Tainted - One Teen's Pregnancy Story

I stared out the window at the branch a few feet from my window and saw a robin’s nest with two birds sitting inside it twittering away at a medium sized snake that was slithering closer to their nest. I stayed entranced for a while at the birds and how they protected their nest full of eggs. The birds fought off the snake and went back to their nest, still twittering away. While I was watching the birds rejoice that they had triumphantly warded off the danger I wondered if I would ever be able to have a family like how the birds displayed.

Would Cassidy Williams actually fend off a danger such as a snake for me? True that she had money, loads of it, but how would she be as a mother? I was so engrossed in my thoughts as I stared out the window into the bird’s little world that I hadn’t noticed that there was someone in my room with me. Even as she spoke, I never turned to look at her.

“Jayanti, are you going to eat breakfast? Rosemera asked me in an unusually timid voice.

“Yes, just sit it down, please. I’ll eat it after I get in the shower.”

“Just as well, I’ll come back for it at lunch time. I hope you’re in good spirits this morning.”

Rosemera backed out the room without another word or a response from me. I found myself actually missing Bernard. I contemplated on asking Rosemera when she came back to bring me my lunch to summon Bernard for me, but I thought better of it. I slowly ate my food and began to read again. Before I knew it, Rosemera was back with my lunch for the day. She didn’t say a word as she sat my lunch tray on my lap as I lay in the bed and whisked out of the room with my breakfast tray.

I put my book down and began slowly eating my lunch. It was lonely eating alone, and I really did miss Bernard a lot. I put my fork down and peeked my head out of my door in search of some sign of Bernard. Besides for the occasional student, there was no sign of Bernard anywhere. I decided I was going to hunt him down and apologize for being so mean to him. I gradually brought the rest of my body out of my room and quietly shut the door. If Rosemera saw me out of bed, she’d have my head.

I walked past two rooms down the hall when I realized something, I never found out where Bernard’s room was. I began to panic as the realization seeped in. Looking all around me, I decided to ask the next person, or group of people, that passed me in the hallway. I tried to act as casual as possible as a group of slightly older kids came towards me.

“Ahem,” I said, falsifying a cough. “Hey, do any of you guys know where Bernard is?” Without even acknowledging me, the group passed by me. I wanted to yell after them, but I couldn’t risk the chance of Rosemera finding out that I was out of my room. I decided to try again as a girl around my age began to come down the hall towards me. “Excuse me,” I said stepping in front of her. “Have you seen Bernard Johnson?”

“No, I haven’t,” the girl responded. “I think he’s been in his room for a day or two.”

“Oh, umm, thanks.”

“No problem, if I see him, you want me to tell him you’re looking for him?

“N-no, that’s not necessary. Thanks again.”

I wasn’t ready to give up just yet, but I didn’t want to risk getting caught. I walked a little further down the hallway towards the cafeteria, when I looked in, I saw Bernard sitting by himself at a table looking pretty sad. Just as I was about to walk in, I heard some heels clicking down the hall towards me. I ducked in a broom closet across the hall from the cafeteria and felt a searing pain in my lower abdomen. Clutched over in pain, I waited for the heels to pass the closet that I had stuffed myself into. A ways from the door the heels stopped and I vaguely heard Rosemera’s gravelly voice scolding some kid for running down the hall.

When she was finished, Rosemera walked past the closet again and the sounds of her clicking heels faded as we grew further and further apart. I was still doubled over in pain as I peeked out the door of the closet. Rosemera was gone so I took the chance to peek into the cafeteria again, Bernard was gone. I quickly scanned the cafeteria two more times, then looked up and down the hallway, he definitely was gone. I sulked with sadness and pain back to my room.