“I was old enough to get pregnant, I’m old enough to decide how I deal with it.”
“There are ways you can…”
Holding up my hand, I signal for her to stop.
“There’s no need to finish that sentence. I’m choosing to keep it and I’m going to make it work.”
“Darius hasn’t said anything.”
Looking away, I can’t bear the thought of her seeing him around when I haven’t. My silence has her eyes widening.
“He doesn’t know, does he?”
“It’s my baby, Clare. I went to tell him, but he wouldn’t talk to me, so no, he doesn’t know, and he’s not going to.”
She puts the scan picture down and slips off the bed.
“He has a right to know.”
“Regardless, how am I supposed to tell him when he won’t give me the time of day?”
“You blurt it out, shout it, do anything so he hears you.”
“He made it real clear how he feels about me, I’m not chasing him around looking like a damn fool.”
“But he could feel differently about the baby. His baby.”
“Why are you so concerned about him?” I throw at her suspiciously. “He can’t stand you. He was always trying to show me how you weren’t a good friend to me, and right this minute, I can see he was right.” Her gasp irritates me, and I continue, “You’ve been my best friend since forever, you’ve known Tariq a few months.”
“You know what, Amelia, do what you want. Fuck your life up if that’s what you want but he has a right to know.”
“Don’t tell him.”
She goes to walk out but I step in her way. “This baby is mine and if you still care about me as your best friend, you won’t tell him.”
“I’m sorry, Amelia.” She barges into my shoulder as she brushes by me and leaves me wondering, what the hell has happened to my best friend?
14
Amelia
Pouring cereal into my bowl, I’m preparing for a good day when my dad says, “You need to tell your mom.”
My good mood sinks, and I sigh. I’ve been on tenterhooks for the past week waiting for Darius to show up on my doorstep but there’s been no show of him and if Clare has told him, he simply doesn’t care. Just like I expected. Today I’m not worrying about it and moving on, just like he has… just like he told me to.
“Amelia, you need to tell your mother.” My father repeats.
She’s going to flip. Most likely because she won’t want to be known as Grandma.
“She’s flying in this Wednesday.”
“Great.”
My appetite vanishes but I shove a mouthful of muesli into my mouth for the sake of the baby.
“I’ve been thinking, your plans for the future will require a hell of a lot of strict organisation. We should get the ball rolling now so it doesn’t become overwhelming for you.”
I frown and he goes on to explain, “The baby’s nursery? And everything else it will need. You’ll be approaching yourthird trimester when college begins. I can have a word with the Dean and get you ahead as much as possible before the end of summer. And we’ll need to start the process of hiring a nanny.”
