Breech

I started to show when I was 14 weeks along. I had a small but noticeable baby bump. My pants were so tight I felt as if they would split at the seams so I took to wearing yoga pants and baggy shirts or sweaters, trying to hide my growing belly.

I knew I couldn't keep it from my school much longer because soon they were going to stop blaming my change in clothes on my pudding intake and start figuring out what was really happening. Really it took one person to know what was really happening before the whole school knew.

I had begged my parents to let me homeschool, but my father told me that I did this to my self. He made it very clear that he was still upset with me about the whole thing, and I totally understood. My mother told me that the decisions had been made and now I had to be proud of who I was.

On top of worrying about all my personal drama I was dealing with senior year college prep. I wasn't sure how I was going to juggle the baby and school, but I knew that I didn't want to become a non educated mother. So I was looking into colleges near by with a decent day care program. I knew I could get into a decent school because I had always had good grades, and I had taken the SAT and the ACT in October and had gotten decent scores.

We were all sitting on the front lawn for lunch, the sun had finally split the clouds that had darkened the day and I was soaking it up, laying next to Mary. It was here in this moment of peace that I heard the first rumor about my pregnancy. One of the cheerleaders had whispered to another cheerleader and the news spread through the whole team and somehow that lead to Kent hearing. He marched up to Brennan with a wicked smile on his face.

"So that is why you are with Alex!" He stated still smiling. I sat up looking at Kent, realizing with horror that he knew.

"What are you talking about?" Brennan said pushing off the concrete table he had been leaning against.

"She's knocked up!" Kent said so loud that everyone in the surrounding area turned to look at him. Brennan stood there stunned for a moment, Kent took his silence as a confirmation.

“That’s it! Alex is pregnant!” Kent practically yelled. A flurry of whispers broke out around us and my face flushed beet red.

“Kent shut you mouth before I shut it for you.” Brennan stated through clenched teeth. Kent just shrugged off Brennan’s threat and placed his hand on Brennan’s shoulder.

“Dude it’s her fault for not being on the pill, you don’t owe her shit!” Kent whispered to Brennan loud enough that I could hear. That was all it took for Brennan to lift his fisted hand and punch Kent right in the jaw. I heard the bone crunch and I wasn’t sure if it was from Brennan’s hand or Kent’s jaw. Possibly from both because Brennan grabbed at his hand a look of pain on his face, and Kent fell backwards with an agonized cry. I was on my feet as fast as I could manage. I took Brennan’s hand in my own looking at the red knuckles.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” I told Brennan looking him in the eyes. He looked at me with a very small smile.

“I know, but it felt good. And he should never have opened his stupid, big mouth about you in the first place. “ I was secretly happy that Brennan had punched him, but I would never admit it to anyone.

It was only moments later that the principle was out on the lawn asking questions. Brennan and I were sent to the office to give our story and Kent was taken off to the hospital to fix a broken jaw.

I sat in the waiting room while Brennan was interrogated by the principle. I was fidgety because I had never been in the principles office before, not even as a little girl. I always did my fighting, verbal and physical, off campus and out of the sight of adults.

After Brennan was finished they called my name. Brennan squeezed my hand as a passed. His reassuring smile didn’t do much for the butterflies in the pit of my stomach.

I walked into the office and sat down across the desk from Principle Brown. He smiled at me.

“So Brennan tells me you have nothing to do with this, and I believe him. The reason I called you in here is to ask how you are doing? I have been enlightened about you current predicament and I was wondering how you are managing.” I shrugged looking down at my hands in my lap.

“Miss Claire I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.” He told me, and I looked up at him. He seemed like he genuinely wanted to help me.

“I’m doing fine, so far.” I mumbled, averting my eyes again.

“Well your grades haven’t slipped, and your SAT scores were some of the highest out of all the students in the school. I am impressed, a lot of times a teen pregnancy means steadily declining grades, which usually leads to being a high school dropout. I don’t want to see you join that group so I would like you t speak with our school counselor at least once a week and she can gather how you are managing. She will be able to help you much more than I will.” I just nodded and he sighed, shuffling some paperwork on his desk.

I left the office five minutes later with the promise that I would never miss and appointment with the counselor. I had also been dismissed from the rest of my classes for the day while things settled down. Brennan was waiting for me by the door. He just took my hand without a word and we left the administration office.

“So, how bad is it?” I asked him, curiously. He gave me a sly smile.

“I am suspended for three days and I have to write Kent and his family and apology letter. “

“Well there goes your perfect record!” I joked with him. We both knew his record was anything but perfect.

“I still don’t regret it.” He told me, pulling me to a stop at the end of the hallway, “But as much as I loved getting a chance to hit Kent, I wish you wouldn’t have been hurt.” His eyes were full of concern for me. I smiled and placed my hand on his cheek.

“Everyone was going to find out sooner or later.” He just nodded at me, lowering his forehead to my own and placing his hands over my belly. I looked down at his hands smiling.

“I can’t wait until he moves.” Brennan whispered, pressing his lips to my forehead.

“He?” I asked looking at Brennan with a curious smile. He nodded.

“I just know it’s a he! I’m psychic when it comes to these things!” He told me. I just rolled my eyes at him.

“Come on let’s get out of here before the next break.” I told him grabbing his hand and dragging him towards his jeep.