The lunchroom at Miami-Dade High School was decorated from head to toe in Christmas decorations. There was only one day left until Christmas vacation. All the students and teachers were all smiles.
Speed made his way to the lunchroom. He spotted Eric, Calleigh, and Jesse sitting in their usual spot, the back right corner of the lunchroom. It had been their spot since freshman year.
"Hey Speed! Where's your better half and Jillian?" Eric asked greeting his best friend.
"Ha, ha, ha! Very funny, Delko," Speed said hopping over the railing that divided the lunchroom from the hallway. "They'll be here in a minute. Jillian had to fix her makeup or something."
"Girls and their makeup," Jesse said rolling his eyes. He picked up a fry from his lunch plate, dipped it in some ketchup, and ate it. "I don't get it." He paused and looked at Calleigh. "Why do you girls have to wear all this makeup? You look fine without it. In fact you look beautiful."
Calleigh shrugged he shoulders, and said in her sweet southern accent, "I don't know. It's fun, and makes us feel confident and pretty. Some girls see it as a creative outlet. It means something different to every woman."
"Makes sense, but you ladies still look the best without it," Jesse said.
"Well, thank you Jesse," Calleigh said with a smile.
"You're welcome." He smiled back.
Eric looked up as saw Lauren and Jillian heading toward them. Lauren looked peaked. "Here they come, and Lauren doesn't look so good," Eric said.
Speed turned around, and saw what Eric had been talking about. She didn't look well. Speed thought maybe her morning sickness came back, but her complexion never looked as pale as it did now. "Hey, babe, are you okay?" Speed asked concerned.
Lauren sat down on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested her head on his shoulder. She felt awful. Not morning sickness awful, but flu awful. "No, I feel like shit. I can't stay warm. My body aches. I'm exhausted," Lauren said closing her eyes.
"Lauren, I think you should go see the school nurse," Speed said feeling her forehead. It was burning.
"I agree," Jillian said. "You're not just thinking about you anymore."
Jesse furrowed his eyebrows, looked at Lauren, Speed, and Jillian. He said, "Wait, what is that supposed to mean?" Eric and Calleigh looked at them too, waiting for an answer.
Lauren sat up and looked outside to see if anyone was occupying the picnic tables outside, they weren't. "Let's go outside and talk."
The six friends got up from their seats, and headed outside where they would have some privacy. It took everything Lauren had to walk outside. She hadn't felt like this in a long time. She felt horrible.
"All right, what's going on?" Jesse asked sitting down at the picnic table. He had an idea of what might be going on, but wanted Lauren and Speed to say it. The rest of them followed suit.
Lauren took a deep breath then exhaled. "So… what Jillian meant by me not just thinking about myself anymore is that… I'm… I'm pregnant. Speed and I are having a baby."
Eric, Jesse, and Calleigh looked at each other then at Lauren, Speed, and Jillian. Eric said, "Wow! We all kind of speculated it, but never thought it would be true."
Speed looked at Lauren and half laughed. "We didn't either, but it's true."
"My father and Christina won't talk to me, which I'm sure you've noticed, and I'm scared shitless. It really hasn't felt real until now. My clothes aren't fitting as well," Lauren said.
Jesse got up from his seat, and sat down next to Lauren. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "We'll help you guys get through this. That's what friends are for. We have you your backs no matter what. I know you two would do the same thing if the rolls were reversed." Everyone nodded in agreement. Speed and Lauren both felt a sense of relief.
The bell rang signifying the end of their lunch period. Speed grabbed Lauren's backpack, and helped her up off the bench. Her hands were cold and clammy, and she was struggling to stand up. "Lauren, are you sure you're okay? I think you should go to the nurse's office," Speed said concerned.
"We have that test review today in English today. We have that test tomorrow. Mr. O'Dowd said we shouldn't miss it," Lauren said as the group of friends headed inside.
"I agree with, Tim. I think you should go see the school nurse. It's not just you anymore," Calleigh said concerned.
"Plus, you and Speed are in that class together. It couldn't work out any better. We all know he takes the best notes," Eric said opening the door to the building. He held the door open for everyone.
"I'll go after English class, I promise," Lauren said softly. Her energy levels were rapidly decreasing by the minute.
Speed and Lauren were the first to arrive in Mr. O'Dowd's English class. He was sitting at his desk waiting for his students to arrive. He was their favorite teacher.
"Speedle. LeBlanc. How are we doing to day?" Mr. O'Dowd asked cheerfully. He was dressed in some black slacks, and an ugly Christmas sweater. It was something he did every year during the last week before Christmas break. His students loved it. It was the talk of the school.
Speed set his and Lauren's backpacks on floor before helping Lauren sit down at her desk. He was getting increasingly worried about her. Speed wasn't sure if it was the pregnancy making her be like this, if she was really sick or if it was both. Speed was half tempted to ask Mr. O'Dowd if he could take Lauren to the school nurse. He kept quiet for now.
"Let's just say we're ready for Christmas break," Speed said as another classmate walked in. It was Ryan Wolfe.
"Hi, guys," Ryan said taking a seat to the right of Speed.
"Hi," Speed said then turned his attention to Mr. O'Dowd. "Mr. O, how important is this test tomorrow? I mean grade wise?" He had made up his mind. He was taking Lauren to the school nurse. She was as white as a ghost, and she couldn't sit up.
Mr. O'Dowd pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up his nose, and said, "Good question. I don't think I'm going to give the test. I don't feel like grading papers over the break. We'll do a review once we get back then have the test."
"Great." He turned to Lauren. "Babe, we're going to the school nurse right now. You need to see someone." She didn't move. "Lauren… babe, wake up," he said shaking her a little.
"Everything okay?" Ryan asked concerned.
"No. Lauren's not feeling well. She can barely stand, and I'm pretty sure she has a fever," Speed said not taking his eyes off Lauren. Speed crouched down so he was face-to-face with Lauren. He placed a hand on the small of her back. "Lauren, wake up, baby." Her eyes opened slightly. "Come on. We're going to the see the school nurse. Mr. O isn't going to have a test tomorrow."
"Okay," she said. She was barely audible.
Lauren got up with a lot of help of Speed. They made it to the front of the classroom when she started to feel like she was going to pass out. Mr. O'Dowd watched his two students intently. He didn't have a good feeling.
"Tim… I think I'm going to…" Speed grabbed Lauren just before she hit the floor.