Heelloo. Okay, can I just say a big THANKYOU for the reviews. They totally make my day. Yeah, I'm lame. Its part of my charm. Also, I'd just like to warn everyone – I'm from Australia so I can't promise all the school dates/seasons or whatever will be right. I'm pretty sure they have summer holidays and then start school in Autumn in September. I hope that's right. Anyway, sorry in advance for any inaccuracy.

The shrill ringing of Pam's alarm clock woke her up on Monday morning. Weak Autumn sun seeped through the window as she flung an arm out to throw the clock on the ground where it continued to ring. She ignored it. Mrs. Beesly hurried in, quickly bending to turn the annoying object off.

"Pam, honey. It's time to get up. First day of school! Summer's over, time to plunge into work!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically. Pam hated it when her mother tried to be perky about school. It was so lame. The truth was, Pam used to love the first day of school. She didn't like the work so much but it was fun buying new, clean stationary and lining up freshly sharpened colored pencils. She was all set for school. Her brand-new binder was filled with fresh paper; she had inserted neatly labeled dividers, one for each subject, among the paper; and a pencil case containing pens, pencil, an eraser, a ruler, and a pack of gum was clipped to the inside front cover. She should of jumped out of bed but instead she rolled over onto her back and pulled the covers over her head. Mrs. Beesly laughed and pulled them off again, perching on the edge of Pam's bed.

"Honey, what's going on? You seem so different lately." She smoothed Pam's hair away from her face and gave her a concerned look. Pam sighed heavily, wishing her mother would just leave her alone.

"I'm fine, Mom." She tried not to snap but her voice came out irritated all the same.

"Alright." Her mother said doubtfully. "Breakfast is downstairs." She snapped the blind up before slipped out of the room, taking some dirty laundry as she went. Pam swung her legs out and stared at her room. Crushed pieces of paper littered the floor, failed sketches, and books were strewn left to right. It had been 2 weeks since the home pregnancy test. Summer was over and so was her life. She rose and slipped a royal blue v-neck on along with her favorite, faded blue jeans. She jammed her feet into a pair of white, almost gray, runners and tied her hair into a loose bun ignoring a couple of loose curls. Why bother with appearance? She wondered. In a few months she wouldn't even fit her clothes. With one last longing look at her original 'back to school' outfit (black tights, black skirt and a gorgeous jade green sweater) she grabbed her bag and rushed out the door, skipping breakfast.

Pam walked gloomily to the bus stop, kicking a stone. She couldn't wrap her head around it – she was really pregnant. What would she do? Abortion was not an option. She just couldn't think about that. But what else was there to do? Her parents were going to kill her. And Jim! What would Jim say? What would he do? What if his parents forbid him from seeing her?

"Pam!" She heard the familiar voice and spun just in time to have her best friend Alexa throw her arms around her. Alexa had been her best friend since grade 2 when they'd bonded over having the same charm bracelet. She had soft brown curls and charming baby blue eyes. And she could mix and match the weirdest stuff and come up with an amazing outfit. Today she was wearing a simple, loose blouse with an unfamiliar coat of arms on it over a very short black skirt. Around her waist was a thin scarf and on her feet were black ankle boots. Dangling from her ears were small dinosaurs.

"Hey, Alex." She couldn't help smiling. "How was Florida?"

"Amaaaazing." Alexa sang, falling into step beside Pam, bronze autumn leaves crunching loudly beneath their feet.

"Your so tanned!" Pam almost shrieked, grabbing her friend's arm and holding it out. She dropped it.

"How do you do that? I've been trying all my life to get a tan and all I get is pale skin." She sighed sorrowfully.

"Try spending summer vacation lying on a beach. Or did you just spend it with Jim?"

"Jim." The name whirled her back into reality. She was carrying his baby. Struck with this thought, she almost screamed with the realization that there was another human being inside her.

"Pam? Are you okay?" Alexa shook her arm. "The bus is here." Wordlessly, Pam climbed up the steps and settled down.

"Hey, seriously. Whats wrong?" Alexa sat beside her and tucked a chestnut wave of hair behind her ear. Pam sighed and leaned her forehead against the window. She closed her eyes. She felt Alexa's soothing arm on her shoulder and was grateful that her best friend didn't push for an answer. They rode to school in silence.

1-44-7. Pam twisted her lock open and studied her new locker.

"Hey, we're right next to each other. Nice." Alexa said, opening her own locker. "So far, my locker doesn't seem to have any evil intentions towards me, so, bonus." Pam raised her eyebrows, recalling the number of times Alexa's previous locker had stuck and squeaked and broken and hit her in the face.

"Uh, I'd call that a major plus!" She laughed. She arranged her books, bag and art supplies along the locker shelf and added a few pictures she'd torn from a magazine.

"Have you seen Jim yet?" Alexa continued. Pam's stomach clenched painfully.

"Uh, not yet." She muttered. "Actually, I haven't seen him since about...2 and a half weeks." Alexa stopped trying to balance her History and English books and looked at Pam.

"Really?" She asked carefully. "Why?" Pam shrugged, feeling her neck heat up.

"We just...didn't have some much time by the end of summer." She lied.

3 WEEKS AGO

She rested her head against Jim's chest, tears slowly slipping down her cheeks. They were mysterious tears, cold and strange. She didn't want to move, not now, not ever. She wanted their bodies to merge together, to be one. At some point she rolled over. It wasn't how she imagined it. She wasn't on a romantic beach or something. But somehow, with Jim, staring up at glow in the dark stars it felt better then she'd ever imagined. She smiled faintly.

"Ummgh..." Jim made a strange, hesitant sound.

"What?" She asked vaguely, not really paying attention.

"I...there was...I...I don't know."

"Jim?"

"The..t-he condom, it..." His voice was so...distant. He sounded confused and...something else

"Jim." Her voice was sharp. And unfamiliar.

"Its not...on?" He ran his hand through his hair, panic rising in his eyes.

"Why are you asking? Is it on or off?

"It's off."

"What. Do. You. Mean."

"Uuhh, Pam, I'm not sure. I think," He took a deep breath. "It broke."

"It broke." She repeated. His hair was falling in front of his eyes. He reached his hand out for her but she'd jumped up, already tugging her clothes on. Worries rose and flooded her.

"I'm pretty sure. I don't know when it happened..." he trailed off. She could get pregnant. She could be getting pregnant. Right now.

"It happened while we were having sex." She said sharply. He looked at her solemnly and silently and she wanted to slap words out of him. When was her last period? She tried to count the days but her head was a mess of panic. Why hadn't she stopped? She was the responsible one, she was the one who was supposed to make sure this didn't happen. She wasn't ready. Why, she wondered, why the hell had she had sex when she wasn't ready to be a parent? That was what sex did. It got you pregnant...and she...she could not get pregnant. These things couldn't happen to her. She was practical and careful. This happened to girls who were careless and flirty. What could she do? What did this mean? She was a worrier. She worried that she would get diseases or become homeless or an orphan. She worried the sun wouldn't rise or that Alexa would get in some tragic accident. Not once, in all her worries, had this one crossed her mind. She wasn't a virgin anymore. Why hadn't that mattered earlier? She barely saw Jim now, she should be saying these aloud, she wanted to be sobbing in his arms. No. She wanted to be back in front of the fireplace just talking. His voice snapped her back to reality.

"Pam, I am so, so sorry. I'm sorry. I should have..."

"Its not your fault." She told him, staring at the ash and smoldering, dying flames. Like the night, they'd burned out.

"I have to go." She said. And she didn't look back.

Review, review, review. I command you. Just kidding. Only not really. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I should have the following one up soon!