"I have my first ultrasound tomorrow," Michelle says via phone call.
"Thirteen weeks already?"
"I know. Time has practically flew."
"This'll be so exciting! Too bad only the three of us know."
"Right..." Michelle trails off, as if thinking about Peter. I grin. She still hasn't found out that Eric and I have met Peter. Eric doesn't even know about the past two times I've went to see Peter.
"Pretty soon, it'll be Christmas. A month and a half away, about."
"I can't believe it's already November. I'm starting to get a bump, Ryleigh. It's been three months. We should go shopping for big sweaters and maternity clothes soon."
"Totally. Anyway, I have a lot of homework to do," I say, leading the conversation to a close.
"Alright, see you tomorrow."
I hung up. I don't actually have much homework, I just decided to read a book for fun. After my shower and lunch, I went to the public library to get a book for pleasure reading. I haven't had much peaceful me-time lately. The cover of the book said "We Were Liars," by E. Lockhart. It looked new, and I know I haven't read it, but the summary makes it seem pretty cool.
Snuggling under a blanket on my butterfly chair, I begin to read.
•
I wiped a tear off of my cheek. Five hours later, I have two pages left. The ending is so depressing, exactly what I was trying to avoid.
In some way, I feel better. I kind of feel for Cady. Except that I don't plan on giving away my possessions or changing my hair or anything else that she did.
By now it's time for dinner. About a half hour ago, my mother called upstairs announcing that they ordered pizza and my dad went to get a movie. We're having a family night. We haven't had one in a few weeks, she says.
I hop down stairs and follow the aroma of pizza. We have a little pizzeria in town, run by the Wilson family. They make amazing pizza that the whole town is a fan of. On the counter sat the cardboard box, three plates, and a disk case claiming to hold Home, and cute movie I remember seeing a commercial for.
During dinner, we chat about work and school, including me remembering that so far, I have straight A's, which is very impressive for the beginning of November. Mom promises that she'll take me shopping soon as a reward. I tell her it's not necessary; I haven't grown since freshman year, so it's not like I need bigger clothes.
I offered to put away leftovers then do dishes. It was only three plates, so I finished quickly. Then we put the movie on. Towards the end, I cried for the second time today. It felt nice to cry about something fictitious. Almost therapeutic.
I slept well that night, so well that when I awoke, I decided to throw on leggings and a sweatshirt and go run. After all, I'm not in very good shape.
It was chilly out, maybe fifty degrees, but after stretching, I didn't mind. By the time I had done a lap around the block, my legs began to ache. It was only about five minutes, am I really that out of shape? I wondered how Eric could do this with no trouble.
Shaking my head, I gave up and went inside. I showered quickly, got dressed, and cut up a cucumber for breakfast. Mom picked some up from the store especially for me, I may as well eat them while I try to care about my physical being.
Michelle's appointment is after school, where she's getting her first ultrasound. Eric is driving us, but he plans on staying in the waiting room the whole time. I'm far too excited to see the baby to stay with him. Plus, Michelle wants me to be there, so I will. I promised to be there for her the entire time.
After the final bell rang, the three of us met at Eric's car, since he picked Michelle and I up before school started. He drove us to the parking lot of the clinic, then we walked in together.
There weren't many people there, just a few workers and a child and a mother in the waiting room. Michelle checked in to her confidential appointment and we sat down. It only took a minute for her to be called back by the same nurse, Mrs. Johnson.
Once inside the room, she began talking. "How have you been, Michelle?"
"Pretty good. Enjoying the flat stomach while it lasts," Michelle replies, laughing.
"It won't be long! If all is well during this appointment, we should be able to tell the gender of your baby by the end of December. Will you want to know the gender?"
"Ryleigh's going to know for baby shower reasons. I want it to be a secret."
"How nice. Ready for your first ultrasound?" Michelle nods and pulls up her shirt. I watch her giggle and say how cold the gel feels on her stomach.
She already has a bit of a bump. Not too big that I would be suspicious if I didn't know. But of course, it's only going to get bigger. The chances of someone questioning it increases every day. There's nothing we can do about it, either. We just have to hold out until Christmas, when we reveal it to her parents. Then we can tell everyone and host a baby shower.
I never even thought about what others will think. We only talked about what her parents would say. We hope Simon's mother will be happy. My parents should support her. But what about students?
Would they make fun of her? Would they talk bad about her? We've all known each other since birth, hopefully they'd be compassionate and understanding. I know at least a few girls who'd be flat out excited; maybe the rest would follow suit.
When the picture came up on the monitor, I smiled. It took a few seconds for Mrs. Johnson to get it centered over the right spot. Two little jelly-bean like things enclosed in the dark walls. Could it be?
"Michelle, it appears you're having twins." Internally, I was screaming, NO WAY! NO WAY! NOOO WAYYY!
It's a good thing that we have four names for each gender.
I glance over at Michelle. She's tearing up, her hands clasped over her mouth. These are her babies, and this is her first time seeing them. I even start crying.
When I hug Michelle, I'm careful not to bump Mrs. Johnson's hand, which was controlling the ultrasound device, or the gel spread up past her belly button.
Twins! I still can't believe it. Not only will Simon be a dad, he'll be the dad of two kids! Sure, it will be a lot more difficult financially, but I will be there. Michelle's parents will hopefully be there. My parents might contribute a little. If Simon's mother were in a better financial state, she'd probably help.
"Michelle! You need to tell Simon's mom!" I realize. I mean, she doesn't have to, but maybe his mom wouldn't be stuck at the kitchen table as much if she were to have a slight mood-booster.
"You're right. When we get the ultrasound pictures, we can go over there."
Michelle has no idea that I've been there at least three times since Simon left. Simon's mother does. She might mention something.
"Uh, Mrs. Johnson, how long will it take for the ultrasound pictures to arrive?" I ask.
"I can get these printed right away. That way we don't have to mail them to you, where someone else could accidently open them." Hopefully, Peter has his phone on him. If he doesn't, Michelle could find out that Eric and I have met him again.
Mrs. Johnson had the pictures printed while she removed the gel from Michelle's stomach. While they were distracted, I texted Peter, letting him know that we are coming over and I have no idea what will happen. He replied, saying that he told Simon's mother to pretend Eric and I haven't been there since August, and that he won't come upstairs while we're there.
I sighed a breathe of relief. Our secret is still safe, and I can keep seeing Peter without Michelle knowing.
The pictures came and Michelle pulled her shirt down. We thanked Mrs. Johnson and went back out to the waiting room to get Eric. We waited until we were back in the car to pull the pictures out. I offered to drive, using the excuse that Eric probably isn't that familiar with Simon's house. It wasn't exactly a lie.
I parked Eric's car in the driveway. While Michelle was admiring the pictures again, I whispered to Eric not to mention Peter, and pecked his cheek afterwards. My phone vibrated with a text, and it was Peter claiming that he'd be in the bathroom the whole time if I wanted to talk to him and to not let Michelle go. He said Simon's mom would offer Michelle to use her bathroom if she asked.
Knowing that the chances of Michelle finding out about Eric and I knowing about Peter are slim to none. I couldn't be more content.
As we knocked on the front door, I wondered if Peter already told Simon's mother. If he did, I hope she'll act surprised.
"Michelle? Ryleigh?" Simon's mother says when she answers the door. So far, she doesn't sound like she's expecting us.
"Hi, Robin." So they were on a first name basis. I didn't know that. "Can we talk to you for a bit?"
She nods and steps aside. The four of us go to the living room and sit on the couch, me next to Simon's mother. Her face is blank, like she doesn't know what to expect.
"This will probably come as a shock, but I'm... pregnant. And don't worry about me, I'm just happy that I can be a mother to Simon's kid. I brought the ultrasound pictures. Just got them done today. They're twins. We picked out a few names, but if you have any suggestions, we'll gladly take them."
Simon's mother takes the manila folder with the pictures inside. Tears come to her eyes as she looks at the fetuses. It makes me cry all over again.
"Excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom," I whisper, then get up and head towards Peter.
The door is shut, but I knock once and slowly push it open. The lid of the toilet is down and Peter is sitting on top of it, reading a thick book. His phone sits on the counter, so I hop up and sit next to it. I noticed he glanced at me when I first came in, but now he was focused on storing his book on the floor.
"Twins," I say, quiet enough that I'm not even sure if he heard it. He must've, since he responded.
"How is she going to afford it?"
"I don't know. I might get a job. To help out, you know."
"It's a good idea. But what about when you leave for college? What about paying for college?"
"It's so complicating. I might just go to the college her so I can help her."
"I can help, too," Peter offers.
"But how will you get a job?"
"Good point." Peter looked at the ground, as if thinking too much. A hand reached up and ruffled his hair, and a slight grin appeared on his face. "I'm godfather. Michelle told me you're godmother."
"Really? I was wondering why she didn't make Eric god dad, but I guess I just thought it was because she wasn't very close with him until we started dating."
"Well, neither were you."
"True. We'll be great godparents together."
"I sure hope so," Peter replies. "I have something else about August to tell you."
So that's how we can refer to it. August. I nodded for him to continue.
"When Simon was shot, he wasn't standing in the doorway. He was walking towards the officer from the road."
"Why?" I look down at my hands, which began shaking.
Peter was silent. I took the hint.
"If he wasn't in the store, why did the officer shoot him?"
"I don't know. My best guess, which is actually horrible, is that since Michelle's dad is sheriff..."
I started crying again. It made so much sense, but it didn't. Did he tell the officer to shoot Simon? Sheriff Thomas isn't that bad of a guy. Neither is the officer who shot him. And how did Peter know all of this? Who was the one who actually broke into the store?
Questions swarmed my head and tears spilled out. There was nothing I could do.
"Come here," Peter says, his arms outstretched. I step over to him and get embraced in a tight hug. I'm now positive he uses the gym equipment. "Need to wipe your tears away and go back out there."
He releases me and smiles. I smile back and wipe my cheeks. Before I leave the bathroom, I verify that my eyes are back to normal and my face is dry.
"She likes the name May," Michelle says when I sit back down. I nod and add it to my mental list of names. It'd be a great middle name for a girl, no doubt.
Eric reaches across the space and takes my hand. He smiles at so I smile back.
•
I decided that I wanted to tell Michelle about Peter. I let him know, and he agreed that it isn't fair to her. This morning, I asked her to come with me to Simon's house again.
"But we were there yesterday," she points out. "What could there possibly be to talk about?"
"That's a secret. Eric is coming, too."
A few minutes later, Eric came to pick us up. He stopped inside for a few minutes to talk to my mom. She reminded me how happy she is that we're dating, finally.
"We have to go now," I interject.
"But, dear-"
"Mom, this is important."
"Is it for school?"
I still won't lie. "Nope."
All three of us hug her goodbye and go outside to Eric's car. Once again, Michelle rides shotgun. I climb in back and buckle my seatbelt. The car starts up, immediately blasting us with cold air. The dial is set on heat, but the engine cooled down while we were inside conversing.
I pull my coat tighter around my body and rub my legs to create heat. Snow hasn't come yet, but the weather is almost low enough. A cold front blew through last night. It went from sixty degree weather to forty overnight.
Eric drives us back to Simon's house. I've lost track of how many times I've been there since August. I still feel like I haven't been there enough.
When we walk inside, Peter and Simon's mother were sitting at the table. I watch Michelle's eyes go wide and her jab her hand in the direction of the basement door.
"Michelle, we know. Peter contacted me around the day of the funeral."
She gasped. "You've known for over a month?"
"We wanted to tell you, but since you were under so much stress about the babies, we figured we'd wait," Peter says.
"I only came over once," Eric adds.
The room was silent as we waited for her reaction. She can't get that mad about this, can she?
"Good!" She finally states.
"Good?" Peter and I ask in unison.
"Yeah. I mean, how bad would it look if I had to introduce you and Ryleigh. It probably wouldn't have gone that well. So I take it you two are friends?"
"Yeah, I guess," I respond, leaning against Eric. He slung his arm over me where it hung loosely. It was a comfortable position and I didn't feel like moving.
"I'm glad. You two are godparents and you're already friends, my job got so much easier!" Michelle looks flat out excited that we met behind her back. "Did he tell you about the box?"
I nod. They were engaged.
"I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to bring up the chance of being pregnant until I was pretty sure it was true. Then when I found out, I didn't even think about it. I kept the ring."
"I know. Peter said he checked the box."
"Thank you. I hope you aren't mad at me for keeping it from you."
"Of course not. If I was, then you'd get to be mad at me for not telling you about Peter. We don't need to be mad at each other."
"Thank goodness."
Eric's stomach growls behind me. It reminds me that none of us have eaten yet, and it's getting late.
"Are you guys hungry?" I ask.
All of them nod. Simon's mother looks up at me with a strained look.
"Michelle, let's go to the grocery store. We can bring food back and make something," I suggest. She smiles and nods. I turn around and face Eric. "Keys, please."
Reluctantly, Eric pulls his keys out of his pocket and hands them to me. He bends down and whispers in my ear. "Why do I have to stay?"
"You and Peter should become friends," was my response. I smile and follow Michelle out the door. As it shuts behind me, I peek back and watch him slowly sit down at the table.
Michelle climbs into the passenger's seat and waits for me to walk around to the driver's side. Inside, I start the car and back out of the driveway.
"You kept it from me that long?" I nod. "Didn't know you had that in you, Ryleigh."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, causing us both to laugh.
Michelle, my best friend. All of the years behind us, we've come so far. When we were children, we had no idea we'd be here today. It wasn't very surprised when Peter, got expelled, though. In my memories, he wasn't really a bad kid. He seemed like the class clown. Come to think of it, I don't even know why Peter was expelled in the first place.
"Why was Peter expelled in third grade?" I ask, the thought finally escaping my mouth.
"You'll have to ask him that." I glance over at Michelle and she's smirking. I frown in response.
The grocery store is a few minutes away from Simon's house. It feels like a century of silence when I pull Eric's car into the first parking stall. There are only a few cars parked here, since many of the townspeople get their groceries on the weekends, not Tuesday nights.
"What do we even want to make?" I ask as I grab a cart.
"Probably something quick. What about... Spaghetti?"
"Everyone likes spaghetti. Let's get the ingredients."
Michelle and I split up the list. I'm getting noodles and sauce while she gets meat and garlic bread. Taking the cart with me, I wander down the aisles until I have what I need. Then, I grab a pack of Oreos to eat later. I'll just pay for them separately. I push the cart to the checkout lines where I'm supposed to meet Michelle again.
We split the cost between ourselves, then I paid for my Oreos. I took the heavier bag so Michelle could take the lighter. Then we put them in the back of the car and drove back to Simon's house.
We were about halfway there when the car shut off. Eric's car had run out of gas. I punch the steering wheel and call his cell, praying that he has it on him.
"What's up babe?" He asks when he answers.
"Car's out of gas," I respond. My tone is kind of harsh, and instantly I feel bad about how I said it.
"We'll figure something out. I'll call back in a few, but if you got any cold stuff, put it in the glove compartment so it'll stay cooler."
Just. Great.
12/13/15
How thrilling. But fr guys I get my temps in 41 days. I have to ask, Team Peter or Team Eric? I know, Peter isn't really a romantic guy so idk.