Keep Holding On

Chapter Seven

The house is beautiful. It’s slightly larger than our last one with a huge backyard. If I had a brother, I’m sure he’d be in heaven right about now. Unfortunately, it’s me and the only thing I can appreciate about the yard is that it’s a pretty landscape. The house is made up mostly of bricks, with the roof coming together reminding me of a cottage or something. The windows are all rounded at the top, looking like arches. There are plenty of windows too, five or six on the first level when you’re looking at it from the front. It’s nice not to live in a neighborhood where every house is a carbon copy of the one before it.

There are two bedrooms and one office upstairs. My parents and I are taking the bedrooms, each with a bathroom attached, and we’re setting up the office with a bed for when Norah or any other guest comes to visit. I’m already in love with my bedroom, the previous owners painted it red and I’ve seriously always wanted a red bedroom. There’s just something very cozy and romantic about a red room. Mom already told me we could go out and buy some candles to put around the room once I’m done unpacking.

Lucky for me, there will be more than enough room for a crib and changing table. That seems so weird to me, actually having to think about things like that. In eight months, a baby will be living in this bedroom with me, crying me awake at night, begging me to take care of it. It’s overwhelming to think about, but part of me is excited by it. I guess now that the idea of being pregnant is settling in, I’m finding myself looking forward to what it brings with it. I wish it wasn’t happening so soon, but it’s hard not to be thankful for this when so many couples in the world are unable to experience it.

I look at the boxes piled up in my bedroom, the naked bed against the wall, and my furniture just waiting for me to rearrange everything. With a sigh, I walk downstairs to find my dad. I’m not allowed to lift anything heavy, and I assume that goes for pushing my dresser and desk around my room. They’re both made from real wood, so they’re impossible to move without putting some back into it.

As I round the corner towards the kitchen, I nearly run into April, who I had no idea was even here. “Oh my god, what are you doing here?” I ask excitedly, pulling her into a hug.

She squeals and tugs my shirt up immediately before dropping to her knees in front of me. I look down at her bewildered as she begins speaking to my tummy, “Hello little baby. It’s your Aunty April. You are going to be the sweetest, most adorable baby in the world!” She coos to it.

“Uh, April, what the hell are you doing?” I ask awkwardly, trying to cover my stomach. She swats my hands away and glares up at me, “Can’t you tell that I’m having a private moment with my niece or nephew?”

“Aunt?” I ask.

She sends me a narrowed look, “Don’t even kid about us not being practical sisters. Your child is the closest thing I’m ever going to get to a niece or nephew and you’re not taking that away from me.” She demands.

I hold in my laugh and put my hands up, “Okay.”

She focuses her attention back to my stomach and for the next five minutes, I just stand there trying not to feel completely awkward. Then all four adults come around the corner and begin laughing at us, making my cheeks flame red. “She won’t stop!” I complain as April starts kissing my stomach.

Aunt Penny steps forward and pulls her daughter away, “April, I thought we agreed you wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh, I wasn’t!” She protests, waving her hand as though the concept is silly.

“Yes you were.” Penny laughs, “How would you feel it if people randomly started talking to your stomach?”

“I’d love it.” April says with a smirk on her face, “In fact, maybe I should go and get myself pregnant so people will talk to my belly too.” She says.

I watch as Uncle Dan’s face goes white and a little vein starts to get more and more noticeable, “April Emily Danford, don’t you even joke about that. It’s one thing for it to be a mistake, and another to do this on purpose.” He says.

I bite my lip, “Accident.” I whisper.

“Huh?” Both sets of parents look at me questioningly.

“The baby.” I say, resting my hands on my still flat stomach, “It’s an accident, not a mistake.” I explain.

Mom gives me a soft smile, “Of course honey.”

I smile back and take April’s hand, “Come on April, let’s go upstairs. I can’t wait to show you my room.” On the third step, I remember why I came down in the first place, “Oh and Dad, would you mind helping me move my dresser and stuff?” I ask.

He nods and follows us upstairs. After making him move everything around, he looks relieved to get to go back downstairs. April flops down on my bed while I sit at my desk and get my laptop’s charger and the lamp plugged in. Once I’ve emptied everything into the drawers, I move on to my bookshelf.

“So, are you going to tell me who the father is, Preggers?” April asks, looking through the suitcase full of clothes on my bed. We’re the same size, so I’m sure she’s wanting to borrow everything before I stretch it out with my pregnant belly.

I shake my head, “No, not really. There’s a full day and a half before school on Monday. That’s about thirty six hours where you could spill the beans.”

“Come on! I promise not to tell.” She exclaims.

I give her a disbelieving look, “Yeah, that’s what you said the time that I confessed to breaking my mom’s favorite ornament on the Christmas tree. Do you know how long I was grounded thanks to your big mouth?”

She shrugs, “I couldn’t help it, it just slipped out. One second she was like ‘I wonder what happened to that ball’ and I was all ‘Ellie broke it’. It just slipped.”

“Exactly. The last thing I need is for it to just ‘slip’ to him that he’s going to be a father.” I say.

“You know, I’ve been thinking, and what if the baby’s father is like a total loser? I mean, it’s not like you’d be able to know.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” I ask, offended. I’m not so much of a loser that I can’t tell if other people are losers too.

Her eyes widen in amusement, “I mean that you didn’t know anybody but me at the party. He could have been anybody.”

I blush, realizing I jumped to conclusions, “Sorry.” I mumble.

“Please just tell me. I promise to keep it a secret.” She begs.

I sigh, “Pinky swear that you won’t tell?” I ask, holding up my pinky. She nods seriously and wraps her own finger around mine. Pinky promises go deeper than any other form of promise. If you break a pinky promise, you’re dead to me.

“He said his name was Tyson, and I didn’t get his last name.” Her entire body freezes and I watch her face go blank. “What?” I ask worriedly, pausing in my efforts to put the books away.

“What did this Tyson guy look like?” She asks anxiously.

I shrug, “Dark brown hair, bright green eyes, tall bo…” I’m cut off by her incredibly high pitched shriek. “What the hell?” I shout, covering my ears as she bounces up and down on the bed, her fingers flying over the keys on her phone. After a moment, she shoves it in my face, showing me a f*******: page.

“Is this the guy you slept with?” She asks excitedly.

I take the phone from her hands and hold it away from my face, looking closely. He looks a tiny bit different in the picture, since it seems kind of far away, but it’s him. I nod, “Yeah, I think so.” I say.

She flops down on her back, “Dead. You’ve killed me. How can you just walk into a room and get the hottest guy in school?” She asks, sounding mystified.

“What are you even talking about?” I ask, chuckling.

“Tyson Roberts. You actually hooked up with Tyson Roberts. He’s just so… augh.” She groans, a far away look appears on her face.

“So you know him?” I ask.

She looks over at me, “Elle, I’m pretty sure everybody in this entire city knows him, or at least of him. He’s basically single handedly got us the big shiny trophy that’s on display to see as soon as you enter the school. Our team hadn’t won a single hockey game in nearly five years before he came along and changed everything.”

“So he likes hockey?”

“Is that really all you took from that? You’re pregnant with the baby of our town hero. Ugh, I can’t even stand this, your baby is going to be a very attractive little person.” She tells me matter-of-factly.

“Is it?” I ask in amusement. She nods seriously.

“Totally. Ty and his siblings are all great looking. Hopefully those genes get passed on.” She says wistfully.

I shrug, “I’m pretty sure that as long as it’s healthy, I’ll think it’s cute no matter what.”

“You’re a mother, you have to say that.” We both pause, eyes widening. “Whoa, that sounded weird. You’re going to be a mom, Ellie.” April says slowly. I nod my head, it’s the first time I’ve thought about this pregnancy like that. I’m going to be a Mommy. Wow.

“Ooh, I almost forgot!” She exclaims randomly before jumping off of my bed, “I’ll be right back.” Then she’s gone. I’d be worried, but this is pretty typical for April.

Five minutes hasn’t passed before she’s back in my bedroom with a paper bag. “Since it’ll take a week or two for your uniform to arrive, you’re just borrowing a few of my things.” She says, handing me the bag.

My nose wrinkles as I look down at the bag with distaste, “I completely forgot that you wear uniforms.”

She smirks, “Yep, and now you can’t laugh at me for being a naughty school girl.”

I groan, “Do you realize how pathetic I’m going to look in a few months? Huge pregnant belly as I walk around in a pleated skirt.”

“Don’t even worry about it. You won’t be the first girl, or the last, to wear maternity clothing. Both of the girls that I’ve seen since going there just wear the skirt normally, under the belly, then tuck another shirt in and wear a prego button up. The teachers all understand for the most part.”

I nod, feeling halfway relieved. From my understanding, Belway Academy is a fairly young atmosphere, with a lot of teachers just starting their families and needing a good daycare. Not many students get pregnant there, but like most schools, it’s not unheard of. I’m just thankful that I won’t be the first person to be going through this there. My old school really couldn’t help me at all.

For the rest of the weekend, I keep myself busy by unpacking boxes and, before going to sleep, researching what all happens during each trimester of pregnancy. Since I’m still in the first, nothing overly significant is happening. Mostly, the websites warn that I’ll be moody and have some cravings. Which I’ve already had for a few weeks now.

Since I’m already eight weeks along, my baby has web like fingers, which is mind blowing to me. How can something that is so small that I can’t even feel it have fingers? The more research I do, the more real this baby becomes to me. She’s going to be here in seven short months, that’s all.

Waking up for school and having to put on a uniform is completely weird to me. Luckily, I’ve seen the way April accessorizes her uniform, so I don’t need to worry about going to school and looking like a complete loon. I choose the blue pleated skirt with a white button up over it, I’ve rolled up the sleeves and left the bottom untucked. I pull on some blue fishnet tights and brown leather boots that go up to just below my knees. Along with all of that, I’ve put on a cream colored cardigan because I’ve got a tendency to get cold. I leave my hair in its natural curls, not having the energy to do anything else with them. I apply only a small amount of dark brown eyeliner to my eyes before grabbing my book bag and heading downstairs.

Dad’s already left for work and Mom’s flipping through a magazine and cutting out coupons. “How does lasagna sound for dinner tonight?” She asks. Without warning, I feel my stomach flip and dash to the bathroom. After rinsing out my mouth, I go back to the kitchen and look at Mom, who’s wearing an amused grin. This is my first experience with morning sickness and I didn’t like it at all.

“So was that a no to lasagna?” She asks knowing.

I narrow my eyes, “It’s not funny! What if it happens at school? People are going to find out way sooner than I’d like them to.”

She sighs, “If it happens, it happens, just try making it to the bathroom first.”

“You make it sound so simple.” I say, unamused.

“It is that simple, Ellie. You’re pregnant; a little sickness happens every now and then. As long as they’re not abusing you like at your last school, it’s fine if the kids know. They’ll find out in a couple months anyways.

I frown and look at the clock, it’s time for me to go already. “I’ve gotta get going.” I sigh, grabbing my keys from the counter.

“Hey, don’t forget to eat this.” Mom says, throwing an apple at me. Out of pure reflex, I catch it before it can smack me in the head. Mom used to play softball and sometimes forgets how strong her pitching arm is.

“I won’t, thanks.” I say before going out to my car.

The only time I’ve ever been in the school was for two of April’s choir concerts. I don’t even know where the office is. Pulling out my phone, I begin texting April, asking her to help me out.

“Hey, you’re the girl from that party.” I hear from behind me. I spin around, my eyes wide as saucers. Standing right in front of me is Tyson. He looks completely different with a uniform on… well, any clothes in general…

“Uh, I… I uh,” I stammer, unable to form an actual sentence. My phone vibrates in my hand, but I can’t look down to see what it says.

He smiles, waving absent mindedly as another guy walks past and pats his back, “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in like two months.” He says, his eyes hypnotizing me as they connect with mine. When he looks at me like that, it feels like we’re the only two people in the world, and it’s not even a romantic look.

“I go here now.” I manage to say, just barely though. It took a lot of concentration to get those four easy words out.

“Nice.” He says, walking to stand right in front of me. His head is bent down slightly and I’m staring up at him with wide eyes, “Very nice.”