Status: Fin <3
Origins
First days at school are hard normally
School…mind numbing, hostile, boring and utterly savage school. I look at the definite bump that screams ‘Look everybody this 14 year old 9th grader is a slut, she’s a whale, look people she’s 20 weeks pregnant with her best friend’s baby, let’s all ogle at her stomach and shout things and call her names behind her back!’ and sigh. These next 4 or so months are going to be a hell of a lot of stress. I adjust my new satchel school bag and walk into the tall forbidding green gates with my mother and father. The three of us walk down to the office block and I watch my feet as we walk. We walk into the office and everyone looks at my stomach, I sigh again and take a seat as my parents explain that they have a meeting with the teachers and principle. The office lady tells us to go to down to Miss Forster’s office because she’s waiting for us. I lead mum and dad down to the principle’s office and I softly knock on the door.
*
My mouth goes dry and my heart beats a million miles an hour as I wait the few seconds for the door to open. Miss Forster is a nice, caring, short and rotund woman, she has always approached the students at my school as more of a caring grandmother figure than the fearsome principle most schools have.
“Francesca, come in. I trust that this must be your mother and father. I’m so glad that you could come down today for the meeting.” Miss Forster shakes my mum and dad’s hands.
“It was really no problem, we just want to know exactly what’s going to happen with Frances until she’s too far along to continue physically attending school.” Mum smiles at my principle and Dad looks at me trying to comfort me with a smile. From the look in his eyes he knew that this is going to be extremely hard on all of us.
“Well I think that we should go to the common room, Ms Peters and Mr Angelo are currently in there advising the teachers of Francesca’s situation but they won’t do anything other than that until we get there.” Miss Forster tells me.
“Ok, well I guess we should go, come on Fr...” Mum stops when she sees the look of pure terror on my face, “Frankee are you ok?”
“Can you get Blythe, I’m not doing this without her.” I stutter and try not to cry, my fear and worry fully envelopes me and I sit down shakily.
“I don’t think…” Dad starts.
“Shut up Stuart, I’ll call her.” Mum glares at my father and dials Blythe’s mobile number into my phone. After a short conversation she hangs up. “She’s coming.”
*
Not a minute later a knock is heard on the door, Miss lets Blythe in and when she sees me she pulls me into a tight hug.
“Chizz, the others are outside waiting.” she whispers to me.
“Ok.” I stutter again but feel my panic easing away slowly.
“Now let’s go surprise some teachers,” Blythe takes my hand and stands me up.
“Ok, I’m ready,” I smile suddenly full of courage. Mum, Dad, Ms Forster, Blythe and I walk down the hall to the common room.
*
Ms Forster glances at me, my stomach then at my hand holding tightly onto Blythe’s she sighs and opens the door and we hear all of the talking going on inside. The five of us walk into the room and everyone falls silent as if the air had been knocked out of them. All eyes are now on my stomach and I sigh, if the teachers stare what are the other kids going to do? I take a seat in the chair Ms Forster pulls up for me and she clears her throat.
“Now you all have been informed as to why we are all here this morning…” Ms Forster conducts the whole meeting letting everyone else have their say at the appropriate time. An hour later the bell for roll call goes and we all leave the room.
“Frankee, are you going to be ok?” Mum asks as we stand together in the common room after everyone else had left.
“Yes Mum, I’ll be fine,” I give her a reassuring smile and try to convince myself that that wasn’t a lie and a half.
“Ok, Ms Forster has given you special permission to keep your phone on in case something happens with the baby or if you don’t feel comfortable and need to call me,” Mum tells me and gives my hand a squeeze.
“Ok, I promise I’ll call you if I need you, I love you Mum,” I smile and kiss her cheek and Dad’s then they leave to go talk to Ms Forster about something.
“Let’s go Chizz,” Blythe holds my hand in hers and pick my bag up off the floor of the common room. We walk out of the office together and over to where the rest of my group are waiting for me.
“Frankee!” They scream even though we had only seen each other the day before. I wish they hadn’t have screamed because it drew the attention of all those around them, drawing their eyes to my baby bump. The eyes of the girls around me go wide and they whisper to their friends. I sigh, by the end of roll call everyone will know. Blythe and I walk to roll call together seeing she had been moved to my roll call. My Mum and Blythe’s mum had insisted that Blythe be put into each and every one of my classes so that if something went wrong she was there and so that when the girls started bitching I would have her there for support.
“Let’s go in first Hun,” she grips my hand and we walk into roll call, Blythe sits me in a seat next to the window and she sits in the seat next to me, I’m in the last seat next to the window so Blythe is the only one that can sit next to me. I thank her and get my book out, we sit and read and soon enough Miss Jameson my roll call teacher walks in and smiles at us. She puts everyone else in their assigned seating and luckily enough she had put Janice in the seat on the total opposite side of the room.
*
My mouth goes dry and my heart beats a million miles an hour as I wait the few seconds for the door to open. Miss Forster is a nice, caring, short and rotund woman, she has always approached the students at my school as more of a caring grandmother figure than the fearsome principle most schools have.
“Francesca, come in. I trust that this must be your mother and father. I’m so glad that you could come down today for the meeting.” Miss Forster shakes my mum and dad’s hands.
“It was really no problem, we just want to know exactly what’s going to happen with Frances until she’s too far along to continue physically attending school.” Mum smiles at my principle and Dad looks at me trying to comfort me with a smile. From the look in his eyes he knew that this is going to be extremely hard on all of us.
“Well I think that we should go to the common room, Ms Peters and Mr Angelo are currently in there advising the teachers of Francesca’s situation but they won’t do anything other than that until we get there.” Miss Forster tells me.
“Ok, well I guess we should go, come on Fr...” Mum stops when she sees the look of pure terror on my face, “Frankee are you ok?”
“Can you get Blythe, I’m not doing this without her.” I stutter and try not to cry, my fear and worry fully envelopes me and I sit down shakily.
“I don’t think…” Dad starts.
“Shut up Stuart, I’ll call her.” Mum glares at my father and dials Blythe’s mobile number into my phone. After a short conversation she hangs up. “She’s coming.”
*
Not a minute later a knock is heard on the door, Miss lets Blythe in and when she sees me she pulls me into a tight hug.
“Chizz, the others are outside waiting.” she whispers to me.
“Ok.” I stutter again but feel my panic easing away slowly.
“Now let’s go surprise some teachers,” Blythe takes my hand and stands me up.
“Ok, I’m ready,” I smile suddenly full of courage. Mum, Dad, Ms Forster, Blythe and I walk down the hall to the common room.
*
Ms Forster glances at me, my stomach then at my hand holding tightly onto Blythe’s she sighs and opens the door and we hear all of the talking going on inside. The five of us walk into the room and everyone falls silent as if the air had been knocked out of them. All eyes are now on my stomach and I sigh, if the teachers stare what are the other kids going to do? I take a seat in the chair Ms Forster pulls up for me and she clears her throat.
“Now you all have been informed as to why we are all here this morning…” Ms Forster conducts the whole meeting letting everyone else have their say at the appropriate time. An hour later the bell for roll call goes and we all leave the room.
“Frankee, are you going to be ok?” Mum asks as we stand together in the common room after everyone else had left.
“Yes Mum, I’ll be fine,” I give her a reassuring smile and try to convince myself that that wasn’t a lie and a half.
“Ok, Ms Forster has given you special permission to keep your phone on in case something happens with the baby or if you don’t feel comfortable and need to call me,” Mum tells me and gives my hand a squeeze.
“Ok, I promise I’ll call you if I need you, I love you Mum,” I smile and kiss her cheek and Dad’s then they leave to go talk to Ms Forster about something.
“Let’s go Chizz,” Blythe holds my hand in hers and pick my bag up off the floor of the common room. We walk out of the office together and over to where the rest of my group are waiting for me.
“Frankee!” They scream even though we had only seen each other the day before. I wish they hadn’t have screamed because it drew the attention of all those around them, drawing their eyes to my baby bump. The eyes of the girls around me go wide and they whisper to their friends. I sigh, by the end of roll call everyone will know. Blythe and I walk to roll call together seeing she had been moved to my roll call. My Mum and Blythe’s mum had insisted that Blythe be put into each and every one of my classes so that if something went wrong she was there and so that when the girls started bitching I would have her there for support.
“Let’s go in first Hun,” she grips my hand and we walk into roll call, Blythe sits me in a seat next to the window and she sits in the seat next to me, I’m in the last seat next to the window so Blythe is the only one that can sit next to me. I thank her and get my book out, we sit and read and soon enough Miss Jameson my roll call teacher walks in and smiles at us. She puts everyone else in their assigned seating and luckily enough she had put Janice in the seat on the total opposite side of the room.