CHAPTER ELEVEN
February 10th
23 weeks
"Oh god!" Cat exclaimed as a hot dog flew by her head. "Sam!"
"Yeees?" Sam asked.
"Stop using your wiener flinger to fling wieners at me. I don't like wieners in my face."
April laughed. "Yeah, she likes them in her pus-"
"Shut up! Has Nonna called at all?"
"No. Stop worrying about her, she's fine."
"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm still mad at you two. You took my grandmother to Elderly Acres, who knows what could happen to her there?"
"She's being cared for and taken care of," Sam said. "There's nothing to worry about."
"You don't know that."
"You're getting on my last nerve," April said. "Nonna's fine. She loves it there."
"But she's not here. It's illegal for us to live here on our own, we're seventeen."
"Nonna already talked to the manager. He agreed to let us stay here as long as we found a way for rent to be paid. Which we will. Because we're taking over Nonna's babysitting service - and we're not using that god awful long as shit name you suggested."
Cat's brows furrowed. "I think it's clever."
"Sam Cat April's Super Rockin' Fun Time Babysitting Service is too long."
"I like it."
"Yeah," Sam said. "You like it. You also like The Waggafuffles. So there's that."
"You're mean."
"So is Jade and your best friends with her," April said.
"I've known her since our diaper days. I'm stuck with her for life."
"She's abusive, she cut your hair."
"In her defense, I... I did wax her eyebrows off."
"Woah," Sam said. "You waxed off a girl's eyebrows so she cut your hair? Man, I wanna meet this girl."
"No! No, you're both mean, you'd hate each other. Absolutely not."
"You're not my boss."
"You're not meeting Jade."
"Yes I am."
"No you're not."
"Yes I am."
"No you're not."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are!"
"Great, it's settled, we'll meet at Inside Out Burger."
"Good!"
April stood there, looking between them for a few seconds. "...You're an idiot," she said before leaving the room.
Cat bit her lip. "You trickered me, didn't you?"
Sam nodded. "I did."
"Won't be the last time."
February 14th
24 weeks
"You alright?" Tori asked as Cat walked out of the bathroom stall.
Cat nodded and walked to the sink, rinsing her mouth out.
"Are you sure?"
"I'm fine," her voice rasped.
"I thought you were over morning sickness."
"It still hits me sometimes."
"Isn't that a sign that you might be going into labor? You're only halfway there," Tori said.
"No. I'm fine. Don't make a big deal out of it."
"I'm sorry, it's just... you went into early labor already, it's scary to think about."
"Correction; I was having Braxton Hicks contractions. That's false labor. It just means my body's preparing me for actual labor. It's normal."
"I just don't want anything to happen to you, Cat."
Cat sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. "I appreciate it. But I'm fine. Really," she said, walking out of the bathroom.
Tori followed her. "Well, if you start feeling weird, just let me know, okay? I'll take you to the nurse."
"I'll be fine. I promise."
"How do you know?"
Cat stopped by Tori's locker and turned around to face her. "Tori, I'm not gonna say it again. I'm fine. Don't worry about it, okay? I just need to eat. Lunch is in two minutes, after I eat I'll feel fine."
"I'm just making sure."
"And I'm telling you I'm sure. Leave me alone about it."
Tori stayed silent for the rest of the time until the lunch bell rang. "It's lunch time, let's go get you something to eat," she said as students started filling the hallway.
"Tori!"
"I'm just worried!"
"Well fucking stop!" Cat snapped. "Jesus Christ, I've told you I'm okay, why can't you just believe me!"
"What did you do to her?" Jade asked as she walked up to them.
"I'm just making sure she's okay," Tori said.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes! Fuck!" Cat said before walking away.
"She's okay," Jade shrugged.
"She threw up," Tori said.
"She's pregnant, Vega. She's gonna puke."
"She should be over morning sickness by now. The books say so."
"Every pregnancy is different. Not everyone had a pregnancy like yours."
"Yeah well, how was I supposed to know that mine was -" Tori stopped talking and looked at Jade for a few seconds. "...How did you know that?"
"I do my research."
"God... please don't tell anybody. Please, Jade."
"If I was going to, I would have already."
Tori sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "How did you find out?"
"Freshman year. Trina was bragging about how cute her nephew was."
"Trina..."
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why do we never see him when we're at your house?"
"Because I ask his dad to keep him."
"Why? So we don't find out about him?"
Tori shrugged. "That's part of it... I just don't want people to think less of me because I have a kid. It's a lousy feeling. I had to start homeschooling when I got pregnant with him because of all the ridicule."
"In society's defense, you were in eighth grade. That's something to be talked about."
"I know..."
"You need to give Cat a break. If she says she's fine, then she's fine. She doesn't lie."
"But she's secretive."
"About personal things. But not about something this serious."
"Jade!" April said, running up to them as tears slid down her cheeks. "Where's Cat? I need her, I need her now."
"Probably puking," Tori said.
"She walked off a few minutes ago. Towards the Asphalt Cafe. Why? What's up?" Jade asked.
"I just came out of the office, it was Mom. Chris is dead."
"April!" Jade snapped. "Calm the fuck down. Cat needs you. She needs you long enough to let her know what's going on."
"I ca - I can't - breathe," April sobbed between gasps of breath.
"Shit," she whispered, digging through her purse. "Fuck. Fuck! Tori, do you have asthma?"
"No - why?" Tori asked.
"She does, she needs an inhaler. She's having an asthma attack."
"Oh, god. Um... What about the nurse? Or - or Sinjin!" Tori said, pointing towards Sinjin. "Sinjin! We need you, it's an emergency!"
The awkward boy made his way over to them. "Sup, ladies?"
"Shut up, give me your inhaler," Jade said, taking his backpack from him.
"Why?"
"Because I said so," she said, digging through his backpack.
"It's not in there, it's in my pocket."
"Then give it to me!"
Sinjin took his inhaler out of his pocket and handed it to Jade, who shook it and turned back to April, who was now sitting on the floor against the lockers.
Jade put the inhaler in April's mouth and pressed the button as she inhaled. "Hold it, hold your breath."
As soon as April was breathing better, Jade tossing the inhaler back to Sinjin.
"How you feelin?" Jade asked.
"Better," April whispered.
"You okay now?"
"Mhm."
"Alright... now, what happened with Chris?"
"I don't know... I didn't find out. I hung up, I couldn't listen to her anymore," April's voice cracked.
"Okay. I'll call her and I'll find out."
"You're lying!" Cat yelled, throwing a water bottle at Jade, who moved and scowled at the redhead.
"No, I'm not!" Jade snapped. "I just talked to your mother!"
"He is not dead! He never dies! He always comes through, he's just - he's sleeping!" she screamed, throwing another water bottle at her friend.
"Cat, I don't know what to tell you other than I'm sorry, okay? I know it's hard, but he's - he's gone, Kitten..." her voice softened.
Cat sobbed. "He can't be. He always pulls through his attempts..."
"Not this time, Cat..."
Tears slid down the redhead's cheeks, another sob escaping her throat. "But... he's Chris... he doesn't die, he just... he hurts himself, but we always save him," her voice cracked.
"He's gone, Catey..." April said.
"But... that's not fair... he - he didn't get to meet the baby. He's not supposed to die yet. He's not old enough, he's not supposed to be with Dad yet, he's supposed to get better and come home to be with us so we can be a normal family again..."
April wrapped her arms around Cat, kissing the side of her head. "I know, but... maybe it was his time. You know how his head makes him think. He can't help it. This time, it was just... his body couldn't handle it anymore. He's with Dad now, there's nothing to worry about anymore."
"But he's supposed to be here... at home..."
"I know, Catey..."
Cat sniffled and cleared her throat. "How um... how'd it happen?" she whispered.
"I don't know..."
"He overdosed," Jade said. "Mom said he broke into the medicine cabinet while no one was looking and downed three bottles of Oxy."
"Was he in pain?"
Jade shook her head. "No. He was completely sedated. He was asleep before his body shut down. It was painless."
"Do you um... do you think he's happy?"
"Absolutely."
"He tried so many times, Catey..." April said. "He was prepared. He was ready. This is what he wanted. He just wanted to go home. God decided it was time to give him a break."
"God's an asshole," Cat whispered. "Do you think he heard that?"
"God hears and sees everything, Cat," Jade said. "He even hears the moaning."
"What moaning?"
"The janitor's closet moaning."
Cat's eyes widened. "Oh my god. How do you know about that?"
"God's not the only one that can hear it."