OOC/ Thanks y'all for the reviews! Now, I would like even more!! Heehee, don't make me hold ransom again :) Just kidding. Kind of…………
Brace Yourself:
Triumph Over Tragedy
Chapter 9:
Keep Holding On
You're not alone, together we stand
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand
When it gets cold, and it feels like the end
There's no place to go, you know I won't give in
No I won't give in
Keep holdin' on
'Cause you know we'll make it through
We'll make it through
Just, stay strong
'Cause you know I'm here for you
I'm here for you
There's nothing you can say
Nothing you can do
There's no other way when it comes to the truth
So, keep holding on
'Cause you know we'll make it through
We'll make it through
So far away, I wish you were here
Before it's too late; this could all disappear
Before the doors close and it comes to an end
With you by my side I will fight and defend
I'll fight and defend, Yeah yeah
Hear me when I say
When I say I believe
Nothing's gonna change destiny
Whatever's meant to be
Will work out perfectly… yeah, yeah, yeah!
--
It was the first day of her suspension when her doorbell rang. Her mother was at work, pulling overtime to get some more money to set aside for when the baby arrived. Mia had spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon re-organizing her bedroom, making room for her old crib, changing table, and a small chest of drawers. They didn't have enough room in their house for the baby to have a room of it's own, so it would be living with Mia until her mom could made enough money for them to move to a bigger space.
She hadn't been as angry as Mia had expected. She was mostly disappointed that she had put the baby in harms way, not that her daughter had punched Johnny, screamed at Lucas, and gotten into a fight with Jane all in the span of about fifteen minutes.
Getting into her robe, she hurried down the stairs and pulled the curtain away from the door. Standing outside, holding a bright orange pamphlet, was Jackie. She was beaming and waving frantically. Mia backed up from the door, unlocked it, and let her friend inside.
"You'll never believe what I found!" Jackie exclaimed, kicking off her boots. "Hi, by the way!" She gave Mia a quick hug then sat down at the kitchen table. "Look! Mrs. Garden had some in the health room. It's a free group meeting for pregnant teenagers. It could be great for you to go to."
"A group for pregnant teenagers." It was a question. It was a statement. "They have groups for people like me?" As far as anyone knew, she was the only pregnant student currently at Lakehurst Junior High. "I don't know, Jackie-"
"Just give it a try. It's tonight at 7:30 at the old Lake Hill Community Center. It's the first meeting, and it's only an hour." She unfolded the paper and laid it down on the table. "Topics of discussion: Problems with school, friends, family. Labor and delivery. Morning sickness. To keep, adopt, or abort." She shivered slightly, but continued to read. "Space accommodations. How to make and save money. Going back to school. Nursing. Mia, this is so perfect for you!"
Mia lifted her eyebrows at Jackie's words. "I guess it could be interesting." More than actually listening to some monotone health teacher lecture about having a child, Mia wanted to see who else in the area was pregnant. Like her, as Jackie had put it. "You said it's tonight, right?"
"Yeah. Tonight at 7:30 at the old Lake Hill Community Center." Her words were rushed and frantic, as though they only had five seconds to decide if she would go or not.
"Right." She fumbled with the ties on her robe, feeling uncomfortable. "Would… would you maybe come with me?" She looked up at Jackie, hoping beyond anything that she would say yes. She didn't want to do it alone, but she wasn't in any mood to take her mother. She wasn't off work until 9:30 anyway; she was working from opening to close at the bakery for the next two weeks.
She was surprised to see Jackie's face light up and an even bigger smile fill her lips. "Of course I'd go with you! I was hoping you'd ask!" She jumped up and raced to the other side of the table to hug Mia around the shoulders again. "This is going to be fun, Mia. Really! I promise!"
A look of skepticism crossed Mia's face, but she grinned though it to keep Jackie happy. It didn't look like she had much of a choice in the matter of her going anyway. No matter what she said, Jackie was going to find a way to combat her excuse so she had to go. And if her mother caught word of this group, she would have Mia signed up quicker than she could say she had no desire to take part.
Jackie headed toward the door. "I'll be back around seven. I have to get home and do some chores right now. But be ready, okay? We'll walk, and maybe have time to stop for ice cream or something." She gave Mia one last hug and departed, leaving the pamphlet on the kitchen table.
She walked back into the kitchen and took a seat, putting her feet up on the table and grasping the orange paper between her hands. Opening it, she began to skim the black font. She couldn't believe that there were other pregnant teenagers in Toronto. She should've guessed, though, knowing that Toronto had about five million people. She just thought about finding a support system outside of her mother and Jackie. Everyone else seemed so distant, so far away.
She tucked the paper under her arm and went back to her up room to make herself presentable. The group would be meeting in only three hours.
-x-
She couldn't believe her eyes.
There were so many girls. She did a quick head count, but lost track at twelve. Everyone looked so different, but they all had that one thing in common- the person growing inside of their wombs.
She gripped Jackie's hand harder, relieved but also terrified that she didn't recognize anyone from elementary school who had gone off to different junior highs. So she was the only one she knew. There would be no need for awkward hellos and once again trying to make sense of her situation.
She didn't think she could handle that all over again.
Chairs, about twenty or twenty-five in all, were circled around the big vacant room. Mia took a seat away from anyone else, and Jackie sat down beside her. Her eyes took in the scene again. Directly across from her was a girl who was obviously already in her third trimester. She was probably in high school, maybe a junior or senior. Next to her was a mousy girl who was biting anxiously on her thumbnail. She was maybe as far along as Mia was and probably around the same age. On her right was her mother, patting her back and whispering to her.
They all looked so alone… and yet, comfortable to be where they were. Maybe some of them were just like Mia and were just coming to terms with what was occurring. Maybe others were well along into their pregnancy and getting ready to give birth. Maybe some had just recently discovered and were still unsure how to proceed. Whatever the reason, Mia felt she was where she needed to be.
A middle aged woman, with a name tag that read Margie, took a seat near the door. "Welcome, everyone." Her voice was kind, joyous. Mia couldn't help but listen to her. "Why doesn't everyone take a seat and we can start with introductions." She looked around the room as everyone got situation. More chairs were pulled from a back closet and soon everyone was seated. "My name is Margie Kahnon, and I work for the free clinic on West Queen. I am fifty-eight, and my son Paul just turned forty. That can give you a clue on how old I was when he was born." Some of the adults laughed. "Welcome to all. Now, I just want to lay down a few ground rules before we start with our introductions. Everything that is said here is completely confidential. No one has to say anything they are not comfortable with and everyone is expected to respect anyone else's decisions and choices. We are all in this together. Secondly, if anyone has any questions or ever needs someone to confide in, I am always here to help and listen. I also brought with me some teen mentors, but I will let them introduce themselves." She paused and looked around the room. "All right! Let's get started. How about we say our names, our ages, our schools, and anything you would like to say about your baby, whether it's what you are planning to do, or if you know the gender, or the name, or nothing at all, if you'd prefer."
The girl to Margie's right started the introductions. She was a heavier built girl, and Mia guessed she was only a few years older than she was. "I'm Jocelyn. I'm fifteen and I go to Bardell. I am giving my son up for adoption and I am currently deciding on a family for him to go to." Her face flushed, and Mia immediately wanted to reach her hand across the circle to her. She couldn't believe how much she was ready to open up to these complete strangers. Beside her, Jackie gave her shoulder a quick squeeze.
The introductions continued. Anna was a fourteen-year-old from Westley who was planning on keeping her baby daughter Alisha, who was due right before Christmas. Marney was a seventeen-year-old from Juno High who only five weeks pregnant and wasn't sure what to do. Abby was a sophomore at Lakehurst High who had recently had an abortion and was looking for some support to help her though it.
The girl beside Mia, a tall darker skinned girl named Tabby, told her story of her ten month old daughter Nevaeh, and how she was pregnant again. When the circle ended up at Mia, she cleared her throat to start.
"I'm Mia. I'm thirteen and I got to Lakehurst Junior High. Um, I'm twelve weeks pregnant and I think I'm going to keep my baby." Her hand drifted to her lower abdomen as they did so regularly, and she noticed Margie smile at her.
More girls spoke. A few were keeping their babies. Most were undecided between keeping them or giving them up for a closed adoption. A few already had families picked out. Still others were undecided intirely.
The last three girls, sitting on Margie's left, were the teen mentors. Lacey Mahoney was a senior at Bardell who was planning on majoring in nursing and was eager to begin helping others. Jillian Babbitt was a junior at Oak Ridge and had a sister, a senior at the same school, who was pregnant but didn't want to attend the group. The final girl, a skinny sophomore with blonde hair, took longer with her introduction, prompted by Margie.
"My name is Emma Nelson. I'm a sophomore at Degrassi. My mother, also a graduate of Degrassi, had me when she was fifteen. I'm not pregnant, but I am here to help. I know first hand what all of you are going through, even though I am not in exactly the same place as you. My mom had a hard time deciding what to do, and at first didn't have any support from my father, or her friends. She was at first going to give me up for adoption, but decided to keep me after careful consideration with her mother." She looked at Margie, silently asking if it was okay to keep going, and continued talking on the older woman's nod. "Around Christmas last year, my best friend Manny found out she was pregnant. Not too soon into her pregnancy, she decided to have an abortion. I used to be completely against the idea of abortion, but I have since opened up to it. I am going to be here every week and I really hope to get to know and help some, if not all, of you."
Emma settled back into her seat and smiled across the circle. Mia caught her smile and was comforted by it. Something about her made her feel even more comfortable with the group than she had before.
The meeting lasted for another twenty minutes after introductions. Margie gave out some more pamphlets of information and alerted everyone to the meeting the following week, same time, same place. Then everyone was dismissed for cookies and punch, which had been placed out beforehand.
Mia stood up. Jackie did as well and put on her coat. "Ready to go?"
"In a moment." Her voice was vague. "I just want to talk to someone rally quickly."
"Okay." She sat back down and proceeded to read some of the forms that Margie had dispersed amongst everyone.
It didn't take long to spot Emma in the crowd, talking to Tabby across the room. Mia made her way through the throng of people toward her. By the time she got there, Tabby had left and Emma was pouring herself a glass of punch.
"Hi." She felt mute, at a loss for words. What was she expecting to say, anyway?
Emma looked up. "Hi. You're Mia, right? From Lakehurst?"
Mia nodded. "Um, I was… I was wondering if you could… I don't know the right word. Mentor me, maybe?" She was beginning to feel increasingly stupid.
Emma smiled. "I would love to. Next week my mother is going to be at the meeting, too. She is also available to help. We were hoping to do, as you said, mentoring for someone here."
"Great! Cool, I mean." Her hands were stuck to her stomach, as though she had accidentally put super glue on her sweater. "Well, I should be going."
"Hey, if you ever need to talk, here's my phone number." Emma took a piece of paper out of her pocket and grabbed a pen from the nearest table. "Feel free to give me a call or something." She handed Mia the paper and watched as Mia took it and disappeared back into the crowd, back toward Jackie.
"Ready now?" Jackie asked, waiting for Mia's response before standing up again. When she nodded, she stood energetically and grabbed Mia's coat.
"Still want to stop for ice cream?"
Mia hadn't noticed how hungry she was until Jackie said 'ice cream.' She smiled and nodded again. "Yeah, let's stop by Benny's on the way home."
"Awesome!" She bounded out of the community center with Mia following close behind. She dared a glance over her shoulder before exiting, and gave Emma a wave before heading out after her friend.
OOC/ Just to clear up anything, I believe it is. . . the end of September or so in the story. Time is one of my biggest mistakes, so I need to keep myself constantly reminded of what season or time or age a certain event or person is. Phew. That sentence makes no sense!
I was planning on bringing Emma into the story from the beginning. Emma is my favorite Degrassi character, and I wanted to have a Mia/Emma friendship because I feel like they would be good friends with their personalities. I personally don't believe that Emma is out of character to be at the group and mentoring, because she is little miss cause girl, right?
So let me know, please!! I am dying for more reviews! I may have the hold the next chapter for ransome….
Peace, love, and sailing- ELPHIE
