The Pregnant Scam

Chapter Six

I gripped the steering wheel tightly my knuckles turning white. My hands shook as I turned left onto Sagamore Parkway the closer I got to Lexi's house the more butterflies I got in my stomach. How was I going to tell Lexi that I was rape? Should I even tell her? What would she think of me afterwards? I shook my head no as hard as it was Lexi couldn't know. No one would understand how I felt inside. The constant nightmares and flash backs of what happen haunted my mind daily. I couldn't shake free of him.
"About time you showed up." Lexi said as she climbed in my car.
"Sorry traffic took forever." Lexi gave me a perplex look like I was a alien from outer space. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, "What is it?"
Lexi eyes my choice of clothing. My jeans and long sleeve blue shirt with roses and white polkadots must have made me look completely crazy with the 90 degree weather we've been having.
Nervously I adjusted my blue scarf hoping it hadn't came undone and showed any of the hickies that Salvador gave me.
"You look....comfortable....." Lexi said slowly.
I gave a nervous laugh and put my car in drive, "Yeah I'm still having some chills, so I wanted to wear long sleeves incase I got cold."
She frowned at me as she buckled her seat belt, "I thought you had the flu?"
"Oh I did, but then it turned into a cold." I could feel sweat trickle down my neck. With all the webs of lies I was spinning I have a whole spiderweb big enough to cover the whole freakin earth. I hated lying to Lexi, but I didn't want anyone to know what I went through. I didn't want people to treat me different or look at me weird. Especially my best friend, Lexi meant the world to me I couldn't loose that.
She stared at me as if she was questioning my answer, then she merely shrugged, "Okay, I'm just glad you're feeling better."
I gave her a smile, "Me too." I turned back onto Sagamore Parkway heading towards the local mall. "You wanted to go to the mall to shop right?"
"Girl you know it!" Lexi said pressing the button for the passenger window to go down she stuck her hand out and waved it in the air as I gained speed on the busy highway. "So how is that job with what's her name? Caroline? No Christina?"
I stiffened, "What do you mean?"
"Are you enjoying it? I remember you said Christina is a nut case who believes in ghosts."
"Oh it's fine, but I decided it wasn't the job for me that's all."
"What! You quit? Jules you take your jobs very seriously."
"I know, that's why I decided that it wasn't fit for me to be in that environment." I said taking a deep breath.
"Why what happened?"
I casted her a small smile, "Just the ghost thing started getting to me."
Lexi shuddered, "I don't blame you I won't last one second in that house!"
Pulling into the mall's parking lot I thought to myself, and I'm glad you never went in that house. I wish I never went.
Lexi and I hopped out of the car and after locking it we made our way into JCPenny to do some desperate shopping as Lexi called it. She was in desperate need of a new bikini and some cute sundresses.
She yanked a black bikini off the rack and held it up, "What do you think?"
Grimacing I shook my head.
Lexi lowered the bikini, "Really? I think it's cute!"
"Yeah if you want to look like you're in your bra and underwear at the beach. That thing doesn't even look like a bikini!"
"Oh you would know if I was in my underwear I would be wearing my sexy thong." Lexi whispered glancing around to make sure nobody overheard her, she giggled placing the black bikini back on the rack.
"Shhh! Lexi!" I shook my head giving her a small smile. I strolled through the swimsuit aisles. Lexi pulled some off to try on. But I just looked at the swimsuits, none of them could hide what happened to me. I tried to picture my body with my bruised wrists, legs and hickies on my neck in a swimsuit strolling along the beach. Everyone on their beach towels looking at me and gasping then whispering to their friends near by "Look at her." , "She looks terrible." , "That's what happens when you put yourself in that position.", "It's her fault it happened."
"Julia...... Earth to Julia!"
I jumped as Lexi brought me out of my daydream.
Lexi looked at me a concern look on her face as she held five bikinis. "You okay? You've been in a daze almost all day."
Pasting a forced smile on my face I answered, "Yeah I'm fine, just a lot on my mind."
"Like what?"
My palms sweaty I debated in my head, should I tell Lexi? She is my best friend after all doesn't she deserve to know the truth? She should understand right? No, it's too embarrassing I couldn't tell her. "That we need to get you to a dressing room to try on those bikinis or we'll never conquer the whole mall today." Taking Lexi gently by the shoulders I guided her to the dressing room making her laugh.
"What would I do without my best friend to tell me when I shopped enough." She teased.
"You would be broke."
Lexi tilted her head to the side, "True. Very true. Hey." She turned around to face me, "You didn't get anything to try on, do you want to go back and get some? I saw a cute red bikini you might like."
I rubbed my arm my hand brushing over a bruise and I tried to hide my wince of pain, "No I'm good, I still have last year's bikini that still looks nice." Not that I would be wearing a bikini any time soon till these bruises went away I thought to myself.
She shrugged, "Suit yourself." Then my best friend went to an empty fitting room to try the bikinis on.
Leaning against the door frame I sighed and waited for Lexi to come out or to have me come in and see the swimsuit on her.
Thirty minutes later we left JCPenny with Lexi holding her swimsuit purchase. She had decided on a black bikini that tied around her neck and the sides of the top and bottom had string that crisscrosses each other and tied.
We weaved our way through the busy Tuesday morning shoppers. Debating where to shop next we stopped at the Bubble Tea Stand and ordered ourselves some bubble tea. Bubble tea is this delicious tea from Taiwan and the bubbles which is how it got its name is little chewy tapioca balls. It was delicious, but there was only three spots in town, which made it hard to get it often. Two places on collage campus, and one at the mall served it so Lexi and I got them whenever we were at the mall.
I ordered a fruity strawberry lemonade bubble tea while Lexi opt for the Oreo milk cookie bubble tea or the mint green bubble tea. She finally decided on the Oreo milk cookie bubble tea.
Lexi swerved her head around looking at the passing shoppers from where we sat on a bench. Without warning She snatched my arm making me jump. I pushed her hand off, "Geez, Lexi you scared the crap out of me!"
"Sorry, but look!" Lexi took a sip of her bubble tea through her orange straw and nodded her head off to her left trying not to seem to obvious to what she wanted me to see.
I lifted my head from my pink straw and looked over to where the Motherhood Maternity store was. My eyebrows rose as I saw Jennifer Moore exit the store and walk away from where we sat. Jennifer was in the same grade as Lexi and me and was one of the most popular girls in school. She was beautiful with curly blond hair and skinny as ever possible. She was on the cheerleader squad and has dated at least half the basketball team. Jennifer was known for sleeping with whoever she was dating/ or not dating, but the guys liked that. She definitely was the high school Queen Slut. It wasn't the fact that Jennifer came out of a maternity store that raised my eyebrows, but that she had gained weight and had what appeared to be a baby bump starting to show from a blue shirt with polkadots. Jennifer carried two large bags with the Motherhood Maternity store logo on them. "OMG, how did that happen?! She was skinny as ever at the end of the school."
Lexi snorted, "That's what happened when you touch dicks."
I turned back around in my seat and gave Lexi a long hard look. "Seriously? Do you have to say something so inappropriate?"
"Hey you sat through Mr. Thomas's biology class, you should know how the baby thing works...."
Ignoring her I watched Jennifer walk down the mall away from us, "She had so much planned for her future: senior year, prom, college, jobs. How could she throw her life away like that." I whispered more to myself than to Lexi.
Lexi shrugged, "Some people have it harder I guess. You aren't feeling sorry for her are you?"
I twirled around, "What? No!" I sipped my bubble tea.
"Good because you shouldn't, Jennifer got herself in that position, not you."
"What if she didn't mean to get herself in that position?" I asked quietly.
"She still got herself in that position, Julia. Now let's go check out Charming Charlie's they always have great sundresses." Lexi threw her empty glass in the trash can and I followed suit.
I couldn't help but disagree in my head what Lexi said about Jennifer putting herself in that position to get pregnant. Maybe that was so, but it isn't all her fault she's pregnant. It takes two to make a baby; it's the baby daddy's fault just as much as hers. I wonder who the baby daddy could be as Lexi and me entered Charming Charlie's.
Shopping at Charming Charlie's was fun, unlike other stores in the mall Charming Charlie's kept all their items and clothes colored coded. All their red things were in one spot, their blue in another, etc, etc. It made shopping ten times easier at least in my opinion. All I had to do was know what color of clothes I want and then go to that section and see what all they have.
Lexi bounced from one color section to the next searching for a pretty sundress. I walked after her, not really feeling in the shopping mood anymore.
"What about this one?" Lexi held out a sleeve less blue sundress that tied around the neck and flowed out like waves to the knees.
I nodded, "Yeah it's pretty."
She pulled two identical ones off the rack and handed me one, "Here we can try them on together! We can be twins!" She said excitedly.
"You already have a twin though."
Lexi laughed, "Then we'll have to push Anthony to the side and be triplets!" Lexi led the way to the dressing rooms.
Fear tumbled in my stomach. If Lexi and I shared a dressing room like we usually did there's no way she wouldn't see my bruises and ask questions.
The sales lady smiled brightly at us, "Two dressing rooms?"
"Yes, please." I blurted out before Lexi could say just one.
Lexi gave me a confused look as the sales lady led us back to two dressing rooms, "We usually share a room."
"I know.... But I have a horrible rash and I feel self-conscious undressing in the same room."
"Jules, I'm your best friend. We went through hormone changes and ache faces together. A little rash is nothing."
I nodded remembering the good old days, "I know, I'll just feel better if we had separate rooms."
"Okay...."
The sales lady gave us two room right by each other and Lexi and I disappeared in our separate changing rooms.
Leaning against the wall in the off white dressing room with the full length mirror against the wall I sighed. That was a close one, I hope Lexi isn't hurt by me wanting a different room. I stared at the blue sundress that tied around the neck, the skirt flowing out at the knees. Taking my blue shirt with roses and white polka dots I pulled over my head and laid it on the ground. Just as I was about to unbutton my jeans a flash back of me in Christina's bed and Sal on top of me his large hands pulling my jeans and underwear off. His pig lips kissing me and his fingers fondeling me. Groping me I had to get him off me. I screamed throwing the sundress across the dressing room I fell against the wall and slid onto the floor sobbing. Slowly I came back to reality. But the memory of what he did haunted my mind. I hated him, hated what he did to me, I hated myself for it happening, hated having flashbacks to what happened, and not being able to sleep at night.
A light tap on the door startled me and I snuffed wiping my tears away. "Jules? You okay?"
I snatched my shirt off the ground and pulled it back on, "Yeah I'm fine." Leaving the sundress in the heap on the floor I stepped out of the dressing room.
Lexi stood before me wearing the blue sundress. It hugged her waist and made her look absolutely lovely. Her tiny frame fit the dress perfectly. "Did you scream?"
I looked back into the dressing room searching for answers, "Uhh..... yeah, there was this huge spider on the dress when I went to try it on and it frightened me."
"Oh we can get you another dress."
"No that's okay Lexi, it won't look good on me anyways. But it looks amazing on you. You should get it."
She frowned at me with concern, "Are you sure you're okay? You seemed really spooked for it just being a spider."
"Yeah I'm fine, I'm just going to step outside for some fresh air clear my head you know." I side stepped pass her to leave.
"Okay, I'll just pay for this and be right out." Lexi called after me.
I leaned against the cool window of Charming Charlie's my shaking hands in my head. Why couldn't I get past it? Why couldn't I forget the whole summer and move on with my life? Was he going to haunt mind forever? The smell of sushi hung in the air from the sushi restaurant nearby and I could taste bile in my throat as I tried to calm myself down.
Finally Lexi came out with the purchased sundress in a shopping bag, she looked around for me and then came over to me, "Hey.... You okay?"
"I told you I'm fine." I snapped.
Lexi took a step back, "You don't have to be crabby, You just seemed really upset in the store and I'm concerned about you."
"I'm sorry.... I don't feel like shopping anymore, is it okay if we just go back to your house and hang out?"
Lexi nodded, "Sure." Although Lexi didn't question me anymore she casts me looks the whole drive home. Her soft brown eyes full of questions that I couldn't answer. I said a quick prayer of thanks that Lexi didn't press me further. Now I just have to figure out how I was going to keep up my act that everything was fine.

A/N- I'm sorry for the late update. College and work have kept me pretty busy and I haven't had the inspiration to write any of my books lately. This summer has been a tough one. I had a fall out with one of my close friends and she deleted me on Facebook, continuing life without her has been especially hard to get through. It may be hard to write The Pregnant Scam because my character Lexi is based on my close friend. But I'll continue writing it and I will finish it, it just might take some time. I'm really thankful for my best friend Kamille😉 for sticking with me this summer and being so supportive and helping this summer with everything. I also want to thank you readers for sticking with my story and reading it! It means a lot to me to look at my books and see how many people have read them and liked them.