was Shelli, whose big brown eyes fell on her more often than necessary.
Lindy knew what she had to do. Shelli was like an older sister, maybe even like a mother, to her. Older and wiser, she had an excellent understanding of the world and was adept at maneuvering tricky situations. She'd been living like an adult since her senior year of high school. Lindy needed to tell her; someone else, preferably a female rather than one of her various male companions, needed to know that she was possibly carrying Kurt's child.
In an inconspicuous manner, Lindy found her opportunity as she sat on the arm of the couch. In the middle of Kurt and Krist's animated exchange, she ducked her head, her hair creating a veil over her and Shelli's faces.
"Stay up with me," she whispered, her lips hardly moving. She didn't need confirmation that Shelli understood. She already knew, for Shelli acted as if nothing had ever happened and turned her attention back on the boys.
"Are you coming to bed," Kurt finally asked, standing and readying himself to go upstairs. Lindy smiled politely.
"You go ahead. I'm still hungry, so I'm going to make something to eat."
"More like Shelli's going to make you something to eat," Krist interjected, standing and stretching his long arms over his head, making himself even taller than he already was.
"I have to take care of this girl," Shelli said defensively, wrapping an arm around Lindy and giving her a comforting squeeze. Lindy maintained her smile of innocence until both Kurt and Krist had clomped up the stairs and into their respective bedrooms.
