I'm Going to Be A Mom ... At 17?! (A Teen Pregnancy Story)

Chapter 14 - The City Of Love

I'm Going to Be A Mom ... At 17?! (A Teen Pregnancy Story)

Chapter 14 - The City Of Love

Paris.

We were finally in Paris.

Emily smiled excitedly and dragged me off the plane, Isaac and Ben close behind. After collecting our luggage and going through passport checks, we went outside and Ben hailed a taxi. He got in the front seat and started speaking French to the driver while the rest of us started loading our luggage in the trunk. Ben was the only one of us who could speak French (his grandparents spoke to him only in French), and thank goodness we had him along, or else we'd be completely lost.

"I CALL WINDOW SEAT," Emily said and rushed to the side. Isaac and I looked at each other, then sprinted to get in the other window seat. Unfortunately, he beat me to it, and would not budge however much I pushed him, so I gave up and sat in the middle. The driver took off and we left the Charles de Gaulle airport.

Even though I was sandwiched between Isaac and Emily, I could still see a lot through the windshield.

The traffic was crazy here. I quickly got out my camera and started snapping pictures, because we were passing some famous monuments; L'Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, and even Notre Dame... I don't know how long we were in that tiny taxi but I enjoyed the whole ride there. Of course, there was the slight inconvenience of a full bladder, but I managed to ignore it and watch everything go by.

"Hey Ben, what's the hotel we're staying at again?" I asked.

"Hotel Pierremontelle," he said in his perfect French accent. "It's pretty fancy." He chuckled, then looked out the window.

"Jenna, can you believe this?" Emily squealed. "Can you believe we're actually in PARIS?! Alone, too! No parents! I'M SOOO EXCITED!" She squeezed my arm so hard that I thought I might not get my circulation back.

I laughed. "Calm down, Em. We're gonna be here for awhile, not to worry. You'll have plenty of time to enjoy the city. I'm excited too," I said, just as the taxi pulled to a stop in front of one of the most luxurious hotels I have ever seen.

Ben paid the driver and tucked his wallet into his pocket. Isaac reached for the door handle but it was opened by a door man with a uniform and white gloves. WHITE GLOVES! We got out and I admired the huge building, taking off my sunglasses to get a better look. I saw some bellmen take our luggage and load it onto some carts, then bring them up the ramp to the revolving doors. I looked at Emily and grinned like a maniac. This was so cool!

"C'mon guys." We followed Ben into the lobby. Us three sat on plush chairs and read magazines while Ben checked in. He got the card keys and we followed him to the elevator. We went up to the 18th floor, and Ben gave me and Emily our card keys.

"You guys have your own room and Isaac and I have ours. Let's say we meet in the lobby in half and hour, and then do some sightseeing?" he suggested.

"Yeah, sounds great!" I said enthusiastically. We said goodbye and went to our room where the luggage was already waiting. The first thing Emily did was flop on the bed dramatically and grin.

"I. Like. This. A lot," she said. "This is just amazing. I still can't believe we're here!" She took off her flip flops and started jumping on the bed. "Come on Jenna, I can't do this alone! It's a really, really bouncy bed," she coaxed. "Come on. Up." She held out her hand.

"I would, but..." I pointed to my stomach. "I get pretty tired pretty fast."

"Awwww. Please?" she begged. "Only a little."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay. Fine. But ONLY a little. Not until I'm on the floor, gasping for air." I grabbed her hand and got on the bed.

Turns out I did end up on the floor, gasping for air. But it was worth it. I was laughing my head off. I stayed there until I regained my normal breathing, then, with the help of Emily, got up off of the floor. These days, I had to have help sitting up. I had gained a lot of weight and I was pretty darn big. I had a little more than three months to go and I was definitely showing. I didn't even bother to wear loose clothes anymore, because school was over and I didn't have to worry about what people would say about me.

We unpacked our clothes (well, I did - Emily just sort of threw them in a couple drawers) and freshened up, then put on good walking shoes and made sure to have everything we needed. We took the elevator back downstairs and met the boys, who were already waiting for us. Em and I took our seats and Isaac opened up his map.

"Is anyone hungry? Because a friend of my parents' reccommended this really good crepe place that we should go to."

"Oh yeah. Definitely," I said. "I could eat anything now, even these chairs."

Ben laughed. "I'm up for it. What else should we do? It's only..." He checked his watch. "Three in the afternoon. Plenty of time. What should we see?" he asked.

"Well, why don't we walk to that crepe place and just sightsee anything near it?" suggested Emily.

"Yeah, that's a great idea! Is it settled then?" Ben asked.

Isaac and I agreed. He folded up the map and we left.

It was hot outside. I was sweating in no time but thankfully, a breeze picked up and cooled us all off. It was about a fifteen-minute walk, but I liked it. We saw lots of things and took lots of pictures. I was very surprised; I got no glares and no stares and whoever did notice my stomach looked away as soon as they looked at it, as if this was part of their everyday lives.

"Emily," I said quietly, "no one's looking at my stomach. No one's... glaring at me. This is weird," I told her.

"Relax! It's not weird. Jenna, you look like you're twenty-five. You look way too mature to be a teen. Plus, haven't you noticed all the pregnant ladies we've passed? It seems to be a normal thing. Don't worry," she said softly.

I bit my lip but said nothing. I guess she was right.

Even before we reached the crepe place, the smells coming from it were absolutely heavenly. I sniffed loudly and closed my eyes. The others did the same, sighing.

We were seated almost immediately and were given menus. It took forever to choose, but I decided on the egg and cheese crepe. I was feeling like something savoury.

We chatted about how amazing the city was, and we all thanked Ben for this amazing opportunity. He blushed and blurted, "Oh, it wasn't me, it was my parents. But... thanks, I'll tell them."

When the food came, I almost died. I dug into mine immediately and the crepe melted in my mouth, and I ate it slowly, totally enjoying it. I finished my crepe in record time, and when I looked at the others' plates, they had already been licked clean. Yes, licked. I'm not kidding.

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, soaking in the hot sun. This was amazing. I couldn't believe it... I was in Paris, the city of love, with 3 close friends. I bet this grad trip kicked every other grad trip's butt, it was so awesome.

I couldn't believe it.

We were here.