Chapter 38

Genevieve POV

I had been trying with all my might to pull my leggings over my bump, but the elastic band seemed to tug into my belly just enough to make me not want to move from my bed.

I'm gonna need to go maternity shopping. I had already bought a couple of sports bras, but I've never actually gone into the maternity section. Then again, that's a part of what I've been saving up for.

A knock suddenly came from the door.

"Come in!" Amber called from her sick bed.

Jerome entered in his uniform. "Gen, we're gonna be late- Amber, why are you not dressed?"
"Oh, haven't you heard? I've fallen ill, very, very ill," Amber informed him.

"She has a mild fever," I corrected, shaking my head in disagreement and mocking cat ears with my hands.

Jerome nodded. "Gen, we need to head to school."

"Nothing fits over my bump!" I whined.

"Wait, does-" Jerome gestured to Amber.

"Yeah, she does," I answered.

"What?" Amber questioned. "Oh, yeah! I know all about Genevieve. Knocked up. Up the duff. Bun. In. The. Oven-"

"Amber, stop," I requested.

"Well, that's new information."
"I don't know what to do," I complained.

"You can ask for new uniforms," Jerome suggested.

"Uniforms are way too expensive!"

"Well, I might have a shirt you can borrow and we can go shopping when you have a break from work," Jerome offered.

I sighed, "Would the shirt fit? You're so… skinny."

"And you're beautiful," Jerome complimented. "Now, I'll be back in a second, just wait here." Jerome rushed out of my bedroom in search for his shirt.

"You two are back together!" Amber exclaimed once Jerome shut the door.

"How'd you know?" I questioned.

"I can sense these things," Amber answered.

"Just don't tell anyone," I prompted.

"So many secrets with you. It's exhausting!"

"Now, we have been tasked with set design for the school play. It's still about two months away, but I've been told it takes place in Egypt. I want to make this set one of the most detailed and colorful as possible," my art teacher admitted, "and considering how incredible they did on the mural earlier this year, I am putting Genevieve and Theo in charge of this project."

"Is that such a good idea?" Marci questioned.

"Why would that not be a good idea?" our teacher asked.

"Well, I mean, they just broke up and… the mural wasn't actually that good," Marci whispered.

"Excuse me?" I angrily defended. "Theo and I broke up over a month ago and that mural is gorgeous!"

"It's basic!" Marci spat.

"Okay, that's enough," my art teacher dismissed.

Steam was still billowing from my ears once we had been separated into groups, the baby violently kicking me.

Jerome had gotten me lunch from the vending machines. It really did feel like we had just picked up where we had left off, eating lunch together, talking about comic books and holding hands. Except not holding hands in public. I don't want people to know we're back together in case people get suspicious.

"What's keeping you from telling people about… you know?" Jerome asked as I had just rejected a kiss on the cheek.

"I told you, my mum," I answered.

"You know our friends at Anubis would never tell your mum."

"How can we know that?" I questioned.

"There's something else," Jerome assumed.

"What?"

"There's something else. Spill," Jerome demanded.

I thought deeply for a moment, looking down to my stomach. "I don't want to lose this place. People don't like things like this. It makes them uncomfortable."

"But everyone who knows is fine. They got used to it," Jerome reminded.

"Yeah, but that's only, like, seven people. And they're the pretty relaxed ones. Well, not Victor, but he's not exactly expressive. Imagine what it'll be like when Patricia finds out-"

"Oh, she's going to have some really loud opinions," Jerome joked.

"And Fabian. Fabian's gonna be so uncomfortable," I muttered.

"So uncomfortable," Jerome agreed.

"And, besides, the more people that know the more likely it is that my mum knows, no matter who they are," I told him.

Jerome looked around the student lounge to see us two alone. Jerome reached out his hand to place on my belly.

"We have the scan this afternoon and I know that you don't want to tell people, but I think it'll be a good opportunity. We'll have pictures and we'll know the sex. Will you think about it?" Jerome wondered.

"I can think about it, but no promises," I answered reluctantly. I knew that Jerome was just thinking about what was best for the baby and me. The longer I kept it out of the fridge the more it would mold. In all honesty, it probably would be better for me to tell them than for my classmates to find out on their own.

The baby suddenly gave a strong kick to its fathers hand. "I love that feeling," he said.

"I'm starting to like it too," I admitted.

"So, what's your guess, boy or girl?" Jerome questioned.

"Alien," I answered.

"My thoughts too," Jerome returned.

Jerome and I were sitting in the doctor's office, my shirt lifted up. Well, Jerome's shirt. I still hadn't had time to buy a new one since yesterday.

"Okay, here we go," the doctor said as she squirted the gel onto my stomach.

Upon the screen flashed the image of the baby, squirming and turning.

The doctor moved the wand around my belly, capturing every angle of my little being's form.

I turned to Jerome, probably the widest smile I have ever seen spread across his face. I reached my hand out to take his.

"Do you want to know the sex?" the doctor asked.

I suddenly turned my head to face her, startled.

"Uhh… yeah," I answered, as Jerome swiftly nodded his head.

"Well, it looks like we have a boy," the doctor revealed.

"A boy," I gasped. "That's incredible!"

I turned back to Jerome, tears sprinkling his eyes, the smile now even wider. "This is real. This is really real. He's ours."

"And he's very healthy. Do you want me to print some pictures?" the doctor asked, taking the wand off my stomach.

"Yes, please," Jerome confirmed.

"I'll be back in a moment," the doctor informed us and exited the room.

"A boy," I repeated, stunned. I've always wanted a son, I suppose. I just never really knew until now, but now, like, I really, really know.

"A boy," Jerome returned, grabbing my hand.

Jerome couldn't stop staring at the sonogram photos on the ride back to Anubis House. One hand was pinching the photos while the other was wrapped around my waist. I had my head on his shoulder when I quietly suggested, "What if we move in together?"

"I thought we already kinda live together," Jerome reminded.

"I mean, over the summer. Either at your mum's or maybe even renting a place of our own," I announced.

"You serious?" Jerome asked, turning his eyes away from the blurry image finally.

"We're gonna be raising a kid together. I think it would be kinda efficient if we were under the same roof," I confessed.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea," Jerome admitted as we pulled up at Anubis House.

"We'll talk about this later, yeah?" I wondered, taking the sonogram from Jerome's hand and sliding it into my bag.

We entered the house to find Amber crying.

"Amber, what's wrong?" I questioned her immediately.

"I was...I was just… I didn't mean… I didn't mean to-"

"What happened?" Jerome asked, now starting to look a little panicked.

"Trudy's been fired," Amber revealed.