Tara

- Part 1 -

Lilly had been sitting on my bed with her back turned for five minutes. I knew why she was here and I didn't want to hear it.

"Lilly," I said, my voice cracking. "Are you . . . I mean . . . Did you get-"

"I'm pregnant." She said quietly, still not facing me. I knew it. She'd been acting different all week and it had begun to scare me. And here it was.

"Are you going to keep it?"

"I don't know!" she said frantically, spinning around so fast it made me jump. "I can't have a baby now! I'm twenty-one for Christ sake. I have a life to live!"

"Hey it's okay, I'm sure mum and-"

"You can't tell mum and dad. You can't. Promise me you'll keep this quiet until I figure out what to do."

"I won't tell anyone." I said quietly, fiddling my fingers. Lilly sighed before reaching out to squeeze my hand.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Then she let go. I didn't look up at her but on her way out she said, "Your friends here." And my head snapped up. Shit she was early.

I looked around at my room and groaned. My carpet was so covered in shit I couldn't even see the floor.

"Well then." The next thirty seconds were spent stuffing clothes into draws, collecting up CD's and throwing away all the leftover food I'd kept scattered incase I got hungry; which was all the time. I was about to head downstairs and let her in when I got a look at myself in the mirror. I groaned again.

My wardrobe was empty, everything was either in the wash or stuffed in a draw, which I was not prepared to rummage through for the next 10 years until I found what I wanted. Trying to flatten down my hair, I realized this was as good as it was going to get. Flannel shirt, baggy shorts and messy hair.

I ran down the stairs just as the doorbell was being rung for the third time and swung the door open.

"Hi,' I said breathlessly.

"Uh hi," Maggie said questionably, hiding a smile. "Why are you puffing?"

"Oh you know," I said, ushering her inside awkwardly. "Stairs are hard to run down."

"Right." She said, making no attempt to hide her smile. I shut the door behind her, shaking my head slightly. Stupid. Hard to run down stairs?

I was about to ask her for a drink when she spun around quickly, her top floating upwards so I caught a glimpse of her bellybutton.

"Guess what," she said excitedly.

"What?"

"Okay so I was in the library trying to finish my health project and then guess who came up to me."

I bit my lip. "Who?"

"Glenn! Oh my god I was so awkward, I thought I'd freaked him out because I was just like, staring at him, but then we started talking and he's so cute and sweet and guess what happened after that, this is the best bit."

"What?"

"He asked me out! He asked me to go out to dinner with him," My heart sank. "Tara I'm so excited." She said, clapping her hands together gently.

"I bet you are," I said, looking at the ground. Maggie looked at me sideways.

"What's wrong?" she said, walking over to me so I could look at her. "Aren't you happy for me?"

"No it's not that," I lied. "I'm really happy for you," I lied again. "Its just . . . something's happened to Lily. Something bad." She put her hand on my arm and I tensed.

"What happened?" she said quietly. I rubbed my eyes with the palm of my hands and sighed, letting them fall back into place.

"She's pregnant." The hand on my arm flinched, before it moved from my shoulder to my back, pressing me into her chest. I put my hands awkwardly around her waste and buried my head in her shoulder to hide the redness in my cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Maggie said, bring her other arm around and resting it on my head. I didn't want her to let go. Not ever. But then she did, and I saw the empathy in her face and my stomach twisted. My features went slack as the reality of her slapped me across the face. I was completely and utterly in love with her.

And it sucked.

"Am I a total dag if I wear this to a restaurant?" Maggie asked, holding an outfit up against her.

"Nah," I said, flipping through a magazine. "Just wear fancy shoes or something."

"You are hopeless at clothes," she said, putting down her outfit and falling back onto the bed next to me. "I live on a farm for Christ sakes you don't get much fashion inspiration there."

"At least you have a fashion sense. Have you seen my wardrobe?" I said, pointing to my 'three sizes too big' punk rock shirt. She elbowed me, rolling over to her head was rested on my stomach.

"I like your clothes. They're you." She jabbed me in the chin and I laughed, hitting her hand away. She retracted, smiled, and then closed her eyes. We lay in silence for a few moments, both of us thinking. Or at least I was. And for once it wasn't about Maggie.

I was thinking about what I'd seen on the news this morning, stories about people acting out with irrational behaviors of violence in Iceland and how they think there's been an outbreak of rabies or some new brain disease. Something stupid and over dramatic that is always over broadcasted and after a week is just a rumor.

"Did you see the thing on the news this morning?" I asked her, playing with a bit of her hair.

"About the crazy people? Yeah. Daddy said he's never seen people act like that before."
"Do you think it's serious?"

"Nah." she said, sitting up and looking back at me so her hair spilt over the side of her face. Fuck it was hot. "It's like aids. Everyone panicked when Aids appeared but now look at it. All cured," She stood up and stretched and I stood up too, sighing internally at how much I wanted her. "Daddy said I've gotta be home before ten so I'll see you at Wendy's tomorrow yeah?" I nodded. She picked up her bag and planted a quick kiss on my cheek. "See you tomorrow."

"Beh." Which was meant to be bye - Was what I managed after that. Then I fell back onto my bed and sighed.