A Dance of Life

15

I'm staring at the wall, lost in thought when Pat gets back.

"Honey, I'm home!" She yells unnecessarily. She notices my silence and moves next to me, "What are we staring at?"

"Is it true that men never forget their first loves?"

She squints at me for a few seconds, mouth moving but no words coming out. "What?" She eventually says, "What are you talking about? Please, don't let this be about Frederic."

"Frederic? Ugh, no," I reply her, walking to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

"Have you eaten?" She asks as she follows me.

"Yes, Patricia," I sigh, dropping into one of the dining chairs. "I'm taking good care of my health, okay?"

"Good," she says, sitting down across from me, "Now tell me, what brought this question on?"

I tell her everything Nathan told me about Megan as well as what happened at the gym. She furrows her brows and plops her chin in her hand, "I'm no psychic, Ellie, but I think she's just playing with your mind."

"You mean psychologist."

"Both. And does it even matter what she says? It's his choice at the end of the day, and like I've already told you; he's into you. Don't lose sleep, or even energy, on a liar. She's literally a known liar and is skilled at manipulating people; don't let her add you to her list. Show her that you're stronger and smarter than she is."

"Well, you sound like a psychologist now," I chuckle. "Thanks for the advice."

"You see; that's why I said 'both' when you asked." She stands and drags me up, "Now go sleep; you know you need it so I don't want to hear an excuse."

"What about you?"

"Me?" She lets out a laugh, "I'm going to shower, then I'm going to sleep until like 1 pm so I would please like some food waiting for me when I wake up."

"You never cease to amaze me, Patricia Gonzalez," I snicker.

I lie on my bed and close my eyes while she's in the shower. I try to push Megan's words under but they keep pushing back. I figure it has something to do with the way she made the statement; as if certain that she was going to win.

Then don't let her.

He's not even my boyfriend, I groan, turning onto my side, I have no claim over him.

He's your friend, and that counts for something.

Logan is also his friend and-

A friend isn't by words, it's by action. He's fought for you; fight for him.

How am I going to do that without living a lie? A lie that I'm scared would end up as the truth...

--------------------------

A week goes by and my belly has barely grown. I've been taking pictures as per Patricia's request and as I'm squinting at last week's photo in comparison to today, I'm not seeing much difference.

Is that normal? I make a mental note to check online as an alarm goes off on my phone, signaling that it was time for a snack.

I microwave some popcorn and take out a banana/pineapple smoothie from the fridge. When it's done I relax in front of the TV and tune in to Nat Geo Wild; my guilty pleasure. I only get half an hour of peace before I hear knocking on the door. I stump my feet silently and groan in annoyance.

Maybe I should move; then I'd be able to get some peace and quiet.

I look through the peephole to find Diana and her brother, Lucas at the other side. I open the door and plant a smile on my face to greet them.