Clare Edwards was terrified of a piece of plastic. The small stick in her hands had just ruined her life in two minutes, and she could do nothing about it. She knew she should have waited until she could get birth control or made Parker buy condoms, but she had been ignorant and was now paying the hefty price. She stared at the positive symbol on the pregnancy test and willed it to disappear, but it only stared back at her in mockery. She knew what had to be done next; she had to tell Parker, her boyfriend of eight month, that they were going to be parents at sixteen. No matter what option she chose, she would always be a mom. Clare allowed a few tears to roll down her cheeks as the initial shock wore off. She was sixteen years old, she was pregnant, and she had no idea ho her mom or boy friend were going to react. The tears multiplied as these thoughts plagued her mind, and she never wanted to leave her bathroom.
A knock at the door jarred her from her thoughts. "Sweetie, you're going to be late for school if you don't hurry." Her mom's voice rang in her ears, so she picked herself off the floor and splashed water on her face. She would tell Parker first, and then they could tell their parents together- she hoped. She showered and walked across the hallway to her bedroom. Clare dressed hurriedly and stared at herself in the full length mirror. She pulled her shirt up to expose her stomach and examined it closely for the trade marked "baby bump". She saw no difference, but Clare knew it was there.
She walked down the hall into the kitchen and ate her breakfast in petrified silence. Every time her mother turned in her direction, Clare was sure the accusations were going to pelt her, but nothing was said. When her mom dropped her off in front of her school and drove away, Clare felt like a weight of guilt had been dropped on her from a seventy foot height. It bore down on her as she realized she would have to face h mother soon, and she had to face Parker now. As if he had heard her deepest fears, Parker walked into her line of vision and smiled his charming smile as soon as she entered the building.
She brought in a deep breath and released it, then returned her own fake smile. "Hey, I thought you would never get here." He looked genuinely happy to see her. Maybe everything would work out. If Parker and her mom supported and helped her through this, Clare would be okay. He was babbling away about something while Clare was in her fantasy world, but she needed to tell him sooner rather than later.
"Park, can we talk? It's kind of important." The words had barely left Clare's mouth when she felt sudden wave of nausea washed over her. Clare ran to the nearest bathroom and barely made it into the stall before she saw her breakfast again. Parker had followed her to the door but hadn't entered. She continued vomiting into the toilet and instantly regretted everything she had ever eaten.
"Are you okay? Should I get the nurse?", he called a nervous stutter. Parker was unsure of what he should do, so he stood outside the bathroom and waited for Clare to emerge.
When she did, she looked terrible. "I think we should talk now.", she stated. Although confused, Parker followed her into the drama room. Their school was very interested in the performing arts, so the drama "room" was complete with a stage and rows of seats. On the way to the room they passed Eli, and Clare looked away in shame. Clare walked to the stage, sat down, and waited for Parker to do the same. "So, I have to tell you something, and it's kind of crazy."
"Are you okay? You got sick, and now you're acting really weird." Parker was trying to piece together what could be wrong with his girl friend, and it was worrying him.
Clare forced herself not to break down in tears but chose to look at the floor. She had no idea ho to go about telling Parker what was happening. "I- I'm pregnant." Saying the words made everything real, and she couldn't believe that this was real. She bit her lip anxiously and awaited his response. Minutes passed, and still he Parker sat with wide eyes and mouth hung open. Clare's fear was growing rapidly, and she couldn't wait much longer. "Please say something, anything.", she begged
He looked at her as if she had grown a second head and was breathing fire. His mouth opened and closed several times like a fish before he finally found his voice. He managed to croak out, "Are you sure?" They were the first words his hazy mind had been able conjure, but he wasn't hopeful as he looked at her.
Clare was only happy that he hadn't stormed out of the room after hearing her news, so she sighed in relief. She was still worried about what was happening, but this was a good sign in her opinion. She nodded and answered with, "I took a test, and it's positive. I could take another one if you want to see for yourself, but I have all the symptoms." She wasn't surprised at his hopeful denial, but Parker needed to stop floating away from reality soon.
His mind was reeling from the prospect of being a father at such a young age. They had only had sex one time, so maybe it wasn't his. Maybe she had cheated on him. "Is it mine?", he voiced his hopes.
The words hit Clare hard. She was appalled that he could think so lowly of her. Either he had very little respect for her or he was doing his best to ignore his responsibilities. She was on the verge of tears already. "Yes, it's yours! I've only had sex once with one person." Clare only allowed a few tears to escape before controlling herself. She looked at him expectantly and could only hope he was about to step up to the plate.
Parker couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he wasn't ready to be a teen father. He had friends, a social life, and school to worry about. "I know this is on both of us, so I'm here for you. I'll even go with you to the doctor's office. Once it's taken care of everything will be fine again!" Parker knew he couldn't let Clare go through an abortion on her own.