18 and a Reason to Be Pregnant (#antiwattys2015)

Chapter 1

"Forget it!"

My voice is raised, and what Mom and Dad refuse to understand is that their idea is absurd and I will never, ever take that fucking idea into consideration. "What do you think I am, a whore? I am not doing that!"

"Cerulean, please mind your language," advises Dad.

"This won't make me change my mind, anyway. I am not getting impregnated by a stranger!"

"But, darling," intervenes Mom, "it's not a stranger. In fact, he is Jason Parkers, our friends' son. He is reliable. Nothing to be worried about."

For them, he's their family friends' son. For me, he is just a stranger. Nobody will make me change my mind. And what if he is an idiot jerk rather than the reliable guy as they described?

"I am not convinced," I state.

"But, honey, you have to do so. Everyone has to do so. Shawnette did, so you have to do like her."

"And guess what happened? She is still here with her super spoiled son, no job and... she is no longer attending school! I don't wanna leave school! I wanna go to college, and travel, and..."

"You're having a baby. That's it." This is Dad's final decision.

And I am not gonna stick with it.

***

A baby.

Are they kidding? Where do they think to be, at 16 and Pregnant? Well, this is reality and I want to finish school, go to college, travel, get a good job and marry whoever I want. I suspect they want me to marry Jason Parkers. Unless I know him, I am definitely not gonna deal with him, let even marry him or have a child with him.

As I said before, I don't wanna be like Shawnette. She is superficial and quite stupid, if she wants to raise a child at a such young age. She is now 20, while I am 18. She has only finished high school last year and did not enroll college. I am absolutely not gonna follow in her footsteps.

***

I decide to go to the social club, where I meet with all my friends. Today, I can easily see there are all of them. Lee is sitting at a table with Kaedence and Nena, while at another there are Jess and Pal.
They all seem upset.

"Have you heard the latest absurdity?" asks Jess. "My parents want me to get pregnant!" She pronounces the word "pregnant" with scorn.

I nod. "Yeah, I heard. It is the most absurd thing I have ever thought about. Especially because they want their friends' son, whom I don't know, to impregnate me!"

"How bastard they are!" comments Nena.

"Anyway, I am not gonna do this," I state.

"Why?"

"I am not getting pregnant by a stranger. I still have a moral."

"Yeah, you are right, moral is important," agrees Lee. "How can they pretend to treat us like we were mere sex machines?"

"But what if those jerk strangers manage to impregnate us?" asks Pal, who as of now is extremely worried. "I mean, we cannot think of abortion..."

"Darling," I answer, "this will never happen. And, if so, we can still defend our rights. We could give our babies away. Or have an abortion. Hmm... I don't know. We need to think of a solution quickly, before they relegate us to the role of stay-at-home moms!"

"You're right, Lean!" states Kaedence, who has stayed silent until now. "We can decide about our own destinies!"

Then, people start leaving and I realize that the only thing I can do is hoping this nightmare never comes true.

***

Back at home, I hope Mom and Dad have forgotten about the pregnancy matter and so I started talking with them about other topics. "Hey Mom, how is Granny? Have you heard from her lately?"

"Hmm... no," she just answers.

"And what about the weather? Have you watched the forecast yet?"

"Yes, Cerulean, I did. Tomorrow is going to be a nice, sunny day." She is increasingly getting more irritated, which is not what I wanted to happen. I just want to distract her from the pregnancy matter. So, I reply, "Perfect! This means I could chill with my friends at the Skate Park or at the pool, unless you deny me permission to do so."

"Why would you think so? Call your friends, if you want, and invite them."

"Oh, thank you Mom! You are the best mother in the world!" I end up kissing her multiple times and hugging her tight.

Mom, however, gets rid of my hug and points out, "Cerulean... you are acting weird." She touches my forehead. "Are you sure you didn't catch a fever?"

"No, Mom, I am fine. So, what's there for dinner?"

"Hmm... Roast beef and mashed potatoes with green beans."

"Ok." I like roast beef, but I don't know if Mom is going to deliver a good one tonight. "And, later, what are we doing?"

"We need to talk, Cerulean. I suspect you are hiding something..."

"I am not hiding anything." Definitely a lie. But I don't want her to get the satisfaction of making me feel like shit.

However, she tells me off harshly, "Don't lie to me, young lady. I know you. We have to talk. Right now!"

"Mom, there is nothing to talk about..."

"Even about the pregnancy?"

That is the word I absolutely didn't want to hear at all, especially from Mom. So, I try to cut her off, "Mom, are we talking again about this? I already made a decision. No children until I finish college. Did you understand?"

"No, Cerulean, I can't understand! Why don't you like this idea? After all, Jason is a good guy and..."

I interrupt her, "Damn! Stop talking about that Jason guy! He is not my boyfriend! I don't even know him!"

"But he's perfect for you. He has good grades, a good job and..."

"Maybe you consider him a good guy, but I will keep considering him a stranger until you prove me wrong."

"That's enough! You are doing what we tell you to, which is having a child with him! Oh, anyway, you'll meet him at dinner, if this worries you so much..." she concludes.
I am disappointed and angry!

If Mr. Perfect Guy is so perfect, why should I have a baby with him?

I don't think so.

I don't want a baby. Period.