My Forever (12 page)

Michael pauses before stepping back to his locker where his sister is watching the interchange. I’d like to think that Michael wouldn’t have left if it
wasn’t
my brother. Maybe he doesn’t feel as protective of me as I want him to. He glances back my direction with the same worried expression. Maybe he does. My chest lifts a little.

“What’s going on Dani?” Daniel asks, more quietly now.

“Why do you care, Daniel?
You’re
usually the one getting me into trouble.”

“This is kind of a big deal.” He looks at me. “Don’t think we didn’t all hear everything that was said.”

This means my whole family knows I’m pregnant. Fabulous. I can see the smug look on Gloria’s face now. Just the thought of it makes me irritated.

“Who’s the dad?” Daniel asks. “Is it
him
?” He says more loudly and gestures to where Michael is standing. I laugh. Daniel looks back down at me then. “Who then?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I shake my head.

Daniel looks mad but he won’t press me. “Where are you staying? I mean
,
I’m sure if you went back to
M
om and
D
ad and told them you were sorry they’d let you come back.”

“But I’m not sorry, Daniel. I mean
,
I’m sorry that I’m pregnant
,
but I’m not sorry about anything else.” He won’t understand. I know he won’t.

His eyes widen. “What, the Mormon thing?” I think he’s going to laugh in frustration and disbelief.

I just nod.

“This is crazy. Just because you have a crush on some boy…” He rolls his eyes.

“Thanks for giving me so much credit.” I’m kind of pissed at him now
and cross my arms.

“Well, I took a backpack of your stuff today. I just grabbed a few things this morning
with Hannah’s help
.” He hands a pack toward me.

I sigh a huge sigh of relief. A
nger gone. I’ll have at least a couple changes of clothes now. “Thank you so much.” I lean forward to give him a hug
,
but he backs away from me. It stings. Bad. It’s not that we’re super close, it’s more that he’s my twin, my brother
.
I lean back, hurt.

“I don’t agree with this. A
ny of it.” He walks away.

It’s a simple thing
,
but the gesture and the meaning are huge. I wipe away tears as I slide the back
pack over a shoulder.

I’m beyond tired.

I’ve been kicked out by my family
.

My brother just walked away from me.

I have nothing except whatever Daniel put in my backpack.

I start to walk down the hall
but
don’
t know where I’m going. A
warm hand
touches my shoulder, and
Michael pulls me into him. I sob a
ll over his chest, soaking his T
-shirt
, unable to move
. He holds
me there for a few minutes before
we start
slowly
walking.

I don’t know where we’re going. I don’t care. He’s too warm and fee
ls too good for me to care.

We step inside the nurse’s office
,
and I go to a green vinyl bed and lie down. I close my eyes
, and
Michael covers me with his jacket. It smells good
,
and it’s warm.
That’s all I need right now.
I pull it up and wish to go to sleep.
To make my day disappear.
And my
night disappear
.

Mrs. Davies immediately sits on the bed across from me. I don’t wait for her to ask. Michael knows very little. I think he’s still here
,
but I’m not sure.

“My parents know. T
hey kicked me out,” I say.

“Do you have somewhere to
go
?”
s
he asks.

“N
o.” My answer brings on more shaking.
I’m crying like I’ve never cried before. It’s sort of shocking but also feels good, like I’m getting rid of something that’s been clinging to my insides.

“Are there any friends I can call down?”

I don’t answer.

“You’re friends with the Masons, right?”

Michael must be gone.

I nod. Maybe if it
s
’
her idea it wouldn’t be too hard to accept their support for the day.

“Is he the dad?” She looks as if she’d be surprised if I said yes. Just checking I guessed.

“No.” I nearly laugh at th
at. Daniel asked the same thing. The thought i
s absurd on a million levels.

“Where were you last night?”
s
he asks, as if suddenly realizing that I’d had nowhere to be.

“Denny’s.”

“Okay.” She nods and rubs her hands down her thighs once, thinking. “You try to get some sleep. I’ll be back in a few.”

“Thanks.”

What will she do for me? What
can
she do? I have no idea
, and I don’t care.
I’m too tired to care. I close my eyes
,
but the rejection from my family washes over me again and again and the stupid bed is really hard. I pull Michael’s jacket tighter
around my shoulders
and
breathe his scent in again and again. The world slowly dissolves into peaceful blackness.

Mrs. Davies puts her hand on my arm. Tracy, Michael and a wo
man walk in the room. I sit up, feeling suddenly vulnerable lying down.

“Dani, this is my mom, Collette Mason,” Michael says.

I try to wipe the sleepy haze away. I’m bound not to make a good impression.

“Hi Dani.” She has a wide, easy smile and reaches out to shake my hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Tracy and Michael have talked about you a lot.”

I look from them, back to their mom. I have no words or thoughts yet.

“Would you like to stay with us for a while?”
s
he asks.

I don’t know how to answer. Why would someone just open up
their
home like that? I do want to stay there. She has the same nice feeling around her as Michael and Tracy have. But there’s no way she could want another kid in her house.

“Tracy thinks
the guestroom i
s hideous
, but it’s yours if you’ll take it
.” Colett
e laughs a little at that. “
I’d love it if you felt comfortable enough with my kids and I to
stay
for a while, at least until the school year is over.”

I cry in rel
ief then. It’s embarrassing. I stare
at my lap, unsure of what to do. Michael and Tracy sit on the bed behind
me and each give
me a half hug.

I hear Collette’s voice again. “Okay, there’s no reason for you two to be missing class right now. I’ll see you after school.” She turns toward me then. “Why don’t we go home and get you settled, okay?”

“Okay.” I can’t believe what this lady is doing for me. A stupid teenage girl who’s
dumb
enough to get herself knocked up.

The nurse and Collette step off to the side.
“I’ll get her homework and send it home with your kids. I’d keep her home tomorrow since it’s Friday. She has to need the rest.”

“Okay.” Collette’s voice is so easygoing. There’s a happy feel to it. I like her immediately.

I follow her out to the car, not sure what to expect. There are no words, no coherent thoughts, not yet.

I sit in the passenger’s seat and buckle in
, waiting for a lecture, or a warning, or something
.

“I can’t pretend to have any idea how you feel.” She sighs
as she begins to drive
. “I don’t want to pry. You just have to trust that I want to listen to you any time you want to talk, okay?”

“Okay.” I look out the window. I never pictured this happening. In the millions of scenarios I played out in my head, this definitely wasn’t one
of them. “I’m sorry to do this—
”

“Dani.” Her voice is the most serious I’ve heard from her. “No mistake on the part of a teenager warrants this.”

“You do know I’m pregnant right?”

She laughs. “Yes.
” She takes a deep breath in. “I got Michael from someone very much like you.”

Right. This is going to be okay.

9

I’m stumped by my room
and
stand in the doorway
almost afraid to step inside
.

“You’re thinking what Tracy always tells me, that the room is hideous, right?”
Collette
asks.

“I’ve never had my own room,” I admit.
Besides, the room isn’t hideous. I
t’s not my style but everything’s nice. There are no stickers or marker on the
white
dresser, there’s
real curtains
on the windows, not old blankets. It’s a soothing color of yellow and bright, clean white. Happy.