The Unstoppable Zuri

Day One

Day one after finding out I'm pregnant at sixteen. Here we go.

I groaned and turned off the alarm on my phone. It took me a while to sit up, probably because I was too busy looking through my phone. I was on TikTok withdrawal.

"Allons-y, Zuri! Your food is waiting for you, my dear!" my dad called from down the hall, his thick French accent flowing through the house, much like the smell of whatever he was cooking.

"I know!" I said.

I reached for my crutches and got myself out of my bed, then over to my chair on the other side of the room, where my clothes were laid out. I chose a simple crop top, since I wouldn't be able to enjoy them for much longer once my baby bump really started showing, then paired it with some black high-wasted shorts. I quickly ran my brush through my hair to get some of the knots out.

I looked at myself in the mirror and realized the velcro of my shorts wasn't closed. I giggled and closed it, then sat down in my desk chair to slip on my knee-high socks. It was going to be a scorcher today, and the last thing I wanted was leg sweat gathering between the back of my calves and my braces. 

Once those were on, I could finally get out of my tiny, boxy bedroom. It wasn't that tiny, but compared to my best friend Lucy's, it was damn small. It would probably look bigger if I actually cleaned in here once in a while, but that was a problem for another day. I had way too many other things to worry about.

I walked into our kitchen to find my dad in his apron, washing the frying pan in the sink. My breakfast was on the perfectly set table, complete with a vase of flowers. He must've gone out last night and gotten them. I laughed, rolled my eyes, and sat down, then looked at my plate.

"Seriously?" I asked, seeing my pieces of sweet, sweet Canadian bacon cut up into little pieces for me.

"It's only because you're already late, and remember, you said you'd get to school early so you can talk to Elliott," my dad said.

I swallowed hard. Yup. There was that. Telling my boyfriend that my birth control failed. Couldn't wait. I could only imagine how he was going to react.

I sat and ate my delicious breakfast while my dad put my hair up, then took my morning pills from my pill box. I tried to eat slowly, because usually I'd go from starving to nauseous on a dime. I just wanted to enjoy food again.

Once my small breakfast was done, I went to the bathroom, put on some makeup, then grabbed my phone and my backpack. Before leaving, I did my usual routine of sitting on the bench by the front door and putting my leg braces on, which were hot pink to perfectly match my crutches.

I got the straps fastened and jammed my feet into my sneakers, then fastened the velcro about as loose as I could. We were going to go out this weekend and see if we could find some different shoes for me to wear. My swollen feet were dying in these sneakers.

"Parfait! Allons-y à l'école!" my dad said, holding the door open for me.

I walked down the ramp on the front porch, feeling the humidity already. It was a muggy, almost-summer day here in Oak Falls. Only a month left of school. I got into my dad's minivan. I knew he wanted to talk, since he didn't turn the radio on as soon as he sat down.

"Just remember, if he doesn't want to support you, you don't need him, because you'll always have ton pere. You'll always have your dad. No matter what," he said.

"I know, dad," I said.

"And if he does want to be there for you and the baby, then that's okay, too, I guess."

"Dad, just because he has long hair and likes heavy metal doesn't mean he isn't a good guy," I said.

"But he doesn't get good grades either, Zuri! He failed kindergarten. Who fails kindergarten? Isn't kindergarten in Les Etats-Uni just ABCs and coloring?"

"That was like, forever ago! He only got held back one year!"

"Alright. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. For you, I'll do it."

We pulled up to my school, and I saw Elliott waiting on one of the benches by the gazebo. I took a shaky breath. I didn't want to get out of the car.

"You can do it. You can do anything. You know that," my dad said. "And besides, all of that stress is bad for baby. Remember to relax!"

"I'll do my best," I said. "Good luck on that big cake you guys are working on today."

"I've done bigger things in the past. Je'taime."

"Toi aussi."

I opened the door and got out of the car. My dad blew me a kiss, and since no one was around to see this very cheesy moment, I pretended to catch it, which made him smile.

I walked across the grass to the gazebo, and Elliott looked up from his phone. If my stomach wasn't churning already, it was churning now. Hopefully I wouldn't throw up on this poor boy. His day was going to be bad enough as it is.

"Hey, is that a new top?" he asked, getting up when he saw me. He came over and put his hands around my waist before kissing my lips. "That's a good color for you. It looks sexy."

I blushed. Sometimes he really just left me speechless.

"Thanks," I said.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about? Did it not go okay yesterday at the doctor's?" he asked, looking down at my feet with worry written all over his face. "What did they say?"

"They said they don't think it's related to the CP," I said, trying to find the right words. "They think it's related to...something else."

"Something else? Like what?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm pregnant, Elliott."