Estella

Chapter 8

Sixteen weeks.

I am sixteen weeks into this pregnancy.

Almost halfway there.

Soon everyone is going to know.

"Estella." I hear, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Hey." I say to Parker.

"How is everything?" He asks me.

"Fine." I respond.

"Are you sure?" He question.

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" I ask him.

"Well after everything, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He tells me.

"Everything is fine. Why are you so worried about me?" I question him.

"Estella, if that's what he's willing to do to you in a room in a school where two thousand people could walk in at any second, I don't even want to think about what he would do to you when no one is around." He tells me.

He knows.

He has to.

How does he know?

"I don't know what you are talking about." I say, knowing that I do not sound remotely convincing.

"Estella, why do you keep lying? You need to stop pretending like everything is fine." He tells me.

"Listen, I've told my parents everything they need to know, they are taking care of what they need to." I tell him, thankful I can finally say something that is the truth.

Except no one knows the whole story.

Parker discover the abuse, but has no idea about the pregnancy. For everyone else it is the opposite.

"Estella-" he starts.

"None of this has anything to do with you, so stay out of it." I snap at him.

"Estella, I'm sorry." He quickly apologizes. "I know it's not my place to say any of this. But I am just trying to help you out. He isn't treating you right." He tells me, as if I didn't know.

"Parker, I am taking care of what I need to, we can deal with this without you getting involved. This isn't affecting you, so don't make it." I say to him.

Why does he care so much?

"Estella, you need to stop lying, you can't keep protecting him." Parker says as I leaving the classroom.

"I'm not protecting him. I'm protecting myself." I say as I leave the now empty classroom, leaving Parker alone.

I'm not protecting Jacob.

None of this is for him.

I'm protecting myself.

Once all of this becomes known, once everything is known by people, he is going to kill me.

I just need to shut up and keep myself alive.

I just don't know how I am going to save my child.

I can't stay with Jacob.

I can't let him near my child.

•    

"Please don't go." My little brother begs me as I pull on a pair of shoes.

"Sorry Eli, I need to." I tell him.

"Please Stell. Just make something up, please don't go." He continues to beg.