Rebel

Chapter 25: Everybody Wants To Rule the World

My life was changing incredibly faster than I would have ever expected. It seemed like I was developing mentally more and more every single day. That helped me gain the ability to deflect Danny's bullshit and his groveling. He knew I was still upset with him and a little freaked out, so for a day or two, he would take it upon himself to stay out of my hair all together We still acted like a couple, but I was very distant from him. I was still a little ticked off that he just threw me into the line of fire when his mom came to visit and had completely left me in the dark when it came to why they hated her so much. The days rolled by and turned into weeks of us keeping it simple and being civil to each other without the added romance. It really didn't phase me like it used to. Ever since I felt my baby move, receiving the gratification I needed to keep my eye on the prize and block out everything else.

Candace continued to pop up every now and then to stick around for a few days only to go ghost on us and drop off of the face of the earth and she was beginning to fade from my memory. We were all convinced that she was going to drop out of school. This was only because she was at an all time low with her addiction and she wasn't the same in the least bit. All of my good memories we shared were eclipsed by drugs. I didn't know who she was anymore, but I couldn't try to save her no matter how tight I held on to the idea. It was her life and if she wanted to spend her time with a needle stuck in her arm, then that was all on her. Our classmates were pretty confused every time they looked up and saw the four of us without her. It was definitely a shock to everyone, including our teachers.

We attended the occasional football game or two, just to satisfy my craving for chili cheese fries, but as the season went on and the colder it got, we cut that out. December rolled on through and Rachel looked as if she was about to pop. She only had a month left and Danny and I were at her house almost every other day trying to help her prepare as much as possible. "You seem so calm about this. I'm about to lose my fucking mind!" she yelled at me one day as she moved furiously around the nursery she and Reggie had put together for their daughter. It was dressed from top to bottom in pink. Pink curtains, pink rugs, and even pink paint on the walls. It was simply beautiful and comfortable enough for me to even fall asleep in. Her baby shower was a week away and she hardly got any sleep over the last few days. I tried time and time again to tell her that she needed more sleep than I did. I still had four months to go and it was well past midnight when we had an appointment the next day. Rachel was my girl and I knew that she was scared out of her damn mind, so I had no choice but to be there for her. Danny was back at home catching up on sleep. He couldn't hang with the two crazy pregnant ladies and we teased him for sounding like an old man. Reggie had to catch up on sleep as well, but that was because Rachel made him run all over town all day every day for last minute things that she needed for her hospital bag and for the baby shower.

"I have three months to prepare for my baby and I have a doctor's visit in the morning, but here I am, helping my best friend," I said with a laugh as I neatly tucked the blanket over the baby's mattress. I was glad that I was spending this time with her, it was keeping my mind off of worrying about finding out the sex of the baby. I didn't want to worry about it too much and some days I hoped for a boy, but the important part for me was having a healthy baby. "I needed a pregnant friend and I got one," she said as she flopped down in the rocking chair that was placed in the corner. She propped her feet up on the ottoman. "Holy shit!" I yelled, taking in the sight of her severely swollen feet and ankles. "Don't talk about it. The worst is yet to come," she said as she wiggled her toes.

"Speaking of the worst. I'm going to need you in the delivery room," she added. I froze instantly. I wasn't prepared for me heading into the delivery room to push out my own baby, I knew I wasn't prepared to watch somebody else give birth. "I'm sorry. But that's just too gross for me," I said to her with a laugh. "It is not! I would do it for you," she replied. "Of course, you would have already been through all the blood and gore. You'd be ready." We both laughed together. "I don't want to look at your vagina Rach," I told her with all seriousness. "Somebody has to be there. Reggie says that he's got this, but I know he's a wimp when it comes to this kind of stuff. He could barelyhandle the few times that I had morning sickness." Rachel wasn't going to let go of me being in the delivery room with her and I knew that no matter how much I tried to plead my case, in the end I didn't even have a case. "Alright, I'm in. But you have to give the baby my middle name," I said jokingly. "I doubt it, Sydney Gayle Trent," she said, causing my jaw to drop. I hurled a stuffed pink teddy bear at her head and she playfully swatted it away with her hands.