The Choices We Make

“Are you serious? Please tell me you're not.” Melanie pleaded. I looked down at my feet not saying a word.

“This can't happen, you're too young.” Melanie was of course two years older and a junior. She thought she knew everything. “What are you going to do? Jake likes you and you're pregnant with his enemies baby!”

I shrugged. “Jake doesn't like me. Melanie, I got myself in this situation, I'm not bringing anyone down with me. When this baby is born, I'm transferring schools. Actually I might not even come back to Green Ridge next year. I don't want to risk them finding out about the baby. Nathan and Jake are too important too me for me to bring them down. I love Jake, I'm in love with him, but you know the saying “if you love something then set it free and it will come back, if it's meant to be”? Well I'm going by that.”

Melanie looked at me with sympathetic and sad eyes. “You're a good girl, Acey. I don't want to loose you as a friend, I know Nate wouldn't either. And Jake? He'll be heart broken if he never hears from you after this year.”

The warm summer air blew through my air. I looked at my phone anticipating when the bus would come and this conversation would cease. About ten more minutes.

“Well Melanie, He would be heart broken to know that Nate knocked me up, too. And I'd rather just make him forget me then for him to have a cold memory of the girl who flirted with him all time pregnant with his enemies baby.”

Jake hated Nate, Nate was cool with Jake. Nate knew I liked Jake and Jake kinda knew me and Nate were friends with benefits. Jake pretty much knows about my feelings for him but is always sending me mixed signals.

Melanie glared at my stomach. “So, I never get to meet him or her?”

I opened my mouth but then closed it as the bus pulled up in front of us. She frowned at me and we got on the bus in silence, setting in different seats, she knew my answer. I planned to shut everyone out. Nothing would change that.

When we got to school I walked to my first hour in silence and when I walked in there was Jake's shinning smiling staring at me. I bit my lip trying to push my smile away but my mouth deceived me. Jake walked over to me.

“Hey.” He said with a smile that I never see him give anyone else. His smile, made me smile. As silly as it is and as corny as it is, his smile could light up my darkest days.

“Hi.”

“How are you, today?”

“Fine.” I lied.

“Same.”

He hugged me softly and kissed my forehead. “You look beautiful today.” He whispered.

I rolled my eyes and grinned at him. “I'm wearing sweat pants and an oversized shirt. That's not very beautiful to me.”

“It is to me.”

It wouldn't be if he really knew why I was wearing sweat pants and a big shirt. I'm afraid of people noticing my slowly growing tummy. For the next two months, that's all my closet would consist off. Tonight I would go to the mall and buy tons of sweat pants and big shirts. I would lie to everyone if they asked and say that I'm just tired and on a diet so while I'm loosing weight, I don't want anyone to see till I'm where I want to be.

He walks over to his seat and ushers me over next to him. “I can't believe the year is almost over. I'm going to miss seeing your face every day. Good thing I'm going to a school in this state, we'll only be a few hours away. We have to keep in touch. Yes?”

I nodded as my eyes slightly teared up. He laughed at me for this.

“Hey! I wont be gone forever. I'll come visit every few weeks. I have too see my favorite girl. Don't cry, your eyes are too pretty to be covered by tears.”

I laughed a bit and kissed him on the cheek. It was a friendly jester I did all the time and he still never noticed how much I liked him. Jake looked away from me and towards the door way and I saw his toothy smile, smiling at someone other than me and as I looked in the doorway my heart broke. There standing was blonde haired, blue eyed Kassie Hart. I glared at her and she tried to smile at me. Jake looked at me awkwardly and I just got up and walked away. That's a mixed signal that he gave me quite often. I tried to walk to the bathroom but I bumped into Nate as I proceeded to leave.

“The first bell is going to ring! Where are you going?” Yes I had my first hour with Nate, Jake, and Kassie. I will admit, there has been so many awkward moments between the four of us. Especially since Nate tries to flirt with Kassie all the time and then gets rejected.

“To the bathroom!” It wasn't true until I did say it and realized I actually did have to pee pretty bad. I tried to walk past Nate but then he put his arm up. He was really tall so blocking me with his arm above me would be hard. He was about a foot and a half taller than me. As was Jake.

I kicked his leg. “I have to pee!”

He puckered his lips. “Kiss on the lips first please.” We did that a lot in public. Nobody thought it was surprising or tried to call us a couple because they knew better. I didn't know what Jake thought about it. I resisted the urge to look back at him, wishing I could read his mind at that moment. I stood on my tippy toes and kissed him softly on the lips. He grinned and finally let me through.

I walked out of the room but not before stealing a glance at Jake. His face was read and he looked mad. Kassie was patting his hand and whispering words not even a mouse could hear.

I walked quickly to the bathroom and when I walked in a seen Zane my cousin; he was in the girls bathroom once again.

“If they catch you in here again they are probably going to suspend you.” I said knowingly as he messed with his hair.

“So? Screw this school. I belong in this bathroom obviously. It's not like I'm going to watch you guys go to the bathroom. Ewie. I don't even like girls.” I laughed at his feminine voice. Yes, Zane was gay, very gay in fact. He's been with girls, had sex with girls and he just doesn't like it. He turned to me and frowned.

“What's wrong?”

“Better question would be, what isn't wrong?” I said. A stabbing pain sneaked up on me and I let out a yelp. I forgot I had to pee. I so didn't want a bladder infection while pregnant. I quickly walked to one of the open stalls while Zane chattered to one of the girls washing her hands.

“You know that soap will dry your hands out? I bring my own.”

The girl scoffed and then I heard the bathroom door close. Just as I finished I got ready to open the stall door and my stomach churned. I fell to the floor and my breakfast reappeared.

I shakily pulled my hair back and then flushed the toilet. “Zane?” I called. The first bell rang loudly in the bathroom but I ignored it.

He opened the door and sighed. “Oh, My dear Ace.” He grabbed my hair softly as my orange juice came up too. I leaned against the wall. Today was going to suck. Zane pulled me up and over to the sink. Nobody was in the bathroom at the time so Zane smiled a bit and looked at my stomach.

“Can I see?”

I tried to smile as I wiped my mouth with a paper towel. I lifted up my shirt and under shirt showing him my slightly protruding stomach. It was always protruding a bit but now it was about and inch more. I grabbed his baby soft hand and put it against my stomach.

“Ohmigosh! Your tummy is hard and you can totes tell that you gained weight. Good outfit choice today. Not that it is the most fashionable but it hides the little growing baby.”

“I'm going to the mall tonight to get some more sweat pants and stuff before I see Nate.”

Zane's eyes grew big and I let my shirt fall down and I washed my hands quickly. Zane handed me a back up tooth brush he kept in his purse. “That's a big fashion no-no. How about I come with you and we'll get some cute clothes to hide that belly. When you get further along you wont really be able to hide it though.”

“Okay.” I smiled. “I know I wont be able to hide it forever but I just want to hide any belly that will show up within the next two months. After than I will wear maternity clothes and stuff because I wont be around anyone that will let Nate or Jake know.”

The one minute bell rang and Zane and I cussed. “I'll see you later Zane-o.” I said running to my first hour making it just in time because as soon as I closed the door behind me the tardy bell rang. Mrs. Yale smiled at me and then turned to the board telling us the assignment for the night. This had to be my favorite class. Journalism. I had an 100% in that class and almost every assignment was and easy 'A' for me.

The assignment for today; what you're going to do over the summer. Would getting fat be a reasonable answer? I laughed to myself and begin to write about going to some nice state with Zane. I wrote about it until the page was full. I turned my paper over and stared at the clock.

Thinking about moving away with Zane left a thick fog of Jake in my mind. I looked around and my eyes caught Jake's in the row behind me. I smiled softly and he smiled back, his eyes glittered.

Leaving that smile and those eyes is going to rip me to pieces. I looked over to where Nate was. He raised his eyebrows and winked with that wicked grin that reeled every girl into him. He would be hard to leave, but a little bit easier, knowing I had to leave him even more than Jake and that it wasn't an option. That made it easier. Jake, I was leaving by choice. He would look for me though, I know he would.

Not that I'm conceited it's just he shows how much he cares for me as a friend sometimes and it shows me that he wouldn't be okay when I just leave. Other times he makes me feel like he wouldn't care if I died. I think he likes me, I really do, but he's so hard to read and how he acts with Kassie confuses me so bad.

The bell rang loudly and I jumped in my seat as everyone walked out the door. I slowly got up following behind. Neither Jake nor Nate waited for me. Whatever. The day droned on until finally I was walking into the front door of my house. Melanie tried to call me on my cell phone but I decided to ignore it. She was upset but so was I.