The Pregnant Scam

Chapter Eighteen

I walked out to the kitchen where Anthony was waiting for me. After leaving a note on the table for my mom saying where I would be we left. My mom and Emerson gone grocery shopping for the day, and I assumed my brother was at work, but I didn't really know. It was hard keeping track of his schedule he was in and out all the time.

Anthony found a close parking space at one of the side entrances to the mall. I stared at the teenagers their eyes glued to their phones and young kids holding with their parents that entered and exited the mall each of them probably here for the same reason. Back to school clothes..... why did everyone always need a new outfit for school anyways? I knew exactly what it was, because I felt it especially now that I'm pregnant. It's the constant urge and pressure to fit in, to belong, or feel popular. In high school it's all about first impressions and looks for the first day of school.

High school was like a big food pyramid with the jocks, cheerleaders, and popular people at the top and the geeks, weird kids, pregnant girls at the bottom. I was never at the top but I didn't think I was ever at the bottom either, that is until now....

"Hey..... You okay?" Anthony touched my hand gently.

I jumped and turned to face him in the car were we sat. "You know what this was silly I don't need maternity clothes..... I .... can just wear sweats for the rest of my life."

"Julia Blade, YOU are not backing out of this! What is going on in your head right now, tell me?"

"What if we run into some classmates in there? I can't have finding out this way."

"I know this is scary for you, but think of it this way we're going to a maternity store not Dicks Sporting Goods, Charming Charlie or Victoria Secret. Seriously what friends of ours will we run into in a maternity store?"

"You're right." I smiled feeling more confident. We got out of the car, walking side by side we crossed the street and entered the mall letting the cool air conditioning hit us.

I half expected all of Harrison High School to be buzzing around the mall going in and out of the stores with shopping bags like bees bouncing from flower to flower. I sighed with relief and relaxed as I didn't recognize any of the people. They were just strangers who saw a pregnant girl with her boyfriend and that was okay with me.

Ahead of us loomed the Motherhood Maternity store. In the windows were pregnant mannequins dressed in cute maternity clothes. I gazed across the store front where Lexi and I had sat drinking bubble tea two months ago. The memory came back like it was just yesterday. We had just gotten bubble tea and were hanging out on the bench across from the maternity store. Lexi was looking at shoppers and had pointed out our classmate Jennifer Moore coming out of the maternity store with a baby bump.

Jennifer! Jennifer is pregnant too, I had completely forgot about seeing her till just now when I looked over at the bench were Lexi and I sat that summer day. That means I won't be the only pregnant girl at Harrison this school year. I made a mental note in my head to talk to Jennifer this school year. We weren't really friends.... but since she's expecting too she'll understand what I'm going through. I could use friends.

I missed my best friend..... Anthony was great, but it wasn't the same as having a girl best friend. If Lexi wasn't so pissed at Anthony and me she would be the one helping pick out a school outfit and finding maternity clothes. I still felt horrible leaving her in the dark, maybe I should have told her the truth about my pregnant scam.

The Motherhood Maternity store smelled sweet. The clothes were separated into sections by how far along you were. Big signs labeled which sections were which and what discounts were going on. The store even had other supplies like: baby clothes, toys, equipment, diapers, etc. Right when I walked in I noticed a white metal mannequin with a large pregnant belly wearing a loose flowing peach summer dress with white lilies flower prints all over. Ugh that mannequin looked so fat, is that what I was going to look like in a few months? Fat and miserable with aches everywhere. Anthony stood off to the side feeling a little awkward being in a women's store now that he got here.