Month Two Week Three, Friday December 5th

I quickly ran down the stairs, stopping by the cupboard to grab a pop tart as I passed through the kitchen. As I skipped through the living room, I stopped short, literally almost tripping on my face.1

“Kip? Why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be at school?”2

He looked up from the coffee table and shifted his back pack from beside him to his knees and hugged it as if it were some kind of shield.3

“I told mom and dad that you would take me instead. I was running a little late.”4

This was odd… the only reasons why I never took him to school when I did was because one, he always wanted to be there by 7 15, and two, he was usually embarrassed to be seen in a car with me instead of mom and dad, so when they left for work, he got a ride with one or the other.5

“Oh,” I finally answered, taking a small nibble off of my pop tart and readjusting my elastic skirt band and my leggings. “Well, I’m ready to go then, so let’s hop to, little brother.”6

He scoffed and stood up, throwing his bag over his shoulder. He hated it when I called him little brother.7

We both stomped outside through the snow and to my car, climbing in and automatically blowing on our hands to keep them warm. I blasted the heater and waited a couple extra minutes for the car to get warm, and so I could think of a way I could go get my prenatal vitamins now. My original plan was I would call into the school sick, acting like my mother, and then I would go and get them, doctor prescribed, and then head to school, miraculously better. Now, I would have to go the extreme of forging a note…8

We were silent as I shifted my car into reverse and started pulling out of the driveway, but as we drove down the road to turn off towards school, my brother opened his mouth and said 4 words that made me slam on my breaks in fear.9

“What did you just say?” I whispered, turning to look at him as he stared at his window cool as day.10

“I said, I know you’re pregnant.”11

I drew in a shaky breath and let my foot off of the break to slowly ease forward on the slick road. I was surprised we hadn’t gone spinning into a tree at that time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said in what I hoped to be a good lying voice.12

“Did you know your voice gets higher and shakes when you lie?”13

I sighed in frustration. “You have no idea what you are talking about Kip, so just shut up and leave it at that.”14

He turned to look at my profile as I stopped at a stop sign and checked both ways before progressing. “Yes I do. I’m not stupid. I may be the baby of the family, Natty, but that doesn’t mean I’m not smart. I saw the ultra sound results in Nick’s hand on Monday. I know the difference between what a bone x-ray looks like and what an ultra sound looks like.”15

“Obviously not,” I squeaked in what I hope sounded like a convincing tone.16

“Yes I do, Natalie. Stop lying to me. It might work and mom and dad, but it doesn’t work on me. “17

I finally gave into the lying and broke. “Look, Kip, this is really hard on me right now, Ok? So, please, I beg you! Just keep quiet about it, don’t tell mom and dad, I want to be the person to tell them.”18

“I haven’t told them yet have I? You know, you can trust me more than you think you can. I don’t try and find every little possible way to get you into trouble.”19

I pulled into the parking lot of the high school. “I know, Kip, I’m sorry.”20

He smiled as we parked, and he grabbed the sleeve of his bag. “It’s okay. I’m just saying. Most of the time when I try and stick my nose in your business it’s because I get worried. I know I am your little brother, but I am still protective of you, and I sometimes just want to know what’s going on with you and what not.”21

I nodded and turned off my car, stepping out and locking the door after Kip followed suit. He started walking toward the opposite doors of the ones I entered before he turned around.22

“By the way, when you go to forge a note to get out of class later today to pick up your prescription, I recommend that you write one in dad’s hand instead, it’s easier to forge his name.”23

I laughed and was ready to ask him how he knew, but thought better of it. “Thanks. Sounds like you have experience in that category.”24

He shrugged. “Maybe.”25

He turned back around and started walking. I lagged behind a little ways and then started walking too, thinking to myself how crazy it was on how little faith I had in my brother. 26

As it turned out, Kip was right, it was so much easier to forge a note to excuse from school at 12 pm for a *cough* doctor’s appointment… I made sure that when I handed this said note to the office to keep my face down.27

The first part of the day seemed to drag on and on and on. There was no end to the endless monotones of the teachers that felt the need to bore us every second they could. Then, my day got even better when Cherri intercepted me in the hallway during my third hour free period and shoved me into the wall.28

“You stupid bitch!” she shouted into my face.29

I rolled my eyes and pushed her away, trying to walk away from the drama attention whore.30

“Don’t fucking walk away from me when I am talking to you!” she shouted. 31

By then, we had a small crowd of students surrounding us.32

I turned around and stared her straight in her face. “What the hell do you want?”33

She walked over to my and smacked me across the face. “You stole my boyfriend you stupid whore!”34

I looked at her in shock, the force of her slap having knocked my head sideways. When I lifted my hand to my face it still stung the tiniest bit. 35

“I did not still your boyfriend, Cherri. You treated him like crap, and you dumped him. Instead of deciding to go back to you, he chose to go to the one person who actually treats him like a person.”36

She started laughing. “But he won’t treat you like a person. He will leave you for me in the end, I know he will.”37

“No, that’s just what you like to think. You have plenty of guys to whore around with, Cherri, so go play with them.”38

This time, I was ready for the second slap, and it didn’t hurt that much. And in return, I let my fist fly and connect straight on with her nose, letting blood poor every where. She screamed out more in shock than in pain, and the students around us gasped in shocked. 39

“What’s going on here?”40

I started at the sound of the principles voice in my ear. I turned to him, cheeks still red with her handprints, and stared at him. Cherri, holding her nose and trying to control the bleeding did the same. Our guilty looks were all it took.41

“All right, the both of you to my office, right now.”42

I sighed in frustration and made a point of turning to glare and Cherri before stomping off behind Mr. Jameson like a two year old. 43

The office was cold when we walked into it. He handed Cherri a box of Kleenex and then indicated that the both of sit down in the uncomfortable wooden chairs across from his desk. I sat down with impatience, crossed my arms around my body and slouched slightly… it was a good thing I was wearing leggings.44

“I am very disappointed in the two of you. Especially you, Natalie! You have never had history of fights before. This has to be one of the worse I have seen. I’ve never seen so much blood before!”45

I slightly grimaced as I looked over at Cherri with blood incrusted in her hair and clothes, and her hands were full of the bloody tissues.46

“And Cherri, I thought you were done with fighting last year. I cannot tolerate my students hitting each other. So, I will have to call your parents, and I will have to get eye witness accounts to see who is responsible for the start of this mess.”47

I exchanged a glance with Cherri, brief, but worried, and then we both faced Mr. Jameson’s cluttered desk once more. 48

“Sir,” I muttered. “I have a doctor’s appointment later today,” I said, my voice slightly squeaking. 49

“Yes, and I will talk to your father about that as well. Now, if you will both sit here patiently, I have a couple of phone calls to make.”50

“You don’t have to talk to him about the appointment!” I threw out. “I can just call and reschedule it myself.”51

He smiled and shook his head, “No Natalie, but nice try.”52

I sat back in my chair, slightly, no, very worried, as he walked out the door and shut it behind him. 53

“Dou don’t really hab a doctor’s appointment, do dou?” asked Cherri from beside me, voice altered by her new injury.54

“What makes you think that?”55

She shrugged. “Nick always used to tell me about you, and how it was easy to tell when you lied because your voice changed.”56

“Oh.” I looked at her as she pulled yet another tissue out of the box and replaced the other one.57

I held out my hand toward her and said, “I can throw away the other tissues for you.”58

She looked at me as if I were a bomb about to explode. “Are dou ok?”59

“Yes,” I sighed. “I just feel bad for punching you. I’m sorry.”60

She gave me her bloody tissues, and I threw them in the trash can and then went over to the desk and layered on the Germ-X. 61

“Tis ok,” she said. “Me too. Dat was not called bor.”62

I smiled as I sat down and shrugged. “Yeah, but hopefully now we have it out of our systems.63

“Doubt it.”64

I laughed and leaned forward slightly. We were silent as we waited for the dreaded news that our parents were on their way.65

We both turned and stared at the door as it creaked open about 5 minutes later and Mr. Jameson walked through his door.66

“You are both lucky for the time being,” he said as he sat down at his desk. “I can’t get a hold of either one of your parents. So for right now you are both off of the hook.”67

I couldn’t help my sigh of relief. 68

“But,” he said, taking turns glaring at me and Cherri, “I will tell them sooner or later. Cherri, get back to class. Natty, head to your doctor’s appointment.”69

We both nodded and stood up, exchanging a glance of relief and amusement. 70

“See dou later, Nab,” said Cherri as we walked down separate sides of the hallway. 71

“See ya Cher.”72

I sighed as I walked out of the school. Maybe she and I found some sort of treaty line we would refuse to cross. I didn’t know what would happen the next day, or when I got back to school later that day, but I did know that something changed between me and Cherri in that hour as well.73