I have kind of grown a bit as a writer (and a person – it's been like 4 ½ years!) since I last updated this story and I've recently gotten back into fanfic, so let us continue, shall we?

Kimi found herself crying almost all the time since she decided to have an abortion. There was no changing her mind at that point – it simply made more sense to have an abortion – but that didn't change the fact that she had suddenly fallen into a deep depression. Talking about her rape made her upset, and talking about her pregnancy made her upset and what was worse was trying to decide which was more upsetting. She finally decided cynically that her rape was worse because without that wondrous incident, she wouldn't be pregnant and wouldn't have to have an abortion.

Discussing the whole, horrible situation was painful. Her father and brother… she couldn't even look at them. Kimi felt their eyes on her as she hung her head in shame at the kitchen table and knew she had dishonored herself and her family. She could smell the light rose and ylang ylang scent her mother somehow managed to keep the kitchen smelling and found herself feeling more ashamed. Her parents and brother had been so wonderful to her all her life and this is how she repaid them? By getting herself into some of the worst trouble a kid could get into? Kimi excused herself from the table and shuffled meekly up the stairs to her room as her parents conversed over clinic options, when she would get the procedure, etc.

When she got up to her room, she shut the door behind her, staggered forward and let herself fall face first onto her barely made bed. Kimi threw the various books and magazines that were strewn across her bed onto the floor and stared at her mattress before collapsing back down onto it. She decided to take a nap, ended up lulling herself to sleep from listening to some music, to only wake up with a start less than an hour later.

"Babies!" she shouted, panting quickly as she tried catching her breath. Kimi sighed. Rubbing her eyes, Kimi slowly raised herself to a sitting position and automatically reached for her cordless phone. Pawing at her desk a few times, she finally was successful and started to punch in Lil's number like it was second nature. But before she hit 'call,' she realized that Lil was currently furious with her over the subject of crushes and put the phone down sadly. She really needed her best friend right now.

During the same time, Lil was beginning to come to her senses about the whole situation. As it played over and over in her mind, she began to see the logic (or lack thereof) in her fuming anger towards Kimi.

'It's not like Kimi meant for that to happen. She wanted Tommy to like me,' she finally realized.

She pursed her lips for a second. 'Maybe I should apologize, or at least admit I was wrong,' she considered, before thinking, 'no, I bet she hates me now. I better just leave her alone. I guess we can't be friends anymore.' Lil frowned as she slumped her shoulders down in a heave.

"You should apologize," said Phil, suddenly. Lil whipped her head around and snarled at her twin brother.

"What are you doing in here? And what do you know? Get out of here, Phillip!" she retorted and with that, he raised his hands and with a shocked and affronted expression, he turned on his heels and left. When she finally heard the door close, Lil sobbed briefly before wiping her face on her sleeve, sniffling once or twice.

"I miss you, Kimi," she said to her empty room. It was only then that she realized that Kimi hadn't been in school for the past few days or so. What was going on in her life? What was Lil missing by being in a fight with her best friend?

Tommy, on the other hand, was still in contact with Kimi, although they were talking far less than he would like. He would call her up, and either she would answer sounded groggy as if she had just woken up, or her parents would answer and tell him to call later – Kimi's sleeping right now. Kimi was answering all calls that came through when she was awake because she was always expecting – no, more like hoping – that it would be Lil on the other line.

Their conversations would be brief and would basically follow a pattern:

"How are you?" Tommy would ask.

"I'm okay," Kimi would reply.

There'd be a pause. A pregnant pause.

"We miss you at school," he'd say, at a loss of words but wanting desperately their conversation to continue.

She'd scoff softly, "yeah?"

And usually at this point Tommy would not know how to continue and he'd just say, "yeah. We do. Well, feel better, Kimi. Talk to you later." But today, the conversation took a different turn.

He said sincerely, "yes. We all miss you, Kimi. People are… confused as to why you've been out for six days. I tell them I heard you had the flu."

"Oh," she said, "that's good. I guess."

"The flu part," she corrected herself. "I'm… glad people think I have the flu."

"Yeah," he said.

Another pause.

"Have you talked to Lil?" he asked.

She bit her lip, "no, I haven't yet."

"Well, you should. Call her, Kimi. I have to go. I'll talk to you later," Tommy finished. He waited a moment before hanging up, hoping she would call out for him to wait, but when she didn't, he put the phone down.

Kimi decided that Tommy was right, and looked down at the phone in her hand and started dialing.