Growing Up
"What are you doing here?" Seventeen year old Rey asked, sitting on a sink in the girls bathroom in school whilst watching Joanne walk in.
"What are you doing here?" Joanne asked her.
"I didn't want to go to math." Rey shook her head, puffing on a cigarette as she leaned back against the mirror, "Where are your other friends? The cool ones?" Rey asked, swinging her legs back and forth. She had pink streaks at the tips of her dark hair, wearing some ripped jeans, a pink Floyd t-shirt which was too big for her and a leather jacket.
"Don't be like that." Joanne shook her head, walking over to her, dressed the complete opposite of course, "I actually have a problem." She told her as Rey looked at her, passing her over a cigarette and lighting it up.
"What problem do you have? I love hearing about your basic white girl problems, it's my favourite part of every day." Rey smiled as Joanne rolled her eyes.
"I think I might be pregnant." Joanne nodded as Rey looked at her.
"And I love that I'm the first person you think to come to." Rey shook her head.
"Come on, don't be like that. I can't talk to my… other friends." Joanne shrugged, "And someone said you had an abortion last year so-"
"Well obviously they're lying. Like the rest of the rumours that are made up about me." Rey shook her head, "I'm fed up of being your friend in secret. Makes me feel like shit, you know." Rey told her as Joanne sighed.
"I'm sorry, you know I love you." Joanne took her hand as Rey rolled her eyes.
"Yeah but you don't wanna be seen with the fucked up kid from care. Whatever." Rey rolled her eyes.
"I don't care about that stuff and you know it. But I do have other friends and… you'd never get along with them." Joanne said.
"We've been friends since the first grade, Jo." Rey said, "I don't want to have to see you in secret like we're some forbidden friendship. It's weird." She shook her head.
"Well look at you, you're sitting in the bathroom smoking during class." Joanne said.
"So what? I hate math." Rey shrugged, "What do you expect me to do about your teen pregnancy problem? I'm not a doctor."
"Well… come with me to buy a test." Joanne nodded, "Please, Rey. I'm really scared." Joanne nodded as Rey looked at her.
"Fine." Rey shook her head, "But you are not making me buy it."
"You're kidding me." Bob looked at Rey after she sat down a pregnancy test box on the counter in his store.
"It's not for me, it's for a friend." Rey assured him, "Trust me." She nodded.
"Are you sure?" Bob questioned, "Because… I'm here to talk if-"
"Bob, it's not me. Honestly." Rey nodded, "I'd never be that stupid." She scoffed as Bob looked across at her.
"Well these things can happen sometimes." Bob said, putting the test through the till as Rey gave him the money, "Is your friend ok?"
"Hopefully once this thing shows up negative." Rey nodded, "How'd you even do it?" She questioned, reading the back of the box as Bob shook his head.
"Are you being honest with me, Rey?" Bob questioned.
"Oh my God, yes." Rey said, "It's my friend out there. You see her." Rey pointed to Joanne standing outside the shop, "I know, looking at us both I probably look more categorised for something like this but it's not me." She said as Bob nodded.
"Well keep it that way." Bob advised.
"Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice." Rey said, "I'll see you later." She nodded to him as she left the store and met Joanne outside.
"You got it?" Joanne asked.
"Yeah." Rey said, "Here." She handed the bag to her.
"Wait… where will I do it?" Joanne questioned.
"You want me to build you a toilet or something?" Rey questioned, "Just do it when you get home."
"No way, imagine my mom found something like this in the house." Joanne shook her head, "No."
"Well I don't have a house to take you to, unless you want to come back to care with me and do it?"
"Can I?" Joanne asked as Rey rolled her eyes, "Please, I'm desperate."
"Yes. Fine." Rey shook her head, "Pain in my ass." She told her.
To anyone looking from afar, they weren't suited to be best friends, but they were like sisters since they were little. Joanne was a popular girl, a straight A student with lots of friends and the good looking boyfriend. Rey, not so much. But they were the best of friends regardless and so alike deep down.
"How do I do this?" Joanne asked, sitting in a toilet cubicle whilst Rey stood looking across at her.
They had gone back to the care home which Rey lived at and were in the downstairs toilet.
"Ok, here." Rey sighed, opening up the box, "Pee on this part and then close it over." Rey nodded without looking at the instructions as Joanne took it from her.
"You've done this before." Joanne looked at her as Rey looked down at the ground, refusing to respond.
"Just hurry up." Rey shook her head, walking out and closing the cubicle door over.
Rey sat up on the sink, picking at her chipped nail polish as she waited for Joanne to come out of the bathroom, which she eventually did with the stick.
"What are you actually going to do if it's positive?" Rey asked her.
"Let's just… not think that way." Joanne sighed, washing her hands as Rey nodded, "So… when did you do this and why didn't you tell me?" Joanne folded her arms.
"Because it was a while ago and I didn't think you'd care." Rey shrugged.
"Of course I would. We tell each other everything." Joanne said, "I assume it was negative."
"Yeah." Rey nodded, "I was afraid to have sex again." She admitted honestly.
"Were you even in a relationship?" Joanne sighed as Rey shook her head, "Rey, you know I worry about you."
"Of course you do. Why wouldn't you worry about a messed up crackhead?" Rey nodded.
"That's not what you are." Joanne shook her head.
"It's not?" Rey questioned.
"No, you are… insanely smart and beautiful. You… You're unlucky in the family department but… you're so much smarter than people our age." Joanne nodded, "I mean… you take care of me most of the time."
"Because you're an idiot." Rey nodded.
"Well." Joanne nodded in agreement, "I'm just saying, don't be what other people assume you are. You're better than that."
"It just gets too much sometimes." Rey shrugged, "Everyone… everyone has a family to go home to. When school gets tough, when people annoy us… I come home to here." She said as Joanne looked around the broken bathroom, "Where no one really cares about me." She said, "It's hard to find a purpose in all of that.
"I care about you." Joanne nodded, taking her by the shoulders, "I care about you and so do a ton of other people. You just don't realise it." She said, "You have a bright future. I know it."
"Not like this I don't." Rey said, "Check the test now." She nodded, "It's been time."
"You do it. I don't want to." Joanne walked away to the other side of the bathroom as Rey picked the test up.
"Congratulations." Rey smiled.
"W-What?" Joanne gulped.
"You do not have to squeeze anything out of your vagina in nine months. Well done." Rey smiled, turning the test around which was negative.
"Oh my God." Joanne gasped, placing her hand on her chest with relief, walking over and taking the test, "I've never been so relieved."
"Why did you think you were pregnant?" Rey laughed, jumping off the sink and walking over to the window, opening it up before lighting up a cigarette.
"Because I was late." Joanne said.
"By how long?" Rey smiled.
"Two…" Joanne paused, "Days."
"Oh, you really are a drama queen." Rey shook her head.
"What? I'm always on time so… I got nervous." Joanne smiled as Rey just shook her head, "You wanna stay over tonight?" She smiled as Rey looked over.
"Well obviously I do." Rey smiled, "I'll go pack a bag. Can we get pizza?" She smiled.
"Yes, but I'm choosing the topping." Joanne nodded.
"Fine, whatever." Rey shrugged.
"Are you sure your mom will let me stay? She threw me out last time." Rey said, walking along the busy street with Joanne.
"Because you said you'd take my little brother's virginity whilst we were sitting at the dinner table. With my entire family." Joanne said.
"That was… a joke." Rey shrugged.
"She'll be fine. Just… don't open your mouth around her." Joanne nodded.
"Noted." Rey said, "You not afraid that your popular friends will find out about me staying with you?"
"No. I'm kinda over them at this point. I honestly was friends with them but… you're the one who actually cares about me. Who actually listens and who I want to spend time with. I barely ever see those jerks outside of school." Joanne said.
"Then stop hanging out with them and come sit in the toilet all day with me. It's the best." Rey exaggerated as Joanne smiled, wrapping her arm around them as they walked by Hooters.
"Oh, what's this?" Rey questioned, "Think you have what it takes to be a Hooter girl?" She smirked as she read the notice on the board outside which was looking for more staff, "Do you?" She turned to Joanne.
"Hmm." Joanne hummed, placing her hands over her breasts, "I don't know if these are big enough."
"Push up bra's exist." Rey nodded, "This isn't a bad idea actually." Rey nodded.
"You'd really leave school?" Joanne asked.
"Wouldn't you? The place is filled with morons." Rey said, "We could do it together." She nodded, "Maybe I could even save money to get my own place? I heard the tips in here are amazing."
"Yeah, if you look good. We're two kids." Joanne said.
"More make-up and some squats and we'll be fine." Rey figured, "I think we should try this. Fuck school. Who needs it?"
"A lot of us, actually." Joanne nodded.
"Don't you ever think about doing something spontaneously?" Rey shrugged, "We could do it together. It'd be cute."
"You're actually being serious, aren't you?" Joanne realised.
"Hell yeah." Rey nodded, "We're totally doing this." She said, taking Joanne by the hand and pulling her into Hooters.