Mandi
“Dillon,” I asked during lunch a few weeks later.
“Yes,” Dillon said.
“Will you take me home,” I asked. “I’m starting not to feel so good.”
“Sure, come on,” he said standing up. He helped me up off of the grass.
“What, you’re leaving,” AnaBella asked me.
“Yeah, I just don’t feel good,” I told her. “Dillon’s just going to take me home
because I think that’s what’s best for me right now.”
“Will you be back,” Josh asked Dillon.
“Maybe,” Dillon answered.
“He’ll be back,” I assured Josh before Dillon and I started walking to his car.
“What’s wrong,” he asked. “Is it nauseousness or is something else wrong?”
“Nauseousness and tiredness,” I answered.
“You mean fatigue,” he said.
“Sure,” I told him, “and then a minor headache. You shouldn’t worry yourself
over me, though. I’m supposed to go to the doctor today and she’ll tell me if
anything is wrong.”
“Do you need anything from the store,” he asked opening the car door for me.
“I really want some chocolate, but I better not get any because my mom will
most likely yell at me,” I laughed.
“So no chocolate,” he asked confusedly.
“No chocolate,” I said sadly.
“What about a salad,” he smiled at me as he asked.
“I’m good,” I said, laughing. “After all, I did just get done eating.”
“Sorry, just making sure that there isn’t anything I can do to make you feel
better,” he replied.
“Well, thanks, I appreciate it,” I said.
A few minutes later we were at my house.
“I’m not going back to school,” Dillon said. “Don’t ever try protesting
because I’m staying no matter what you say. I’m going to stay so that I can
make sure that you’re okay and so that you’re not so lonely.”
“Look, Dillon, that’s sweet and I really do appreciate it,” I said. “It’s just that
you can’t just skip school because I came home.”
“Mandi,” he said very seriously. “If I can at least stay here and make you
happy then I really don’t care that I’m skipping school which means I’m
staying.”
“Well, thank you,” I said. I knew that there was no use in arguing with him
because either way he was obviously determined to stay with me.
“You’re welcome, my lady,” he said with an accent, and then we laughed. “Is
your mom home?”
“I think so,” I answered when I finally calmed down from laughing.
“Nice,” Dillon replied. “So what time is your doctors appointment?”
“Two,” I answered. “How about we actually go inside since we’ve been out
here for more than five minutes, and, quite honestly, it’s kind of hot out here.”
“It was a nice five minutes, you have to admit that,” Dillon said while getting
out of the car and walking around the front to open my door for me.
“Thank you my kind gentleman,” I laughed. “And yes it has been a nice five
minutes while we’ve sat in your car and talked.”
“I know right,” Dillon said excitedly.
“Mom, I’m home,” I called as I walked through the front door.
“What are you doing home so early again,” my mom asked walking up to me.
“You’ve been coming home early almost every day this school week, are you
sure you’re okay?”
“I have a minor headache, I’m nauseous, and all I wanna do is go to bed,” I
said miserably. “Does that sound okay to you?”
“How about you go take her to lie down in her room,” my mom told Dillon.
“Come on, let’s go to your room,” he said entwining his fingers with mine.
“I hate you people,” I grumbled as we walked hand-in-hand to my room.
“Yeah, we know,” Dillon laughed.
“Dillon,” I said trying to remain calm and not snap at him, “don’t laugh at me.”
“Oh, sorry,” he said trying not to laugh.
“Stop it,” I said flopping down onto my bed.
“You really should flop onto your bed like that when you feel nauseous,” he
said sitting don on the bed next to me.
“I’ll live,” I said grumpily. “I might puke, but I’ll live.”
“Oh, wow,” Dillon laughed.
“Shut up,” I said, “I feel miserable. My headache feels like it keeps getting
worse and worse by the minute.”
“Come here,” Dillon said holding out his arms for me. I crawled into them
and snuggled into his chest. “Do you need some Tylenol?”
“I don’t know what I need anymore,” I said breaking down in tears out of
nowhere.
“What’s wrong,” Dillon asked.
“Everything,” I cried, “my life’s totally screwed up. It feels like something’s
wrong with this pregnancy, but just a month ago everything with the baby
was fine according to Dr. Bradshaw. It doesn’t feel like it’s the pregnancy
itself, but the baby. I’m not saying that I think the baby’s dying, it’s just that...
I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.”
Of course, this made me start crying even more than I already was.
“Mandi, it’s okay,” Dillon told me. “If you want you can tell Dr. Bradshaw all
of this when you go in for your appointment.”
“I don’t even want to go,” I sobbed. “I just want to lie here and be a big baby
in your arms. See, how am I going to raise a baby if I’m still a baby myself? I’m
going to be a freaking horrible mom.”
I couldn’t stop myself from crying, the tears just kept coming.
“You’re going to make a wonderful mom,” he replied calmly. “Yes, you’re a
kid, and you’ll always be a kid until you become a legalized adult at eighteen,
but Mandi it’s not like you wanted to get pregnant. None of this is your fault,
but yet you still love that baby all the same. Look at me, it’s the disgusting
creature of a human being that did this to you. It’s his fault, and it will never be
your fault. Don’t you understand that?”
“Yes, but no,” I sobbed ever harder. “I just want to sleep.”
“Go ahead and take a nap,” Dillon told me. “I think that I could use one myself.”
“Thank you,” I said finally starting to calm down. I wrapped my arms around
his neck and kissed his lips before snuggling back into his chest and falling
asleep.
One hour later
“Mandi, wake up,” I heard my mom saying, but I didn’t want to wake up.
“I don’t wanna wake up,” I mumbled groggily, “I just wanna sleep for forever.”
“Come on,” my mom said shaking my shoulder, “you have to go to your doctors
appointment.”
“Then I can sleep again,” I asked sitting up.
“Yes, then you can go back to sleep once we get back home,” my mom told me.
“Where’s Dillon,” I asked her realizing that he wasn’t lying next to me on my
bed anymore.
“He’s in the kitchen eating,” my mom answered. “He said that he’d wait until
you woke up to leave.”
“He’s not coming,” I asked.
“Do you want him to?”
“Yeah kind of, but what if he doesn’t want to since he’s not the father,” I asked
her.
“Just ask him if he wants to go,” my mom told me. “Maybe he’s waiting for you
to ask him.”
“Ugh, fine,” I said walking out of my room and into the kitchen.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” Dillon said as I went to sit by him.
“Hi,” I blushed.
“What’s up,” he asked.
“I was wondering if maybe you’d want to go with me to my doctors
appointment,” I asked awkwardly.
“Well, do you want me to,” he asked.
“Kind of,” I answered. “It’s totally up to you, though. I know that you’re not my
baby’s dad and that it might be awkward for you, but I was just wondering in
case you do want to come.”
“Hey, if you want me to come with you, I’ll come with you,” Dillon said. “After
all, you are my girlfriend so what you want I want.”
“Thanks,” I told him.
“All right now that we got that all figured out, it’s about time that we get going,”
my mom said from the entryway to the kitchen.
“Mom,” I shrieked, “were you standing there the whole time?”
“No, only since the part where Dillon said that whatever you want he wants,” my
mom grinned wickedly. “Now, we really do need to get going before we’re late.”
“Yeah, yeah, we’re coming,” I said getting up from where I’d been sitting.
Dillon stood up, gently grabbed my hand, and entwined our fingers.
“Hurry up you two love birds,” my om said grabbing her purse and car keys.
“Calm down, we’re coming jeez,” I muttered.
“Hey, don’t you get smart with me,” my mom scolded.
“I wasn’t getting smart with you,” I told my mom as we all got into her car.
After I said that my mom didn’t say anything, and hardly anyone talked at all
during the ride to the clinic.
As we got closer and closer the more I felt like something was wrong with my
baby.
Just calm down, I told myself as we arrived at the clinic.