Chapter 5
Rachel walked into the drug store with her head hung low. She made her way to the family planning aisle, picking up three pregnancy tests. She was trembling as she walked to the register, sliding them onto the counter. She refused to meet they eyes of the judgmental cashier. She handed them exact change so she wouldn't have to wait there an extra minute while the young man behind the counter counted the money.
She practically ran out of the pharmacy and stopped in the supermarket a block away. She slipped into the bathroom in the back of the store, grateful that it was empty. Rachel locked herself in a stall and pulled the three tests out of the back. Her stomach gurgled with anxiety and her face felt hot. Her eyes scanned the instructions quickly before she performed the necessary tasks.
Her heart thumped in her chest rapidly. These two minutes felt like a lifetime. These two minutes would tell her if her life would change completely again. She paced the small stall, glancing at the clock on her phone every three seconds.
Rachel inhaled deeply when the two minutes passed. Her hands were quivering as she lifted the first test. She swore she could hear her own heart beating. A small pink plus sign. She refused to believe it. It must have been a mistake. She picked up the other two, but they read the same symbol.
Rachel dropped the tests, letting them bounce against the hard floor with a clank. It couldn't be. She couldn't be pregnant. She was only fourteen. She was just a kid herself, how was she supposed to carry a baby? A baby who wasn't even created from love, but an act of violence.
"No, no, no." She whispered, shaking her head. The room was spinning and her stomach churned with nausea. She fell back against the wall to stop herself from falling. She closed her eyes in attempt to process this. She was pregnant. There was a baby growing inside of her. Jason, the monster who had broken her, had also got her pregnant.
A sob escaped her lips as tears streamed down her face. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to raise a child? She couldn't abort it. She would never forgive herself for that. She couldn't even eat meat because the thought of animals being slaughtered so she had more food options made her sick.
Rachel practically jumped out of her skin when she heard the bathroom door click open. She wiped her dampened cheeks and dropped the pregnancy test into her bag. She exited the stall, washed her hands, and splashed her pale face with water.
She gawked at her reflection in the mirror. She couldn't recognize the girl staring back at her with red puffy eyes, a fading scar across her forehead, and missing smile. She took a deep breath before exiting the restroom.
She glanced at the time on her cell phone. She needed to get home. Her fathers would be home in fifteen minutes and she needed to be home before them. They had just started leaving her home alone again, four weeks after she was released from the hospital from her failed suicide attempt. They would only leave her for hour intervals and texted or called every ten to fifteen minutes to check on her.
She walked back to the house quickly. She feared every man she passed; feared that they had the same intentions as Jason. As she approached the house, she spotted the mailman parked by the neighbor's mailbox. However, it wasn't Bill, the mailman sitting in the driver's seat, it was Jason.
Rachel froze for a moment, dead in her tracks. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her heart pounded in her chest. She darted for the porch, practically stumbling into the front door. She fumbled with the keys, her hands trembling. Finally the door pushed open and she jumped inside, shutting and locking it behind her. She pulled out her phone and glanced out the window. Jason was no longer sitting in the driver's seat. It was now Bill sitting in the mail truck.
Rachel closed her eyes for a moment. She leaned against the wall, sliding down till she was sitting on the ground, her knees pulled to her chest. Tears tumbled down her cheeks, splashing onto her pants. She imagined him. She couldn't even walk home without seeing him. He was everywhere.
She flinched when her phone vibrated loudly from its spot on the floor. She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears before she answered it. "Hello."
"Hi pumpkin, I'm going to be about another half hour. I got stuck longer than I thought." Hiram said.
"Okay."
"You doing okay?" Hiram asked with concern.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just catching up on some school work." Rachel lied. It was her plan to eventually do school work.
"The school said they would give you more time if you need. We can push off the next time the tutor comes." Hiram said. Rachel was having weekly sessions with a tutor at the house to continue her school work.
"No, I have to get it done eventually." Rachel replied. "Besides, it's a distraction and gives me something to do."
"Okay, as long as you don't push yourself too hard." Hiram said. "I'm leaving in a half-hour. I'll start dinner when I get home."
"I can cook dinner tonight."
Hiram was silent for a moment. Rachel loved to cook and bake, but since the assault, she hadn't made anything with the exception of simple sandwiches. "That would be great as long as you're okay to. I don't want you to bother your wrist."
"I'll be okay. I have one working hand." Rachel said. She needed to cook. She needed something to distract her from the millions of thoughts racing through her mind.
"Okay." Hiram smiled. "I will text you in a little while. Love you."
"Love you too." Rachel said before hanging up the phone.
Rachel leaned her head against the wall, inhaling deeply. Her mind was still struggling to process the news she had learned today. She was pregnant. Her hands slid down to her stomach, resting it upon her shirt. There was a baby growing inside of her; human being that was depending on her for everything.
What was she going to do?
Thanks for reading! The semester is getting pretty busy, but I will try my hardest to update every one or two weeks. I'm shooting for the sequel to be up by Sunday.
Review!
