Pressure

[8] Jocelyn

Nathan.

He’s all you think about,

All you dream about,

All you care about.

You had no one,

Up until Katie.

But she can’t replace him.

No one can.

Only he can truly ever accept you,

For who you are.

Your parents,

Are furious.

Your friends,

Ignore you.

Jake,

Has a new girlfriend.

But Nathan’s all you can think about.

Where is he?

You’re worried,

Because you haven’t heard from him.

You’re scared,

Because something could have happened.

You’re crushed,

Because he left you when you needed him.

All you really have,

Is the baby that sits inside of you.

You don’t know whether it’s a boy,

Or,

Girl.

You don’t want to know,

Until you give birth.

You want it to be a happy surprise,

Unlike the bad one’s you’ve had.

You shop with your mom,

Looking for baby supplies.

How are we supposed to choose colours, Jocelyn?

She snaps at you,

Angry,

Frustrated,

Irritated.

She hates the fact of not knowing the gender,

As much as she hates the baby itself.

You tell her to look for neutral colours,

Like green,

Yellow,

Or white.

Adults look down on you,

Disappointed.

Teenagers laugh at you,

Judging.

Children look up at you,

Unknowing.

For the first time in your life,

You don’t fit in.

You want to be accepted,

Like society tells you is right.

But deep down you know,

That being accepted is just a game.

It’s something that drives humans towards decisions,

They don’t want to make.

It makes people change themselves,

To make others like them.

The idea of being accepted by people,

Jobs,

Society,

Is horrific.

Why can’t you be accepted,

For who you are?

You’re a pregnant teenager,

But that shouldn’t change what people think of you.

On the inside,

You’re exactly the same,

Except for the body you’re sharing.

It shouldn’t change your chance at getting a job.

You still have the same skills,

Except for the ones you will be gaining.

It shouldn’t change you being accepted by society.

Because no one is exactly the same.

You are unique.

The truth is,

You were never accepted.

No one ever was,

And no one ever will be.