"What's gotten into you?" Fiona asks through the bathroom door. I don't reply. I just keep reading the graffiti. Apparently Jackson is a lying, cheating pig.
"Ok, fine!" April huffs, "don't tell us! See if we care!"
After a few seconds pause she sighs.
"Okay, we care," she mutters, "apparently reverse psycology is useless."
I read a poem scrawled on the wall. My heart bleeds so I plant the seeds, you're what I need...
I pull out a marker and add an 's' to the end of 'need'. April begins tapping her foot impatiently. I roll my eyes at this behaviour and pick up my bag. I slide the bolt across and open the door slowly. Fiona is inspecting her face in the mirror and April is standing with her hands on her hips.
"Finally," she huffs, "well?"
I stare at her blankly.
"Oh, come on Amber!" she cries, "you don't just stop speeching for the fun of it! What's going on with Darren?"
I walk over to the door and wrench it open. Darren appears out of nowhere.
"If it's a money issue, I can pay," he says, "and I'm happy to go with you."
"What is he talking about?" April asks suspiciously. I shrug and try to step around Darren, but he puts his arm out.
"I want this dealt with," he says, "you're seventeen. You're not ready for it and neither am I!"
"Amber, are you..." April looks at my stomach pointedly. Darren makes a noise of irritation.
"April, could you give a moment?" he says through his teeth. She grabs Fiona's arm and walks away.
"Look," Darren begins, "I just think-"
"Don't," I interrupt, "I don't expect anything from you. I don't want you to be there when it's born. I don't want you to help raise it. Just get on with your life."
"How can I?" he hisses, "everyone will ask who's it is and then they'll all say how low I am for-"
"Not killing it?"
"It's not killing it," he groans.
"That's how I see it," I reply, "and don't worry. I won't tell anyone it's yours. I'll say it's the result of a hookup."
"You won't?" he asks uncertainly. I shrug.
"Why would I?" I ask, "it'd just ruin the life of the boy who convinced me he was in love with me so he could have sex with me and then leave me up the creek without a paddle, while he went and told everyone we were never together."
He raises an eyebrow slowly.
"I can't tell if you're joking or not," he says, "but... I'm sorry."
"That means about as much as your 'I love you'," I snap.
I turn and walk out of the school. It starts to rain. This is my life.
