Fallin' Into You

1

Kayla's Perspective:

"Kay, get up before you're late for school!" my mom's voice cut through my sleep.

"Yes, ma'am," I mumbled, dragging myself out of bed and away from the warmth of my covers. I glanced in the mirror and was relieved to see my hair wasn't a complete mess. I jumped into the shower, hoping it would help wake me up.

As I was getting ready, my mom walked by and laughed. "I was worried I wouldn't get you up."

I quickly threw on my shoes, gave my parents a quick hug, and bolted out the door to catch the bus. On the ride, I was about to drift off again until Kiara plopped down next to me, causing me to bang my head on the window.

"Kiara, what's got you so energized this morning?" I asked, stifling a yawn.

"Girl, my mom's at her boyfriend's house, so I had my little friend over," Kiara said with a grin.

"KiKi, be careful. I hope you used protection. Did you..." I started to ask, but she cut me off.

"Don't worry, I did. He says it's the safest way," she said, waving off my concern.

I wanted to ask who "he" was, but I knew better than to push. Kiara had a knack for keeping her relationships on the down-low.

We walked to first period together. Kiara and I had all our classes together except one. The day felt like it was dragging until fifth period, when a tall boy walked in and sat next to me.

"Hey, can I get your name? It's gotta be as beautiful as you," he said with a smooth smile. "I'm TJ."

I wasn't really in the mood for talking, but I tried to be polite. "I'm Kayla."

TJ grinned. "Nice to meet you, Kayla. You've got a pretty name to match that pretty smile."

A few weeks later:

One day, I was posted up in the back of class, scrolling through Instagram since I had already knocked out the assignment. I was in the middle of texting Kiara when, out of nowhere, T.J. snatched my phone and started typing. I didn't make a scene or nothing; I just hit him with a calm, "Excuse me, give me my phone back."

T.J. just laughed and tossed it back, grinning. "Here, you crybaby. Text me sometime."

Honestly, T.J. had become a cool friend. He was goofy and always playfully flirting, but I knew he didn't mean anything by it. He was just like that. We had been vibing a lot lately, just talking and joking around, and he could actually be fun to hang with. Still, I wasn't one for people snatching my stuff, flirting or not. He could've just asked for my number like a regular person, but I guess that's just T.J.

Like, come on—we're seniors now. Time to act like it. I was over the games and ready to go home. Luckily, I only had one more class left for the day. As I sat there, I found myself silently wishing spring break would hurry up and get here.

---

The next day at school felt like the usual chaos. I had my headphones in, blocking out the noise of the hallways, when I saw T.J. posted up by my locker. He waved, flashing that same playful grin. "What's up, Kayla? You gonna let me take your phone again today, or you gonna actually text me this time?"

I just laughed, shaking my head. "T.J., you really gotta stop. You already cool, you don't need to keep stealing my stuff."

"Nah, it's fun messing with you," he chuckled. But he handed me a piece of gum, which had kinda become our thing. He always made sure I had some, and it was just another sign of how we'd grown cool. T.J. was good people, even with all the flirting.

As the day went on, though, I couldn't shake this heavy feeling. Kiara still hadn't spoken to me since last night, and I was starting to worry all over again. We usually text nonstop, but she had been distant for the past few days. Even with T.J. keeping me laughing, my mind was on her.

At lunch, people were buzzing about some fight that had gone down between a couple of underclassmen. Word was, one of the kids had swung on the SRO, and now everyone was talking about it like it was the biggest thing to ever happen. This school wasn't exactly *ghetto*, but the drama was non-stop. I didn't care much, though; my thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

*Buzz Buzz*
My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I almost jumped.

Kiara: "Um, Kayla, I need to talk to you, please."
Me: "Of course, what's going on?"
Kiara: "Please come get me. My parents are going at it again."
Me: "Ight, I'm on my way. Be there in 5."

I rushed to my car, sliding into the driver's seat, and headed straight to Kiara's house. When I pulled up, the tension hit me hard. Kiara was standing outside, her face streaked with tears. Behind her, her dad was yelling at her mom, pointing fingers and pushing up on her like he was ready to snap. Kiara sprinted to my car, her bag slung over her shoulder, and I knew she was staying the night.

We got back to my house, and I led her straight to my room. She didn't say anything at first—just sat on my bed and broke down, the tears pouring out. I could feel how much she was hurting, and it killed me to see her like that.

"Kiara, please talk to me. What happened? Why were they fighting?" I asked, trying to get her to open up.

Through her sobs, she whispered, "It's my fault. My dad... he found out, and now he's blaming my mom. Everything's falling apart, and it's all because of me."

"Wait, what do you mean? What's your fault?" I asked, my heart racing.

She took a shaky breath before answering. "I'm pregnant, Kayla. My dad found out when he went into my bathroom. Since my mom had me young, he thinks it's all her fault, like I'm repeating her mistakes. I just... I don't know what to do. I'm thinking about getting rid of it, just so things can go back to normal. Maybe if they think it was all a lie, everything will be okay again."

I was stunned. She was really considering ending a pregnancy just to fix her family. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Looking her in the eyes, I tried to stay calm, but I couldn't hold back. "Kiara, please don't. You told me you'd never do that..."

"I know," she cried, "I just don't know what else to do."

I paused, taking it all in. "Who's the father?" I asked softly, even though I already had a feeling.

She wiped her eyes. "It's Damon. The one time he said he wasn't gonna wear a condom and would pull out... and this happens."

I let out a deep breath. "Kiara, you need to tell him."

"He knows," she said quietly. "He's actually excited about it. His mom already knows too, and she's happy, but... I lost my family in the process."

I could see the pain in her eyes. "So... Damon's ready for this?"

"Yeah, he is. But it doesn't matter if my family's falling apart," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Within two weeks, the whole school knew Kiara was pregnant. Damon told one friend, and like wildfire, the news spread. Everyone had something to say. It was crazy how fast people's lives could change.

---
Author's Note:
Things are about to fast forward because this is just like a nice intro to Kayla and the people close to her in the story.