Emma wandered through the days in a series of ups and downs.
Sometimes she would feel fine, and at others she felt horrible, especially
in History. She would always arrive late to avoid sitting by Aaron, but
just being in the same room as him was unnerving and nauseating at times.
Emma continued to stay distant from all the guy friends she once had. J.T. and Toby were practically strangers to here these days. She had a phobia of them; that once she would go near them they might touch her, something she did not want to happen. Emma would brush past them in the hallways, and lift her hand as a greeting when they made eye contact with her.
One day Emma was at her locker, looking for the book for her next class. Not finding it she stood up and sighed with frustration. Suddenly her locker shut. Emma whirled around terrified, and found herself face to face with J.T.
Emma scowled at him and nearly slapped him, but decided against it. She knelt back down and kept looking through her locker as J.T. laughed.
"You should have seen your face," he hooted.
"Shut up," Emma growled.
"Oh you know it was funny. So how are you doing?"
Emma shrugged and still didn't look at him.
"Emma, why are you always ignoring us?" J.T. asked in an angry voice.
Emma completely ignored him, not wanting to talk to him or look at him.
"You know," J.T. said. "I don't know that much about girls, but this is the longest case of P.M.S I have ever seen!"
J.T. stormed off leaving Emma at her locker. She rolled her eyes at how naïve he was, then gasped and leaned into her locker. P.M.S? She hadn't gotten her period since Aaron raped her. She should have gotten it two and a half weeks ago. Emma felt ill. She couldn't be pregnant, not again. She just couldn't. She had failed at being a mother once. And what would her parents say?
School went by in a blur. Emma didn't remember anything she had learned, and didn't really care. She just wanted to get home. Finally the last period bell rang, and Emma was free to go. Walking home she passed a drug store. She decided what she had to do and walked in.
As she walked in the doors a wave of cool air hit her from the air conditioned store. This was the same store she had bought the other test, the one that confirmed that she was pregnant with Lisa. Emma walked to the doomed aisle and selected a test. She then walked to the front of the store to get in line for a cashier. Surveying the front, she saw no one in line. Good. She didn't want to see anyone she knew and have to explain why she was there. Taking a step forward she heard a voice.
"Emma?" it asked.
Emma turned slowly and found herself face to face with Ms. Kwan. Emma gasped and dropped the test to the floor with a soft thud.
"Ms. Kwan! What are you doing here?" Emma asked.
Ms. Kwan held up some dry board markers.
"All of mine were running dry so I figured I should pick some up before tomorrow. Oh, here, you dropped something," Ms. Kwan said, bending down and picking up the test. Emma made a snatch for it, but it was too late.
Ms. Kwan picked up the box and looked at it briefly. Her eyes widened and then reduced as she handed it to Emma.
"Oh that?" Emma laughed. "It's not for me; it's for...my mom! She thinks she might be having another child but is too busy to come and get it so she asked me to come and get it for her."
Ms. Kwan smiled and nodded, and then walked off. After making her purchase, she turned and gave Emma another wave and walked out of the store. Emma slowly let out a breath of air. Ms. Kwan seemed to have bought the story. Emma's heart was still pounding. She looked up to the one register open.
"Oh no," she groaned. The one cashier was a young man, not much older than her. Emma groaned again. How was she going to do this? There was no other cashier open because it was so slow right then. The young man was staring at Emma, waiting for her to come forward and make her purchase. Finally Emma walked up and put the box on the counter. Not wanting to say anything she simply looked up at the shelves of candy bars as he rang up her purchase. As soon as he was done, Emma grabbed the bag and bolted from the store as she shoved it in her purse.
Emma walked home as quickly as she could. Her mom was in the kitchen and didn't see Emma come in. Emma ran to the bathroom. Soon she had the test ready and set the timer for four minutes. She paced the room as she waited. She wasn't pregnant. But if she was...what would she do? Could she keep this one? Should she abort? Although abortion was wrong, what would happen if Emma was pregnant again? How could Emma hide it from her mom? She might be kicked out. She hoped with all her might that the small dot was blue. Pink means pregnant, blue meant no. She repeated this in her head until she heard the timer go off. She slowly walked to the counter and picked up the test.
She covered her mouth with her hand and fell to her knees on the floor, crying once she saw the blue dot on the test.
Emma sat there for several minutes crying. She was so incredibly lucky. She said a quick prayer of thanks and got up. She threw the test away and walked to her room, where she changed into some comfortable clothes and brushed her hair, and then walked downstairs to get a quick snack. Walking to the kitchen she passed her mom sitting on the stairs.
"Emma," she said.
In her hands was the pregnancy test.
Emma continued to stay distant from all the guy friends she once had. J.T. and Toby were practically strangers to here these days. She had a phobia of them; that once she would go near them they might touch her, something she did not want to happen. Emma would brush past them in the hallways, and lift her hand as a greeting when they made eye contact with her.
One day Emma was at her locker, looking for the book for her next class. Not finding it she stood up and sighed with frustration. Suddenly her locker shut. Emma whirled around terrified, and found herself face to face with J.T.
Emma scowled at him and nearly slapped him, but decided against it. She knelt back down and kept looking through her locker as J.T. laughed.
"You should have seen your face," he hooted.
"Shut up," Emma growled.
"Oh you know it was funny. So how are you doing?"
Emma shrugged and still didn't look at him.
"Emma, why are you always ignoring us?" J.T. asked in an angry voice.
Emma completely ignored him, not wanting to talk to him or look at him.
"You know," J.T. said. "I don't know that much about girls, but this is the longest case of P.M.S I have ever seen!"
J.T. stormed off leaving Emma at her locker. She rolled her eyes at how naïve he was, then gasped and leaned into her locker. P.M.S? She hadn't gotten her period since Aaron raped her. She should have gotten it two and a half weeks ago. Emma felt ill. She couldn't be pregnant, not again. She just couldn't. She had failed at being a mother once. And what would her parents say?
School went by in a blur. Emma didn't remember anything she had learned, and didn't really care. She just wanted to get home. Finally the last period bell rang, and Emma was free to go. Walking home she passed a drug store. She decided what she had to do and walked in.
As she walked in the doors a wave of cool air hit her from the air conditioned store. This was the same store she had bought the other test, the one that confirmed that she was pregnant with Lisa. Emma walked to the doomed aisle and selected a test. She then walked to the front of the store to get in line for a cashier. Surveying the front, she saw no one in line. Good. She didn't want to see anyone she knew and have to explain why she was there. Taking a step forward she heard a voice.
"Emma?" it asked.
Emma turned slowly and found herself face to face with Ms. Kwan. Emma gasped and dropped the test to the floor with a soft thud.
"Ms. Kwan! What are you doing here?" Emma asked.
Ms. Kwan held up some dry board markers.
"All of mine were running dry so I figured I should pick some up before tomorrow. Oh, here, you dropped something," Ms. Kwan said, bending down and picking up the test. Emma made a snatch for it, but it was too late.
Ms. Kwan picked up the box and looked at it briefly. Her eyes widened and then reduced as she handed it to Emma.
"Oh that?" Emma laughed. "It's not for me; it's for...my mom! She thinks she might be having another child but is too busy to come and get it so she asked me to come and get it for her."
Ms. Kwan smiled and nodded, and then walked off. After making her purchase, she turned and gave Emma another wave and walked out of the store. Emma slowly let out a breath of air. Ms. Kwan seemed to have bought the story. Emma's heart was still pounding. She looked up to the one register open.
"Oh no," she groaned. The one cashier was a young man, not much older than her. Emma groaned again. How was she going to do this? There was no other cashier open because it was so slow right then. The young man was staring at Emma, waiting for her to come forward and make her purchase. Finally Emma walked up and put the box on the counter. Not wanting to say anything she simply looked up at the shelves of candy bars as he rang up her purchase. As soon as he was done, Emma grabbed the bag and bolted from the store as she shoved it in her purse.
Emma walked home as quickly as she could. Her mom was in the kitchen and didn't see Emma come in. Emma ran to the bathroom. Soon she had the test ready and set the timer for four minutes. She paced the room as she waited. She wasn't pregnant. But if she was...what would she do? Could she keep this one? Should she abort? Although abortion was wrong, what would happen if Emma was pregnant again? How could Emma hide it from her mom? She might be kicked out. She hoped with all her might that the small dot was blue. Pink means pregnant, blue meant no. She repeated this in her head until she heard the timer go off. She slowly walked to the counter and picked up the test.
She covered her mouth with her hand and fell to her knees on the floor, crying once she saw the blue dot on the test.
Emma sat there for several minutes crying. She was so incredibly lucky. She said a quick prayer of thanks and got up. She threw the test away and walked to her room, where she changed into some comfortable clothes and brushed her hair, and then walked downstairs to get a quick snack. Walking to the kitchen she passed her mom sitting on the stairs.
"Emma," she said.
In her hands was the pregnancy test.