Even Angels Fall

Chapter 22

                         ~~~~Christina~~~~

I stood in front of the bathroom mirror in only my underwear. A tear slowly slid down my cheek as I stared at my protruding middle and thought about what I had to do.

I had to tell my parents. 

There really was no way around it any longer. It was too obvious now. As it was, I'd put this task off longer than I'd intended to, terrified after Mike's fight with his dad.

But I couldn't put it off any longer. I was growing more quickly than I realized. It was only as I was about to get dressed after my nightly shower that I noticed how big my stomach looked. 

I couldn't stop staring at it, and I wondered how no one else noticed yet - it was huge! Which really wasn't fair considering that some girls barely looked pregnant into their sixth month and I was only in my third. 

For a while, I noticed my clothes getting snug. I didn't even try to wear alot of my things anymore. They mostly still fit, but they displayed my growing stomach for all to see. I'd been sticking to the baggier things I owned. Mostly sweatshirts and sweaters, which it was getting too warm to wear now. 

But even my baggiest sweats wouldn't hide my belly much longer if they even did now. Maybe people just hadn't been paying that close attention.

Why is it when you want time to drag on and on, it moves at warp speed? How could three months have passed already?

Looking at myself like this, I knew I'd run out of time. Which I guess was kind of a good thing. My parents deserved to know and I hated lying to them. Besides, Mike's family had known for a month now. Not that I was dying to mimic that situation, but it really wasn't fair to my parents. 

I quickly got dressed and ran back to my room to try to prepare myself for what I was about to do. Sitting on the bed, I stared at my bedroom door, trying to gather as much courage as I possessed, to go downstairs and do this. And it had to be soon. It was already almost nine and my parents usually went to bed around ten. 

I would just have to go down there and tell them like an adult. I couldn't be a kid about this anymore. I forfeited my right to be a kid three months ago.

It took three attempts to get through the door before I successfully made it out without doubling back with a mental promise to do this tomorrow.

Gripping the banister tightly, I made my way down the stairs and into the living room. My mom was there at her desk, as she usually was at this time of night, doing the bookkeeping for her salon. Absorbed in her work, she didn't notice me come into the room, and I didn't try to get her attention. I figured this was probably as good a place as any to break my parent's hearts. 

I kept walking until I reached the door to my dad's study and nearly changed my mind again. My dad would be grading finals and in no mood for any kind of an interruption. 

But no. I needed to do this now. No more excuses. I lifted a hand and knocked before I could change my mind. When I peeked into the room, Daddy looked up with a raised eyebrow, silently and somehow still sternly asking me why I was bothering him.

I willed my voice not to shake. "Daddy, could you please come into the living room? I need to tell you and Mom something."

"Christina, this isn't a good time. I'm very busy right now."

"I know," I said. "I'm sorry, but it's important."

He scrutinized me for a second and I wondered if he could see my guilt and terror the way he always seemed to see right through me.