I was at a sleepover on a Monday night. It was the last day of school. I live in Los Angeles, California. My best friend, Mary Jane Coonts, invited me. In fact, our other two best friends, Janet Phoneix and Sarah Jones, as well. Actually, it was my final day here because my father, Robert Moore, and I are moving away to Providence, Rhode Island. He was going to pick me up at ten in the morning to finish packing and we can leave soon after that. My mama, Beth, left us when I was little and we have no idea where she went. Dad won't tell me because he didn't have a clue. I love doing everything with Dad although he has a few rules.

I'm 14 years old and I'm starting high school in Providence in September. I'm not allowed to have a boyfriend. The truth is that I'm ready to have one. I have a cell phone, but I can't use it at dinnertime or anywhere else (duh), which is I knew. And, the only times I can leave the table is when I get tired, sick, or to finish homework. I didn't mind that rule so I can spend time with Dad. But I would like to make my own choices for a change.

Mary Jane gave me a gift and said, "This is a farewell present for you."

When I opened it, I noticed it was a scrapbook.

"Janet, Stephanie, and Sarah pitched in," said Mary Jane. "Speaking of Stephanie, she's not coming to the party. She got sick after school."

"She told me that before I came," I said.

Then, we looked through the memory book together.

"Thanks. I like this idea," I said.

"This would be a perfect way for you to think of us each day," said Mary Jane.

"I knew I would," I said. "I wish I wouldn't move. I'd miss all three of you."

"You better call and email us every single day, Becky," said Mary Jane.

My friends call me that. It's short for Rebecca. Mary Jane and I have been best friends since preschool. Then, we became good friends with Janet and Sarah in first grade on the first day of school. They were already friends at the time. Janet was from Ohio and Sarah was from Maine. We're like sisters. I have no siblings. Dad is all that I got. He always tells me I'm his only girl in his life. He's a doctor and works at St. Jude's Hospital and his boss decided to relocate him to Women and Infants' Hospital. That's why we're leaving L.A. Now, I'm used to warm weather, so I'd have to adjust to the cold during Fall and Winter when it snows.

The part from California I would miss is the beach. The gals and I would spend the day there every weekend. My Grandma Tricia used to take us there. She passed away two years ago. I miss her a lot. Her husband, Luke, passed away not long before I was born. Mom was pregnant with me back then. Her parents has been dead for five years from a broken heart according to Dad. Why? They were very upset what Mom did to us and neither of them knew where their daughter went to. They both would like to know why she did it. Dad and I would like to know, too.

An hour later, the doorbell rang.

"Party!" we exclaimed.

We did everything tonight. We would do manicures and watch movies. We also ordered our favorite slumber party food, Pizza. Mary Jane's parents are out, so they decided to let her have a sleepover to keep her company. They trust us to be on our own. We like that. Who needs sitters at our ages? We used to have them until we were old enough to be on our own when we were 12.

We didn't go to bed until her parents got home, which was after 11:00 pm. They go out for dinner and see a movie or plays.

Like me, Mary Jane is an only child. She was adopted as a toddler. It was a secret. No one knows about it except me and the other girls. Her real parents are dead. They were in a plane going to Bahamas when it crashed into an ocean and it was lost. So were all of the passengers- including her birth folks- and crew members. She was staying with her godparents, which happened to be the Coonts. Her godparents and her deceased parents were good friends.

The next day, we were up by 9:00 am. Her parents left for work. Mr. Coonts works at the bank and Mrs. Coonts is a lawyer.

At 9:50 am, I said, "My dad will be here soon. I have to finish packing so we can take off right after that."

"My mother's on her way and offered to give Sarah a ride home," said Janet.

We were outside when Mrs. Jones came and picked the girls up.

"There's my mom. Come on, Sarah," said Janet.

"Alright. Bye, Becky. We'll miss you," said Sarah as they got in Mrs. Jones' car.

"Bye. Thanks for the scrapbook," I said waving to them.

"Not a problem," said Janet as her car was moving.

"I can't believe this is the end today," said Mary Jane.

"I know," I said. "Thank god we're still best friends no matter where we are. Nothing would ever change."

"Tell me about it," agreed Mary Jane.

That was when I spotted Dad's car showing up.

"Well, thanks for everything," I said as we hugged. "I won't forget you or the girls."

"Same here," said Mary Jane.

I got my suitcase with my scrapbook in it going to the car and got in.

"Bye," I said waving to her.

"Bye, Becky," said Mary Jane waving back.

"Did you had fun time at the sleepover party?" asked Dad as we took off.

"I did," I replied.

At home, I finished packing my stuff from my room. Then, I continued helping Dad pack from the living room that he started yesterday and the kitchen. When we completed, we packed up the car.

"Are we all set to go before we take off?" asked Dad.

"Yes," I replied.

Then, we turned off the lights and locked the doors. We went in the car as we took off.

"We can have lunch in town on the way to the highway," said Dad.

"Sounds good to me," I said.

I was hungry all of sudden. We decided to have KFC. I like fast foods when Dad feels like it.

"Rebecca, is that you?" asked a woman.

I looked and it was my godmother I haven't seen for the past ten years. She's a good friend of Mom's. It's odd that I remembered her.

"Hi, Martha," I said.

"I can't believe you're getting big," said Martha.

"I'm 14 now," I said.

"Already. Wow," said Martha. "You look so much like your mother."

"Dad tells me the same thing. We still don't know where she went," I said.

"I still can't find her either. Leaving you with your father wasn't a smart thing. I do remember she didn't want to be a mother or a wife anymore, which might explain why she left," said Martha.

"It seemed she didn't care about us," I said.

"I agree with you," said Martha.

"Dad and I are moving to Providence, Rhode Island today. Dr. Lance decided to relocate Dad for working so hard," I said.

"Good for you, Robert," said Martha.

"Thank you," said Dad. "I figured to have lunch before we hit the highway. We just finished packing."

"How's Patrick? I haven't seen him for a long time," I said.

Patrick is her husband and my godfather.

"He got killed in a car accident. My two children were ten and nine. My third child died in the same crash," replied Martha.

"Wow," I said.

"I'm dating again. His name is Peter. He's great to my kids. He also has children of his own. He has four of them. Their names are Alicia, Marcia, Jackie, and Peter, Jr. They and our kids get along great," said Martha. "We have been together for the past three to four years. His former wife, Jocelyn, and I get along just fine."

"That's good," I said.

After lunch, we said our good-byes and left. It was nice that she ate with us. I don't get why we ended up seeing each other after ten years. I was four when Mom left. Did Martha thought Mom she took me? I doubt it since Martha left us both. I heard Dad had a fight with Patrick and Martha, which may explain why I haven't seen my godparents all these years. Dad never tells me anything about that.

 

2: Chapter 2

We stayed overnight in several states for about five days. We would eat and stopped in a few stores, including gift shops to stretch our legs. We arrived Rhode Island early afternoon and were in Providence about ten minutes later. Our new house is 79 Center St., which isn't far from Women and Infants' Hospital. It was a nice looking house. It's kind of bigger than our old one, only it had two bedrooms. Mine even includes playroom. I can put my laptop in there.

"You're supposed to wait," said Dad.

"Says who? You know I can't sleep in a master bedroom," I told him.

That made Dad realized I was right. I have the guts to speak up to him. I'm not afraid to do so. We spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking everything.

"We can order pizza on our first day here and we can do food shopping tomorrow," said Dad.

"Okay," I said. "That's fine by me."

I found a pizza place online and we ordered cheese pizza and garlic bread. They even gave us a take-out menu when it arrived. The only relative that I have here is my cousin, Eliza. We are very close. We talk online and would visit me. She's my age. Her mom, Aunt Betty, is my mother's only sister. They wanted nothing to do with Mom since she left us for no reason. They both thought it was a terrible thing for her to do that to me and Dad. Eliza would be so excited to hear that I'm here now. We're more than just cousins, we're best friends. She has no siblings either. Actually, her brother, Kevin, passed away five years ago after he struggled with leukemia. I loved him, too. Poor Eliza took it very hard. I went to the funeral to support her, Aunt Betty and her husband, Mario. We also call ourselves sisters since she had no sisters.

The next day, Dad and I went food shopping at Stop and Shop. We bought a lot of stuff. We spent an hour or so. Dad and I had separate carriages in case of that. It was a good idea to do. When we went back home, we out everything away.

The doorbell rang and I went to answer.

"Hi," said a boy. "My mother made homemade apple pie to welcome you into our neighborhood."

"Thanks," I said taking the pie. "That was very sweet. I'm Rebecca, but you can call me Becky. All my friends call me that. My dad and I just moved here from California yesterday. It was for his job. He works for a doctor at a hospital. He worked at St. Jude's Hospital. And, now, his new job is at Women and Infants' Hospital."

"Cool. I'm Samuel Johnson. I live across the street from you," said Samuel showing me his house.

It was blue with while shutter.

"That's pretty," I commented.

"I live there all of my life with my parents and older sister, Angela, who is 16. She just got her learner's permit. She had a baby a month ago, but gave it up for an open adoption. She wants to attend college after high school before marriage and beginning a family. My parents and I were wonderful. We respected her wishes," said Samuel.

"I don't blame her," I said.

"Her boyfriend was also supportive about her choice. He also wasn't ready yet. They both felt bad for that error. They didn't believe in abortions," continued Samuel.

He met Dad. We switched phone numbers so we can hang out sometime. Dad seemed to like Samuel since he was very polite and approved our friendship. I don't mind if he wants to approve or not first. I can see why: He won't want anyone who could be a bad influence on me and he would be afraid that person would change me to be a bad person. I don't blame him. I wouldn't like it either. Honestly, I'm starting to have a crush on Samuel. I'll wait until it's time if I can convince Dad to let me start dating.

If he think I'd become pregnant, wrong. I'd take birth control as a precaution. I want to go to college, get married, and then have children. If I did get pregnant, I'd give it up for an adoption like Angela did, not raise it.

The next day, Samuel and I hung out while he showed me the town.

"That's Central High school. I'll be going there for ninth grade this September. There's an open house for newcomers next month," said Samuel.

"Wow. I'll be starting there, too," I said.

At the mall, Eliza spotted me right away as she ran to hug me and exclaimed, "Becky!"

"Hi, Eliza," I said.

"Hi, Sam. He and I went to middle school together. We met in sixth grade and became friends," said Eliza.

"She just moved across the street from me the day before yesterday," said Samuel.

"Sweet!" cheered Eliza. "I go to his house often. It would be great to see you, too."

"I know," I agreed.

The three of us spend the rest of the afternoon together.

"I heard your mom lives here," said Eliza.

"Really?" I asked.

"What does she mean?" asked Samuel.

"It's a long story, but the short version is that Mom left me and my father ten years ago. We never knew where she was. He doesn't talk about it much. I saw my godmother, Martha, and she told me Mom didn't want to be a mother or a wife anymore, which may explain why she left. I was in day care and Dad was working. She left without a note and Dad noticed all of her stuff was gone. He was angry that Mom never picked me up from day care the day she left," I explained.

"Wow," said Samuel.

"Your mom works for Dave and Buster's at the Providence Place Mall," said Eliza. "But I didn't attempt to see her for what she did to you and Uncle Robert. Mom and Dad didn't care to see Aunt Beth for the past ten to twelve years for that."

Later, at home, I didn't tell Dad anything on what I learned from Eliza. All I mentioned she spotted me and Samuel at the mall and joined us.

"That's good that you get to see her more often," said Dad.

"I know. That's what made me to adjust here now," I said.

Then, I went to the phone and called Mary Jane and we chatted for a bit. However, I told her what Eliza told me online so Dad won't hear. Mary Jane thought that was strange. I added what my godmother mentioned. It was a secret. She promised not to tell anyone except Sarah and Janet. We're good at keeping each other's secrets.

"Becky, dinner's ready," Dad said from the kitchen.

"Coming," I said as I shut my laptop and went out there for supper.

Cooking is not my hobby. I have no talent of it.

"I start my new job tomorrow. I'm still doing my third shirt: 11:00 pm to 7:00 am so we can spend the day together," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

"I told Dr. Lance and he didn't mind," said Dad.

He trusts me to leave me home alone while he's working when I'm in bed. I love spending time with Dad during the day and on weekends when he's off. He's off every other weekends and holidays.

"I'll let you spend weekends with Eliza when I work overnight," said Dad.

"Good idea. She and I have a lot of catching up to do since we barely see each other too much. The only times are when she visits me in California or when I visit her here," I said. "She's the only cousin I have now since Kevin's death."

I have no cousins on Dad's side. Like Kevin, his only sister lost her battle to cancer for the 2½ at the age of 19. He was 21 and was in college studying to be a doctor at the time.

"Eliza and I made plans to visit Providence Place Mall this weekend so she can show me around there. I have never been there before," I said.

"That's good," said Dad.

The next day, Dad said, "I have a double shift from 3:00 this afternoon until 7:00 tomorrow morning so the supervisor can train me today. It's only for tonight. You can have dinner with Samuel or Eliza."

"Alright," I said.

At least I didn't have to cook. Dad ordered Chinese at noon for lunch.

"I'll leave the number for the hospital in case you need me for an emergency like I did in California," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

I never call him at work. Actually, I did that once when I noticed Grandma Tricia wasn't breathing one day while she was napping. I can remember that I called Dad right away. He was working the second shift, which was 3:00 to 11:00 pm, back then. He prompted me to call 911 at once. He was proud of me doing that. He told me how brave. Secretly, I cried when I found out she had died in her sleep. She stuffed a cardic arrest while she was snapping. I was too upset to go to her funeral and to see her buried.

As a reward, he decided to trust me to be on my own ever since. He changed to the last shift a week later.

After lunch, I phoned Samuel and told him.

"Okay. I planned to the movies with my parents. Why don't you join us?" asked Samuel.

"Sure," I said.

I told Dad about that and it was all set.

That night, Samuel and I went out to the movies with his parents after we had dinner. I liked them right off the bat. Angela wasn't with us though, she was with her boyfriend. We had a great time. At home, I had some free time on my own until I went to bed before 11:00 pm.

The next day, when I got up at 9:00 am, Dad was in bed. He naps for a few hours before and after work. I keep myself busy. He gets up an hour before lunchtime. At noon, we went out for lunch.

"I was told my boss will call me if he needs me for a double shift starting at 3:00 pm," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

A few days later, Eliza and I were at Providence Place Mall. We explored each store. Then, we hung out at Dave and Buster's for a while. All of the sudden, some woman came up to me. Eliza apparently knew who it was.

"Do you know who I am, Rebecca?" asked the woman.

That was when I noticed it was Mom. I had no idea what to say or to expect.

"This is strange," said Eliza.

"I never knew you were here all this time when you took off on me and Dad. No one knew you were either," I said.

I didn't come to see Mom to begin with. I came to play in the arcade, which Eliza and I did for 30 minutes. We agreed not to tell Dad about this.

"I'm not ready to deal with her," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Eliza. "Especially for what she did."

We were in the food court.

"Martha would be shocked about this," I said.

"I know," said Eliza.

Two hours later, Eliza and I went to her house. I was spending the weekend since Dad was working. We're thrilled to be together more than ever.

"I have a secret to share. I think I'm falling in love with Samuel. I knew the moment from the day we met. I know it's too soon, but I'll wait until the time is right," I said.

"I believe it. He's so cute," said Eliza.

"Another thing is I want to convince Dad that I'm ready to let me date. I'm 14 going on 15 in October," I said. "I do plan to use birth control as a precaution."

"Good idea," said Eliza.

"I don't know how to do that since it's a girl thing," I said.

"You can always talk to Mom," said Eliza.

"True," I said. "I never thought of that."

Aunt Betty and I had girl talk and gave me good advice how you like a boy the first time you met. And, how to deal with Dad.

"I'll wait for now. Samuel and I just met this week when I first moved here," I said.

"It's okay. If you want more advice, you can call me anytime," said Aunt Betty.

"Alright. Thanks," I said.

I didn't bring Mom up. It wasn't a good moment. And, besides, we're having too much fun anyway.

 

3: Chapter 3

On Monday, I decided to approach Dad after he got up from his four hour nap.

"Did you had a fun weekend?" asked Dad.

"I did. Eliza and I did everything together including Providence Place Mall," I said.

"That's good," said Dad.

"I know," I said.

Then, I decided to talk to him about my feelings for Samuel.

"I'm starting to like him more than a friend, but I decided to tell him when I'm ready to do so. I feel that I should have a boyfriend because I'm 14 going on 15 in a few months. I promise I won't date on school nights, only on weekends and school vacations. And, I also promise to be home before 10:00 pm and to call in case I'm running late. And, I'm not sure how to mention this, but I would like to take birth control," I told him.

He's a great listener and said, "Okay. I'll let you start to date. I think you're old enough now. I'll see if I make an appointment to talk about birth control."

"Okay. Aunt Betty and I had girl talk and she said I can call her if I wanted some more advice on boys. Is that alright, Dad?" I asked.

"I don't mind. You can also talk to me, too," said Dad. "If you want ideas to go on for a date, feel free to ask me.

"I could do that as well," I said.

That was a surprise. Dad must be starting to lighten up with that rule. I think I could understood why he was like that: He tried to be a perfect parent and I have been doing fine. When he doesn't let me choose, I just speak up.

Looking back, I wonder if he would be like that for Mom didn't leave us. I am sure she would've taken me if she knew Dad treated me like a little girl growing up.

After Dad left for a meeting, I called Eliza about my talk to Dad and was impressed about the way I handled that. She knew I'm never shy to stand up for myself.

"I'm glad it took my dad to notice I'm growing up. I can relate that to Mary Anne in The Baby-Sitters Club since her father was overprotective until she was 12 after she proved she wasn't a baby anymore. She has a better life ever since," I said.

"True," said Eliza from the phone. "I can relate that to her, too."

After we talked for about ten to fifteen minutes, I emailed my girlfriends and told them about Mom spotting me at Dave and Buster's over the weekend and told them to keep that as a secret, too. When they replied an hour later, they were shocked and agreed not to spill the beans to anyone especially Dad. If I did bring it up, I'd just say I wasn't ready to meet her for what she did to us. He probably won't blame me. I want nothing to do with her right now.

Then, Dad came for me to go out for dinner. After we took off, Dad said, "Your doctor's appointment is all set for next Friday at one pm. We have a doctor's office inside the hospital, too, so it would be easier for me to take you there for your appointments. Your new doctor is Dr. Linda Duarte."

"Okay. Good idea," I commented.

We went to Friendly's. It's our favorite restaurant. We had it back in California. Dad and I love ice cream. The only thing is that I'm allergic to milk, but I take a Lactid pill every day and it's good for 24 hours. I can still enjoy dairy. It happened a few years ago. On top of that, I'm allergic to bees. I discovered it when I broke out in hive for almost two weeks. That was four years ago.

Meanwhile, Samuel spotted me at Friendly's. He was there with his family. They were leaving while Dad and I were having ice cream. Later, I was getting ready for bed while Dad prepared for work. I like summer. I was in bed by 10:30 pm when Dad left. He comes in to say good-night to me before he takes off for work. I like that.

The next day, I felt a cold coming on. I take a pill right away, but the cold doesn't go away for the next two to three days. I was still in bed when Dad got up at 11:00 am. My nose was blocked and I would keep sneezing. Dad must have been worried about me because when he came in to me, he noticed my nose was red.

"Are you feeling okay this morning? Your nose looked red," said Dad.

"I just caught a cold. I took a pill earlier. I could hardly breathe through my nose. I'm just going to sleep most of the day," I replied.

"Okay, honey," said Dad as he felt my forehead. "You're warm. Do you want soup for lunch?"

"Yes, please," I answered.

"I'll let you have it in bed like I normally do," said Dad.

"Sounds good," I said with a grin.

He made Chicken Noddle Soup and I ate it in bed while I had orange juice. After that, I went to sleep. He still goes to work while I'm sick. I don't mind, but he still tells me if I need him, I can just call him anytime- especially in the middle of the night.

I got better two days late, but I like to take it easy for the day. Dad always tell me that. I only get a cold twice a year, thankfully. Samuel texted me and asked me out to dinner and a movie on Friday at 6:00 pm. I got so excited that I told Dad and he was glad for me. He gave me permission. And, I texted Eliza to tell her that. She replied me with excitement. Samuel likes me more than a friend now. I could see that. On Friday, he asked me to be his girlfriend.

"Yes. I, um, had a good feeling on that," I said blushing. "I like you a lot, too."

At the movies, we had our first kiss and it felt amazing. According to Samuel, I'm his first girlfriend.

When I got home, Dad said, "How was your first date?"

"Awesome. Samuel waited to ask me to be his first girlfriend at dinner and I accepted it. I feel like I'm a grown-up," I said.

"I bet," said Dad.

"And, the best part was we had our first kiss while we were at the movies and it felt great," I said.

"That's good. Not too many people do that on their first date," said Dad.

"Did you and Mom had that moment when you first went out with her?" I asked.

"Not right away. It happen during either third or fourth date, I believe," said Dad trying to remember.

"How did that feel if you don't mind me asking you that?" I asked.

"I don't mind. And, we both thought it was great, too," said Dad. "Like you, we went out to dinner and a movie on our first date. We would have picnics and other things."

"Wow," I said.

"We dated for about ten years before we got married. I remember the moment when I was thrilled when your mom found out she was expecting you. She wanted to keep that gender a surprise until birth. She was glad she had a daughter. Then, two years later, we had our second child, but it died of SIDS six months later. You had a brother named George. We were happy to complete the family. Your mother was upset about George's death," explained Dad.

"I remember that story when Grandma Tricia told me," I said. "Too bad I didn't remember him."

"So, your mother choose not to have another child. She was worried it would happen again. I agreed with her," said Dad.

Then, I got into my nightgown to get comfy. And, Dad left at ten pm so he can get to Dunkin Donuts to get a coffee on the way to work. I was already asleep at the time.

The next day, Samuel and I went to Providence Place Mall. We were in the food court for lunch. Mom, who was on lunch break, spotted me.

"I was surprised when you walked away from me," said Mom.

"So? That's what you did to me and Dad. I wasn't ready to meet up with you. Plus, I wasn't there to see you. I was there to play games," I said. "I didn't even come to see you. I came to visit some stores."

That part was true. I'm not ready to catch up with her right now. After we had lunch, we went to a few stores. Later, at home, I must have been in a nervous wreck about Mom spotting me now because Dad was getting concerned about me.

"So, how was the mall?" asked Dad.

"Samuel and I had a fun time," I replied.

"I noticed something was up. Is everything okay?" asked Dad.

I wasn't sure if I should tell about Mom.

"Well, there's something I would like to tell you. Samuel and I were at the food court when some strange woman came up to me. You'll never guess who it was," I said.

"Who was it?" asked Dad.

"I noticed it was Mom. She was working at Dave and Buster's. Well, Eliza and I saw her last time. I didn't even know she was here all these years," I said.

"That is a surprise," said Dad.

"I was shocked. I didn't know what to say to her or what to expect," I said. "The truth is that I'm not ready to meet up with her right now, especially what she did to us: Disappearing without a note, none of us knew where she was."

"It's okay if you're not ready to catch up with her. I don't blame you for that," said Dad.

"Sorry I didn't bring it up last time. I didn't know how to do so," I said.

"Honey, I'm not mad at you. I understand you didn't want to do that," said Dad.

"I'm debating not to go back to that mall in case she shows up. She was shocked that I walked away, but I told her she did the same thing to us. Besides, I wasn't there to see her, just to hang out," I said.

"You must be very angry with her," said Dad.

"Honestly, yes. It's odd on how I remembered that. I also recall that I cried not knowing where Mom was," I said.

"I remember that day, too," said Dad.

"But you and I managed without her for years," I said.

"That's true," said Dad.

I feel better whenever I tell Dad on what's bugging me. At least he didn't get angry about for not telling him about Mom. I emailed my best friends to tell them about my talk to Dad based on Mom and I added he understood not bringing that up. They were glad that worked out fine.

Then, Mary Jane emailed me along with the other girls saying her birth parents died when she was a toddler in a plane crash. That was the reason she was adopted. Her adoptive parents are actually her godparents. The plane crashed into an ocean on its way to Bahamas and all of 250 people including her real folks and crew members were lost. The plane was never found. Mary Jane was staying with her godparents at that time. She was only two or three. She never knew her late parents. She had just found out earlier. The Coonts figured she was old enough to know.

I thought that was interesting. We both thought her birth mom gave her up for adoption. Her birth parents were George and Julia Knowles. They were longtime friends with the Coonts. I replied by saying that was very nice on how she was adopted. We did not know the Coonts were her godparents. Neither did Janet or Sarah. Mary Jane didn't want anyone to know since she has a happy life. We understood and didn't blame her. The girls and I vowed not to say anything to anyone. She did say it's okay to share it with a parent if we choose to do so.

Later, I told Dad the story. He thought it was a shame that her birth parents were never found after the plane crashed. I thought so, too.

"Her life is so happy that she didn't want anyone to know that she was adopted and how it happened. I understood. However, she said it was okay to tell you if I wanted to," I said.

I'm an expert at keeping secrets. Mary Jane trusts me and the others. She always says we can only tell someone if she gives us an okay. I remembered one time she was depressed when her cat, Kiki, was killed after it was hit by a car. She told me she wanted to kill herself and didn't want us to tell anybody. But I told Janet and Sarah we shouldn't let that happened and they agreed. Not knowing what to do, I told Dad, who wanted me to inform her parents right away. I did. And, she had help from therapist who told her it's okay to be upset about her cat's tragic death.

Dad was impressed on how I handled and that I was a good friend to Mary Jane. I learned that the only time you can tell a secret is when you need to keep a friend safe by telling a trusted adult. The girls and I didn't want to lose our best friend. Needless to say, Mary Jane did thank me for helping her. I told her that's what good friends do.

 

4: Chapter 4

A week later, on Friday, I was at the doctor's and I talked to Dr. Duarte about going on birth control.

"I just stared dating with my neighbor, Samuel, and I decided to start taking birth control as a precaution," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Dr. Duarte.

Then, we talked about birth control options and I decided to do the pills. She wrote the prescription and I called it at CVS near me. I thanked after that and we left. We picked it up on the way home. I already told Samuel about it and didn't mind since he feels we'd be too young to be parents. So do I to be honest with you.

At home, I took the pill right away and I decided to continue to do so every morning when I get up. I have been going out with Samuel twice a week since it's only summertime. That was the other deal that I made with Dad: twice in the summer and once during the school year. It has been working for the past two weeks or so. I haven't forgotten taking the birth controls.

Other dates were a baseball game, a few picnics, dances that Eliza attends, and more. I liked Los Angeles Dodgers and I still do. Now, I like Pawtucket Bay Sox. It's nice to do something different. We still do dinner and a movie often. Some of those dates were Dad's ideas, too. I like it when he gives out ideas. Sometimes, Samuel and I hang out at each other's houses.

We like going to the mall, too, but when I do Providence Place Mall, I go different restaurants where I won't see Mom. I told Dad I'd be worried about where she would be on her lunch break. I don't want to go back to Dave and Buster's unless we eat there. Dad gave me advice on how to handle that by just saying with either hi or I'm too busy to see her. The second option would make more sense to me. That's only if I bump into her. I told him I'll see her when I'm ready to do that. Right now, I'm happy what I'm doing: dating Samuel, hanging out with Eliza, and call or email my best pals. I'm not ready for Mom to come back into my life yet. Besides, Dad and I are making out just fine on our own at this moment- especially he just started to accept I was growing up.

In August, Central High School had an open house for incoming freshmen. Samuel, Eliza, and I went there together. We all liked the school. It was huge. We were told they'd send us schedules to us a few days before school begins. I told them that I'm new and gave them the address along with our house number and Dad's work number. He told me to do so in case of emergency although he works for the final shift. He told me he would let me know if has a meeting, needs to go work early, school can call him there depending on what time a meeting begins.

After the open house, I said, "That high school is so cool."

"I know," said Eliza.

"Yeah," added Samuel.

"I know I'm going to like it there in no time," I said. "I'm never nervous for the first day of school especially when I had best friends in California. I have three of them: one since preschool and two of them since first grade."

"I always make new ones. I still see them in the summertime," said Eliza.

"Same here with me," said Samuel.

Later, at home, Dad wasn't home from the meeting yet. It had just ended ten minutes ago. He's probably on his way home now. We'll be going out for dinner at Cheesecake Factory, which is located at the Providence Place Mall. We never been there. We didn't even have that in California. Eliza went there before and likes it. It's one of her favorite restaurants.

Thirty minutes later, I spotted Dad's car and I went out there as we took off.

"How did it go at the open house?" asked Dad.

"I liked it. The high school was very nice. The school library was huge," I told him.

"That's good," said Dad.

At the Cheesecake Factory, the food was great and the service was fast. I even had a cheesecake for a dessert. Thank god I already took lactid pill that morning. I don't know if Mom saw me because I acted I didn't see her so Dad and I can enjoy ourselves for dinner. After that, we went back home. At 10:00 pm, Dad told me he was leaving so he can grab coffee again on his way to work.

"I'm going to bed anyway. Night, Dad," I said.

"Night, peanut," said Dad as he left for work.

That was when I turned off the lights and went to bed. The next day, my stomach was starting to bus. I was afraid to get sick, so I wanted to wait to take the birth control and the lactid pills. Dad didn't mind when I told him that. In the meantime, I'll avoid the dairy products until I take my lactid pill when my stomach is better.

I panicked when I noticed I missed a few doses. But Samuel and I didn't have any sex anyway, so I was lucky. I felt stupid. Dad told me it was alright.

"I didn't notice that until now," I said.

"It happens," said Dad.

Later, my stomach was better enough for me to take those pills. I decided to use those doses that I missed. Dad told me it was fine. He even mentioned I was responsible enough for noticing that. At least he didn't get mad at me for that. From there, I kept taking it every day, making sure I didn't skip one.

A month later, it was two days before school begins. I asked Dad if I could get a trim for school like I do every year. He always lets me do that. Then, I went to Providence Place Mall where they have a hair salon. I had a trim. I have a long hair and it was cut about an inch or two. And, I decided to get it curled as a perm. I liked it. Dad was with me and let me to have the perm. It was only $20. That wasn't a bad price. I don't need a new backpack yet, mine is still in good shape. However, I got a few notebooks and binders for school. I also got a few clothes. After all that, I was ready to start high school the day after tomorrow. I get everything done by Labor Day.

Two days later, it was the first day of school. I felt excited about it. Samuel and I plan to walk to and from school together. It's only a block away from us, so it's a walking distance. School begins at 7:40 am, so we'll leave at 7:15 am to give us time to enter school. When the bell rings at 7:40 am, we'll go to our lockers on our way to our classes. I have Samuel in a few of my classes. I hardly have Eliza except for two of those classes.

The first day of school actually went well so far. I liked all of my teachers. I have Gym before lunch. Gym's okay, but I'm not good at playing sports except for baseball and dodgeball. I even noticed high school have a bowling club that would start in a few weeks. That's another sport I'm good at. My best pals and I would go bowling once or twice a month.

At lunch, Samuel told me his family are going to Roger Williams Park Zoo on Saturday and he invited me to join them.

"I'll check with Dad. I'm sure he won't mind though," I said.

Later, after school, we didn't have any homework yet. They wanted us to get what we need. I got everything a few days ago, but I'm all set. We'll start getting homework tomorrow.

"Perhaps you and I can study together. Mary Jane and I would do that all the time. It helps us to get As in every tests. We would let Sarah and Janet join, too. We would pretend to be on a game show like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy. That was fun," I said. "We would use hangman to study, too."

"That sounds like a fun way to study as a group. I don't mind if we study together. The only subject I struggle the most is Science although I get Cs. My parents don't care since it's a passing grade. Otherwise, I get Bs in the other classes. You just can help me with Science unless we do it for every subject," said Samuel.

"Okay," I said.

At home, Dad was in his work clothes and said, "My boss called me and needed me for a double shift. How was your first day of high school?

"Great. I have no homework until tomorrow," I replied. "Samuel invited me to go to Roger Williams Park Zoo on Saturday, so is it okay if I can go?"

"Sure," said Dad. "Well, I have to get going now, so I'll see you tomorrow morning before you leave for school."

"Okay. Bye, Dad," I said.

"Bye, sweetie," said Dad as he took off for work.

That night, I made a peanut butter sandwich for dinner. Samuel was over, so he had it with me. Dad said Samuel is still allowed to come over on a school night whenever he's needed for a double shift so I won't have to eat supper alone. I liked that idea.

"Oh, yeah, Dad gave me permission to join you and your family to the zoo," I said.

"Okay, great," said Samuel. "We might eat lunch there. We would spend about two or three hours there often."

"Sounds good to me," I said. "It would be my first time going there."

After we had dinner, Samuel had to go home to get things ready for school tomorrow. And, he goes to bed at 9:30 pm. I go to bed at 10:00 pm on school nights. I laid out my clothes for tomorrow morning like I always do during the school year.

The next day, at school, we started taking notes. Teachers were impressed that I did everything before school started. In the study hall, I did homework for math and History. This was before Gym. At lunch, I put math and History books in my locker and getting textbooks for Science, English, and Spanish. I remembered taking a Spanish during middle school and I did it fine with As in that class. I help my best friends because they didn't know a thing about Spanish. Even Mary Jane had no idea what her late parents spoke. But she made it out okay with a help from me and had Bs. They know Knowles is English. Mary Jane emailed me and she wants to learn about her birth parents. I believe that's a good thing.

After school, at home, I did homework for Science and English. We get to do Spanish exercises for classwork. I actually finished the last one before the bell rang so that I don't have to do for homework. Dad didn't speak Spanish, so he wouldn't help me during middle school, but that's okay. I can do that on my own and it's not very hard. It would be good if a job requires Spanish, I'd already know it. I may take up Spanish when I go to college, depends which major I want to study for.

I told Dad about the bowling club the high school is doing in two weeks and he thought it would be good for me to join.

On Saturday, I went to the Roger Williams Park Zoo on and had fun. We did had lunch like Samuel mentioned. They had a snack bar. I saw a lot of animals. We saw a few shows, which was the best part being at the zoo.

"We come here a lot on a weekend, including over the weekend. And, it's not too far from us, which is why we like coming here," said Samuel.

"That's cool," I said.

"I know," said Samuel.

"Eliza told me she comes here, too," I said.

"I came here on field trips twice. Once during grade school and once during middle school," said Samuel.

Later, we were at his house for a few hours. We were our own that evening and Samuel decided to try to have sex. Luckily, I had taken birth control earlier.

 

5: Chapter 5

Six weeks later, I started to get an upset stomach in school. I tried to ignore it, but it didn't work.

"Do you want to go to the nurse's office?" asked my History teacher, Mrs. Louise Weeks.

"I was thinking the same thing," I answered.

At the nurse's office, I threw up twice. Even though I had no fever, the nurse decided to dismiss me. I'm glad she did that because when I got home, I kept vomiting.

"Would you like soup?" asked Dad.

"I'll wait until later," I replied.

"Okay," said Dad.

That afternoon, he told me he was going to do a few errands.

"Are you going to be alright for a bit?" asked Dad.

"Yes," I responded.

That was when he left to do a few things. Then, I realized something: I was due to have my period yesterday, but it didn't start. Also, I noticed I skip those doses again. I could've sworn I took my birth control the night I was with Samuel. When I checked my calendar, I didn't notice my period didn't begin last month either.

I asked to myself isn't that a sign of pregnancy? I'm terrified to find out. I went to a drug store and took a pregnancy test to be on the safe side. That was when a positive sign showed up. Yikes. I knew what positive means: I'm pregnant! No wonder I had an upset stomach and kept puking. That must have been a morning sickness. How could that happen? Now, I'm afraid to tell Dad. I can't picture him return to be strict like he used to be. I have to think of something and think of a way to tell him.

At home, I was in my room emailing my group of best friends the news and my worries to tell Dad. I was in tears. He didn't come back from errands yet. I was practicing on what to say to him. I was also trying on what to do. Perhaps, Dad can give me some advice about my options. I'm sure he'd be supportive no matter what I choose.

That was when Dad came back and said, "I'm back."

"That was fast," I said.

"The post office, bank, and a few stores don't take too long," said Dad.

"Oh. Anyway, can I talk to you about something later on before you leave for work?" I asked.

"Sure, but I have time," said Dad.

"That's okay, I'll wait for a bit," I said. "I was just going over to Samuel's to get some air. I'm better now anyway."

"Alright," said Dad.

I went over to Samuel's. We were in his backyard when I told him the news.

"That's a surprise," said Samuel.

"I know. I'm scared to tell Dad, which is why I came over to tell you first," I said. "And, I should think about my options. I could've sworn that I took the pill the night we were together. I don't recall missing the dose."

"Mistakes do happen," Samuel pointed out.

"I suppose you're right," I said. "I do know that I don't believe in abortion. Doing that would make me feel uncomfortable, so the only two options are either raising the child or give it to someone who wants a baby."

"We can figure this out together," said Samuel.

"I'll tell my father first later on before I make a decision," I said.

After we had a long talk, I know what to tell Dad now. When I got back home, he was gone to bed for a few hours.

Later, I was awake at 10:00 pm when Dad noticed I was on the couch and said, "I thought you'd be in bed by now, sweetie."

"I couldn't sleep. Do you have time to talk before you leave for work? I had things in my mind earlier; that's why I wasn't ready to talk at the time," I said.

"I have time for a bit. I did notice something was bugging you," said Dad as he sat with me.

"I'm sorry to let you down to tell you this: I'm pregnant. I was worried to bring it up. That might explain why my stomach was hurting me and keep throwing up," I said. "I don't understand. I thought I took my birth control. I don't remember missing it by mistake."

"Sweetie, it's okay. I'm glad you told me so I can help you. I'll see if Dr. Duarte can examine you," said Dad.

"Alright. I'm so stupid to let this happen," I said in tears.

"No, you're not," said Dad comforting me.

"I already told Samuel and we decided to work on our options together," I said.

"That's good. Anyway, I have to leave for work now, so we can talk some more about it tomorrow," said Dad.

I didn't sleep well that night. I didn't realize I finally fell asleep at 3:00 am. Three hours later, I took a shower before I got dressed for school. When Samuel and I walked, he told me he didn't tell his parents yet.

"I told my dad and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. He told me he was glad I came to him so he can help me out," I said. "I still thought it was strange on how it happened."

"I know," agreed Samuel.

At school, I pretended it didn't happen and it worked. I wonder how I could remain in the bowling club. I'm sure I can still do that.

After school, at my house, Samuel and I talked about our options some more.

"I'm thinking about adoption so you and I can continue high school and go to college. I figured it would be difficult to have a baby while going to school. I don't know how I could see ourselves doing that," I said. "The bottom line is that I'm just not ready to be a mother just yet."

"I agree that adoption would be a better choice for us. After all, we just started dating and we're too young to know if we'd be together for the rest of our lives," said Samuel.

"Also, I'm only 14 going on 15. You just turned 15 just before I moved here," I said.

"That is true," said Samuel.

Later, I was seen by Dr. Duarte, who told me I was about six weeks and told me the due date would be June 12, 2000. That would help me to be prepare when I'm ready to choose a couple.

"I had a feeling since I didn't get my period. In fact, I had no idea I missed it last month either. I'm glad I found out instead of waiting a bit longer," I said.

"I agree with you," said Dr. Duarte.

At home, I went to Dad and said, "Samuel and I talked about our options and we think adoption would be a better solution for the both of us. We don't want to be the parents until after college and we're too young to know if we want to be together forever since we just started dating. Samuel told me Angela did the same thing and had no regrets on it. I should look online for a nearby adoption center."

"Okay," said Dad.

I did and the closest one is in Warwick. The center is called Bethany Christian Services. I called there and told them I plan to go there sometime this week to get some information. And, they said I can go there anytime. I asked Dad if he can take me to the adoption center tomorrow and he said he would.

"I just want to explore to make sure adoption would make sense," I said.

"Some young teens do that," said Dad.

The next day, Dad took me to Bethany Christian Services after school. I spoke to a specialist who was very nice to me. She even set me up with another teen, who had just given up her baby for adoption not long ago, the day after tomorrow.

"Okay. I'll pick a couple after that," I said.

"Not a problem," said the adoption specialist.

When I met the teen two days later, she was pleasant.

"I gave my baby up for an adoption because I'm in high school and I'll be graduating soon. Plus, I had no support from my boyfriend who broke up with me after I got pregnant. On top of that, my parents have jobs and I don't except them to baby-sit while I'm in school. I don't have a job. I wouldn't able to afford for a baby-sitter. I just got accept to attend Umass Dartmouth to study to be a preschool teacher. My parents are wonderful when I asked them to bring me here and I knew adoption was the best decision for me and my baby. I'm thankful to have them to support my choice," explained the teen.

After hearing her experience, I felt much better. I thanked her and told the adoption specialist I'd be back to pick a couple for my child. Later, I phoned Mary Jane and told about my adoption plans.

"Go for it. I'm glad you felt great after meeting that teen about her experience," said Mary Jane.

"Me, too. Dad's supportive about my decision. Samuel and I thought about adoption together," I said.

After we talked, I'm thankful that Mary Jane, Janet, and Sarah were supportive with me about my choice. It's good to have best friends like that. Here's my advice: Don't let them make decisions that you might not want to do. After I listed a few reasons in my head, I really do believe that adoption is the smart choice for me.

"I'm glad that adoption is the best thing to do. I thought about other things in my head about why I choose to place the child for adoption. I want to go college after high school, but not sure on what career yet. I'm almost 15. I have two more reasons: First of all, you work double shifts if you're needed. I can't afford a sitter since I'm too young to get a job. Last but not least, this is a two-bedroom house. How could I raise a baby here?" I asked.

"You got a good point," agreed Dad.

On Monday, I went back to the adoption center after school. I looked at a few profiles. There was this couple, Ricky and Lydia Turner, who have been trying to have a baby for the past four years. They just adopted a child last year, a two-year-old girl who was in foster care because her mother was ill with cancer and died from it. The girl's father did the same thing my own mother did: only he took off before she was born and they couldn't locate him. He must have been unlisted or something. They are ready to adopt another child. So, I decided to choose that couple.

"May we make arrangements so I can meet them?" I asked.

"Sure we can. Let me give them a call so I can set you all up. They had just moved 20 minutes away in Hope Valley," said the specialist.

So she did and it was all set. I can meet the Turners next Monday at 3:45 pm. Later, I emailed the gals about the couple and about meeting them next week after school. They replied later saying they were happy for me. I told them I don't regret my decision and gave out more reasons to do adoption since I didn't tell them. I added what I mentioned to Dad who agreed with me. They also agreed raising a child in a two-bedroom house would be tough. Then, I did my homework and went over to Samuel's.

"I just picked a couple today," I said as I told him about them. "I'm going to meet them a week from today at 3:45 pm."

"It's good to pick any couple that is right for you and the baby," said Samuel.

"I know," I said.

"I told my parents about our choice to give the baby up for adoption and they have been great about it," said Samuel.

"My best friends are being supportive as well," I added.

"Angela started to regret about the adoption, but I told her she did the right thing and she shouldn't feel bad about it," said Samuel as I agreed with him.

"I don't regret it at all," I said.

"Me either. Angela plans to place her name with adoption agency so that the child can look her up when he turns 18 if he wants to. But they already have her in the file and kept them in a safe place until the time comes," said Samuel. "She didn't want the updates though in case she gets upset, but they'll save the updates in that files in case she wants to read them."

"I don't blame her. Honestly, I'm not sure if I want any updates yet. I might give it a try, but if it starts to hurt me, I'd tell the Turners to send them to the files instead. I'll decide when time comes," I said.

"It's totally up to you," said Samuel.

"I'm thinking to try for Mom again. I believe I'm ready to see her. Back when I first saw her, I wasn't ready at all," I said.

"It's okay if you want to her or not," said Samuel.

"I'll talk to Dad about it. It was hard for me to come around her," I said.

"It can be tough for anyone," said Samuel.

"When I read the profiles, I realized I wasn't alone. The girl's dad did the same thing right before she was born. So, I can relate to that. No one knows where the father is. The mother was ill and did not have the money to take care of her daughter, which was why she in foster care for a while until she was well, but unfortunately, she lost her battle to cancer last year. That's how the Turners decided to adopt the little girl," I explained.

"That's a shame," said Samuel.

"I know. At least the mother did the right thing while she was sick. I guess she had no relatives to care for her daughter," I said. "The mother was in her mid-20s according to the records. But she was a loving mother. She tried so hard to be a single mom without her boyfriend."

"Wow. That's young," said Samuel.

"I know," I said.

After we had a nice, long talk, I had go back home to have supper. Dad made pork chops with gravy, corn, and rolls. He gave me great advice on how to give birth a healthy baby especially during mealtime. He told me what Mom had while she was pregnant with me and I find that very helpful.

"Dad, I don't know why I'm saying this, but I might try to see Mom again. Do you think it would be okay? I wasn't ready at the time, however, now I think I'm ready now. Samuel told me it's okay if I want to go for it or not," I said.

"He's right. I don't mind if you want to do so, honey," said Dad.

 

6: Chapter 6

The next day, I knew the only person I haven't told about my plans is Eliza. Big mistake when I told her about the couple I'd be giving the baby to.

Her response is this: "I think that's good. I just thought you'd raise the child to fix your mistake."

"I have no plans to do that. I have a few reasons to so. Dad and I live in a two-bedroom house. How could you see me raising a baby there? There's no room. He works a double shift sometimes. Samuel and I just started dating. We're too young to be the parents and too young to know if we want to be together forever. I want to go to college after I graduate from high school for a career," I told her. "I thought I can count on you to support my decision. I'm not telling you anything ever again."

I got up to go sit somewhere else. Samuel was out with a cold today. I never thought my own cousin would say that.

After school, I wasn't talking to her and went home. As soon as I got home, I called Aunt Betty to tell her what Eliza said to me and she didn't blame me for being upset.

"I haven't spoken to her since I thought she would be glad that I made the right choice. I explained to her why I did that. The number one reason is how can she expect me to raise a baby in a two-bedroom house?" I asked.

"I agree with you, dear. I'm glad you called to tell me. Wait until I talk to her," said Aunt Betty.

"My best friends were supportive of me," I said. "How would she feel if I say that to her if she was in my shoes? She would've been mad at me."

"That's right," said Aunt Betty.

"Even if she did say that before making a decision, I would not change my mind. Dad and Samuel were super to me," I said. "We're just not ready to make that commitment right now. He and I both made that decision together. Even Dad told me mistakes do happen. He didn't force me to do something I might not want to do. Eliza should've thought about it before."

"I know. I'll tell her she better apologize to you or else she's grounded until then," said Aunt Betty.

"Good idea," I commented.

After we talked, I felt better after I did that. Don't get me wrong, I did made an error, but it doesn't mean I would fix my mistake by raising the baby and I still don't regret that decision. If my house was big enough, that's different, but I'd still do adoption anyway. Like I said, I don't believe in abortion. I just don't feel comfortable doing so. Dad told me Mom had to get that done before she had me because the baby had some kind of injury and the doctors were worried it would not live at birth. That's why my folks did an abortion as a precaution. They didn't regret it.

I went off to Providence Place Mall. I was feeling a bit nervous about seeing Mom. I went to the food court for dinner. Apparently, she was on break because she came to me and said, "I haven't seen you these days."

"I was busy. I just started high school. I have been going out with my boyfriend, Samuel, and so on," I said truthfully. "Plus, I'm getting ready to meet the couple who are adopt my baby."

"When?" asked Mom.

"Monday," I replied. "Dad was supportive about it. I'm not ready to be the mom yet. I want to have a career. I'm thinking about where I want to attend college. Dad and I moved here from California into a two-bedroom. Plus, I'm almost 15. He works a double shift every once in a while. In fact, he just left to start the 3:00 pm shift and won't be back until 7:00 tomorrow morning, so I know he could be too exhausted to baby-sit while I'm in school and he likes to nap for a few hours after work."

"That's true," agreed Mom.

"Yeah. My wonderful friends are great. I'm lucky to have them," I said. "Oh, yeah, another thing I won't be ready until marriage is being up with the baby most of the night. Dad told me I was like that."

"It's true you were. You would be up from 12:00 to 4:00 am almost every night. We didn't know what you were crying for," said Mom.

I giggled at that. Although it felt funny to talk to her for the whole time, it actually felt great at the same time.

"I live around here, so you are welcome to visit me anytime you want," said Mom.

"Maybe, but I'll talk to Dad about that first if you won't mind," I said.

"Not a problem. I'll give you my address and phone number," said Mom as she wrote it and gave it to me.

It may not be so bad after all. When she had to get back to work, I was hoping Eliza would text me to apologize for what she said to me. Instead, Aunt Betty was the one who texted me telling me Eliza 'refused' to do that and she is being punished until future notice when she says that she's sorry. I'm still glad about telling my aunt. I counted on Eliza to be supportive. She should understand why I had to do that.

At home, I emailed my gals to tell them about Eliza and they told I did the smart thing to inform Aunt Betty. It's always good to follow your heart. I even added about talking to Mom. They were impressed on how I came around. I was ready at the time, but not so sure if I want to be at her house yet. I added I told her I'd talk to Dad first.

I went to bed at 10:00 pm. I was awake for a bit thinking on what to say to Dad. I know what he would say to me: It would up to me to decide. Honestly, I know he would be right. It would be my decision to make.

I'm starting to think it would be a good idea for me to do. Why? Because if Samuel and I don't have plans on weekends, I could spend time with Mom. Dad decided to let me to date on school nights now whenever he has to do a double shift. If Samuel and I aren't doing anything, I could eat at her house instead being alone.

The next day, Eliza got angry at me for getting her into trouble, but I didn't care and ignored her. Thank god Samuel was back. I asked him to be my partner instead of her for an English project and he agreed to do so. It's a book report with a poster board for an extra credit. I told him about what happened with Eliza and he didn't blame me for asking him.

In the school library, he told her it was our choice to do what we want, not hers. He added I had the right to tell her mother and said, "You're supposed to be supportive, not pushing anyone to so something they don't want to do. Becky told you why she made that choice. There's no way to raise a child in a two-bedroom house. Her father works for a double shift often. Just think about how tired he would be to baby-sit. He likes to nap after his third shift, which is 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. We're much too young to have children. We plan to stay in school, not dropping out. We want to go to college for a career. We want to get married before we could become parents if we decided if we want to be together for the rest of our lives. If that was you, we would respect your wishes.

Eliza just rolled her eyes as she walked away to check out a book and left.

"At least you tried," I said.

"I know," agreed Samuel.

"I'm not even speaking to her," I said.

"I don't blame you for that," said Samuel.

"I didn't have second thoughts on our choice based on what she said to me," I said.

"Good thing you didn't let her make you change your mind," said Samuel.

We both picked Betsy Ross for the book report. She did the first American flag in 1776. Then, I checked out and we went back to class until it was time to head for Science.

 

7: Chapter 7

The next day, my back was better enough for me to go to school. At school, we did an assignment for English. I already had a test for Science earlier. Our schedule is always different every day. At lunch, I was debating to tell Eliza on how I felt, but I figured she still may not care. Dad already knew about what happened. I'll ask him for an advice before I could talk to Eliza. I was sitting with Samuel like I always do when a girl came when she realized me.

"Excuse me, Becky. Is this table free?" asked a girl.

Then, I remembered who she was. Stephanie Newtons happened to be my best friend since birth. We're the same age. We went to school together. In fact, we were in kindergarten before she got moved up to first grade after Christmas Vacation because she was so smart. She just turned 15 last month. Her parents must have gotten filed for a divorce a week ago because I remembered the text when she told me the news. I felt bad for her.

"Hi, Stephanie," I said as we hugged. "You can join me."

"Thanks," said Stephanie.

"How are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm still torn by my parents' divorce," said Stephanie.

"I remembered when you texted me to tell me that and I was the one who said I was sorry to hear that," I said.

"Yeah, I remember that, too," said Stephanie. "I was thankful to have you."

She didn't want anyone to know- not even the girls. I knew it was a secret. Her parents would fight a lot. When she told me her folks announced about the divorce, I told her it was better off that way because they won't fight anymore. She felt a little better after that.

"Oh, by the way, this is my boyfriend, Samuel. He lives across the street from me and my dad. He and I have been dating a few weeks after I moved," I said.

"It's nice to meet you," said Samuel.

"Same here," said Stephanie.

"Stephanie and I have been friends for a very long time," I said.

"Wow," said Samuel.

"Her mother was friends with my father," I said.

"That's cool," said Samuel.

"My mother decided to come here because this was her home before she moved to California with her parents. That was way before she dated my father," said Stephanie.

"Isn't that strange?" asked Samuel.

"Yes," said Stephanie

"By the way, I found out where my mother was all this time. The one who left without a trace," I said.

"I remember when your mother did that to you and your father. Where was she?" asked Stephanie.

"She was here the whole time. My dad and I didn't even know that. She works at Dave and Buster's. I slowly reconnected with her after a while. I recently decided to visit her on the days Dad has a double shift when Samuel and I don't have any plans. I didn't want to move in her in case it didn't work out. I'm worried she could take off again," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Stephanie.

"Plus, I'm pregnant, but giving it up for adoption. I already found a family," I said as I explained the reasons.

"That was considerate of you—especially after your dad works for a double shift. I also don't see how you would raise a child in a two-bedroom house. It's good that you made the right decision that is the best for you, your father, and your baby," said Stephanie.

"I know," I agreed. "My dad supported my decision."

After we had a nice long talk that includes Samuel, it was great that we got together again. I remembered how popular Stephanie was, but she was never mean though like some people are. She doesn't believe in tough crowds- even when the mean ones invited her to join, she turned them down because she doesn't want them to change her to be mean. I didn't blame her.

One time, Janet was picked on by a boy. I couldn't stop that bully. Stephanie stepped in to warn him if he doesn't leave Janet alone, she will report it to the principal. She even mentioned how he would feel if he was being teased if he was in Janet's shoes. Thankfully, the bully stopped picking on Janet and we both thanked Stephanie for her help.

After school, Stephanie and I walked home together. We also let Samuel join so he won't feel left out.

When I told Stephanie my address, she said, "No way! That was my mom's former childhood home."

"Really? Isn't that weird?" I asked.

"Very strange," said Stephanie.

"Where do you live now?" I asked her.

"Two blocks before that," said Stephanie.

"Wow. You know, my birthday is a few weeks," I said.

"Duh. How could I forget?" asked Stephanie. "We can hang out some often."

"Great idea," I said.

She gave me her new address.

When I got home, Dad was getting ready to leave for a meeting and he won't be home for supper.

"We got a new student today. Guess who it was? Stephanie," I said.

"No kidding," said Dad.

"And…. Here comes the funny part? Her mother used to live in this house before moving to California when she was a child," I said.

"Isn't that a small world?" asked Dad.

"Yes. Her mother came back after the divorce," I said.

Dad was the only who knew.

"How is she doing?" asked Dad.

"A little better although she told me she's still torn about it," I replied. "She didn't tell any of the other girls."

"How come? They could've help her out, too," said Dad.

"I understood. She wanted this to be a secret. Then, I realized why she told only me: she remembered the same thing happened to us back when Mom left us," I replied.

"Oh, I get it now," said Dad.

"I'm going to be with Mom for dinner," I said.

"Okay," said Dad.

"Is it possible if I can bring Stephanie with me when I go to Mom's house for dinner?" I asked. "I don't think Mom won't mind."

"Sure, you can," said Dad

Then, Dad left for the meeting. I texted Stephanie to ask her if she can come with me when I go Mom for supper. Her mother said she could. Then, I texted Mom to tell her that I had permission to bring a friend with me. Mom didn't seem to mind at all. Stephanie came over and we left together.

"Mom doesn't live far from here," I said. "She gave me her address."

I was a bit nervous because I wasn't sure how it would go with Mom tonight. That could explain why I decided to bring a guest. We were there five minutes later.

"I ordered Chinese and it will be here in 15 minutes," said Mom.

"Sounds good to me," I said.

Then, we set the table. Mom remembered Stephanie.

"My mother liked the idea about me coming here with Becky when Mr. Moore is needed for a double shift," said Stephanie.

"The only thing Dad has tonight is a meeting. He won't be home for supper," I said.

Chinese came about 10 to 15 minutes later.

"What time your father's getting you?" asked Mom.

"The meeting is only two hours. He said he would text me when the meeting is over and he would be on his way. I gave him your address so he can get me on his way home. Pizza was going to be served during the meeting," I explained as we sat down at the table.

After dinner, we helped clean up while Mom said, "I rented a movie from Netflix. Do you want to watch the movie until your father comes for you both? If we didn't finish it tonight, we can continue another time. There is no deadline."

"Sure," I said.

"What movie did you rent?" asked Stephanie.

"It's My Cousin Vinny," answered Mom.

"I've seen that movie before. It's so funny," I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

We watched it while having some popcorn.

"I'd have ice cream, but I'm Lactose intolerant and I can't use Lactid pills during pregnancy," I said. "It happened to me four years ago."

"I understand, honey," said Mom.

The movie was still playing when Dad texted me saying the meeting had just ended and he will be on his way. I replied and we're watching a movie until he gets there. Thirty minutes later, I heard a car horn and got up to checked and said, "Stephanie, my dad's here."

"Okay," said Stephanie.

"We can finish watching the rest next time you're here," said Mom.

"Sounds good. Bye, Mom. Thanks for a great time," I said as Stephanie and I went out to the car.

Dad brought Stephanie home before we went home.

"It's nice that we had a fun time with Mom," I said.

"That's good," said Dad.

"We decided to continue My Cousin Vinny when we're there next time," I said.

 

8: Chapter 9

The next day, I went to Mom's after school. We had Chinese. I told her about my ideas to decorate my room there.

"I don't plan to change the wallpaper. Yellow is my favorite color," I added.

"Okay," said Mom.

"I shared my ideas with Stephanie and liked them," I said.

"That's good," said Mom. "Maybe we can start doing that next weekend."

"Sure," I said.

"Maybe when you're ready one day, would you like to move in with me?" asked Mom.

"I would, but I'm comfortable being with Dad right now. We're very close," I replied. "I already told you I will only visit when Dad's working especially a double shift anyway."

"Okay, I wasn't forcing you. I was just asking," said Mom.

At least I give her credit for not forcing me to do that. The only time I would've visit Dad when he's off or on vacation. But I love Dad too much to move out to live with Mom. If he didn't lightening up and if I couldn't take it any longer or if he was dead, that's another story.

"What time do you go to bed on school nights?" asked Mom.

"I go to bed at 10:00 pm," I replied.

After supper, Mom and I watched a movie. I love movie nights with Mom. We watched Cheaper by the Dozen. It was very good. I never seen it before. This was an old movie version. I've seen the one with Steve Martin. His movies are very funny. Mom has that one, so we decided to watch both of those movies. I couldn't stop laughing at that one. After that movie was over, I went to bed.

The next day, I woke up with an upset stomach. I asked Mom if I can go back home and be absent from school so I can rest and she didn't blame me for that. I was afraid to be sick at school. She took me back home on her way to work. I already called the school and told the principal I wasn't going today because I was feeling sick to my stomach. He was fine with that and will let my teachers know. I also called Dad, who was working to let him know I was home and told him the reason. He also didn't blame me to stay home from school so I can get some sleep. He came home from work after I did.

That afternoon, I felt a bit better. Whenever the phone rings, I let the answering machine to pick up because I was asleep. Dad lets it ring, too, to let me sleep when I'm sick. Or he'd pick up if it's anything is important like work if he was needed to work for a double shift or they let him know when they're having a meeting and gives him the times. He doesn't pick if there are junk foods. We have a caller ID, so he gets it ring if it's a 1-800 services. It's mostly answering service. I don't pick up their calls either. We would delete their messages like Dad wanted to do. That was a good idea to do. Samuel called me to tell me that he had a study guide today and asked me to help him study for tomorrow's test. I told him that I couldn't.

"I woke up with an upset stomach. I still have that feeling," I said. "Would you mind doing that on your own unless you want your mother's help?"

"I don't mind doing that," said Samuel.

That night, I felt better enough to eat dinner.

"Mom told me when I'm ready, I can move in with her, but I told her I would, but I'm being comfortable living with you especially when we're very close. Plus, she knew that I was visiting her when you work for a double shift during the week or when you work every other weekends. She understood," I was telling Dad. "If I didn't have you, that's different."

"That's true," agreed Dad.

I was just having some soup. I didn't want anything too heavy. After I ate, Dad and I watched some TV for a while before I got up for bed at 9:30 pm because I was getting tired and wanted to get better for school.

The next day, I was good enough for school. At school, I did the stuff that I missed yesterday. I did it during class. The teachers always let us do that. They told me I can do yesterday's homework instead of today's homework so I won't get overwhelmed with all that. They let the others to do the same thing when any student is out the day before. The teachers are good for that. They let us forget to do the today's homework, which was good. We don't usually get a lot of homework anyway.

At lunch, Stephanie and I talked about the weekend trip.

"I can't wait to spend the weekend in California with you," I said.

"Same here," said Stephanie.

"Mom asked me if I wanted to live with her when I'm ready to do so," I said.

"Really? What did you say?" asked Stephanie.

"That I would do it, I'm comfortable living with Dad right now. We're too close. On top of that, I mentioned I already told her I was visiting when he's needed for a double shift during the week or when he's working every other weekend. She didn't mind though. At least I give her credit for not forcing me," I explained.

"That's good," said Stephanie.

"Also, I wouldn't visit Dad too much except when he's off or on vacation. That wouldn't work out. If he was dead, that's another story. Then, I'd live with her," I said.

"I agree," said Stephanie.

"I told Dad about it, too, and he agreed I'd only live with her if something ever happened to him anytime," I said.

"True," said Stephanie.

"And, suppose moving in with her wouldn't work out at all. What if she's gone off again like she did a long time ago? I'd have to move back in with Dad," I said.

"Exactly," said Stephanie.

"I didn't want to tell her that part in case that did happen," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Stephanie. "You didn't want her to get mad."

Samuel was sent to the principal's office because he got caught cheating on a test before he got the test back. It happened earlier while I was in the school library since I was excused from it because I wasn't in to get the study guide. The teacher said I can bring the test home to make up for it. He claimed he didn't cheat at all. The principal didn't believe him since he was the one who was caught. He wanted to proof he was incident, but they didn't let him. I heard he was right because he had his eyes on the paper the whole time and someone else was telling a lie. Stephanie was telling me that she was the witness and said that she noticed Frank was doing that. She brought it up to the principal. And, she noticed Samuel's name was erased and Frank puts his name instead. The teacher thinks it was Samuel who did it. She showed it to the principal and he noticed it that Samuel was telling the truth. Samuel was the one who passed the test, not Frank. He changed the name to pretend that Frank passed. So, Frank got suspended for two days. Samuel was glad that he cleared his name. He mentioned it to me when he joined us.

"The teacher and the principal should've listened to you in the first place instead of going through all this mess," I said.

"I know," said Samuel. "I never cheat and they know it. I also would never change a name on someone else's test to make off that I passed. That's cheating, too."

"I agree with you. Accusing you isn't right. And, what kind of a friend Frank is for doing that to you?" I asked.

"I told him that as well. I mentioned real friends don't do that to each other and add how he would've felt if I did that to him on his test. The principal agreed with me," said Samuel. "His mother just picked him up before I came in here."

"I bet she was furious for what he did to you," said Stephanie.

"She sure was," said Samuel. "She made him apologize and made him promise not to do it again. I forgave him. He realized he made a mistake."

"I hope he would learn his lesson now," I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

"Would your mother believe anyway?" I asked.

"She probably would because she knows that I never cheat. I study too hard to do that," said Samuel.

"Especially when you and I do that together," I added. "Was she able to help you study last night?"

"She did," said Samuel. "She told me she can cover for you whenever you're sick."

"Sounds good," I said.

After school, at home, I did yesterday's homework including the test from today. The teacher told me I can use the study guide that he gave me after class. I didn't want to do that because the class might not like that idea. They might think it's okay to cheat. Besides, I want to be a good example by not cheating. So, after I did homework, I studied for a bit and did the test.

The next day, I passed everything in and I learned I passed that test with an A+. After school, Stephanie and I came up with a plan.

"Whoever can bring us to the airport, we can bring one of our suitcases to school and the other can put it in either my dad or your mom's car," I said.

"Good idea," said Stephanie.

"What time is our flight on Friday?" I asked.

"5:00 pm," said Stephanie. "We would have to go there after school."

"Alright," I said.

"Mom said the best airport we would fly out of here is T.F. Green Airport because it's closer."

"I agree. Can you imagine taking a plane from Boston? We'd be stuck in traffic since it's busy there. Aunt Betty's husband used to live there before moving here and she said it's always busy. The only way to avoid that is taking the train. That would've been the smarter choice," I said.

"I know," said Stephanie. "My grandparents used to take flights from Logan when they travel to visit us. They lived in Quincy and that was closer. They used the train to the South Station and took a taxi to the airport."

"That was smart," I said.

"Yeah. They moved to California to be near us. I only have parental grandparents now," said Stephanie.

"I remember when your mom's parents died in the same car accident. I went to the funeral with you," I said. "That must be almost two years already."

"Yes, in December," said Stephanie.

"I can't believe my birthday is in two weeks," I said.

"Yeah," said Stephanie. "Any plans do you want to do yet?"

"Yes. Just a movie and dinner," I said. "Since Eliza apologized for her remarks, I'll let her join. You and Samuel would be joining me as well."

"Oh, yeah," said Stephanie.

"Did you forget?" I asked.

"I guess so," said Stephanie as we giggled at that.

Two days later, I packed my suitcase to get ready for the weekend. That would be the smart choice. Dad offered to take us to the airport, so I'll put my suitcase in his car and Stephanie would take hers to school like we planned. Stephanie and I can't wait to surprise our girlfriends. They still didn't have a clue that we're coming. We would do that the day after tomorrow since we'd be having dinner when we land in California. Although we would land at 10:00 pm our time, it would be 7:00 pm in California since it's three hours behind.

What bothered me is that I received a text from Janet after I finished packing saying Mary Jane is very sick. When I asked how sick, she added Mary Jane learned she has cancer and was in stage 4. I replied saying I pray she'd feel better. I texted Stephanie to tell her the news. She couldn't believe it either. It was a good thing we'll be seeing them this weekend. Luckily, we're not coming home until late Sunday afternoon since our flight is at 1:00 pm (4:00 pm- my time) and the flight would land in Providence at 9:00 pm, which would be 6:00 pm in California.

I went out to Dad and told him what I learned from Janet.

"Wow. That's a surprise," said Dad.

"Yeah. I could've told them that Stephanie and I are coming, but she wanted to surprise them, so the girls don't have a clue about that," I said.

Janet texted me saying that Mary Jane was giving six months to (if she's lucky) a year to live. That got me scared. Stephanie got terrified as well and said we can pray for her. I agreed with her on that. Dad would do the same thing.

The next day, I put my suitcase in Dad's car before I left for school. At school, I managed to focus because I didn't want my grades to go down if I had my mind on Mary Jane's illness even though the teachers probably would've understood what was happening. After that, Mary Jane is one of my best friends. Imagine if I ended up losing her? I would be very upset.

After school, Dad picked me and Stephanie up from school and took us to the airport. The plane is on time, which is perfect. She and I said good-bye to Dad as we went in, checked in, and went to our gate to wait for the flight.

We only waited for two hours before the plane arrived. Once everyone got off, we went on the plane. Then, it took off at 5:00 pm. We landed in California five hours later. Her father was already at the airport to get us when we were getting our suitcases.

"Hi, Dad," said Stephanie.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, girls," said her father, Steven. "Want to go out for dinner on our way to my house?"

"Sure. We were planning to do that when we got here anyway," said Stephanie.

"Okay, good," said Steven.

That's what we did. We went to the diner. I remembered going to that diner while I lived in California. It felt funny to be in my old hometown. I heard someone already moved in my old house.

"It was a couple that I knew while I was growing up," said Steven.

"Wow," I said. "When did they moved there? After my dad and I moved to Rhode Island?"

"Yes, just two weeks later I believe," said Steven. "They have two children, Lily and Morgan. Their parents are expecting another child. Their house is big enough for the family of five."

"Wow. I know. It had four bedrooms. One of them used to be my Grandma Pat's bedroom before she died. The last one was a guestroom," I said. "The new house where we live now has two bedrooms. My room includes a playroom, so I use that for my laptop. It has a desk, which is pretty neat."

"I told her that was Mom's former childhood house," said Stephanie.

"No kidding," said Steven.

"It's true," said Stephanie. "That was before she and her parents moved here during high school."

"I thought it was cool, too," I said.

"I believe it," said Steven.

He didn't seem to care. Stephanie and I are suspecting he's still friends with Stephanie's mom, Miranda. It turned out that they are good friends. They feel that they got along much better after their divorce. At least Stephanie knows her parents are great friends. After dinner, we went to his house. We got settled in.

"Do any of you girls want any ice cream?" asked Steven. "I have lactose free ice cream for you, Rebecca."

"I'll take that," I said.

He knows I can't drink milk without the pills, but Stephanie already informed him about my pregnancy and that I can't take the pill while I'm pregnant the other night. So, lactose free ice cream is a good idea to have. It worked out just fine for me. Stephanie has twin beds, so we'd share her room when I sleep over there. We went to bed at 11:30 pm and we whispered for a while until we fell asleep five minutes later. I didn't sleep too much because I was worried about Mary Jane, but I finally did at midnight.

 

9: Chapter 8

At home, I remembered I had an English test tomorrow, so I decided to study for a while. I did that before I went to bed two hours later. The next day, I got up feeling nauseous. I knew it was a morning sickness. I didn't want anything.

"Are you feeling alright this morning?" asked Dad who noticed that.

"I'm feeling nauseous," I replied.

"Do you want to stay home from school in case you get sick?" asked Dad.

"That would be a good idea to do," I answered.

Good thing he did because I was like that all day. Thankfully, I haven't been throwing up, but I didn't want that to happen during school. All I had was water. I kept that down. I was afraid to get sick if I try to eat. Dad didn't mind about that. The nausea went away later on that night, however, I wanted to take it slow by having something light for tonight, so I had soup and water. Somehow, it stayed down- thank goodness.

The next day, at school, I did the work that I missed yesterday. Plus, I missed the English test that I studied for, so I asked her if I could stay after school to make it up and she said I could do that. Science was having a test today, but luckily, we can use our textbook for the test, so we did it. It wasn't too hard. I did it in 15 minutes.

After school, I told Dad that I was staying to make up for the English test from yesterday. That's what I did. That didn't take too long. I finished it within 10 minutes later. I passed it in to the teacher.

"Thank you," said the teacher.

"No problem. See you Monday," I said.

Then, I went to my locker and went home.

At home, I did my homework to be all done for the weekend. Dad's vacation ends tonight, so I'm planning to spend the weekend with Mom. Samuel can't leave the house to be with me anyway. I learned he got into a fight yesterday while I was out. He was suspended for two days and can go back to school on Monday. Mrs. Jackson grounded Samuel, so no leaving the house- that includes dates, no phone, and no TV. I told Dad I'd be spending the weekend with Mom. Stephanie is going to be with me. She plans to visit her father every other weekend beginning next weekend.

"You can be with me and my mother on the weekends when you're here," I said.

"I like that idea," said Stephanie.

"I haven't seen my room yet," I said. "I'm sure Mom would show me when I get there."

"Yeah," said Stephanie.

I already packed an overnight bag for the weekend when we left for Mom's.

"At least we get to finish My Cousin Vinny," said Stephanie.

"That's true," I agreed.

When we got there, Mom said, "Let me show you to your room."

She did. It was nice. It has twin beds, which is perfect for Stephanie when she's here with me.

"This is where you'll be staying when you're here. You can either leave it the way it is or design the way you want," said Mom.

"Really? I can get to do that?" I asked, excitedly. "Stephanie and I can come up ideas together."

"We can go out for dinner and we can finish the rest of My Cousin Vinny," said Mom.

"Sounds good," I said.

Then, we went out to eat for supper at Cheesecake Factory, which was good. After that, we decided to walk around the wall to look for good ideas to decorate my room when I'm ready to do so.

"So, uh, how's your Grandma Pat?" asked Mom.

"She passed on when I was 12. It's a long story. Dad was working from 3:00 to 11:00 pm at that time. I found her not responding while she was napping. I thought she forgot to cook me dinner. When I noticed she wasn't breathing, I called 911 and Dad right away, who was very proud of me to handle that emergency. I cried my eyes when I found out she was dead. The cause was a cardiac arrest. I didn't attend any funeral services," I explained. "Ever since then, he decided to trust me to stay home alone as a reward. He changed his shift to work for 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. She lived with us while Dad worked the second shift. I didn't mind. She and I would everything together. She would take me out for dinner and a movie. She used to take me the beach. She would also let me invite my two best friends including Stephanie. I miss those days."

"It's good that you did the smart thing," said Mom. "I remember I did the same thing when I was your age except I saved a life. I was at school when I noticed a teacher was choking at lunch, so I knew what to do and did a hemlock. She was fine after that. She thanked me to take actions in a flash. I earned a reward for being a hero by the principal later on that day."

"Wow," I said.

"I was proud of myself," said Mom.

"I believe it," I agreed.

"That was about a year before your father and I met," said Mom.

I didn't even tell her on how Dad treated me. I was afraid to be in the middle and may get blamed although I would tell her that he lightening up when I told him about my feelings on boys when I first met Samuel. Stephanie didn't blame me when I told her that earlier. I was also worried that could destroy my relationship with my father since we're closer- we were always close while he was strict.

Later, at home, we changed into our nightgowns and finished watching the rest of the movie while we had popcorn. Mom remembered which chapter we were on. I felt nauseous after that. I had watch to make that feeling go away. It lasted five to ten minutes. We didn't go to bed until 11:30 pm. Stephanie and I whispered in bed. We both decided to wait a bit before we start designing the room.

"I think Mom won't mind if we want to for a bit longer," I said in a low voice as Stephanie agreed.

The next day, I told Mom that I decided to wait for a bit to design the bedroom and she was fine with that.

"You're welcome to do so anytime when you visit," said Mom.

"I would like to think of ideas before we start. I might bring half of my clothes here and leave the rest at Dad's. That way I won't have to pack for overnighters," I said.

"Or we can buy new clothes if you like. I'll let you decide to pick any styles. I'll help you if you wish," said Mom.

"Either way works for me," I said. "Dad won't blame me for bringing some of my clothes here and keep the rest at his house."

That afternoon, we went to Wal-Mart. I got myself a few new clothes; three shirts, two pair of jeans, two packs of underwear, a few bras, nightgowns, and pjs with Mom's help to keep them at her house. I find it so much easier to do so than bringing any of that there when I spend nights with her. Stephanie also pitched in. She loves fashion and wants to be a fashion designer.

Later, we had lunch. Then, at Mom's, I put all of my new clothes.

"This is a perfect way to start," said Stephanie, who was helping me.

"I know," I agreed.

On Sunday, Dad picked me and Stephanie up after he napped since he worked last night. We went out for lunch.

"I got some new clothes at Wal-Mart yesterday so that they can be at Mom's instead of packing for overnighters. Also, I might bring half of my clothes to Mom's and leave the rest at our house. I have two suitcases, so I'll bring one to Mom's in case she decided to invite me to go on any trips with her," I said.

"That's a good idea," said Dad. "I don't mind you doing that."

"I told Mom that I wanted to wait for now before I do my room I'll be staying while I'm there to give me more time to come up with great ideas to design it," I said.

"That's fine. I don't blame you," said Dad.

"I'm still debating to try to talk to Eliza again. I'm not sure how I should deal with her," I said. "Do you have any advice for that?"

"Be firm and make her listen," replied Dad.

"I'll think of a way to talk to her. I could tell her on how I felt by her remarks," I said.

"That's another good way to deal with her," said Dad.

"I'll give that a try tomorrow at school," I said. "I'm worried she might not listen."

I'm not good at confronting anyone, but I feel better when I go to Dad and he gives me advice, which works every time.

"I told her if she doesn't apologize to me before my birthday, I will not let her join," I said.

"Good idea," said Dad.

The next day, at school, I had the test back the day I made up for and I passed it with an A+. I'm glad I'm giving the baby up so I can keep my grades up. I'm always get good grades. I don't want them to go down if I miss too much school. I told Samuel and Stephanie the advice Dad gave me to deal with Eliza..

"I'll talk to her when I'm ready to do so," I said.

After lunch, Eliza came to me by my surprise and told me she thought about what I told her.

"You upset me with your remarks. Wouldn't you want me to support? You would've been hurt if that was me giving you remarks if you were in my shoes," I said.

"I suppose you're right. I'm very sorry to upset you," said Eliza.

"Just think about how difficult it would be to raise a child in a two-bedroom house. Plus, school is number one priority to me. I'm a honor roll student and I don't want to fall behind if I ended up missing too much school. I could be forced to repeat a grade. I don't plan on dropping out of school anytime soon. That's what I've been trying to tell you," I said.

"True. Do you forgive me?" asked Eliza.

"Only if you promise not to do that again. I counted you to be supportive on my choice," I said.

"I promise," said Eliza.

That was when we hugged.

At home, I called Aunt Betty about my chat with Eliza and was glad that my cousin finally apologized. I also told Aunt Betty that I made Eliza promise not to make any more remarks when she asked me to forgive her. After that, I did homework. Dad had a meeting and was off today. We have plans to go out for supper after he gets out in five minutes. I was done by the time he came for me and I went out in a happy mood.

"Hi, Dad," I said as I got in the car.

"Hi, pumpkin," said Dad. "Were you able to talk to Eliza today?"

"Yes. In fact, she came to me after lunch," I said as I explained it to him. "When she asked me to forgive her, I made her promise to be supportive for now on."

"Good idea," agreed Dad.

"I know. I already told Aunt Betty to tell her," I said. "She was glad. I'm happy that's over now. She should've thought about it before."

"I agree with you," said Dad.

We decided to eat at Dave and Buster's for a change. After that, we went to the store for a few things before we went back home. At home, we put the stuff away. I thought about what I'd do to design my room. Dad gave me great ideas to do that when I told him what I'd do. I'll just keep the painting, but I'll add a few posters and perhaps paint some flowers on the wallpaper. Yellow is my favorite color, so I'm not changing the wallpaper. I like roses, turnips, and daisies. I'll put three flowers on each wall or do a pattern. When I told Stephanie about it, she liked them.

"I'm going to visit Dad this weekend," said Stephanie. "Mom said I can bring you with me. Do you want to come along? We can surprise out girlfriends."

"Sure. Let me check with my father," I said.

I did and it was fine with him.

"Sweet. Don't tell the girls we're going to be in California," said Stephanie. "If you do, I'll put duct tape on your lips until your birthday."

I laughed at that joke and said, "Okay. My lips are sealed."

"I'll inform my dad I had permission to bring you with me. He won't mind. I'm sure he misses not seeing you," said Stephanie.

"I'll let my mom know ahead of time I won't be around to spend the weekend with her," I said.

"Good idea," said Stephanie.

"I'll call her when we're done talking," I said.

"That's a better idea," said Stephanie.

After we talked, I called Mom and said, "I just wanted to tell you that I won't be around this weekend to be with you. Stephanie invited me to be with her in California. She's visiting her father. Dad already gave me permission."

"That's fine," said Mom.

"However, Dad has a double shift tomorrow from 3:00 pm to 7:00 the day after tomorrow morning. I'll go over to have dinner with you," I said.

"Would you like to spend the night with me and I'll take you to school?" asked Mom.

"Sure. I don't mind doing that," I said.

After that, I told Dad what I'd be doing tomorrow night and added Mom offered to bring me to school the day after tomorrow and said, "I figured it would be easier since I'll be in California with Stephanie for the whole weekend."

"That's true," agreed Dad.

I went to bed an hour later.

 

10: Chapter 10

The next day, we slept a bit late. We got up at ten am. We got dressed and told Steven we're going to surprise the girls and spend the day with them. He was okay with it. Stephanie walked over to Mary Jane's and I rang the doorbell. Mrs. Coonts answered the door and was surprised to see us.

"Hi, what a lovely surprise," said Mrs. Coonts.

"We flew here yesterday, so we decided to see Mary Jane, Sarah, and Janet. They had no clue we were coming," said Stephanie.

"Good. Mary Jane's going to be so glad to see you both," said Mrs. Coonts.

"Janet told me the news about Mary Jane's illness. She must be scared," I said.

"She is, but I know she can do it. She's a strong person," said Mrs. Coonts.

"I know she is," I agreed.

"I can't believe they caught it late," said Stephanie. "They should've found it earlier to give her time to fight to live."

"That's what she said, too," said Mrs. Coonts. "I told her some people beat battles no matter what stage they're in."

"True," I said.

"Can we see her?" asked Stephanie.

"Sure. She's in her room," said Mrs. Coonts.

We went to her and was she shocked to see us there and hugged us happily.

"I miss you both so much," said Mary Jane.

"We wanted to surprise you, Sarah, and Janet," said Stephanie. "Let's go hang out with our other girls."

"Okay," said Mary Jane.

She just wanted to forget about her illness. Sarah and Janet were also glad to see us. We went to the mall for the day and had a great time. We had lunch, saw a movie, and did everything else. It was nice that all five of us girls are back together for today.

"Maybe we can have lunch at the airport tomorrow before your flight arrives if you want," said Mary Jane.

"Sure. I like that idea," said Stephanie.

"Me, too. Our flight isn't until one, so we'd have plenty of time to do so," I added.

"Perfect," said Sarah.

"Yeah," said Janet.

Later, we were back at the house in time for supper. After that, we watched a few movies.

"It was fun to see our girls today," I said.

"I agree," said Stephanie. "We should surprise them more often."

"Yeah, I like that idea," I said. "I just hope Mary Jane would be cancer free soon. I don't want to lose her."

"Me either," said Stephanie.

After we watched a few movies, we went to bed at 11:00 pm. The next day, we were up at 9:00 am and had breakfast. Stephen had a meeting to attend, so he said bye to us and won't be seeing us when we leave here.

"Who's going to take us to the airport?" asked Stephanie.

"I'm sure Mrs. Coonts may offer to do so. I'll call her and ask her," I said.

I did and told her Steven had a meeting and won't be back until after we leave for home. I added the flight is at 1:00 pm. She offered to bring us.

"Mary Jane, Sarah, and Janet wants to come along since we plan to have lunch at the airport before our flight," I said.

"Okay. I can treat you all for lunch," said Mrs. Coonts.

"Sounds good to me," I said. "Thanks."

"Not a problem," said Mrs. Coonts.

After we talked, I called Janet and Sarah to tell them about the plan.

"Alright," said Sarah.

Ten minutes later, the girls came over shortly before Mrs. Coonts arrived and brought us to the airport. Stephanie and I checked in before we all went to go have lunch. After lunch, we went to our gate. The group wanted to stay there until the plane arrives.

"I had a fun time over the weekend," I said.

"Me, too," said Mary Jane.

"At least I can be with you all and my father at the same time," said Stephanie.

"True," said Janet.

"Yeah," agreed Sarah.

We kept talking until the plane came and after everyone got off the plane, Stephanie and I said good-bye to the girls before went on the plane.

Five hours later, we were back in Providence and Stephanie's mom was there waiting for us when we got our suitcases.

"Your father's in the hospital. He had a heart attack yesterday," said Miranda.

"What? Is he going to be okay?" I asked.

"He's going to be fine. He'll be released later this afternoon. They wanted to keep an eye on him in case he gets another heart attack during the night," said Miranda. "That's why he asked me to pick you up."

"That's fine," I said.

When Miranda dropped me off, my dad was already home. I was glad he made out fine.

"They wanted me to take a week off to get some rest," said Dad.

"Okay," I said. "I would like to spend a week with Mom, but I'll stay here with you in case something happens to you while I'm not here."

That night, Dad decided to order Chinese for dinner.

"Who would be here with you while I'm in school?" I asked.

"I'm sure I'd be fine on my own," said Dad.

"Are you sure?" I asked him.

"Positive," replied my father.

"Okay. Just making sure," I said.

I'd be worried no one would be here if he gets another heart attack.

"I also have some news to share with you. I'm going to date someone new soon," said Dad.

"Really? Who's your new girlfriend?" I asked.

"Miranda," said Dad.

"As in, Stephanie's mom?" I asked.

"Yes," said Dad.

"Wow," I said. "It must be nice you're getting back together again."

"It sure is," said Dad.

"Does Stephanie know?" I asked.

"Miranda plans to tell Stephanie tonight, too," said Dad.

"I bet she's going to be all excited about it," I said. "So, if you and Miranda decided to get married, does it mean Stephanie and I would be stepsisters?"

"That's right," answered Dad.

"Cool," I said.

Now, I liked that idea. I can't wait to see how Stephanie would take the excellent news.

After dinner, when Stephanie texted me about on what she learned, she was thrilled.

"Wouldn't that be awesome if you and I would become stepsisters?" asked Stephanie.

"Yeah," I replied. "But let's don't get our hopes up in case it didn't work out."

"You got a valid point," said Stephanie. "You and I have been best friends for a long time anyway."

"True," I agreed. "You and I would be seeing my mom every other weekend while we spend other weekends with your father together."

"Exactly," said Stephanie.

"We could keep this a secret for now until they get engaged," I said.

"Good idea," said Stephanie. "If Samuel is good at keeping secrets, he can be an exception."

"Yeah. We still could tell our girls if we wanted to, but they'll have to promise not to say anything," I said.

"I know," said Stephanie. "What about Eliza?"

"She's not good at keeping secrets. When we were growing up while I was still living in California and when I visited here to see her, each time I tell her my secrets, she'd spill it. So, I learned my lesson not to trust her with any of my secrets. I tried to teach not to do it because I always keep her secrets, which she's supposed to do with mine. The only time I had to spill the beans was when she was telling me she was going to date someone online. When she let me her messages one day, she was talking to a guy who is an adult. She begged me not to say anything, but I knew I shouldn't keep that promise, so I told Dad, who contracted Aunt Betty. She was glad I did the right thing. Eliza got in trouble and got grounded for a month without using the computer. Eliza got mad at first, but then she didn't realize I wanted to protect her from danger. I didn't want something happened bad to her. She could've got kidnapped and worse, killed," I explained.

"It's a good thing you did the right choice by protecting your cousin," said Stephanie.

"Yeah. Dad told me the same thing. At least he knows I watched out for her," I said. "Because I'd feel guilty if I didn't say anything right away."

"If that was you, she'd do the same thing," said Stephanie.

"Exactly. I never do anything that is dangerous anyway," I said. "I know how to keep myself safe, especially whenever I'm online. Dad never asked for my passwords because he trusts me. I have Facebook and all I do is talk with you girls, Samuel, and play games. I don't accept requests if I don't know that person."

"Yeah," said Stephanie.

After I talked to Stephanie, I emailed my girls and told them the news: Miranda and Dad are dating. When they asked who Miranda was, I told them she's Stephanie's mother and they couldn't believe that. They were thrilled because we could be sisters one day if they decided to get married. I told them not to say anything in case it didn't happen. They promised not to spill the beans. I texted Samuel about the secret and he said he's very good at keeping secrets and he promised not to tell anyone. I told him I didn't want Eliza to know yet and told him the reason. He didn't blame me to wait for a while.

After that, I was getting ready for bed. In the middle of the night, I heard a thud. I wondered that was Dad and sure enough, it was him when I got up. He must have collapsed. I went to call 911 and he got taken to the hospital. He had another heart attack. The doctor said it was a good thing I saved his life because if I didn't call 911, he would've been dead. The doctors are going to do an open heart surgery to prevent him from having any more heart attacks. They also going to put him on Aspirin and he would have to start taking it once a day when they release him in a few days. A doctor offered to take me back home so I can get some rest. I could stay with Mom while he's in the hospital.

The next day, at school, Stephanie and I talked about Dad.

"What are you going to do while he's in the hospital?" asked Stephanie.

"I might stay with Mom so I won't be alone," I said.

"Or you could be with you if you want," added Stephanie. "It would be a great way to practice to be roommates."

As you can see, she didn't say sisters, which was the smart thing to do.

"Okay. I could do that. It's closer to school," I replied.

"Yeah," said Stephanie. "You can still see your mom over the weekend though. I'd go with you."

"I plan on spend the weekend with her, depends on how Dad is feeling," I said.

"True. That would help him rest if he's told to do so," said Stephanie.

"What if he suffers another heart attack while I'm not home?" I asked. "He could die if happens while I'm with Mom.

"You're right to be concerned. You're never know how long your father would be hospitalized after the surgery," said Stephanie.

"Yeah. They'll probably keep him until whenever he's well enough," I said. "They're doing the open heart surgery today. Maybe I should go see him."

"That's a good idea to do," agreed Stephanie.

I went to see Dad two hours later. They already did the open heart surgery. They also said that his both arteries were blocked which caused them to have two heart attacks. They had to unblock them in the meantime. He's doing well so far.

"We just have to keep him the rest of the week so he can get rest. He'll need to take time from work for three extra weeks," said Dr. Morton, who is Dad's doctor and co-worker.

"Okay," I said. "I'll probably stay with a friend from school for now and spend the weekend with Mom. May I go see him now?"

"Sure. I'll take you to him," said the doctor.

That's what she did and Dad was already awake.

"Hi, Dad," I said as I sat near his side.

"Hi, honey, it's a good thing you heard me," said Dad.

"Yeah. I'm glad I got up right away," I said. "I knew if I didn't call 911, I would've lost you."

"I know," said Dad.

"Stephanie said I can stay with her during the week since her home is closer to school so we can practice to be roommates and I'll stay with Mom during the weekend. I'll do that until you get out of the hospital," I said.

"Okay. You can do it that way. I don't mind," said Dad.

After we talked, I left to go back to Stephanie's. Her mom waited for me. She wanted me to take my time and let me to be alone with Dad. She already knew I can stay with her and Stephanie. It's better than to be on my own at home. I told them I can still go home for the mail after school. They don't mind me doing on the way to Stephanie's.

 

11: Chapter 11

That night, Miranda cooked dinner. She was having chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. I can have all of those during my pregnancy.

"This is a good idea for me to be here so I can have company," I said.

"I agree with you," said Stephanie.

"We have a guest room you'll be staying while you're here," said Miranda. "Stephanie can show you after dinner."

"Okay," I said.

"Too bad my room is too small to have twin beds like your mom's otherwise we'd share it," said Stephanie.

"I know," I agreed. "That's okay, at least we can be roommates on weekends. I'm not worried about it."

"True," said Stephanie.

So far, this week, we did very well being together at her house. We had no issues. We both think we would be fine if we ever live together. It would be fun to be stepsisters. She's an only child like me.

"I bet if your dad and my mom get married, you'd have to move in with me and Mom, since you live in a two-bedroom house," said Stephanie.

"Me, too, although my room is big enough for twin beds. Let's wait and see what would happen first before they decide since they'll start dating soon," I said.

"Oh, yeah," said Stephanie as we giggled.

We were on our way to Mom's that Friday afternoon after school. Dad is set to be released from the hospital on Monday, so I'd see him when I get out of school that day. That's the few days before I turn 15. I'll be celebrating my birthday with Stephanie, Eliza, and Samuel anyway. We got plans to see a movie and have dinner.

"I heard Samuel wants to purpose you," said Stephanie.

"At our age?" I asked.

"Samuel claimed that's false," said Stephanie. "He said it's a rumor."

"I would say so, too," I said.

"Samuel had no plans to do that until after college if you both want to be together for the rest of your lives," said Stephanie.

"And, how would he pay a ring? We don't want to work yet. It's illegal to hire students under 16 in current places," I said.

"That's what he said, too," said Stephanie.

"I wonder how he heard that," I said.

"He wanted to know about that as well," said Stephanie.

When we got to Mom's, we went in. We agreed not to tell Mom yet about our parents dating until another time. We just figured she'd be upset.

"Do you plan to start decorate the room this weekend?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes," I replied. "Mom plans to take us out after she gets out of work in an hour."

"It's cool that you got a spare key for here to let us in ourselves," said Stephanie.

"Yeah," I said.

"Maybe we can go meet her at Dave and Buster's to make that easier for her," said Stephanie.

"Good idea," I said. "I'll text her to tell her that before leave."

I did and she replied saying we can do that, so Stephanie and I left for the mall.

When we got there, we walked around a bit until it was time to meet Mom. We told her we'll be in the food court when she gets out of work. She said we can eat in the food court then we can get the stuff we need to decorate. She doesn't have any paint for flower colors.

"We can go to the hardware store down the hall to buy paint," said Mom.

"Okay, sounds good," I said.

"Do you plan to change the comforters?" asked Mom.

"No, we like the comforters to be honest with you," I replied.

"Yes, we do," said Stephanie.

"But I might add some posters when the paint is dry," I said.

"Okay, that's fine," said Mom.

"I'll wait until tomorrow to add flowers," I continued.

"Alright. I don't mind," said Mom.

"We can buy a few posters on Sunday," said Stephanie.

"Good idea. It would give time for the paint to dry. It could take overnight," I said.

"That's true. Or we can buy them now ahead of time to be all set," suggested Mom.

"Either way works for us," I said.

After we ate, we got some paint and were able to get a couple of posters. I get to pick them. I'm a fan of pets, movies, and books. They were nice looking. Stephanie loved the posters that I choose. Mom liked them as well.

When we got back to her house, we put paint in the living room. I didn't want it in my room while I'm pregnant. I was afraid it would make me feel nauseous. Mom didn't blame me. We might take a few times when we paint to let me get some air.

"I have an ultrasound tomorrow, so maybe I'll go for it while you continue," I said.

"That's a good idea to do. What is that?" asked Stephanie.

"At 1:00 pm. It doesn't take long," I replied. "I'll try to continue helping when I get back."

"That's fine. If not, we'll let you relax," said Mom.

"We'll manage to finish it off," said Stephanie.

A few hours later, I was already in bed because I was tired.

The next day, I did blueprints to do some flowers until it was time for me to leave for my ultrasound appointment. It's odd to have that on a Saturday, but they have been doing that sometimes instead of during the week. At the ultrasound, I learned that I was having a girl. I'll keep that as a secret until I give birth. The doctor didn't want me to paint while I'm pregnant when I asked her about it.

"It could harm the baby," said the doctor.

"Okay. I figured I'd ask first. My mom and my friend would be doing that," I said.

After that was done, I went back to Mom.

"How did it go?" asked Mom.

"Good. The doctor wanted me to refrain from painting during pregnancy in case it harms the baby. I figured I'd ask before I do that while I was there," I said.

"That's okay. We already finished some anyway," said Mom.

When she showed, it was nice the way I had it on the blueprints.

"I like it," I said.

"Maybe if the paint is dry tonight, we'll put the posters on the wall," said Stephanie.

"Sounds like a good plan to me," I agreed.

"I put did a paint an initial on both twin beds. Like, I got R on one bed and S on the other one. It was my idea," said Stephanie.

"I like that idea since we're sharing that room when we visit here," I said.

"Your mom also liked the idea of that," said Stephanie.

"It's always good to come up with creative ideas," said Mom.

"I agree with you," I said. "While I was at the doctor's, I had a call that Dad's getting better and might be able to come home tomorrow."

"That's good," said Stephanie.

"Yeah," I said.

"Do you need to get back to my house to get your suitcase since you didn't need one here?" asked Stephanie.

"I'll get when I go back home sometime tomorrow," I said.

"Okay. No problem," said Stephanie.

The next day, Stephanie and I left Mom's house around 2:00 pm so I can get my suitcase before I went back to my house. Dad wasn't home yet. Stephanie's mom was getting him at the time. He came back home nearly 30 minutes later. He was put on Aspirin before he was released. It would help him prevent from having any more heart attacks. His boss already knows that he would be off from work for three more weeks to get some rest.

We had Chinese for dinner. Dad invited Miranda and Stephanie for supper so he can take it easy tonight. He's not allowed to drive this week. He had to wait until next Sunday.

"I can't believe your birthday would be in three days already," said Stephanie.

"I know. Time flies," I said.

"Any plans?" asked Miranda.

"Yes, hanging-out with Eliza, Stephanie, and Samuel. We're planning to see a movie and get dinner. I don't know where I want to go for dinner yet," I replied.

"And, one more year until you start getting your learner's permit," added Stephanie.

"That's true. I might want to do that for my birthday next week," I said.

"That's a good way to celebrate," said Miranda.

"Yeah," I said.

"When your father and I start dating this week, I'll do the driving until he can drive again. The doctor said he's allowed to leave the house as long as someone drives for him. They were concerned he could suffer a heart attack while driving and might cause a car accident, which is why they wanted him to wait until next Sunday to drive again," explained Miranda.

"That's a good idea to avoid the car crash," I said.

After dinner, Miranda and Stephanie stayed for a bit until it was time for them to go home.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow," I said.

"Bye. We had a fun time being together," said Stephanie.

"We sure did," I said.

Two hours later, my cell phone rang and I answered.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, Becky, it's Janet," said Janet.

"I knew it was you, I could hear your voice. What's going on?" I asked.

"It's Mary Jane. She doesn't have much time to live. The doctors suspected she has a few weeks," said Janet.

"Wow," I said. "I thought she was fighting to survive."

"She has been weak for that. She was no longer allowed to attend school for the time being," said Janet. "She's terrified. She doesn't want to die."

"I don't blame her," I said.

"Me either. Are you and Stephanie coming this weekend? Mary Jane wanted you both before she passes," said Janet.

"I'll talk to her about that tomorrow at school and I'll text you after school," I said.

"Okay," said Janet.

After we talked, I was in shock that I could lose Mary Jane any day. The next day, I told Stephanie and told her Mary Jane wanted to see us.

"It's my weekend to spend with Dad anyway, so it would be perfect for us to see Mary Jane," said Stephanie.

"Alright. I told Janet I'd text her after school," I said.

That's what I did after school ended for the day and she replied saying it would be a perfect timing for us to do.

Two days later, I got up when Dad said, "Here's my birthday girl."

I giggled and said, "Thanks, Dad."

He made a birthday breakfast for me. He did pancakes. He always did that on my birthday during the school week and go out for dinner every year on my birthday. That was neat. Since he can't drive until Sunday, at least I can enjoy my day with Eliza, Stephanie, and Samuel. We plan to do so after school. I'll just do homework when I get home from all that. At school, I felt my cell phone vibrate, but I don't answer while I'm in school. It would disturb the class. Vibrate is the best thing to do. It's probably a text message. If it's about Mary Jane, I'll wait until much later so I can focus on school and my birthday, I didn't want it to ruin.

At lunch, Stephanie probably suspected something was happening because she didn't tell me what was going on. She must have gotten a text message, but she waits until lunch to answer. I was at my locker and I meet her in the lunch room.

"Boy, I bet you and your boyfriend would get married one day," said a voice.

When I turned, it was one of my classmates and I got a feeling Frank was the one who started the rumor.

"Says who?" I asked.

"Me," said Frank.

"Um, did you forget how old we are?" I asked. "I don't think my father would want that at our age. Besides, Samuel and I just started out this past summer. That would've been too soon. I'm sure he prefers to wait until college to do so. Same with me. We're much too young to get married."

I shut my locker and went to join Samuel, who was waiting for me.

"I think I found out who started the rumor," I said.

"Who?" asked Samuel.

"Frank. I was at my locker when he mentioned it," I said as I told him what I said to Frank.

"Whoa, I wondered who started that," said Samuel.

"Doesn't he know that friends shouldn't spread lies or rumors?" I asked.

"I agree with you," said Samuel.

Then, after we grabbed our lunch, we went to sit with Stephanie. We told her who started the rumor the other day.

"What's gotten into your own friend?" asked Stephanie. "I think you shouldn't keep him as a friend because he's going to keep on doing things to you."

"I know. I'm thinking about that," said Samuel.

"My cell vibrated while I was in class. Whatever is it, it can wait so I can concentrate in school and enjoy my birthday," I said. "Or I might even wait until tomorrow."

"I don't blame you," said Samuel.

"I don't answer while I'm in school. I don't want it to disrupt the class while the teacher is giving the lessons. I didn't want to get in trouble," I added on.

"I agree," said Samuel.

"I always wait until lunch to check," said Stephanie.

"But you're not supposed to use your cell phone in school. You could get caught anytime, even when we're at lunch," I said. "It's against the school rules."

"Yeah, you don't want to be kept after school for a detention," added Samuel.

"I don't reply until after school though. I only read messages during lunch," said Stephanie.

"You can still get caught for breaking any rules in school," said Samuel. "The student handbook says so."

After lunch, Samuel got mad at Frank for spreading lies and said, "Don't you realize that we're only teenagers?"

"So?" asked Frank.

"What do you mean so?" asked Samuel. "Becky's father would not like that at all. My parents won't like that idea either. We rather wait until after college to get married if we know we want to be together forever. What happens if it didn't work out in the future? Marriage might not happen."

"But-," started Frank.

"No buts. As I thought about it, I think you and I should take a break from each other for the time being. If you keep it up, we're done with being friends. And, I mean it," interrupted Samuel. "You should think about what I said."

He walked away after that to get to class. He told me what he said to Frank and I agreed taking breaks from him would be the best thing to do.

"I also told him that if he keeps it up, we're done being with friends," added Samuel.

"Exactly," I agreed. "Stephanie got caught from using her cell phone. It happened when we left the lunchroom. I knew that was going to happen."

"Me, too. They'll probably either warn or keep her after school," said Samuel.

"Stephanie claimed it was something important," I said. "The principal didn't care what she said."

"Good thing we wait until after school ends for the day to check our phones," said Samuel. "We're trying to set a good example for the other students."

"I know," I said.

After school, I heard the principal gave Stephanie a warning. If she gets caught again, she'll be kept after school for a detention. I told the principal that I told her to wait until after school like Samuel and I do. He agreed with me she should've listened to me.

"When my cell phone vibrated, I didn't answer it. I pretended not to hear. Samuel and I are trying to teach the others not to answer. Even if it's important, I don't check it until later," I said. "I don't even wait until lunch."

"I give you and Samuel credit to wait until after school," said the principal.

We waited outside for Eliza. She was at her locker and we told her she can meet us outside after school. She came out ten minutes later. Then, we took off to the mall.

"We can check the times for the movies," I said.

At the mall, we checked the times for the movies. I picked the movie. It would start in an hour, so what we did was buy the ticket ahead of time and walked around for a while. We went back there ten minutes before the movie and went to sit. We had popcorn. The movie was very good. After that was over, we went to go eat dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which I picked as well. It's good to pick anything on your birthday.

"That movie was funny," said Eliza.

"I know," I said.

We just ordered our meals.

"I had fun time today," I said.

"What was the best part?" asked Stephanie.

"It's not over yet, so it would be hard to tell right now," I said.

"Oh, yeah, we'll just have to wait to see after dinner," said Stephanie.

We just giggled.

After we finished with dinner, I said, "I think everything's the best part of my birthday."

"I believe it," said Samuel.

"It's so hard to pick," I said.

"I agree with you," said Samuel.

"Me, too," said Eliza.

"It can be hard for anyone," said Stephanie.

"True," I agreed.

Then, we went back to my house where Miranda surprised me with a cake. She remembered my favorite one: chocolate cake with vanilla icing. We had so much fun that I didn't go to bed until 11:00 pm.

 

12: Chapter 12

The next day, when I got up, I received a text that got me upset: Mary Jane had died two days ago. Mrs. Coonts wanted to know why I didn't answer yesterday when she texted me. I explained that I'm not allowed to use my cell phone in school telling her I was trying to be a good example for the other students and wanted to enjoy my birthday. I didn't want it to spoil my day. She finally understood why. I couldn't believe that she passed on the day before my birthday.

I told my dad about it and he was shocked about the news. I told him that I explained why I didn't answer the text on that. I was glad that I didn't check it. I managed to focus in school. I told Stephanie during lunch.

"That's why her mother texted me," said Stephanie.

"But it still got you in trouble," I pointed out. "She understood why I didn't check my messages. I didn't want to be upset on my birthday."

"I don't blame you," said Stephanie.

Later, I learned the funeral is going to be this weekend in California. But I don't think I would go. It would upset me too much. After all, Mary Jane has been my long-time best friend. Sarah and Janet tried to convince me to go the funeral since they would be there, but I told them I'd be with Mom over the weekend. I told Stephanie that I didn't want to go California with her. I explained it would upset me even more. She understood and didn't blame me for that. I didn't even want to try the wake. I'd cry my eyes out in front of everyone. Dad told me he's planning to go there to support the Coonts.

"It's odd that Mary Jane would meet her birth folks in heaven," I said.

"That's true," agreed Dad.

"I already texted Mrs. Coonts to tell her that I'm not attending the funeral. I'll just

stay with Mom until you return. I rather do that than being at the funeral," I said.

"What did she say?" asked Dad.

"She was okay with it. She wished I would be there, but I mentioned it would bother me a lot," I replied.

"Do you want me bring back a mass card for you?" asked Dad.

"Sure," I replied. "Glad I got the memory book. It would help me remember all the times that we had. I would miss all that."

"I know, sweetie," said Dad.

"I'll let Mom know," I said.

I did and it was all set. She felt bad for me when I told her about my best friend's death.

A few days later, Dad packed his suitcase. The wake was tomorrow from 6:00 to 9:00 pm and the funeral is on Saturday morning at 10:00 am at Los Angeles funeral home. The burial would be at Holy Cross Mortuary. That's where Grandma Tricia is buried with Grandpa Luke.

"The flight is at 9:00 am on Sunday, so we'll be back in the late afternoon," said Dad.

"Okay," I said. "What time is the flight for California?"

"First thing in the morning, so Stephanie said she's not going to school. She figured it would be easier than waiting to catch a plane after school," replied Dad.

"That makes sense," I said.

What I like about having clothes at Mom's is that it saves me time. I'm starting to think about living with Mom full-time when the time comes, but I haven't thought about it. I'm still comfortable being with Dad. Visiting her is still good enough for me. I didn't say anything to either one of them. At school, Sam and I learned that Frank decided to join the crowd, which wasn't a good idea for him. Samuel tried to tell his friend that, but he thinks Samuel is 'jealous'.

"If they're mean to you, don't come crying to me," said Samuel.

"Yeah, bad groups do dump things," I added. "One of them wanted Stephanie to join back in California, but she declined it because she was afraid they would change her to be mean to people and lose her friends. I didn't blame her for doing the right away."

"That was smart thinking," commented Samuel. "So, you better not let them change you."

That was when Frank walked away.

"I got a feeling he won't last too long," I said.

"Me, too," said Samuel.

Later, Frank tells Samuel he was going to skip school on Monday.

"Why? Is it to hang-out with that wrong crowd?" asked Samuel.

"Yes, and you're not going to tell anyone about it," said Frank.

Luckily, Samuel walked away and reported that to the principal and he said, "He didn't want me to say anything, but I wasn't going promise him that."

"You did the right thing to come and tell me," said the principal.

"Don't tell him that I told you in case he flips out on me," said Samuel.

"No problem," said the principal.

An hour later, we heard Frank got in trouble for planning to skip school Monday. He was going to be kept after school for a detention today. That would teach him a lesson.

"I think I'm making up my mind and end that friendship with Frank," said Samuel.

"I don't blame you for that," I said.

"I'll tell him tomorrow or after school if I see him," said Samuel.

After school, Samuel had the guts to tell Frank that he wanted no longer to be friends with him. Samuel told me they had been friends since grade school and Frank was never like that before until now.

"I'm glad you did the right thing," I said. "I would do the same thing if any of my friends did that to me.

"I know you would," agreed Samuel.

We were heading out of school.

"I'm heading over to Mom's for the weekend. Dad was leaving to California first thing this morning. He told me that Stephanie decided to go with him instead of waiting for an afternoon flight, which is why she didn't come to school with us," I said.

"Did you need to pack for anything?" asked Samuel.

"No. I buy new clothes for Mom's house so I won't have to bother to pack an overnighter," I replied.

"That was a smart idea," commented Samuel.

"I know. I find that much easier for me. Plus, I left my other suitcase in case Mom goes on vacation and if she decided to invite to with her," I continued.

"That makes sense," said Samuel.

"Dad thinks so, too," I said.

When Samuel got to his house, I decided to check the mail for Dad and I brought it in on the way to Mom's. We get the mail in an early afternoon, usually when I get home from school. When I got Mom's, I did my homework while she was at work. After that, I watched some TV. She gets out of work at 5:00 pm every day. She doesn't work Saturdays or Sundays, just Monday through Friday. I plan to meet her at work so we can go out for dinner. It's easier for the both of us.

At 4:00 pm, I left to get to the mall and met Mom. She meets me in the food court. I didn't wait for long when she got out of work. We went to Friendly's for supper. After that, we rented a movie and got some popcorn before going back to her house. We rented Titanic. I like that movie. I've seen it while I lived in California. Sarah has that movie, so we'd watch it during any sleepover parties at one of our houses. We would take turns to select different movies. We'd pick one of the names of a hat and that person picks a movie. It was actually Mary Jane's idea when we first had sleepovers. Stephanie liked that idea, too. We figured that was a fair way to take turns. We included the other girls when we first met them. There's one thing we don't change: food since we like to have pizza for our sleepovers like I mentioned before. I miss those moments in California.

At home, we watched the movie. It's a sad one since the ship sank at the end after it hit an iceberg. It took Titanic about an hour or two to sink so it would give enough time for the others to get into the lifeboats. I still enjoy that movie. It was a true story and that happened in 1912. I did a book report on it for English one year in middle school and had an A+. I could say that was my favorite project. Between you and me, I always get all As on every project. It's never been lower than that. When I need an advice, Dad would always give me great ideas on what to use for every project.

After the movie ended at 10:00 pm, I went to bed.

The next day, I had the nausea feeling, so I didn't eat anything. I took it slow. I didn't feel like going out right away because I'd be afraid to get sick anywhere, especially in the car. Mom understood. It didn't go away until later that afternoon. I didn't hear my phone vibrated while I was resting for the day. It was probably Dad, but I'll read the text later. I didn't read the text until that after evening. Sure enough, it was Dad saying the funeral went very well. They had a branch at a church that the Coonts attend. I replied I didn't get the text right away because I was nauseous and that I was resting all day. He understood and didn't mind about that. I added that Samuel ended a friendship with Frank yesterday and the reason. He didn't blame Samuel for doing and says Samuel was smart enough an adult for what Frank was going to do. I agreed with Dad.

In the middle of the night, I was getting thirsty, so I got up to get a drink of water. In the meantime, I was getting back pains. What else is new? Thank god I got the heating pad with me in case I needed that. When I got back to bed, I put the pad on my back. It helps me sleep better for the rest of the night. Mom knows about it, so she bought one for me in case it happens at her house. It got better the following day.

Dad texted me saying he just got on the plane and would be home later this afternoon. Mom and I were shopping for more clothes.

"Brenda's daughter, Melissa, is getting married in two weeks and invited me to her wedding. I asked her if I can bring a guest and she said yes, so I told her I'd bring. She remembers you. The wedding is going to be in Freeport, Bahamas. She always dreamed to be married there. Her daughter plans to stay there for the honeymoon," said Mom.

"Okay," I said. "I remember Melissa used to baby-sit for me while you and Dad were at work."

"That's right," said Mom.

"In fact, she always baby-sits while my friends and I have sleepovers in California until we got old enough to be on our own when we were 12," I said. "The last time I saw her was before I moved here. She almost cried when I told her that. I bet she can't wait to see me again."

"Yes," replied Mom. "Brenda's mother is going, too."

"Aunt Kathy just turned 71 a month before I left there. Dad and I went to her birthday party," I said. "She looked very good for her age."

"Melissa's fiancée, Bill, is very good to her," said Mom. "Bill is her best friend's brother and is very excited to be her sister-in-law."

"Wow," I said.

I bought a green dress with a few dots on it. Mom got herself a blue shirt with a black skirt.

"I don't think I can wear high shoes during pregnancy. What if I fell with high shoes? I'm worried it could harm the baby. I think I should get flats to be on the safe side," I said.

"That would be a good idea to do," said Mom.

I found green flats and it would be a good match for the dress. After that, we went to have lunch in Newport. Then, Dad texted me saying the plane just landed in Providence. I told him I was having lunch with Mom. She offered to bring me home after that. He was fine with that when I told him.

"I'll keep the dress at my house until we leave for Bahamas," said Mom.

"Okay," I said.

After lunch, Mom dropped me off at Dad's on her way home. I thanked her and went in. Dad was already home. He was unpacking.

"Miranda picked us up at the airport," said Dad.

"That's good," I said. "Mom took me shopping because Melissa is getting married in two weeks. She was letting Mom to bring me."

"Good for her," said Dad.

"She plans to have a wedding in Bahamas," I said. "I got a green dress and flats. I decided to buy flats instead of high shoes. I'm afraid it could harm the child if I fell with them. Mom agreed to do that."

"I don't blame you for that either," said Dad.

That night, Samuel called me and said, "Frank killed himself late last night."

"What? Isn't that a dumb thing to do?" I asked.

"Yes. According to the note, Frank did it because he was 'depressed'. I told his mom on why I had to drop that friendship with him and she believed me for those reasons. She already learned on what Frank planned to do tomorrow. She was glad I told the principal instead of waiting," said Samuel. "She couldn't believe how much Frank has changed and she said I was right to do what I had to do."

"I agree with her," I said. "You didn't have a choice but to do so. Frank should've thought about that before."

"I know," said Samuel. "I'm mad for what he did. I told his mom there is no way I'll attend his funeral services. She doesn't blame me for refusing to do that. He was going to be cremated anyway. Luckily, there will be no services. Once his ashes arrive at his house, they would be spread at the beach."

"Good. You didn't have to worry about that part," I said.

"I know," said Samuel. "I believed his father's death caused to his bad behavior. It just happened two weeks before you moved here."

"Does he ever admitted that?" I asked.

"No. No one knew about it," said Samuel. "His father did the same thing that Frank."

"He killed himself, too?" I asked.

"Yes, it happened to be an accidental overdose," said Samuel. "I went to that funeral and Frank didn't get why he did that. His parents got divorced about 2½ years ago and I think his father took it the hardest."

"Wow," I said. "He was depressed that long enough to do that to himself?"

"Yep," said Samuel. "Frank didn't know about and he wished he should've saved his father. We tried to help him out and told him that's not his fault. His mother had no idea either."

"That's a shame," I said.

"Yeah. But that's not an excuse to act that way," Samuel pointed out.

"I agree with you," I said. "He should've asked for help when he needed the most."

"I asked his mother if that was the reason and she thinks that's what triggered his behavior, but she doesn't think he ever brought that up," said Samuel.

"He should've," I said.

"I know. I didn't think of that until now. If he did mention that to me, I would've told his mother right away so she can help him," said Samuel.

"I know. I remembered when I helped Mary Jane one time. Her cat, Kiki, got hit by a car and was killed. She got so depressed that she told me she wanted to kill herself to join her cat. She didn't want me to say anything, I told the others that we shouldn't let that happen. They agreed with me. I didn't know what to do, so I told Dad, who wanted me to inform her parents right away. They were glad that I told them. Mary Jane was glad I helped her out. I told her that's what best friends do. She thanked me," I explained.

"You were smart to save a friend's life," said Samuel.

"Yes. I felt good about it because if it wasn't for me, she would've killed herself," I said.

"I agree," said Samuel.

"I knew that you should never keep those dangerous secrets. That's what I learned. The only time you can tell a secret if a friend is in danger, like you did the other day, to an adult that you trust," I added.

"I learned on that, too," said Samuel.

"I didn't even learn about that number one rule if someone says they plan to kill him or herself, never stay silent. I just knew it right away," I said. "But like you said, you didn't know that was going to happen to Frank while he didn't know his own father planned it."

After we finished talking, I went to Dad and said, "Samuel was just telling me some news: Frank killed himself last night."

"What a horrible thing to do," said Dad.

"I know. He said that his mother saw the note saying he was depressed. Samuel explained the reason to Frank's mom and she didn't get mad about that. She couldn't believe that Frank changed so much. Samuel thinks his father's death caused it that way. He told me his parents got divorced about 2½ years ago. Ever since, his father was so heartbroken that he did the thing that Frank just two weeks before you and I moved here. He didn't know his father was going to kill himself," I explained. "Samuel didn't know that was the reason since Frank never mentioned why he acted so badly. He also that's not an excuse for that behavior. I agreed with him."

"Me, too," said Dad.

"I explained on how I saved Mary Jane's life when she wanted to take her own life," I said. "I added I knew if it wasn't for me, she would've killed herself right off the bat."

"I remember that. I gave you credit for that," said Dad.

"He said I was smart to do so," I said. "I still felt proud for what I did to save my best friend's life. Samuel didn't know Frank was going to do that. He wished he should've told him that problem and he could've told his mom. He said Frank used to tell him about his issues all the time. Samuel did the same thing when he had his own problem."

"I bet," said Dad. "That's unusual for Frank for not talking about any of his issues anymore."

"I agree," I said.

Two days later, Frank was already cremated and his ashes arrived at his house. Samuel invited me to go to the beach so we can spread the ashes in the ocean. I didn't mind going. That's what we did. It didn't take too long. Samuel didn't have any emotions since he was angry Frank has been changed and what he did to himself.

"Did those boys dared him to do so?" I asked. "I just thought about that."

"That's what I'm thinking, too," replied Samuel.

"If it was, it's a stupid thing to take the dare," I said. "If that was me to be dared to do so, I'd say no right away and walk away. If they didn't like, too bad."

"I know," said Samuel. "I would've talked to my mom if that happened to me, too."

When I asked Frank's mom that, she was wondering about that as well.

"I'll let you know when I found out more," I said. "I doubt he would do while he was depressed. He should know what he has been doing to Samuel is wrong. He doesn't seem to care."

The next day, at school, I heard one of the boys did dare Frank to kill himself. He must have told them about it. I couldn't believe on what I found out. I mentioned it to Samuel before I went to the principal right away and told him what I found out on why Frank took his own life.

"I had a feeling about that part. I bet he told them what he was going to do that. If that was the case, why didn't they tell an adult right away? They should never keep that silent," I said.

"I agree with you," said the principal.

"That's why Samuel tried to stop Frank going near those troublemakers, but he went for it anyway," I said.

Later, those boys got in big trouble for what they did. They all got suspended for a week. Another witness found out Frank told them about taking his own life and that was when they dared him to do that.

"You shouldn't let anyone do that," said the principal. "You don't dare someone to do so either."

 

13: Chapter 13

Two weeks later, I went to Mom's house on Wednesday after school because we're leaving tomorrow morning since the wedding is Friday and we're coming back Sunday. I told my teachers I won't be in school tomorrow or Friday. They gave me homework to do in Bahamas. Dad already knew about it. When I got to her house, I packed my suitcase before I did homework. I figured I'd do it now so I wouldn't have to do all that in Bahamas. If it's not done tonight, I can always finish it there. Mom ordered Chinese for dinner, so I took a break from homework after it came.

"I decided to do most of my homework now to be all set. I'll go back to that after dinner," I said.

"That would be a good idea to do," said Mom.

"If I'm not done, I can bring it with me to Bahamas. I can always do it on the plane to pass the time away," I said.

"Okay," said Mom.

After dinner, she excused me from doing the table so I can continue to do my homework. Luckily, I did all of it before 9:00 pm. I was already in my nightgown at the time. We have a test on Monday, but I can study in Bahamas.

"I'm already done. All I have left now is study for a math test on Monday. That's all the only test I have anyway," I said. "I told them I'd be back in time for the test. Where are we flying out of tomorrow?"

"TFG Airport. They have flights for Bahamas," replied my mom.

"Okay. What time?" I asked her.

"The flight is at 7:00 am. It's a good thing we don't have too far to go, so we'd be at the airport for about 6:00 am. We have to get up between 5:00 and 5:30 pm. We're taking a taxi, it'll arrive at 5:45 am," said Mom.

We went to bed at 9:30 pm. Mom said it would be the best way to get up early.

The next day, we were already at the airport at 6:00 am. We checked in and we went to the gates to wait for out for flight. We already had breakfast before that. The plane arrived at 6:30 am and after everyone got off it, we went on. Mom and I were in row A, so we were the first ones on, which is good.

Thirty minutes later, the plane took off to Bahamas. I was too tired to study on the plane, so I'll wait until later. We had lunch on the plane at 11:00 am. An hour later, we arrived in Freeport, Bahamas. We went to the hotel where the wedding was going to be.

"A lot of them already came yesterday. Melissa and Bill came the day before yesterday," said Mom.

"Already?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Mom.

"Wow," I said.

Bahamas was a beautiful place. I liked it. The hotel was huge. Mom and I were on the second floor. It was also a suite with two rooms, which is nice. We had a nice view on the balcony. I could see the beach from our room.

"This is so cool to see the beach from here," I said.

"I know," said Mom.

"I would love to spend here during the summer. That would be so much fun," I said.

"Maybe we can do that when school ends for the summer," said Mom.

"We should wait until after the baby is born first. I'm due on June 12th, so adoption agency would alert the adopted couple when the baby is ready to arrive," I said.

"That's fine," said Mom.

I texted Dad and told him about everything in Bahamas including how beautiful is it. I had no idea about the time difference between here and Providence. That's why I decided to text him in case he's either in bed or at work. Mom thinks that was a smart idea, too. I texted him the pictures of the city. He told me he went there four times for his class trip back in California while he was in high school. He had a fun time. He stayed at the same hotel where Mom and I are at every time. His classmates enjoy that hotel.

That night, we had dinner. This restaurant is right at the hotel, which was a nice idea, so that you don't have to leave there. We enjoyed it. After dinner, we walked around the city for a bit since this is my first visit here. This would be Mom's first time being here, too, actually. We liked the place very much. We spent most of the time there. We had so much fun that we didn't go to bed until midnight.

The next day, Mom and I got up at 10:00 am. The wedding is scheduled for this afternoon at around 3:00 pm. We had lunch at the buffet at noon. We started getting ready by 1:00 pm. We figured it would be the best bet. We were all set before 2:00 pm. Then, we started going down to get seats early. A lot of people sat down by between 2:30 and 2:45 pm. The wedding was beautiful when it started at 3:00 pm. It didn't last too long. Melissa was pretty in her wedding dress with curly hair. Bill was handsome in his tux. After that was over, the reception was in the buffet.

We had a lot of good food. I wanted to sit with Melissa. She was very glad to see me.

"I miss not seeing you," said Melissa.

"I know," I said. "I'm pregnant, but I'm giving it up for adoption. I found a couple already."

"Where does this couple live?" asked Melissa.

"Not far where I live. I have a few reasons. First of all, Dad works the last shift: 11:00 pm to 7:00 am or a double shift if he's needed. He could be too tired to baby-sit and he likes to sleep for a few hours. Second, we live in a two-bedroom house now. There is no way I could raise a child. I just turned 15. My boyfriend and I just started dating. We're too young to be parents. I get good grades. I want to go to college after high school. We're also too young to know if we want to be together forever. Dad is very supportive with my decision," I said.

"That's good to know and it's good that you think about stuff like that," said Melissa.

"I agree. I'm due in June. This couple adopted a little girl and is ready to adopt another child. I already met them and they were very nice. That's how I knew they were the right ones to adopt my child," I said. "I don't regret my choice. I don't believe in abortion. I'd be uncomfortable to get that done."

"I don't blame you," said Melissa.

We had fun talking to each other, catching up. Then, I remembered something: Melissa also gave up her child for adoption while she was in high school. She didn't date Bill yet. She and her first boyfriend broke up before she found out she was pregnant. She wasn't ready to raise a baby on her own at all. Her parents were working. She was active in after school activities. Like I said before, she baby-sat for me a lot and she didn't have the time to raise a child. She liked to baby-sit for me. She told me Bill, who was getting his food, didn't know about the adoption and asked me not to tell him at this time to enjoy their wedding day.

"I'll tell Bill when the time is right," said Melissa.

"No problem," I said. "The child must be about 8 by now. I was six or seven when you did that choice. I remember all that."

"You got it right," said Melissa.

We talk about everything, we share secrets, and stuff. We were always close. Then, when we saw Bill coming, we switched to a different subject so he won't know what we talked about. The reception ended late and we went back to the hotel.

"Melissa told me she wants to hang-out with me tomorrow since we're not leaving until Sunday. Is that alright? She wanted to catch up. We haven't seen each other since before I left California," I said.

"Sure," said Mom.

The next day, Melissa and I did everything together. Bill already knows that Melissa just wanted to be me and her. He didn't mind. We had a great day. We did some shopping. We had lunch. We didn't go back to the hotel until almost dinner time.

"What time you're leaving tomorrow?" asked Melissa.

"The flight is at 9:00 am, so we'd back home in Providence in an early afternoon since it takes five hours," I replied.

"How do you like Providence?" asked Melissa.

"I like it," I answered. "Eliza and I get together often. And, Stephanie moved there after I did."

"Wow," said Melissa.

"Yeah," I said.

Later, Mom and I got ready to leave in the morning. I couldn't wait to come back here in the summer time. We went to bed by 10:00 pm. The next day, we were ready and left for the airport. Our plane wasn't there yet. It came at 8:30 am. It left on time. We were back home by 2:00 pm. The taxi took me home. I had my homework in my suitcase. I thanked Mom for everything and I went in.

"Hi, how was Bahamas?" asked Dad.

"Fun. Melissa and I talked a lot on her wedding day and we hung-out yesterday to catch up. It felt good," I said.

"That's good," said Dad.

"I know. I liked being there. Melissa and Bill are staying there for their honeymoon for two weeks," I said.

"I have some news to share with you. You're going to have a new stepmom and stepsister," said Dad.

"You mean you proposed to Miranda?" I asked.

"Yes," said Dad.

"Wow," I said. "Already? Didn't you both just started dating?"

"Yes, but we knew we were ready to take the next step," said Dad.

"Cool. How are we going to live here together?" I asked.

"Well. We'll talk about that when the time gets closer," said Dad. "Miranda would like to move in with us in her old childhood home. Your room is big enough to share with Stephanie. We can add an extra bed in your room. It makes sense."

"That's true. Does Stephanie know?" I asked.

"Not yet. I wanted to wait until you return and Miranda agreed," said Dad.

"May I tell Stephanie?" I asked him.

"Of course," answered Dad.

When I did, she was thrilled. Then, she told me her mom thinks moving with me and Dad would be fun to be in her mom's childhood home. I agreed.

"This is going to be so cool," said Stephanie.

"I know," I said. "Glad we waited until this happened."

"I agree with you," said Stephanie.

The next day, I passed in my homework, had the test done, and had an A+. Stephanie and I told Samuel and Eliza.

"Wow," said Eliza.

"I was surprised when Dad told me that when I came back from Bahamas," I said.

"It's cool that you're having a stepsister," said Samuel.

"Yeah. We have been best friends for a long time," I said.

Later, I found out Dad and Miranda decided to get married in February. They didn't say which date yet.

"We would like to be our bridesmaid," said Miranda.

"Count us in," I said.

"Yeah," said Stephanie.

We couldn't believe they wanted to get married so soon, but we didn't care. We couldn't wait to be stepsisters.

 

14: Chapter 14

A month later, Dad and I decided to invite Miranda and Stephanie over for Thanksgiving and they both accepted our invitation. We added another bed in my room last week. I don't think Stephanie and I will have an issue to share a room. We'd do just fine. Stephanie didn't know we added a new bed in my room. I didn't tell her we're going to share one anyway although she knows we live in a two-bedroom house. Also, we would be seeing Mom every other weekend and see her dad together every other weekend together. That would be fun.

At school, I said, "I can't wait for having Thanksgiving lunch together."

"Same here," said Stephanie.

"I have something to show you when you come over after school," I said.

We had plans to spend the afternoon at my house.

"Okay," said Stephanie.

"What is it?" asked Samuel.

"It's a surprise I'm not going to tell her until later," I said.

"That's right. If she did tell me, it wouldn't be a surprise. It would be spoiled," said Stephanie as we giggled.

After school, I was getting tired. I've been like that lately for the past two weeks. I had no idea what it is.

"Do you want me over another time because you look a little tired?" asked Stephanie.

"That's okay. You still can come over so I can stay awake," I replied.

"Are you sure?" asked Stephanie as I nodded.

When we got to my house, I showed her something new in my room.

"Oh, cool. You have another bed," said Stephanie.

"Yeah. Remember how this is a two-bedroom?" I asked as she nodded. "We'll be sharing this room. I hope you're okay with that. We have no other rooms."

"I don't mind. We share mine when you sleepover at my house," said Stephanie.

"I didn't want to tell you because I wanted this to be a secret until I get an extra bed," I said.

"I understand," said Stephanie.

"Dad told me he had a meeting and then, we'll be going out, but I might be too tired to do that," I said.

"I believe it," said Stephanie.

Twenty minutes later, Stephanie left before Dad came home from the meeting. He knows how tired I am and he's getting concerned about it.

"We can go out shortly," said Dad.

"I don't think I will. I'm just tired," I said.

"I told your doctor and she said she'd have you checked," said Dad.

"Oh, good," I said. "I don't know why I'm so tired."

Later, at the doctor's, I had my blood drawn.

"The blood results will be in a few days," said the doctor.

"Okay," I said.

"In the meantime, I want you to stay home from school so you can get some rest," instructed Dr. Duarte.

"Sounds good. I don't want to fall asleep in class," I said.

I was glad that I got checked on. I didn't want to feel tired anymore. I went home. I didn't feel like going anywhere else. Dad was fine with that. When I got home, I was lying on my bed. I even went to bed early.

Two days later, Dad had a phone call.

"Becky has mononucleosis. That's why she was tired for two weeks," said Dr. Duarte. "Good thing you took her in early."

"I know. What should I do about that?" asked Dad.

"The bed rest is the only cure. It could last one month or two," said the doctor.

"Okay," said Dad. "I'll call the school when we're done."

"And, it's better off for her to wait until she goes back to school to do homework or classwork because she gets too much, she might not want to do any of it," added Dr. Duarte.

"That would be a good idea to do," said Dad.

After they talked, Dad called the school and talked to the principal, who didn't blame my doctor for wanting me to wait until I return to do everything. After that, he wanted to talk to me, but I was sleeping. He decided to let me sleep. He would probably tell me later when I'm awake.

Later, I was getting orange juice when Dad saw me.

"Your doctor called earlier while you were sleeping," said Dad.

"What did she say to you?" I asked.

"You have mononucleosis, which caused you to be tired," replied Dad.

"I've heard of it before," I said. "I'm glad I saw her early."

"She said the same thing. She said the only way for you to get better is to stay in bed," said Dad.

"Okay. For how long?" I asked.

"It may take a month or two. I called the school. Also, the doctor prefers you to wait until you get back to school to do any class or homework in case you get too tired to do so if you get too much of it and the principal didn't blame your doctor on that," said Dad.

"I don't either," I said. "It would give me time to recover. The only question is that would Miranda and Stephanie be allowed to come for Thanksgiving or should I see how I feel first because would that be catchy?"

"You can see how you feel first. You're right if you don't want to take a risk to give it to one of them. If not, we can make up for it on Christmas," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

Later, I called Stephanie while I was in bed and she answered. She wondered how I was doing.

"I have mononucleosis. I'm glad Dad brought me to see my doctor," I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

"We don't know if you and your mom still could come over Thanksgiving. It could take a month or two for me to recover. Dad said I can see how I feel first," I said. "I'll let you know when time comes."

"Okay, if not, don't worry about it," said Stephanie.

"I was afraid one of you could catch it from me," I said.

"You have a good point," said Stephanie.

Two weeks later and a few days before Thanksgiving, I still had mono. Dad had to cancel Miranda and Stephanie to let me rest in case they get it from me. My recovery was slower than I expected. Miranda understood.

"We can make up for it during Christmastime," said Miranda.

"I agree. That's what I said as well," said Dad. "I won't bother with turkey."

"I don't blame you," said Miranda.

"I'll let her eat soup in bed. I've been letting her to do so," said Dad.

A few days later, I was too tired to get out of bed.

"Happy Thanksgiving," said Dad. "Do you want soup in bed?"

"Sure. I can't wait to get better. I don't like being cooped up in the house," I said.

"I know," said Dad.

"Being sick on Thanksgiving is not a way for me to enjoy the holiday," I added.

"That's true," said Dad.

"If I was better in time, we still would've have Miranda and Stephanie over today. I hope I get better before Christmas," I said.

"I'm sure you will, honey," said Dad. "You're due to see Dr. Duarte tomorrow morning."

"Oh, good. At least I can finally leave the house," I said.

I was glad to hear that. I'm serious. I started to hate to being in the house all this time. Don't me wrong, I don't being home instead of falling asleep in school, but I want to get better by now. At noon, I had soup and orange juice.

The next day, Dad and I left the house for my doctor's appointment, which was at 9:30 am. We were the first ones to be seen.

"It seems that your recovery is slow than I expected," said Dr. Duarte, who was looking at me.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get better. I'm starting to hate being cooped up in the house," I said.

"I don't blame you. But I'm sure you will get better soon," said Dr. Duarte.

"At this rate, I won't get better until December," I said.

"You're probably right on that," said the doctor.

"I hope I'd get better for Christmas," I said. "We had to cancel Miranda and Stephanie a few days ago in case mono could be catchy."

"That was a smart thing to dos," said Dr. Duarte.

"That's why I hope I'd be better by the holidays because we decided to make up for it," I said.

"You'll never know," said Dr. Duarte. "Sometimes mono takes a long time to recover. You might even still have it next month."

"What?" I asked in a surprised tone. "I might miss January?"

"Possibly. We'll see how it goes first," said the doctor. "If you're not better by Christmas, you might not able to have anyone over at all. Also, I don't want you to get too excited when you open gifts, especially any excitement could cause a relapse, which means you may get sick again if you overdo it."

"Would I get better before Dad's wedding? I'm due to be a bridesmaid with Stephanie," I said.

"You should be. When is that?" asked the doctor.

"Sometime in February," replied Dad.

"You'll have time to get better before that," said the doctor.

"Oh, good," I said. "I didn't want to miss that special day."

I remembered something else: Mom had mono herself before she left me and Dad. I'd be the second person to have that. Dad would take me places while we let Mom sleep. That was a big help. She had that for two months. She had to miss work during that time. Her boss was nice enough to let that happen: she would get paid sick time. That was luck.

After the doctor's appointment, we headed back home.

"At least I'd get better in time for the wedding. That's all I care about," I said.

"That's true," said Dad.

"Didn't Mom had mono for two months?" I asked.

"Yes, I remember telling you that," said Dad.

"I bet that could happen to me," I said. "I don't want to be sick for any holidays at all."

"I don't blame you," said Dad.

"I pray that I do get better before Christmas," I said. "At least Mom knew I couldn't visit her because of mono. She also mono remembered having that herself."

At home, I was on the couch.

"I'm glad mono won't harm the baby," I said. "That's all I care about as well."

"I know," said Dad.

Two hours later, I was feeling nauseous. I felt better after I had some water. That night, I had some orange juice. I had soup again.

Two weeks later, I started to feel better, but I still felt tired. Of course, I still had mono. Luckily, Christmas is only two weeks away. Dad started with the tree. I wanted to help him out, but he wanted me to relax. He didn't want me to get exhausted from doing any decorating. He did other decorations as well. He didn't seem to mind to do it on his own since I had no choice. And, I'm used to help him with that every year. Decorating the house for Christmas is my favorite part of the year. But that's okay: there's always next year when I help out.

What I'm terrified the most is that I'd miss Eliza's birthday. I can send her a birthday card along with a Christmas card. So, I'm not worried about that part. Two weeks later, I still couldn't have anyone over. I still haven't recovered from mono. We couldn't have Miranda and Stephanie again, so that was a bummer. I just hate it when that had to happen again. I wanted to get better as soon as possible. It would be nice if I recover during Christmas Vacation.

I spent the whole day in bed on Christmas Eve. I was getting bored. There was nothing else to do at all. At least I can open presents tomorrow. I already sent Eliza her cards yesterday- thankfully. I was glad about that. She already texted me saying she loved the cards. She knew about mono, so she understood that I couldn't leave the house or do anything.

The next day, I was able to get out of bed and opened all of my gifts. I was being careful not to get too excited to avoid being exhausted even more. I felt good to be out of bed although I've been on the couch off and on. Dad and I had chicken pot pies for our Christmas lunch. I was glad I had an appetite this time. We had it in the living room on the couch.

"I'm glad I was able to open my gifts," I said.

"I bet," said Dad.

A week later, I finally recovered from in time for school! I was glad about that. Dr. Duarte had to make sure of that and luckily, I was cleared to go back for school Monday. After we left, I was happy.

"I'm glad I can finally get back to school after all this time," I said.

"I believe it," said Dad.

"I'll wait until next weekend to be with Mom," I said.

"That would be the best thing to do," agreed Dad.

"I'll just let her know," I said.

That's what she did and she replied by saying it was fine by her. At least I was able to let her know ahead of time. The weekend was almost over anyway- it's only Saturday and there is no point to spend one night with Mom, which is why I decided to wait until next weekend to do so.

 

15: Chapter 15

On Monday, I was back in school. It felt great to be there to be honest with you. I made up for everything that I missed all the time. I did some of it during class time. My teachers told me I can bring any tests home with me. I only missed about five or six tests. That's not bad. They gave me all of the assignments and tests. Once I finished the missed school work, I was caught. I was saving homework assignments for homework so I won't get tired from it. None of my teachers blamed me for doing it that way.

At lunch, I got called down to the principal's office.

"Yes, sir?" I asked.

"This is Mr. Lynch," said the principal.

"Hello," I said shaking his hand. "I'm Rebecca."

"He has a daughter named Lily Anne starting here tomorrow," said the principal.

"Okay," I said.

"You get to show her around, bring her to classes, and introduce her to the teachers. She'll be in your classes," said the principal. "She's your age."

"Okay, great," I said.

"I'll see you here first thing tomorrow when you get here," said the principal.

"Yes, sir," I said.

"I'll see you then," said the principal.

"Okay, bye," I said as I left the office to lead for lunch.

"What did he needed you for?" asked Eliza while we were in line.

"I'm going to show a new student around tomorrow. Her name is Lily Anne Lynch," I said. "I'll bring her to our classes and introduce her to the teachers and show her around."

"Wow," said Stephanie.

"Yeah, the principal wants me in his office first thing tomorrow when I get here," I said.

"That's really cool," said Samuel.

"I know," I said. "At least I'm back in time."

"That's true," said Samuel.

After lunch, we were in English.

"I would you like to write a report on who do you inspire and you can tell us why," said the teacher. "You can choose any person in your life like a friend, family member, or anyone else. I'll give you the guidelines on the report and you'll have until the end of the month to do it."

I would choose Mary Jane. That's an easy thing to do. She gave us the guidelines about what we need to do on the writing assignment. I'll do the report after I do my homework and the tests. After school, Stephanie and I kept talking about next month.

"I can't wait for that moment to come," I said.

"Me, either," said Stephanie.

"My English class is doing a report based on who we inspire like anyone in our lives like a friend or family member," I said.

"That's cool. Who are you doing it on?" asked Stephanie.

"Mary Jane," I replied.

"She'd like that very much," said Stephanie.

"I know she would," I agreed.

At home, I was doing my homework that I missed. Then, I did the tests.

"Are you ready to go out for dinner? Miranda and Stephanie are joining us," said Dad.

"Yes," I replied.

At least I can take a break from it.

"We'll leave in a few minutes. Miranda said we can pick them up," said Dad.

"Okay, sounds good," I said.

That's what we did. We had a great time. We ate at Cheesecake Factory. It was very good. After dinner, we dropped them off at home and we went back home.

"I'm doing a writer assignment on who we inspire in our lives: a family member or a friend," I said.

"That's good," said Dad.

"I'm going to write up on Mary Jane," I said. "I want to keep her alive."

"That's a nice idea," said Dad.

"I know," I said. "I'm thrilled to do it."

When we got home, I finished the tests. I put everything in my folder. Then, I started doing my report. I decided to add a picture of Mary Jane as a book cover. That's what we're allowed to do for extra credit. I found a picture of her on Facebook, so I copied and pasted it on the word pad. I did a little bit until I went to bed at between 10:00 and 10:30 pm.

The next day, I went to the principal's office just like he wanted me to.

"Lily Ann will be here with her father shortly," said the principal.

"Okay," I said.

"I already told your teacher you might be running late with a reason, so he already knows about it," said the principal.

That was when she and her father came.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Mello. I'm the principal here," said Mr. Mello.

"Hi," said Lily Anne, who was a bit shy.

"And, this is Rebecca, she'll be bringing you to the classrooms and meet your new teachers," said Mr. Mello. "She'll be showing you around."

"Okay," said Lily Anne.

"I'll print out your schedule," said Mr. Mello.

"Alright," said Lily Anne.

That's what he did.

"Have a great day on your first day here," said Mr. Lynch.

"I will. Bye, Dad," said Lily Anne.

"Bye, honey," said Mr. Lynch.

"Here's your schedule and you have the same classes as Rebecca," said Mr. Mello.

"Thanks," said Lily Anne.

Then, we left.

"So, did you live around here?" I asked.

"I just moved here during Christmas Vacation. I'm from California," said Lily Anne.

"No kidding. I came from there, too. I came over the summer," I said.

"Really? What part? I lived in San Francisco," said Lily Anne.

"I was from Los Angeles," I replied.

"Wow," said Lily Anne. "I was born there. We moved to San Francisco when I was about five months."

"That was interesting to know," I said.

"My mom died in a car crash a few months before Dad and I moved here. He wanted to change," said Lily Anne.

"Do you think he did the right move?" I asked.

"Yes," said Lily Anne. "He's all that I got."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes. My only brother, Luke, died in the same crash as Mom. She lost her parents while she was in college. My dad's folks died five years ago. Neither of them have siblings," said Lily Anne.

When we got to class, I did introduce her to everyone. She gets to sit next to me. She felt welcome there. At lunch, I showed Lily Anne around on our way to the lunchroom.

"This is a very nice school," said Lily Anne.

"I know," I said. "Oh, yeah, I didn't tell you why I moved here. My dad worked for a hospital in Los Angeles until he got promoted and transferred here. So, now, he works for Women and Infants' Hospital."

"Wow," said Lily Anne.

"Yeah," I said. "My cousin lives here, so we were able to see each other every day now since we always stay in touch, visit each other a lot, and so on."

"Cool," said Lily Anne as we sat with the group.

"Hi, who's your new friend?" asked Eliza.

I remembered she was tardy today, which was why she didn't meet Lily Anne.

"This is Lily Anne," I replied. "She already met Stephanie and Samuel. Lily Anne, this is my cousin, Eliza.

"Nice to meet you," said Eliza.

"Same here," said Lily Anne.

"How do you like it so far?" asked Stephanie.

"I like it," I said. "Get this: she's from California, too."

"Wow. That's a small world. What part?" asked Eliza.

"San Francisco," replied Lily Anne.

"I've been there a few times before during a few school vacations," said Samuel. "That's a very nice city."

"It is," said Lily Anne. "My dad wanted to change after my mom died in a car accident. My older brother, Luke, also died in that same car crash."

"Sorry to hear that," said Samuel.

"Thanks," said Lily Anne.

"No problem," said Stephanie.

"I didn't mind the change to be honest with you. At first, I didn't want to leave California at all because I had friends there, but I realized Dad would be happier to move. He decided to come here because his parents lived here," explained Lily Anne.

After I had lunch, I did some of the report in the school library because I had enough time to do so. I had a lot to write about Mary Jane. We have to do about two pages. I had one page done when it was time to head for the next class. I'll finish it after school. At this rate, I'd be done before everyone else again, which would be good because I'd have free time.

After school has ended for the day, when I got home, I did my homework first before I moved on to finish the report. I completed it an hour later. I read it over to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. Then, I printed it out and put it in my folder. I'm glad that was done.

That night, I was reading when Dad came by and said, "Dinner's ready."

"Okay," I said as I put my book down and went to the table. "I already finished my report. It was an easy thing to do."

"I bet," said Dad.

"Yeah," I said. "I know Mary Jane would've liked about what I wrote about her."

"I know she would've," said Dad.

"I still think of her often. It's a good thing I got the scrapbook to help me remember all the good times that we had before you and I moved here," I added.

"That's true," agreed Dad.

"Sarah and Janet still miss Mary Jane, too," I said.

"I believe it," said Dad.

"I told them we got each other and that's what matters," I said.

"I agree with you," said Dad.

"They also agreed with me, but they added nothing would be the same without Mary Jane," I continued. "So, I told them to make a scrapbook to help them remember any good times they had with her. They actually liked my idea. They asked me to help them the next time I go there with Stephanie in two weeks. I told them I would help them out."

"That's a good idea," said Dad.

"Oh, Lily Anne started today. She was very nice. Like us, she moved from California. Only, she was from San Francisco," I said. "Her dad wanted to be here after his wife and son died in the same car accident a few months. They came during Christmas Vacation. She liked the high school."

"That's good," said Dad.

"I know," I agreed.

After dinner, Stephanie called me and said, "Guess what? I get to have a kitten."

"That's good. I remembered you had two cats," I said.

"Yes, they're still with my father. They're always happy to see me each other," said Stephanie.

"When are you getting one?" I asked.

"The day after tomorrow," said Stephanie. "And, I would have it when Mom and I move in with you and your dad. Do you think he would mind?"

"No. We used to have a cat when I was younger, but it died before I started second grade. She was sick and had to be put down so she won't suffer anymore," I said. "Her name was Snow White. I named it after a Disney princess and it was white as snow."

"That was a cute name," said Stephanie.

"I know," I said. "It was about four years old if I remembered correctly."

"I did remember Snow White," said Stephanie. "I even remembered how upset you were because you were attached to her."

 

16: Chapter 16

Two days later, Stephanie and I went to the pet store after school. Stephanie spotted a kitten that she liked.

"This kitten is so cute," said Stephanie.

"She's five weeks. Its mother died after she was born. She's the only kitten," said the clerk. "We have got her even since her mom's death."

"Poor thing," said Stephanie.

"How did the mother died?" I asked.

"She got attacked by a neighbor's dog and it was hurt so badly that the owners had to put it down. And, they couldn't keep the kitten because their daughter's allergic to pet hair," explained the clerk.

"It's a good thing the kitten is safe," said Stephanie.

"I agree," said the clerk.

Then, she paid with her own money while she got cat food after the clerk told her what food to give to a kitten.

"Kittens like milk at that age," said the clerk.

"Okay," said Stephanie.

After that, we left and went to her house.

"Do you have any ideas on names?" I asked.

"Yes. Kiki," said Stephanie.

"That's a good name," I commented.

"I know," said Stephanie.

When we got to her house, she showed the kitten to Miranda.

"Aww. What a cute little kitten," said Miranda.

"Yes, the clerk said she's five weeks. Her mother died five weeks ago after it got attacked by a neighbor's dog. The owners had to put her mother down to sleep and couldn't keep the kitten because their daughter's allergic to pet hair," explained Stephanie.

"Poor little thing," said Miranda.

"That's what I said, too," said Stephanie. "Her name's going to be Kiki."

"I like that name," said Miranda.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

Then, I helped her putting the cat bed in her room. We fed Kiki some milk and she was drinking it as if she hasn't been drinking for days. Stephanie took a picture of it and shared it on Facebook.

"I can't wait for our girls to see the kitten. Mom said she'll watch it while I'm in California visiting Dad," said Stephanie.

"That's good," I said.

"I know," agreed Stephanie.

"When you and your mom move in, we can put the cat bed in my room," I said.

"Good idea," said Stephanie.

That night, Samuel and I went to the movies. We had dinner in the food court before that. We had a fun time.

"So, are you planning to spend the weekend with your mother?" asked Samuel.

"Yes, I told her I was giving myself time last weekend after I recovered from mono," I replied. "It would feel good to spend time with her. She saved the Christmas gifts for me. Dad and I are taking down the stuff tomorrow after I come home from school."

"Did you pass in you report already?" asked Samuel.

"I did it yesterday," I replied. "I'm good at rough draft. I never need to correct because I always review it in case I make any mistakes before I type it and print it out. That's how I get As all the time. I'm the only one who doesn't need to write it again."

"Really?" asked Samuel as I nodded.

"I don't say it to anyone. I didn't want to make them jealous," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Samuel.

"The teacher doesn't mention it to any of my classmates either and she doesn't blame me for not to say it," I said. "She thinks that was the smart move."

"Wow," said Samuel.

"She waits until everyone passes in the report before giving it back to me unless she wants to give it to me early," I said. "I like to do any reports early to have free time."

"I believe it," said Samuel.

"We're going to read it to the class before we would get graded," I said. "I can't wait to read mine."

"When is that?" asked Samuel.

"In a few weeks unless they pass it in before the deadline," I answered.

"That makes sense," said Samuel. "Are you nervous about doing it?"

"No," I replied. "I know I'd do fine. I could picture Mary Jane listening to me from heaven."

"Would that help you?" asked Samuel as I nodded.

"I do miss her. I won't forget my best friend. I got the scrapbook to keep her alive," I said. "I'd pick her as my guardian angel."

"That's good," said Samuel.

Samuel saw the kitten on his Facebook page and we talked about that, too.

"I also like that name, Kiki," said Samuel.

"So do I," I said.

When I got home, I showed the picture of Kiki to Dad.

"She's cute," said Dad when I told him about it.

"I know. Poor thing lost her mother right after she was born when it got attacked by a neighbor's dog. She was so badly hurt that she had to be put down so it won't suffer. The owners couldn't keep the kitten because her daughter had just learned she was allergic to pet hair," I said.

"That's a shame," said Dad. "That kitten must be looking for her mother."

"It doesn't seem to be looking for her mom," I said. "Miranda will feed milk to it. Kittens like milk at that age. She's only five weeks old according to the clerk at the pet store."

"That's true," said Dad.

"I told her when she moves in here, she can put the cat stuff in my room since we're sharing it," I said.

"That's a great idea," said Dad.

"I know. She liked that idea, too," I said.

The next day, I noticed it was snowing when I got up.

"The schools are closed today. The snow is expected to be heavy later," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

"I'll shovel during the whole winter. I don't expect you to do that during your pregnancy," said Dad.

"Good idea. I was thinking about the same thing," I said.

I'm glad about that part. At least Dad offered to do that while I'm pregnant.

"I might not go to work tonight if the roads are bad," said Dad.

"I don't blame you," I agreed.

"I'll see what happens later on. It's supposed to snow all day," said Dad.

Two hours later, we lost power.

"They said it happened because a car hit a pole," said Dad.

"Wow," I said.

"It should be back later on," said Dad.

"I hope so," I said. "That's why people should stay home in this storm to avoid accidents."

"I agree. The more I thought about it, I'm taking that risk," said Dad. "I think my boss won't blame me for that."

An hour later, I heard the person was rushed to the hospital and the car was cleared off, but we still had no power. They're probably fixing that. I remembered it happened while we lived in California one year when we had a hurricane. Only hurricane messed up the wires that caused us to lose power. That was back when I was around 10 or 11. It was during the summer, so we wouldn't have to worry about school closings. Grandma would show us how fun it was. We would play cards, had a picnic in the living room, and we would tell stories. I miss that moment. That was a good memory. We barely had hurricanes or lose power. Sometimes the only time we lose power is when any cars hit a pole.

A few hours later, we finally had power. The news said the person suffered non-treated injuries and is expected to be okay. Samuel called me.

"If you heard someone got hurt, it was Angela," said Samuel.

"Wow. It's a good thing she's alive," I said.

"She always wears her seatbelt every time she goes out," said Samuel. "Mom and Dad are glad, too."

"What was she doing at the time?" I asked.

"They asked her to get a few things at a store," replied Samuel.

"Um, I hate to say this, but she should've done that yesterday before the storm. That would be the smart thing to do. She could've been killed," I said.

"You know what? You have a very good point," said Samuel.

"It was a good thing we went out last night for example. Otherwise, we'd postpone until the storm is over," I said. "That would be the smartest thing to be safe."

"I agree. Instead of taking a risk," said Samuel.

"Dad told me he's going to call out from work to avoid all that. I agreed with him," I said.

"That was a good choice," said Samuel.

"I know. He already called the boss and he didn't blame Dad for doing that," I said.

"I don't blame your dad either," said Samuel.

The snowed stopped when I got to bed, but they said schools would be closed tomorrow, too, so they can keep kids safe for one more day. It would give plows time to clear off the streets. At least I can sleep for a bit longer tomorrow. Dad shoveled when it stopped. He didn't want to do it while it was snowing. That was a good idea to do. We had sandwiches for dinner. We stayed up late until 11:00 pm.

The next day, the schools were back in session. Dad offered to bring me and Samuel to school so we didn't have to walk. That was a good idea since it was cold outside. It felt great to be back there. At school, we had to work that we missed for two days. We didn't have to do today's work, which was nice. Most of the kids are almost done with the writing assignment. They wondered why I haven't done mine. I didn't know what to say, so all I said was I'm almost done with mine, too. The teacher didn't blame me for saying that. It's good to avoid jealously. That's what I worry about.

At lunch, we were glad to be back together. Samuel told Stephanie about what happened to Angela.

"She's lucky to be alive. She was smart enough to wear her seatbelt," said Stephanie.

"She always does that when we go out. She learned that during driving lessons," said Samuel.

"Honestly, she should've done shopping the day before the storm," said Stephanie.

"That's what I said, too," I said.

"I agree. We didn't know it was going to snow the other day, so we weren't prepared for that," admitted Samuel.

"The only good thing was that Samuel and I went to the movies before that happened," I said.

"That's true," said Samuel.

"That was the smart thing to do," said Stephanie.

"I agree," said Samuel. "It's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yeah," said Stephanie. "I'd do the same thing."

"I hope Angela would remember to shop before the storm next time," I said.

"I think she will," said Samuel.

After school, Samuel, Stephanie, and I walked home. I didn't see Lily Anne at school. She was probably sick. That's all I could think of. She gave me her cell phone so we can text anytime we want. When I got home, I did my homework before I texted her. She told me she was absent because she caught a cold last night. I had a feeling. I told her to feel better and get some rest. She thanked me.

 

17: Chapter 17

A week later, everyone was done with their assignments and the teacher secretly gave back my paper before class started. The presentation would be today anyway. She put the students in order by ABC to read their papers. She might choose random. She said I can go first if I wanted to. I said yes. I was getting excited about it. The only thing I'm worried about how emotional I could be when I get to the part about Mary Jane's illness and death. I saved it to the end anyway. When the class started, the teacher announced my name and went up.

"I wrote about my best friend, Mary Jane, because I admired her. I'm there when she needs me and she would be there for me when I need her," I said before looking at the paper. "I grew up in California. Mary Jane and I have been best friends since first day of kindergarten. I remember how I met her. We both started it at the same time. Our kindergarten teacher sat us together. That was when we met and became great friends since day one. We started to do everything together. We would sit together at lunch every single day. We would call each other almost every other night. We'd have sleepovers. We never fight at all because if one of us would get mad at one another, we would just tell each other and work it out without a fight. We would share secrets. If a bully tries to bother us, we would stand up for each other like true friends would do. We would have pizza during every sleepover. We would watch movies and everything else. She and I like to spend a day on the beach on weekends. She was very special. She was adopted by her godparents, the Coonts. Her birth folks died when a plane crashed into an ocean and no one was found, including her late parents. I remembered when I saved her life. One year, she lost her cat after it got hit by a car. She got depressed and told me she was going to kill herself and didn't want anyone to know. Then, I realized I didn't want that to happen, so I told Dad who told me to tell her parents right away. Mary Jane got help and was glad on what I did. I told her that's what friends are for. When Grandma Patricia died when I was 12, Mary Jane was by my side the whole time and I was grateful. She knew how to comfort me. When Dad learned he was going to be promoted and transferred to Rhode Island, I was shocked. I didn't want to leave her behind along with my other best friends. So, she did something special for me: we had a sleepover on the last day of school the day before I left and she gave me a scrapbook so I can remember all the good times we had. But we didn't lost contract when I moved here. We would email or text each other. When I got pregnant, I told her about my adoption plans and she was very supportive. One day, I found out she got cancer all of sudden. My friend and I surprised Mary Jane by spending the weekend in California. She was very happy. I had just celebrated my 15th birthday with my cousin, boyfriend, and other best friend when I found something I wasn't prepared for: she had died two days before. I was so upset that I didn't attend the funeral services that were held in California. I remained here with my mom, whom I recently reconnected with. I would never forget her. But I'm glad she made a memory book. That way I'll always keep her alive. There's not one day when I don't think about her. I do miss her a lot. Mary Jane, if you're listening, this story is just for you. You'll always be missed by family and friends."

When I finished, the teacher said, "That was a very nice story you did. Good job."

"Thanks," I said with a smile.

I realized I wasn't emotional at the end. I guess it was a good thing. I actually felt great about it. Everyone else applauded. Everyone had their turn until the bell rang. There was only one more person, so the teacher said she'll finish it off tomorrow before grading the writing assignments. The rest of us gave the paper to her including mine on the way out.

At lunch, I told Samuel, Eliza, and Stephanie about the assignment and they were amazed.

"Mary Jane would've enjoyed that," said Stephanie.

"I know. There's not one day when I don't think about her. I miss her. But the memory book cheers up when I'm like that," I said.

"That's good," said Eliza.

"At first, I was nervous because I was afraid I'd be upset especially when I get to the part about her illness and death. Somehow, I made out fine," I said. "I would've been embarrassed if I got upset during the reading part."

"I know that would've made me miss Mary Jane even more," said Stephanie. "You'd be better than me. I choose my grandfather for my report for my class period."

"That's very nice," I said. "He would've liked that very much."

"I know," said Stephanie.

Stephanie lost her grandfather, her father's father, after he suffered brain cancer just a year after my grandmother's death. When she got depressed, she would talk to me about it and felt better. I told her on how she felt. She was glad that I was there for her. He was very nice. He lived in Seattle, Washington where her father grew up. Her grandmother is still there.

"How did you made out reading it?" I asked.

"I did fine by my surprise," said Stephanie. "I was the third one to read it today. I have English before lunch."

"For my report, I picked my mother," said Eliza.

"And, I did my uncle," said Samuel.

Lily Anne, who was back, joined us.

"Did you pick anyone for your report?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes. I did my mom," said Lily Anne. "I did everything what we did. I added on how she died at the end."

"I did the same thing for Mary Jane," I said. "You did a great job reading."

"So did you," said Lily Anne.

"I find that report is so easy to do," I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

The others agreed with me, too.

"At this rate, I bet everyone will get an A," said Stephanie.

"I would think so," I said.

"Yeah," said Samuel.

After school, the English teacher wanted to see me alone. I wasn't sure why she wanted to see me. It turned out that when I went to her; she gave me back my report early even before the last person would read tomorrow. Then, I realized why she wanted to do that in a secret way: I noticed I had an A+ on it. She wrote great comment on it saying, 'I like all of the memories that you did in to keep your late friend alive. I bet she was looking down on you while listening to you. She was very lucky to have a best friend like you. Great job.'

I felt great on that. I wonder what grades she would give others after the final person has his turn. I put it in my backpack so no one would know that I had it back early. When I got home, I was in a great mood.

"I see you're in a good mood today," said Dad.

"Yes. I read the paper in class about Mary Jane. No one knew that the teacher gave it back to me after school and when I looked at it, I had an A+ on it. I didn't have any errors. She was very impressed on what I did to honor my best friend. We all had our turns except for one when the bell rang, so the last person will have his turn tomorrow before she grades them. I was shocked when she wanted to give it back to me early. At least she did that secretly," I said.

"That's great," said Dad.

I went to email Janet and Sarah who knew about the report. I told them my grade and they were both happy for me. I told them no one knew about it. I didn't want anyone to get jealous. They understood. The only one who knew was Lily Anne, whom I texted about that part. I told her not to tell anyone because I didn't want to create the jealously. She agreed with me. She said she's great at keeping secrets. I also told Samuel and Stephanie by text and I told them to keep that as a secret. They understood why and agreed not to say anything. Like I said before, I don't dare to tell Eliza because she could repeat that and create trouble. That's why I don't share my secrets with her anymore to avoid all that. They already knew why I don't tell Eliza any of my secrets. They didn't blame me for that.

The next day, at school, after the last person did his story, I suspected some of them knew about it because they asked me while their grades were in process. I didn't know what to say. I made up a story that I didn't get graded yet. How did they know that? That's a mystery. I didn't mention anything to Eliza. I don't think the teacher would tell them that. She knows I didn't want to hurt anyone. She tells me that it's okay to tell a lie if they asked me, which I did. I didn't tell anyone I left my paper at home. I didn't want to show anyone until after they're graded, which was the smart thing to do.

At lunch, I heard some of the students passed the writing assignment in my class period. No one failed it. A few had As and some of them had Bs. I'll wait to bring my paper tomorrow. They wanted to know about my grade. I kept mine as a secret. I just wanted to surprise them. I think they'd be happy about mine.

"I like doing reports," I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

"They're fun to do," said Samuel.

"What grade did you get?" asked Eliza.

"Can't tell you," I said.

"Why?" asked Eliza.

"Because I said so," I replied.

"That's right. It's a secret. Secrets are to be kept, not to be told," added Stephanie. "You should know that by now."

We didn't want to tell Eliza about it because she'd spill it. None of us wanted to tell her I had my grade before everyone else.

"You'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out," I said.

"I would like to know now," said Eliza.

"Try this one: If you keep telling me that, you won't see it at all," I warned her.

At least that finally made her listen. I can't stand it when people wanted anyone to spill secrets. They should know secrets are secrets. We should never spill unless if someone is in danger, that's the only time we can tell it to adult to keep anyone safe.

After school, when I got home, I put the paper in my backpack so I can show it to the others tomorrow. We have a test tomorrow in math. That's the only class I'd have the test. I did homework before I did some studying. Dad told me he plans to order Chinese for dinner. That sounded like a good plan.

"I'll call it in an hour," said Dad.

"Okay," I said.

An hour later, he ordered it and it came nearly 20 minutes later. So, I took a break and had dinner.

"Eliza wanted to know about my grade, but I didn't dare to tell her because she spills the beans. I didn't want to tell her I had it early. I don't trust her. If she mentioned anything to anyone, she could create the trouble and I didn't want to take a risk," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Dad.

"I only trust Stephanie, Samuel, and Lily Anne because they keep my secrets," I said. "They understood why I don't say anything to Eliza. Lily Anne told me she's good at keeping them. I told Eliza she would have to wait until tomorrow to see it. I also trust both Janet and Sarah."

"Good," said Dad.

"I know," I agreed. "Eliza should take lessons from them. Don't me wrong, I love her, but I don't like it when she spills my secrets. When she wanted to know at the time, I told her if she keeps telling me, I won't show it to her."

"That's right," said Dad.

"That finally made her listen. She doesn't get it that I wanted to surprise them. When some of them asked me about my grade, I made up a story saying I didn't get my grade yet to avoid trouble because none of them knew I had it back early," I continued. "The teacher said it's okay for me to tell a little lie white so they don't find out. I'm glad I kept mine home until tomorrow. I wanted to wait until everyone's reports get graded, which was the right thing to do."

"That's true," said Dad.

The next day, when I got to school, it was a good time to show my classmates about my grade when they get their reports back. Once everyone got it back, they were glad they all passed. I sneaked into my backpack to get my report while each student went up to the teacher when she called her names. That was her plan. I pretended I already went for it. When they all sat back down, I was prepared to tell them my grade. Last night, I told Lily Anne to play along without spilling the secret. She agreed with me on that part.

"What was your surprise?" asked a girl, Melody.

"Well… I had an A+ on it," I replied leaving I had it early out.

"Wow. Mary Jane would've been glad for you," said Lily Anne.

"I know," I said.

Everyone else was glad for me. I realized I had the highest grade in that class.

"I had an A- about my mom," said Lily Anne. "I'm happy about my grade."

"They all were glad about it, too," I said.

"We are," said a boy, Patrick.

At lunch, Lily Anne read her report to us and told us the grade.

"Very nice," said Samantha.

"I heard Eliza was skipping school today to go to the mall to get some autograph from a famous person. I already told the principal on what I learned what she was doing. The principal was glad and was going to call her mom," said Samuel. "In fact, Eliza lied to her mother saying she was sick."

"Wow," said Stephanie.

"Lying isn't the smart thing to do," added Lily Anne.

"How did you find that out?" I asked.

"Her friend and classmate, Michael. He wasn't sure on how to handle that, so I told him I'll bring it up for him. He was afraid Eliza might get mad at him for getting her in trouble," said Samuel.

"Good thing you brought it up to the principal," said Lily Anne.

"I bet she made him not to say anything," said Stephanie.

"You got it," said Samuel. "Eliza didn't know I told the principal. Michael told me this morning when he saw me going to our class. I told him that he was right to tell me."

"I saved Eliza when she dated a guy who is an adult online. She didn't want me to say anything, but I realized that wasn't the smart thing. Aunt Betty was glad when I told her about it. Eliza got grounded from using the computer for a month. She got mad at first, but she didn't realize I did it to protect her. If it wasn't for me, something bad would happen to her. She should know that's the only way to tell an adult like I mentioned before," I told Samuel.

"You did the right thing," said Samuel.

"I told her the same thing. She was smart to keep her cousin safe," said Stephanie.

"The principal told me he's going to suspend Eliza for two days starting today," said Samuel. "But he won't tell her who told him."

"I'm sure she'll find out anyway," I said. "I'll cover for you and tell her I learned about it from another classmate without mentioning you or Michael. I'll add that I had to tell the principal. I'll just make up a story saying the teacher asked me where she was."

"Good idea," agreed Samuel."

"I'll text Aunt Betty after school to tell her," I said. "She'll probably agree with me so Eliza won't mad at either of you."

"Did you even knew she was doing it?" asked Samuel.

"To be honest with you, no," I replied. "If she did tell me, I'd speak up either way."

"That's true," said Stephanie.

"Michael would've been a good friend to tell the principal," I said.

"I know, but he didn't want to take a risk by making her angry," said Samuel.

"Oh, I get it now," I said.

"If Michael told you, you'd tell him that story on how you saved Eliza," said Samuel. "That would make him feel comfortable doing it. He might not know that."

"And, you'd give him advice on how to tell the principal," said Stephanie.

"That's true I would," I agreed. "How long they were friends?"

"For a long time since preschool," said Samuel.

"Wow," said Lily Anne.

"I met them when I started middle school and we all became friends ever since. They were in my sixth grade class like Eliza mentioned when you first moved here," said Samuel.

"I don't think she introduced me to Michael yet," I said.

"I thought you did," said Samuel.

"I don't have him in my classes," I said.

After school, I texted Aunt Betty and told her my plan so I can cover for Samuel and Michael. She didn't mind at all. She already told Eliza I was the one who brought it up when she asked her mom who mentioned it earlier before I told her the plan. I replied her saying tell Eliza a teacher asked me where she was and wanted me to report it to the principal. She told me that was a good idea to do. She punished Eliza for a week for skipping school. That would teach her a lesson not to do it again.

When I got home, I told Dad what had happen and he said Samuel did the right thing by telling the principal.

"Michael, who told Samuel, didn't know how to handle it, which is why Samuel offered to do so," I said.

"I told him I would cover for them so Eliza won't get mad. When I told Aunt Betty that, she had already told Eliza it was me when she asked her mom who told the principal. I replied saying just say a teacher asked me where she was and that was when I mentioned it to the principal," I said. "When I saw the principal after school, I mentioned I'd cover for the boys and he didn't blame me."

"Michael was worried Eliza would get upset with him," I said. "I understood."

Later, Eliza, who wasn't supposed to use her cellphone, found out it was Michael.

"How did you figured that? It was me. The teacher wanted to know why you weren't in school, which is why the principal was mentioned about you skipping school," I said.

Eliza realized I was correct on that.

"I suppose you're right on that," said Eliza.

Two days later, when she asked Michael about it, he said no. Samuel pitched saying Michael was telling the truth and did say it was me, so she knew I was telling her truth. Michael didn't tell want to tell her he told Samuel who told the principal. That was a good idea to avoid trouble.

 

18: Chapter 18

Two weeks later, Stephanie and I went shopping for the wedding with our parents. We get to pick on what color dress we could wear. We would be bridesmaids. We were both excited about it.

"I got flats that I wore for my cousin's wedding. I'll wear those I didn't want to wear high heels. I didn't want them to harm the child if I trip," I said.

"That was a good idea to do," said Stephanie.

"I know," I said.

We picked out this pretty yellow dress. We both tried them on. They were beautiful in them. The clerk did some fitting before we paid them.

"I can't wait to be the bridesmaid," I said.

"Me either," said Stephanie.

"The most of all, I can't wait for us to be sisters," I said.

"Same here with me," said Stephanie.

"We're going to have fun to share the same room," I said.

"It's good that friends would be stepsiblings," said Stephanie as I agreed with her.

"If I didn't have the laptop in the playroom, I could turn that into a walking closet. That would've been the best thing to share the closet," I said.

"What a great idea to do," said Dad.

"I could put my computer in my room. We could put the desk there. It's big enough," I said.

"Or we can turn the basement into the computer room," said Dad.

"That's true as well," I said.

"Either way works," said Stephanie.

"We can check it out when we get home," I said.

When we were done, we had dinner and went home. Stephanie and I checked my room. We agreed it's big enough to put my desk and computer there.

"I didn't think it would big enough. We could work on it before the wedding," I said. "We got a couple of weeks to spare."

"Yeah," said Stephanie. "It's only January and the wedding is next month."

"Why don't we start it this weekend? That way it would be fixed before you move in," I said.

"Okay," said Stephanie. "I like it when we work together. It's fun."

"Me, too. I have another idea. I already have a closet; so do you want to have the walk in closet?" I asked.

"Sure. I like that idea," said Stephanie.

"My closet isn't big enough to share our clothes," I said.

"That's okay. You have great ideas on how to fix things," said Stephanie. "We can also do it after school if you want."

"Alright," I said. "The only thing is that I can't move anything heavy right now because of my pregnancy."

"We can ask Samuel to pitch in. He and I can move heavy things and you can move your computer," said Stephanie.

"Deal," I said. "Dad is good at picking heavy things often."

"Thank god you already add another bed ahead of time," said Stephanie as I agreed with her.

We talked for a long time until it was time for her and her mom to leave for home. I couldn't wait to get started. We told our parents about what we decided to do and they were impressed on how we handled things. We told them it was fun to put up with our ideas together.

"When do you plan on doing it?" asked Dad.

"We decided to do it after school. We're going to ask Samuel if he can carry the desk since I can't. It would be too heavy and I don't want to do it while I'm pregnant," I said. "Stephanie and I made a deal that I can move my laptop."

"I don't blame you. I'll help him move your desk," said Dad.

"Good idea," I said.

For the next few days, Stephanie and I have been working on her new closet. Samuel and Dad did move my computer desk to my room in front of my window. I did move my laptop there. Thank god it's not heavy for me. Stephanie and I went shopping for a few racks where she can put her clothes and shoes. She told me she'll get a container for her socks, underwear, and bras. That's what we did. In fact, I found a drawer and she decided to use it for those things. It has three. She'll put socks in one drawer, underwear for the middle, and bras in the last one. That was a good idea to do. She said she'll put it in the walk-in closet. That made sense since it's big enough. Back at home, she and I put it together. Dad helped Stephanie carry the drawer. We were done by Saturday.

"I'm glad we worked together," said Stephanie.

"Me, too. That was fun," I said. "Now, it's all set when you and Miranda move in."

"I know," said Stephanie.

She and I never fight at all. In fact, none of my other friends and I argue. The key for our strong friendship is to fix problems on our own or tell each other if one of us get mad at the other.

A few weeks later, it was one more day until wedding day! We talked about it at dinner. Dad was working a double shift from 3:00 pm to 7:00 am; so I was sleeping over at Stephanie's. They were packing their stuff. I wanted to pitch in, but Stephanie said, "Are you sure you can help out? The boxes might get heavy to carry."

"That's okay. I can pack the light stuff and you can carry the heavy boxes," I said. "You're stronger than me at this moment."

"That's true," said Stephanie. "Let's do it that way. Some are going to goodwill since you have some of the plates and stuff. Mom said we can ask your father which sets we'll be using before we give them to the poor who don't have anything."

"Good idea," I said.

"We're going to ask after the wedding and when they get back from the honeymoon. They're going to Florida for two weeks, so it's just you and me since we have school," said Stephanie.

"Sounds good," I agreed. "We could stay with my mother while they're away."

"Okay," said Stephanie.

They had pizza delivered while we're packing. I was able to have salad since it's healthy for the baby. After we ate, we finished packing.

"After your father gets up from his nap tomorrow, we'll have to get ready for the wedding," said Miranda.

"Good thing it's not until tomorrow evening anyway," I said.

"He took time off for the wedding and the honeymoon. We'll be leaving the day after," said Miranda.

"Stephanie and I talked about to stay with my mom while you and Dad are away," I said. "I don't think Dad would mind."

Later, Stephanie and I were so excited that we almost didn't want to sleep

"Are you asleep?" asked Stephanie in a whisper tone.

"No. I'm too excited to sleep," I said.

"Same here. One more day until we'll be stepsisters," said Stephanie.

"I know," I said.

The next day, Stephanie and I woke up early because we were too excited to sleep late. But we just stayed in bed and whispered so we won't wake her mom.

"Your father will probably come over after he naps so he can help us decide which sets we can use," said Stephanie.

"That's what he was planning on doing anyway," I said. "He thinks we may need a new set, so we'll probably use yours and give away the old ones. We have been having them for years even when we moved here."

"I remember that set. You mentioned it was a wedding gift for you and your mom from your grandparents, right?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes," I replied. "Sometimes changes are good, too."

"True," said Stephanie. "Would he give them to your mom?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't mention that. It's up to him," I replied. "However, I do like that idea if my mom wants them."

"We can ask your father when he gets here," said Stephanie.

"Okay," I said.

We got up at around 9:30 am and we got dressed. Miranda made pancakes for breakfast. Dad would be here in a couple of hours. Poor thing gets tired from working all afternoon and night. At 12:00 pm, Dad came over and pitch in.

"I wasn't sure which sets of plates, bowls, or silverware you would like to use, so we saved it for last before we could give them away for the goodwill," said Miranda.

"Becky mentioned you needed a new set," said Stephanie.

"It's true that we do. She and I talked about it and figured to wait and see until I come over to help out," said Dad.

We did decide to use their stuff and give the old ones away.

"Dad, do you think I can give the old ones to Mom if she wants them? I can ask her. After all, they were wedding gifts from her parents. I'm sure she would want them to bring back good memories like that," I said.

"You got a good point," said Dad.

"I can ask her tomorrow since Stephanie and I plan to be with her while you're away and I'll let you know and we can give our old ones to her when you get back," I said.

"That's a good idea," said Dad.

"It's too bad she won't be at the wedding since she's working late," said Stephanie.

"I know, but that's okay," I said.

We spent a few hours getting ready for the wedding. After we had lunch at the mall, Stephanie and I had our hair done at a beauty polar, the same place where I had mine trimmed before I started my new high school. We wanted our hair to be curled to match the style. Our parents agreed we can do it that way. It didn't take long to do that. We liked it when it was finished. Then, we went back to Stephanie's to change up for the wedding. I'm glad we had our hair done. We were all set to go. Some of our family members were going to be there including Marcia. She was glad for Dad to get remarried, but she was surprised that he and Miranda were doing that so soon after a few months of dating. Dad doesn't care what Marcia said. He just wants to be happy on the wedding day. I don't blame him. I managed to tell her that it was none of her business on what Dad and Miranda wanted to do. She shouldn't judge him that way. Stephanie agreed with me.

"Why Marcia have to be so judgmental on a special day when you and I are about to be stepsisters?" asked Stephanie.

"I know. She had no right to do that," I said. "I can see why though: she thinks something could happen to him and the marriage might not last long."

"That's true, but we are not going to let her spoil it," said Stephanie.

Dad was glad that I handled it well on my godmother. Marcia wasn't happy when I told her, but Dad added that he agreed with me on that. We hated to be rude, but it's true. Eliza will be at the wedding, too. She was glad that Stephanie and I would be sisters especially since we've been best friends growing up.

"What time's the limo would be getting us?" asked Stephanie.

"In a few hours at around 5:00 pm because the wedding's at 6:00 pm," said Melinda.

That night, a limo came by and picked us up.

"Wow. That's a nice limo," said Stephanie.

"Dad was in it a few times if you count a wedding and my grandparents' funerals. I didn't since I choose not to attend my grandmother's funeral because I was too upset at the time," I said.

At Renaissance Church, we were in the back room to get ready. I haven't seen Marcia yet. I think she was worried about Dad too much. She should know Dad is happy and he wants to be that way. I also think she was upset on what I said to her. She should've thought about that before.

At 6:00 pm, the wedding started. Stephanie and I went first. Dad was on the alter. Melinda came down with her mother. Her father died a long time ago. That was before Stephanie was born. It was a nice wedding. Even Samuel was there as well. Dad let me invite him. After the wedding, we all went downstairs for a reception.

"You looked so beautiful, girls," said Melinda's mom, Jessica.

"Thanks," Stephanie and I said at the same time.

"We couldn't wait to be stepsisters," said Stephanie.

"Yeah," I said.

Jessica would be my step-grandmother including to Stephanie. I liked that.

"I think you owe me an apology for being rude to me," said a voice.

I turned and it was Marcia.

"Honestly, you had no business what Dad wanted to do. Even Melinda didn't like the way you judged Dad. He deserves to be happy, so you're the one who should apologize. He didn't like that either. How would you feel if we tried to stop you from remarrying so soon? You would've been upset, too," I pointed out.

"Becky is right," said Stephanie. "There was no way we'd let you ruin our special day. We're stepsisters now. Mom and her dad had every right to get married whenever they want."

We walked away to go sit with our parents. Marcia doesn't care about hurting people's feelings. She's never like that to anyone. Before the reception was over, she actually came around and got used the idea of Dad being remarried. In fact, she apologized for being judging him and Miranda. Good. I'm glad she did that. I just want my new stepfamily to be happy. I don't want her to try to break us apart.

The limo brought us back to Stephanie's by 11:00 pm. Then, we all went to my house after Melinda shut all of the lights. We already put all of the stuff there.

"Mom wants to move in our house, so I'm saving it for her," said Miranda. "She's planning to do so next week or so."

"If you want, we can unpack the boxes tomorrow before we go over to my mother's. We can save the old set for last in case my mom wants them," I said.

"That would be a great help. Thank you, girls," said Miranda.

"Not a problem," I said.

"Becky and I can unpack anything light. Maybe we can ask Samuel if he would like to pitch in," added Stephanie. "That way he can handle heavy stuff for Becky."

"Okay. That's a nice idea to do," said Miranda.

"I agree. The more, the merrier," said Dad.

Stephanie and I went to bed an hour later. Dad told me the flight is at 2:00 pm, so they won't be leaving the house until 10:00 am since they don't have to go too far for the airport. This would be the first night that Stephanie and I would be sharing my room. We couldn't wait to try it out.

 

19: Chapter 19

The next day, Stephanie and I unpacked everything with a help from Samuel. Dad and Miranda left for the airport an hour before. Even Kiki enjoyed sleeping with me and Stephanie in our room. She would be coming with us when we go to Mom's. I told her and she was fine with it.

"My mom wanted me and Becky to save the old plates, silverwares, and bowls for last," said Stephanie while we told them the plan.

"Okay," said Samuel.

"I already told her I'd be there later after all the unpacking is done," I said. "She was fine with it."

"And, my grandmother plans to move in the other house that my mom and I just moved out of. My mother felt funny to be living in her old childhood home again," said Stephanie.

"I believe it," said Samuel.

"Yeah," said Stephanie.

We finished unpacking by 3:00 pm. We had breaks in between. Our parents said can we do that if we wanted, especially me during pregnancy. We left my house by 3:45 pm and went over to Mom's.

"That wasn't so bad," said Stephanie.

"Not at all. I'm glad Samuel gets to help out," I said.

"I know," agreed Stephanie.

"Was the other bed comfortable on your first night at my house or should I say your mom's old house?" I asked.

"Very comfortable," replied Stephanie.

"Good," I smiled. "I feel like Dawn and Mary Anne since they became stepsisters after their parents dated for about a year or so."

"I know. Only it took time for them to get used to it," said Stephanie.

"It was because of their differences," I pointed out. "Dawn likes the radio while Mary Anne needs silence during homework when they tried to share a room, so once they had separate rooms, everything got better after that."

"I agree. I know you and I would make out fine," said Stephanie.

"Yeah. I'm glad," I said.

When we got to my mother's, she was making dinner.

"Oh, good," I said. "We just finished unpacking."

"Where are you and your dad staying?" asked Mom.

"We're staying where we are. Miranda and Stephanie moved in with us. Since we have two bedrooms, Stephanie and I are sharing my room, which was fine by us. We didn't mind at all," I said.

"Yeah. We're doing well so far on our first night being in our room," said Stephanie.

"It's like you and I are doing when you're here with me," I said.

"That's so true. I didn't forget about that," said Stephanie as we giggled. "We were excited to become stepsisters."

"I bet," said Mom.

Dinner got served nearly 15 to 20 minutes later.

"Oh, by the way, we decided the old silverware, plates, and bowls with Melinda's. Since that was a wedding present for you and Dad from your parents, do you want them since they were good memories? We saved those for last," I said as we sent down. "If not, we can give it to the poor who don't have anything."

"I don't mind getting them back. It would help to keep my folks alive," said Mom.

"Okay. I'll let Dad know. He said we can give them when he and Miranda get back from Florida," I said.

"Not a problem. I'm not in a rush. It's time for me to get a new set anyway, so that would be perfect," said Mom.

I didn't want to tell her that her parents died of a broken heart after she left me and Dad. I remembered she didn't even attend their funeral services at all because she couldn't afford to travel, but she did send flowers. They were buried in San Diego, which isn't far from Los Angeles. Aunt Beth wanted those sets, but I told her that Mom might want them since it was a wedding gift for her and Dad. Somehow, she understood. It was better than causing a rift like they already had. They haven't seen each other for years because Aunt Beth was angry with her sister. She was glad things are working out between me and Mom since I've been visiting her.

After dinner, we watched a few movies. Then, all of sudden, my back started to hurt.

"Not again," I mumbled. "Thank god my back hasn't hurt me in a long time. It happened a few times. Last time it happened, I didn't go to school because I didn't want to be in pain there. Luckily, I sit in a recliner and it would make my back feel better."

"That's good," said Mom.

"I know," I said. "I'm glad it always helps my back."

It got better nearly two hours later. That night, I felt nauseous. Here we go. First, it was my back and now, I'm getting nauseous. I got up to get water.

"I get morning sickness sometimes, I even get it at night," I said. "I haven't been throwing up, I just get the nausea feeling thankfully."

"I bet," said Mom.

"Drinking water helps me," I said. "Uh-oh. Excuse me."

That was when I rushed over to the bathroom and threw up a little better. Somehow, I felt better after that. Stephanie and I went to bed before 11:30 pm.

We had fun for the next two weeks. I had an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay. I've been going to my house to collect mail and bring it in the house. I had my house keys for it. I've been doing that after school on my way to my mother's.

We had a wonderful Winter Vacation. Stephanie and I spent the week in California seeing her father. We spent a lot of time with our girlfriends. We went back on Saturday while Dad and Miranda were still away in Florida. They won't be back Monday.

A few days later, Dad and Miranda were back from Florida. Stephanie and I were still at my mom's at the time. Dad texted me saying he and Miranda are on their way to pick me and Stephanie up. They arrived nearly ten minutes later.

"Hi. Did you have fun?" asked Stephanie.

"We did," replied her mother.

"Good. I've been coming by and collect the mail every day after school on my way to Mom's," I said.

"Oh, great. Thanks for doing that," said Dad.

"No problem," I said. "Oh, Mom said she can take those sets."

"Okay. We can bring them tomorrow," said Dad.

"I told her we'd do that when you return and she said she's not in a rush. It was a perfect time because she needs a new set," I said. "I can let her know we'll give her our set tomorrow."

That's what I did by texting her and she said okay.

"It's all set," I said.

The next day, Dad and I dropped our old sets off at Mom's. She was at work, so we left them on the kitchen table. I texted her that I came by with them and told her where Dad and I put them. She later replied to say okay and thanked me.

At home, something must be wrong because I noticed Stephanie was upset, so I went to her and said, "Is something wrong?"

"I just found out that my father died," said Stephanie.

"Really," I said. "What did he die from?"

"They don't know the cause. The police claimed he committed suicide," said Stephanie.

My jaw dropped and said, "Seriously? Why did he do that for you? He always seemed to be happy when you and I spend other weekends with him. We just saw him during Winter Vacation."

"I know. I think something was up with him because he looked depressed," said Stephanie.

"Odd. And, he never mentioned about killing himself," I said. "If he did, we'd handle that right away, not letting it happen."

"You got a good point," agreed Stephanie.

"Looking back, I wonder if he started to feel that way when you and I became sisters. Was it because he misses your mother? I'm suspecting that might be it," I said.

"That's a good question. They still got along after they got divorced. He wanted to come down for the wedding and Mom wouldn't let him. That's what he told me," said Stephanie.

"Why can't she let him for your sake?" I asked. "You're his daughter."

"I know," I said.

"I got mad at Mom and she didn't realize I wasn't speaking to her since they came back home," said Stephanie.

"Oh, my goodness. I don't blame you for being upset," I said. "I would be, too."

"At least your father didn't stop your mom from coming, although she couldn't make it because she was work late," said Stephanie.

"I agree with you," I said.

Poor Stephanie. I felt bad for her. She didn't talk to her mom at all. Dad had no idea on what was going on. I told him what Stephanie told him while her mom wasn't around.

"Is her father telling her the truth? Miranda would never do that to her daughter," said Dad.

"I'm not sure. He was depressed while we visited him. That might be why he killed himself," I said. "But she was the one who told the truth, I don't blame Stephanie for being mad."

"I'll ask Miranda about it," said Dad.

Later, we found out Stephanie was the one who was telling the truth.

"But why would you want to stop her father from coming here for the wedding?" I asked. "He wanted to be here to see his daughter being in the wedding with me. Why did you think Stephanie wasn't talking to you the whole time? As a result, he got depressed and committed suicide. That's why I noticed she was upset about it."

"Becky's right. I didn't stop Beth if she wanted to see our daughter being in the wedding. She just couldn't make it because of her work schedule. Becky understood about it," said Dad.

Stephanie was still mad. She and I flew to California to attend her father's funeral. She learned I was right that he was upset about not being allowed to attend the wedding. To me, that was wrong of Miranda about doing that. We found out why: He has been drinking and her mother was doing that for her own daughter's safety. Her mother was worried he could've been drunk and abusive.

"Why Mom didn't tell me the reason?" asked Stephanie.

"I know," I said. "I'm glad we just found out."

"If she did tell me, I would've understood why she banned him from attending the wedding," said Stephanie.

"I agree," I said.

Two days later, we were back home and she was mad at her mom even more.

"Why she's still not speaking to me?" asked Miranda.

"Well, she had another reason. You didn't tell her why you forbid her father from coming. We learned he was drinking too much," I said. "Why didn't you just tell her last time?"

"I did that to protect her," said Miranda.

"Tell her that," I said. "Even if you told her from the beginning, she would've understood. She told me. If that was my mom in the same situation, Dad would tell me and I'd be okay with it."

I walked away to go see Stephanie and was shocked why her mother didn't that.

"She should've told me anyway," said Stephanie. "Mom usually tells me, but I didn't know Dad has been drinking. I don't remember him doing that while you and I visited him during Winter Vacation."

"Neither do I," I said. "I find that strange."

"I know," said Stephanie.

Later, Miranda managed to talk and apologize to Stephanie for not being honest with her in the first place. Luckily, Stephanie forgave her mom and we are glad things are better now. The next day, Stephanie and I were walking to school. Samuel was sick and wasn't going to school today. We decided not to say anything about this.

"I hope Eliza won't ask us to say something. She could easily repeat that to everyone," said Stephanie.

"Tell me about it," I agreed. "Not bringing it up is a way to pretend that never happened."

"I know," said Stephanie. "At least you can trust Samuel."

"Yeah," I said. "Thank goodness he can keep secrets."

"I agree," said Stephanie.

"It's up to you if you want to say anything to Samuel or not though," I said. "He noticed something was wrong between you and your mom. I didn't want to say anything, so I just tell him it's something personal."

"That's okay," said Stephanie. "I wouldn't mind explaining it to him, but I don't want to mention him in front of Mom."

"I can always text him later," I said.

"Good plan," said Stephanie.

At school, I think Eliza suspected something happened to Stephanie and asked me about it.

"It's none of your business on what's going on," I said.

"Is it, too," said Eliza.

"It's between me and Stephanie," I said. "You have no right to ask about stuff."

At lunch, I told her about it while Eliza was in line and Stephanie was glad I was right to make the right choice.

"Why did she want to know about me and my mother?" asked Stephanie.

"Don't ask me," I replied. "I don't know she must have suspected or something."

That was when Eliza came and said, "Why can't you tell me?"

"Why do you want to know?" asked Stephanie.

"Because I said so," replied Eliza.

"I have flash news for you: you're not the boss and you're not going to make us to tell you stuff," I said.

"That's right," said Stephanie.

"You wouldn't like it if we ask you anything personal," I said.

Stephanie and I got up to go sit somewhere else.

"Boy, imagine if she tells someone to spoil any secrets? The one who tells the secrets would be mad at your cousin, not at their friends," said Stephanie as I agreed.

"Yeah," I said.

 

20: Chapter 20

After school, at home, I was doing homework while I texted Samuel about what happened between Stephanie and her mom. Stephanie told me it was okay to tell him since we trust him. Lily Ann knew it as well by text and she couldn't believe what Eliza was trying to do. Lily Ann added we were right to refuse to say anything to Eliza.

At least Samuel didn't keep asking. He was just wondering about that. He was probably sleeping because he didn't reply my text yet. That's okay. He did reply back by the time I completed my homework and he was glad everything is fine now and he agreed Eliza don't need to know anything about it. I told him what Stephanie said Eliza might repeat it to anyone. She was afraid that could happen. Samuel didn't blame Steph for that.

That night, Miranda said Dad had to work a double shift and was called in for 3:00 pm, so it would be girls' night out tonight. We didn't blame. We ordered Chinese for dinner. I was getting tired after that. Stephanie noticed I looked drained by 9:00 pm.

"Are you okay? You looked tired," said Stephanie.

"It's probably from a long day," I said.

"You're probably right," said Stephanie.

"In fact, I think I'll go to bed early tonight so I can feel better in the morning," I said.

"Good idea," commented Stephanie.

That's what I did. I was in bed before 9:30 pm. I was getting a headache at the time.

In the middle of the night, all I have been doing is getting up and drink a lot of water for the past three to four hours. I think Stephanie must have noticed that because she told Miranda about what was happening.

"I bet she's diabetic. We should take her to the hospital before something happens," said Miranda.

I was still drinking when Stephanie came to me and said, "Mom suggested we should take you to the hospital now. I was worried about you when I noticed you have been getting up too much to drink water."

"I think so, too," I said.

"Mom knows what you might have," said Stephanie.

Miranda left with me to the hospital right away. She told a nurse about my signs.

"I was tired and I went to bed before 9:30 pm," I said. "I started with a headache when I went to bed.

They decide to admit me and they took a blood test.

"We'll keep her so we can keep an eye on her," said a doctor.

"Okay. Are you going to notify her father that she's here?" asked Miranda.

"Yes. Someone already went to him earlier," said the doctor.

Ten minutes after Miranda left, a doctor came in with Dad.

"We had to admit her so we can watch her. The results should be in tomorrow morning," said the doctor.

"Are you going to be okay, honey?" asked Dad.

"I'll be fine. I'm glad Stephanie told her mom what was happening to me," I said.

"Me, too. Stephanie did the right thing," said Dad.

We talked for a bit until Dad left to do his rounds. The doctor wanted me to get some rest.

The next day, the doctor came to me and said, "The results came up and you have gestational diabetes. It's good that your stepmother brought you here in time."

"Gestational diabetes? That's a shock," I said.

"Yes. It happens during pregnancy. You'll be fine as long as you take care of it especially during pregnancy," said the doctor. "Your blood sugar was high."

That's going to make me nervous. I don't think anyone else in my family had diabetes. The doctor gave me instructions on how to handle my diabetes. Maybe I will do okay. Later, Stephanie came by after school and I told her the news.

"Wow. Mom was right. My aunt has diabetes," said Stephanie.

"But I don't know if anyone else in my family has it," I said.

"No problem. Mom can give you tips if you need them," said Stephanie.

I was lucky to have her as my stepsister and best friend to watch out for me.

"I already called my father about it before you came. He could tell how nervous I was," I said.

"I believe it," said Stephanie.

"But I know I'll make out fine," I said.

"So do I," said Stephanie.

"My blood sugar went to normal a few hours ago," I said. "The doctor said I can go home tomorrow."

"Good. I miss my roommate," said Stephanie.

I knew what she meant: me.

"Me, too," I said.

We just enjoy being roommates.

"Dad said he'll come by to see me later on. He took a couple of days off to see me. I told him I was getting released tomorrow," I said. "He was glad to hear that."

Two hours later, Dad and Miranda came to visit with Samuel who knew I was in the hospital.

"How are you feeling?" asked Samuel.

"I'm doing okay," I said. "Miranda, Stephanie told me her aunt's diabetic."

"Yes. My sister's been having it for many years and she knows how to take care of her blood sugar," said Miranda.

"Well, do you mind if I can to go to you for tips?" I asked.

"Feel free to do so anytime," said Miranda.

"Okay, great," I said.

"You can ask me, too, if you want. I give my patients tips on diabetes all the time," said Dad.

"Even better. Thanks," I said with a grin.

I'm glad Dad can give me tips as well. I'm relieved about it.

"I was proud of Stephanie for her quick actions by getting me up when she told me what was happening to you," said Miranda.

"I was glad," I said. "It was better than waiting or being like that during school."

"You're right about that part," said Dad.

They stayed with me for a few hours. I couldn't wait to go home tomorrow.

The next day, the doctor told me I can get released this afternoon. They told Dad. He came by for me before 1:00 pm. I was in my clothes. The doctor went over instructions again to make sure I'll do to make my baby healthy while being diabetic on our way home.

Dad and I went to get diabetic supplies and anything I can eat or drink.

"Once I give birth, I'll be able to take Lactid pills again to drink milk or eat foods that contain milk," I said.

At home, we put stuff away. Stephanie was glad that I was home. Later, Dad asked me if I had checked my blood sugar before dinner and I said yes. My blood sugar was low, so it was perfect for me to eat. It went back to normal after supper. I ate the stuff I was allowed to have. I took insulin. I love ham, but it had syrup on it and I couldn't eat it.

"My aunt can't have maple syrup when it's on the ham," said Stephanie.

"I'm glad I did the smart thing by skipping ham," I said.

"Your dad was glad as well," said Stephanie.

"Yeah," I said. "I believe I can do it."

A few next days were kind of rough for me. It was hard to control my blood sugar. Second, it feels that Dad was changing again. He keeps asking me if I checked my blood sugar or insulin. It's driving me crazy. I found out why: He was concerned about me and was watching out for me. I don't know if he thought I'd forget to do so. I would never forget to do what I'm supposed to do. So, I went to Dad.

"Do you mind if we talk about something?" I asked.

"What's up?" asked Dad.

"I learned you were worried about me since I got diabetes," I said.

"Yes," said Dad.

"Why did you keep asking me I checked my blood sugar or insulin?" I asked. "You know I wouldn't forget to do so. I have been doing it just fine. I know what to do since the doctor gave me instruction. You're supposed to give me tips. Asking me about checking aren't tips. I don't need to get nervous."

Dad realized I was right on what I told him.

"In my case, the doctor told me the type that I have only happens during pregnancy," I said.

Luckily, everything went fine after our talk. He stopped checking on me. Don't me wrong, I don't mind him doing that, but I got tired of it after a while. At least I knew why. And, I was able to handle my blood sugar much better, too. Miranda told me how to handle it and she told me her sister would have a snack before she goes to bed to control her blood sugar all night. I asked Miranda if it works, she told me yes.

"I could try doing that since I would get up during twice this week because my blood sugar would be either high or low. Thank goodness I knew what to do right away," I said.

At 10:00 pm, I made myself a peanut butter sandwich with bananas.

"Also, my sister takes insulin before having any fruit to avoid high blood sugar," said Miranda.

"I didn't think of that. I do that before I eat," I said.

"Good idea," said Miranda.

That's what I did. I'm glad she told me ahead of time. Miranda's advice worked because I was able to sleep all night. Now, that's how it was supposed to work, not the way Dad was doing to me.

The next day, at school, Eliza said, "Why did you get to eat something special?"

Oh, brother. The noisy one. I haven't told her about my diabetes.

"I'm on diet," all I could reply.

"I don't believe it," said Eliza.

"Try this: Leave my sister alone," said Stephanie.

We decided to call ourselves more than stepsisters, just sisters. We liked that. Dad plans to adopt Stephanie to make her as his own daughter. I'm not sure if she wants that yet since she just lost her father and I'm sure she still misses him. I told him he should wait for a bit longer before he could tell her. We didn't tell Eliza about my diet until after lunch.

"I knew something was up," said Eliza.

"So? I wasn't ready to say anything right away," I said.

"Why?" asked Eliza.

"Because I said so," I replied. "No one should have to."

"That's right," said Stephanie. "Come on, let's so. Eliza is being tough."

That was when we took off to get to our classes.

After school, I had an appointment at the adoption agency, so Dad took me there. I went to the specialist.

"Hello, Rebecca," said the specialist.

"Hi," I said as I sat down.

"The adoptive couple got approved to adopt your child, which is why I scheduled you an appointment today," said the specialist.

"That's good. I didn't think it took that long," I said.

"It takes a while often," said the specialist. "It's good to do that before the adoption happens."

"Okay," I said.

We talked for a bit longer and what would happen after I give birth. They'd have me to sign the final papers for the adoptive couple. That sounded easy to do. We were done almost 30 minutes later. Then, Dad and I left for home.

"I'm glad the adoptive couple got approved," I said. "I thought they were already."

"Me, too," said Dad.

"The only I didn't want to tell her is my gestational diabetes because I was worried that adoptive couple could turn away," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Dad.

"I figured I'd keep it a secret," I said. "As long as I give them the healthy baby, I'm all set."

A week later, I had ultrasound and so far, my gestational diabetes has been going great and the baby is healthy.

"Did you bring it up to the specialist when you saw her last week?" asked the doctor.

"I didn't want to. What if the couple I picked could turn away?" I asked. "I don't want to take a chance. Dad agreed with me on that."

"They still should know," said the doctor.

"Didn't you hear I just told you?" I asked.

"Then, I'll tell them," said the doctor. "Do you have the number?"

"No," I said. "And, what part of no don't you get?"

I left the room from there to meet Dad in the waiting room.

"The doctor thinks the couple should know, but I said no for a reason," I said.

"He shouldn't force you like that," said Dad.

"I know," I said. "I'm going to have a healthy baby and if I give them a baby with a birth defect, they might not want it."

"You have good point," said Dad as we walked out to go home.

"He wanted to give him the number to the agency, but I said I don't have the number," I said.

"Smart move," said Dad.

At home, Dad called his manager and told him how awful my doctor was.

"I don't blame Becky for not telling anything about her diabetes," said the manager. "I'm glad you called me. I'll have to talk to him. He shouldn't force to say stuff if she didn't want to."

"I know," said Dad.

Later, I learned that doctor had been suspended for five days without pay for giving me a hard time. I'm glad. He almost found the number for the agency, so he was stopped in time. The manager reported it to the agency and were angry for what he was trying to do. They say most teens with health problems don't like to bring it up to the couple in case they don't want to adopt the child. The manager knew the specialist, who was glad to hear from Dad's boss. They still can mention it to the specialist if they wish to do so. I felt better after that.

I can see Dr. Duarte for ultrasound for now on. That's a good thing. She wasn't in when I had the ultrasound, which is why I had the other one who was filling for her. The manager will let her know when she gets in tomorrow.

"I'm glad Dr. Mills is suspended. He should've thought about that before," I said.

"I agree with you," said Dad.

"I bet Dr. Duarte would be mad when she finds out," I said.

"So do I," said Dad.

 

21: Chapter 21

The next day, Dr. Duarte knew what Dr. Mills was giving me trouble and was glad he was suspended for a few days to teach him a lesson not to do it. That's what Dad told me when he came home from work before I went to school. She says he had no rights to tell me what I can do or not. I was right not to say anything to the adoptive couple or specialist.

At school, I went to the principal's office because we're having another student today.

"There she is," said the principal.

"I remembered we'd be having a new student today," I said.

"Yes, this is Mary Ellen," said the principal. "She was the one whose mother you met yesterday."

"That's right," I said.

"I printed out the schedule to be in the same classes like I did last time for you and Lily Ann," said the principal.

"Okay," I said.

"Well, have fun on your first day here," said Mary Ellen's mom, Hillary Powers.

"Thanks," said Mary Ellen.

We left at the same time while Mary Ellen and I headed to our classes.

"So, are you around in this area?" I asked.

"Yes, I moved from Florida," said Mary Ellen. "It was just me and my mom. My dad's out of the picture. He left us when I was a baby and haven't seen him since. We don't know where he is."

"I know how you feel," I said.

"You do?" asked Mary Ellen.

"My mom did the same thing leaving me and Dad alone since I was four. She recently came back in the picture. I only visit her when my father works the last shifts. I'm from California. We didn't know she was here for the whole time. He just remarried and I regained a stepmother & stepsister," I said. "My stepsister and I have been best friends for a long time growing up in California."

"Wow," said Mary Ellen. "My mom used to live in California until she moved to Florida. That was where she went to college, met and married my father."

"What part of California? I'm from Los Angeles," I replied.

"Really? So was she," said Mary Ellen. "What was your dad's name?"

"Robert Moore," I replied.

"I believe she knew him. I'd have to ask her," said Mary Ellen. "My mom's name is Hillary Powers."

"Wasn't her maiden name is Miller before Powers?" I asked.

"Yes," said Mary Ellen.

"Wow. I thought so. Dad remembers your mother. They were friends for many years," I said.

"Isn't that something?" asked Mary Ellen.

"I know. In fact, Dad told me he's your godfather," I said. "Stephanie's mom is Miranda."

"Mom knows her, too. She and her first boyfriend used to have double dates with each other during high school," said Mary Ellen.

"Actually, he dated my mom. He and Miranda were just friends. She was dating Stephanie's father at the time," I said. "Miranda has been living in California since she was a teenager. She was from here in Rhode Island."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot she told me it was a triple date," said Mary Ellen. "What happen to Stephanie's parents when her mom remarried your dad?"

"They got divorced," I replied. "Her ex recently killed himself and poor Stephanie was upset."

"Wow," said Mary Ellen. "My mom did remember seeing your father and Stephanie's mom in Florida."

"She did? They went there for their honeymoon," I said.

"Yes. We were at Sonny's when she spotted them and you should've seen how happy she was to see them again," said Mary Ellen.

"I believe it," I said.

At lunch, Mary Ellen sat with me when the others joined.

"Stephanie, this is Mary Ellen. Here's the funny part: her mom remembers your parents," I said.

"I know. My mom told me about it a long time ago," said Stephanie.

"It's a small world," said Mary Ellen.

"I know," said Stephanie.

"Do you live around here?" I asked.

"Not far from here. Just one block," said Mary Ellen. "In fact, I live next door to Stephanie's grandmother. I met her."

"No kidding. Did she remember your mom?" asked Stephanie.

"Yes. It was funny to have her as a neighbor," said Mary Ellen. "She hasn't seen Mom since she moved to Florida. In fact, she baby-sat Mom many times a long time ago."

"Really?" asked Stephanie.

"Mom remembered your grandmother. She was a little girl and your grandmother was a teenager," said Mary Ellen. "Your grandmother adored my mother."

"Nice," said Stephanie.

"Isn't that something?" I asked.

"I know," said Mary Ellen.

After school, we all walked together. Samuel wasn't in school. His mom was hospitalized since last night. She collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. He was upset because she just got cancer. His mom told him it was caught early enough. He wanted to spend time with her. That was okay with me. He said he should be in school tomorrow. I said he can wait and see on how he feels first. He was fine with it.

Mary Ellen went to her street while Stephanie and I kept walking.

"I wonder even though your father's dead, I still like to see our friends in California more often," I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie. "We could stay at a friend's house there while we visit the girls."

"True," I agreed. "Glad we got Janet and Sarah to see."

"Yeah," said Stephanie.

At home, I noticed Samuel was over. He was on the porch. Something must be wrong.

"That was a surprise. Is everything okay with your mom?" I asked.

"She had suffered a heart attack while hospitalized while I was with her and she passed away from it," said Samuel.

"Wow, that's a shame. I'm sorry for your loss," said I said.

"Me, too," said Stephanie.

"Thanks," said Samuel. "My father was at work, but I didn't want to call and tell him, so should I wait until he comes home from work. My sister said I should wait until then."

"I would wait," said Stephanie.

"Yeah. Angela is right," I said. "Would your father understand?"

"I'm sure he would," said Samuel. "I would have to figure it out how to break the news to my father. He's going to be heartbroken for sure."

"I know," I agreed.

"Do you want one of us to go with to tell your father?" asked Stephanie.

"I think that would help," replied Samuel. "You both can be with me."

"Okay," I said. "Let us know when you're ready. What time your father gets out of work?"

"In about an hour," said Samuel.

An hour later, Samuel texted me his father just got home and he was ready for us to be with him to break the news about his mom's passing. Stephanie and I went over to Samuel's. That was when we went over to his father, who was in the living room.

"Can we talk for a moment?" asked Samuel.

"Sure. How was your mother?" asked Mr. Johnson.

"That's what we need to talk about. I was with her when she had a heart attack and she died," said Samuel.

"How come you didn't call me at work?" asked Mr. Johnson.

"I didn't want to bother you while you were at work, which is why I waited. Angela agreed with me on that," said Samuel. "Plus, I didn't know how to break the news to you since you love Mom very much."

Mr. Johnson somehow understood what Samuel was saying.

"I get it now," said his father.

Samuel was depressed for the next few days and he didn't attend school at all. He didn't attend his mom's funeral services. He missed her too much. That's how I was when Mary Jane died. Only I wasn't depressed. I just didn't attend any of her services. That was painful, so I know how Samuel feels on that. He didn't return to school until on Monday. Her funeral was a Saturday at Russell J. Boyle and Son Funeral home. She was buried at St. Ann's Cemetery.

On Tuesday, Mary Ellen, Stephanie, and I went to the mall after school. Our parents knew about it. Samuel decided to be with us so he can forget about his mother. That was fine by us. We spent the day there and decided to stay there for dinner. My dad and Miranda were going out to a comedy play at Providence Performance Arts Center and they were going to eat dinner before that, so it was perfect for me and Stephanie spend the day with Mary Ellen. We were just showing her around at the mall. She liked it and noticed how big the Providence Place Mall was.

"My mother works at Dave and Buster's," I said.

"Wow," said Mary Ellen.

"She's probably gone home by now," I said. "I spend overnights there when my dad works the final shift on weekends and sometimes during the week if I'm not busy being with Samuel."

"That's good," said Mary Ellen.

"Yeah. It was better than being alone. At least I'd have Stephanie to keep me company now," I said.

"I know. It's fun to be her stepsister. We rather call ourselves sisters since we're very close," said Stephanie.

"My house is a two-bedroom, so she and I had to share my room, but I didn't care," I said.

"We both enjoy it," said Stephanie.

"Cool," said Mary Ellen.

"That's why I went for adoption for the baby," I said.

"I don't blame you. It would be tough to raise a child in a two-bedroom house," said Mary Ellen.

"I know. My dad would've been too tired to look after the child because he naps for a few hours after working the last shift, which is 11:00 pm to 7:00 am. Plus, he works a double shift if he's needed," I added. "Dad was very supportive with my decision."

"It's good to have parents to support anyone's decision," said Mary Ellen.

"And, Samuel and I just started dating. We're too young to be parents. We plan to go to college after high school. We rather wait until we get married before having kids. We want to have a career. And, we're too young if we want to be together for the rest of our lives," I said.

"That's true," said Mary Ellen. "When are you due?"

"In June," I replied. "I already found a family for the baby."

"We don't believe in abortion," added Samuel.

"I don't either," said Mary Ellen.

Later, Mary Ellen wanted to be alone with me for a few minutes. She had something to tell me.

"We'll meet you in the food court," I said.

"Okay," said Samuel as he and Stephanie started to head over to the food court.

"What's up?" I asked.

"There's something I'm worried to tell Mom about," said Mary Ellen. "First of all, I had a boyfriend in Florida, but we had to break up since we're too young to have a long distance relationship. We planned to get back together in the future. I took birth control. Then one day, I must have forgot to take one. I just learned I'm pregnant yesterday. I'm scared to tell Mom. She and I have a close relationship and I'm scared that would destroy that."

"I know how you feel. I was like that. I was worried to tell Dad at first, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. He told me mistakes happen. But Samuel and I aren't ready to take on responsivity yet like I said before," I said.

We talked about on how to tell her mother later on.

"I'm not sure what I want to do," said Mary Ellen. "I don't want to be a single parent. I want to complete school before getting married and have kids. The only one who knows is Ethan, who was my boyfriend. He felt sorry for what happen. I texted him as soon as I found out. I would like to know how far I am before making a choice."

"I'm sure your mom would support your decision like my father did," I said.

"Can you help me tell her?" asked Mary Ellen.

"Sure," I replied.

"We can go tell her when we leave here," said Mary Ellen.

"Okay," I said. "Samuel's sister, Angela, had a baby before I moved here and gave up for adoption. She had no regrets. Her boyfriend and family were very supportive with her decision. She was only 16 at the time. She's almost 17 now."

"Wow," said Mary Ellen. "Ethan says he'll support my decision."

"If you're not ready to be a parent, pick an option that is right for you," I said.

"I might do to the same thing like you're doing. I don't want to do abortion," said Mary Ellen. "I don't like that thought."

"If you feel adoption is the right choice for your baby, go for it. I know where we can go. That's where I went to find a couple for my child," I said. "I'll go with you."

"Okay. Thanks," said Mary Ellen.

After we talked, we joined the others at the food court.

"We waited for you guys to come before we went to order to save a table," said Stephanie.

"That's fine," I said.

"We were just having a girl talk," said Mary Ellen.

"We're just going to hang out at her house when we leave here," I said.

"Okay," said Samuel.

"But she wants me to be alone with her if that's okay," I said.

"Not a problem," said Stephanie.

"We'll explain later," said Mary Ellen.

"Alright," said Samuel.

We had Subway and it was a good meal. Then, we went to see a movie. After that, we left the mall. Mary Ellen explained about what was she worried about.

"I understand," said Stephanie.

"Becky was great because she knew what I was going through," said Mary Ellen.

"I know," said Samuel. "We felt bad about it, but everyone makes mistakes."

"That's what I said, too," I said. "She asked me to go to her house with her so she can tell her mom. She's nervous about destroying the close relationship they have."

"I don't blame her," said Stephanie. "Becky and I did the same thing when we had to the break news to Samuel's father about his mother."

"And, my father understood I didn't want to call him at work," added Samuel.

"That was a smart choice," said Mary Ellen.

"I know," said Samuel. "It was tough at first, but we're doing okay."

"That's a good thing," said Mary Ellen.

Then, Mary Ellen and I went inside her house.

"Hi, aren't you Robert's little girl, Rebecca?" asked Hillary.

"Yes," I replied.

"I know him for a long time," said Hillary. "I also knew your mom."

"Mary Ellen and I talked about that," I said.

"Do you have time to talk?" asked Mary Ellen.

"Sure," replied Hillary as we sat at the kitchen. "What's up?"

"I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I'm pregnant. The only thing is that I don't want to be a single parent. Becky is great because she knew what I went through," said Mary Ellen.

"Mine is getting adopted. My dad's supportive. I had a few reasons for it," I said.

"So, I would like to do the same," said Mary Ellen. "I want go to college after high school."

"I understand," said Hillary.

"Becky says she knows a place where we would go for adoption since that's where she went," said Mary Ellen.

"She can show us how to get there tomorrow," said her mom.

"I have the number at home. I can give it to you if you would like me to," I said.

"That would be great. Thanks," said Mary Ellen.

"No problem," I said.

We're glad her mom is being supportive about the decision.

"I'm thankful," said Mary Ellen.

"My reasons are almost the same as her, but there are a few others. My house is too small. It has a two-bedroom house, my dad works the final shift and double shifts often if he's needed, he likes to nap after he comes home for a few hours, I'm 15, and Samuel & I are too young to raise kids. We had just started dating and want to wait until after college to get married in case things didn't work out," I explained.

"I don't blame you. You're doing the right thing for you, your baby, and father," said Hillary.

"I know. I'm glad Dad was great when I choose to do give my baby up for adoption," I said. "I have no regrets to do it."

"That's good," said Hillary.

"And, I didn't want to drop out of school or to stay back if I was up all night with the baby if I ended up raising it. I rather wait until I get married to do so," I said.

"That's true," said Hillary.

Ten minutes later, she offered to bring me home.

"If you want the number now, I can go get it," I said.

"Sure," said Mary Ellen.

That's what I did. I wrote it down and came back out to hand it to Mary Ellen.

"Thank you so much for your help," said Mary Ellen, who felt much better.

"Not a problem," I said with a grin.

"We can call there tomorrow when you get home from school," said Hillary.

"I like that idea," said Mary Ellen.

"Thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow," I said.

"You're very welcome," said Hillary.

"Bye," said Mary Ellen.

I went back inside while they drove off.

"How did it go?" asked Stephanie.

"Very well. Mrs. Powers was very supportive about Mary Ellen's decision to give up her baby for adoption," I replied.

"That's good," said Stephanie.

We talked about it some more while I was doing homework. Our parents came home just two hours before we went to bed. Dad was off so he didn't have to rush for work. He was glad about it. We went to bed at 10:00 pm and we whispered in bed for a bit until we went to bed about ten to twelve minutes later. This is the best part to be sisters.

 

22: Chapter 22

The next day, Mary Ellen came to school happily.

"What's happening with you?" I asked.

"Mom called the adoption center this morning and she's taking me there after school. She said you still can come with us so you can give us the directions to get there," replied Mary Ellen.

"Okay," I said. "Sounds good to me. They also let you meet a teen or anyone who had given up their babies. I did and that was when I knew adoption was the right choice for me. That was when you pick a couple that is right for your baby. Then, you can meet them."

"That sounds easy," said Mary Ellen.

"It is. I did an open adoption so the child can meet me when he or she turns 18 if they want. My secret is that they're getting a girl. I didn't tell anyone to keep this a surprise at birth," I said.

"Good idea," said Mary Ellen.

"I know," I agreed.

"I'll do an open adoption myself," said Mary Ellen.

"There's two different types. The other is closed. That means the agent picks the couple and they keep it a secret. Some women worry that reuniting wouldn't work out in the future," I said.

"I rather do open," said Mary Ellen.

"Me, too," I said. "I can't imagine doing closed adoption."

"Yeah. It's easier for the child to meet us in the future," said Mary Ellen.

"Exactly," I agreed. "Aren't you going to find out how far you are and due to tell an adopted couple when they get picked?"

"Mom scheduled it for Friday," replied Mary Ellen.

"It's always a good thing to be prepared," I said.

"I agree with you," said Mary Ellen.

After school, I suspected Eliza is jealous of me because she asked me why I was spending time with Mary Ellen. I didn't even tell Eliza what was going on because she didn't support my decision from the beginning until I made her understand. And, I am sure she'd do the same to Mary Ellen and I didn't want her to be tough. They even don't know each other. I bet she'd ignore her remarks. So, I just told Eliza that I was just showing Mary Ellen around town since she's new.

"Can I come, too?" asked Eliza.

"No, she wants to be alone with me right now," I replied. "Don't forget you and I can hang-out anytime."

"Yeah, we're just having girls' day," said Mary Ellen.

Mary Ellen and I went to our lockers as we went outside when her mom was. Then, we took off to the adoption center. I showed them where to go. Mary Ellen talked to an agent and he arranged her to meet a teen next week after school at around 4:00 pm. That way he can make sure adoption is the right choice. It's good that they don't pressure you at all.

After we left, we went home.

"Do you want me to come with you when you come here to meet up the teen?" I asked.

"Yes, please," replied Mary Ellen.

"Okay," I said. "If you want to talk to her in private, I'll just wait for you. The other one and I were in a room when we talked. That was when I knew adoption was the right option for me and the baby."

"Alright, sounds good," said Mary Ellen with a grin.

When I got home, Dad was waiting for me because we were going out. He knew where I would be anyway.

"How did it go?" asked Dad.

"Very good. Mary Ellen would be meeting a teen next week," I said. "She asked me to go with her."

"Good," said Dad.

"I know," I agreed. "At least I knew what she was going through."

"It's good to be supportive," said Miranda.

"I agree. Eliza should take lessons from me. She suspected on what was going on, but I didn't bother telling her because I know she might not like the idea of Mary Ellen's plan like she was from the start," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Stephanie. "I wouldn't either."

On Friday, after school had ended for the weekend, I was at the doctor's office with Mary Ellen and her mom. I offered to go with her. She learned she was only ten weeks and she would be due in September. This would help her to be prepared when it's time for her to pick the right couple for her baby. We were in the waiting room. Her mom would meet us there.

"I feel nervous about meeting this teen," said Mary Ellen.

"That's normal," I said. "You're not alone. Some teen mothers can feel the same way."

"Did you feel that way?" asked Mary Ellen.

"No because I knew I would make out fine," I replied. "I know you would do fine, too."

"Thanks," said Mary Ellen with a grin.

"Not a problem," I smiled back.

"This choice is better than doing abortion," said Mary Ellen.

"I agree with you," I said.

"Are you girls ready to leave?" asked Hillary, who came from the restroom.

"Yes, we're just chatting," said Mary Ellen.

"I just have to get ready to spend the weekend with my mom. Dad's working and Stephanie loves spends at my mom with me," I said.

"Okay," said Hillary.

At home, I went to Stephanie who was ready to leave for Mom with me.

"Perfect timing," said Stephanie.

"I know," I said.

"How far is Mary Ellen?" asked Stephanie.

"She's about ten weeks and she's due in September after we go back to school," I replied.

"That's good," said Stephanie.

"This would help her get ready when she's ready to select an adoptive couple for her baby," I said. "She says she's getting nervous about meeting the teen, but I told her she's not alone since most teen mothers can feel the same way. I added that I wasn't like that because I did it just fine and I know she would be fine, too. She was glad."

"Good," said Stephanie as we left the house to Mom's.

"Yeah," I said. "Glad I told Mom I'd be late."

"That was the smart move," said Stephanie.

Mom knew what was going on and she was fine with it. When we went to Mom's, she was cooking dinner.

"Smells good," said Stephanie.

"I'm making chicken tenders and mashed potatoes," said Mom.

"Okay," I said.

Supper was served about ten minutes later and it was great. She's a great cook like Dad and Miranda.

"I'll be going out with someone next weekend," said Mom.

"Wow. Good for you," I said.

"I told him I'd think about it because I wanted to focus on being a Mom and he didn't have a problem, so we're taking our time," said Mom. "I also told him that you and I had just gotten reunited."

"I don't mind you going out," I said.

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" asked Mom.

"Yes. I liked Miranda since she was friends with Dad for many years. Plus, I have a stepsister, whom I love very much," I said.

"He has a daughter who is your age. He's divorced and his daughter is struggling with that," said Mom.

"I believe that. I was like that at first, but then, I realized my parents got along much better after they got divorced," said Stephanie. "Divorce isn't an easy thing to deal with."

"What's your new boyfriend's name?" I asked.

"His name is Albert Brooks," replied Mom.

"Isn't his daughter is Melissa?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Mom.

"I know who she is. She goes to our school. She's in one of my classes," I said. "Does she know that her life might change?"

"No," replied Mom. "Albert hasn't told her yet because she wasn't sure on how she would take it."

Stephanie and I just stared at each other. We also understood.

"She lives with her mom full-time and visits her father on weekends," continued Mom.

"I did realize her grades started going down, but hasn't told the teachers what was bothering her. I don't think she's ready to tell anyone yet," I said.

"I noticed that, too," said Stephanie. "I have her in some of my classes, too."

"It's a shame," I said.

"How long were her parents divorced?" asked Stephanie.

"Back in February. It happened during Winter Vacation," said Mom.

"That must have ruined her school vacation," I said. "I know I'd be miserable if that was me."

"I think she'd be glad that you girls would help her," said Mom.

"I think so, too," I said.

After dinner, Mom said Albert would be coming over tomorrow.

"You can meet him then," said Mom.

"Okay," I said.

"In fact, he's coming for lunch," added Mom.

"Sounds good," said Stephanie.

"And, um, when time comes for you both to be remarried, how would Melissa spend weekends here? We only have two rooms and our room only has twin beds," I said.

"You got a good point. I'm sure we can talk about it when time comes," said my mom.

"We have time to decide," said Stephanie.

"Yeah, I know. I think I have a plan. Isn't our room big enough to have another bed?" I asked.

"I think so," said Stephanie.

"We could add a bunk bed," I said.

"That would be a good solution," said Stephanie.

"Too bad the house isn't big enough," I said.

"I know," said Stephanie.

The next day, Albert came over before 11:00 am.

"Girls, this is Mr. Albert Brooks. Al, this is my daughter, Rebecca and her friend, Stephanie. They just recently became stepsisters," said Mom.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," said Albert.

"Hi. We know your daughter, Melissa, we go to the same high school," I said.

"That's right," said Albert.

"We have her in some of our classes," said Stephanie.

"How is she making out these days?" I asked.

"She's still having a hard time to accept the divorce," said Albert.

"I bet," I said.

"I know the feeling," said Stephanie. "My parents got divorced not long ago. I took it hard, but I knew they got along much better. I still visited him on weekends in California where I grew up. My father recently passed away of a broken heart."

She didn't want to mention that he killed himself to anyone. She would make up a story saying he died of a broken heart. I didn't blame her for that. She told me she didn't want to give that idea to Melissa about killing herself last night. I agreed with her.

Albert took us out to lunch. He didn't have Melissa with him anyway. She only visits him every other weekend. That was perfect for him.

"How are you plan to go out with Mom if you have Melissa with you next weekend?" I asked.

"We picked Sundays because that's when she goes back home to her mom before dinner," answered Albert. "I bring her home by 5:00 pm, so we didn't have to worry about that."

"That's a good idea. I go home to my father on Sundays after lunch anyway. I live with him full-time," I said.

"That's good," said Albert.

"I know," agreed Stephanie.

We went to Cheesecake Factory and it was good.

"This is one of my favorite restaurants," I said.

"Mine, too," said Albert.

I liked him right away and I think he'd be a great stepfather if that happens. Stephanie thinks so, too.

After lunch, we went through the mall for a bit before we left for home. Albert brought us home before he went home.

"Thanks for everything," I said.

"Not a problem," said Albert. "It was nice meeting you and Stephanie."

"Same here. We had a fun time," said Stephanie while we went inside with Mom.

"What did you think of him?" asked Mom.

"We liked him," I replied.

"Yes, indeed. He's very nice," said Stephanie.

"That's what we like," I said.

"Good," said Mom.

That night, I started sneezing a bit. I knew what that means. I was catching a cold. Thank god I was going home tomorrow anyway. I decided to sleep on the couch so I can rest and that was the best way so that Stephanie won't catch it from me. That's what we decided to do since we don't have extra rooms here or Dad's.

"I think I'll go home early tomorrow if that's okay," I said.

"That's fine," said Mom.

My nose was red by the time we went to bed.

"Is there anything you can take during your pregnancy with your cold?" asked Mom.

"I don't think I can take meds. It tells you not to take anything during pregnancy because of birth defects and I don't want to take that chance to give the couple my baby with birth defects," I replied. "I'll just rest."

"Okay. I don't blame you," agreed Mom.

"I'm going to call Dad and tell him," I said. "He's already up by this time to get ready for work."

That's what he did and he said he can have Miranda gets us while he sleeps. I told him that's fine. He added she'll get us by 9:00 in the morning. That works. I can rest in bed during that time.

In the middle of the night, I didn't sleep too much because of my cold. Luckily, I got up to get some orange juice. I was also coughing most of the time. I didn't get up when morning came around until Miranda arrived.

"Becky, Mom's here," said Stephanie.

"Oh, good," I said while losing my voice.

"Are you losing your voice this morning?" asked Stephanie.

"I am," I replied. "I'm not going to talk much so I can rest my voice."

"Good idea," agreed Stephanie.

At home, I went to my room and crawled into bed.

"She's quiet," said Miranda.

"She lost her voice this morning. She decided not to talk too much so she can rest her voice," said Stephanie.

"Oh, I get it," said Miranda.

"She just got that cold last night," continued Stephanie. "She was afraid to take meds that could cause a birth defect."

"I don't blame her," said Miranda.

"Me, either," said Stephanie.

"And, this will be Robert's final time to work the third shift. He decided to switch it to the first shift during the weekend, but keep the last shift for weekends," said Miranda.

"That's good. I bet he can't wait so he can catch on his sleep," said Stephanie.

"Yes. He wants to spend time with us especially when you girls get home from school," said Miranda. "He said it didn't matter since he still spends time with us when he works the last shift. He just wants to take a break from that for a bit."

A few hours later, I was sleeping while Dad got up at 11:00 am.

"Mom was telling us this would be last night to work the final shift," said Stephanie.

"Yes. Keeping that on weekends is perfect while you girls are with her mother," said Dad. "I just wanted to work the first shift while you girls are in school so we can have more family fun especially at night when I didn't have to rush to come home to sleep before work."

"That's good," said Stephanie.

"How's Becky?" asked Dad.

"She's in bed. She also lost her voice when Mom came for us," said Stephanie. "She wanted to rest her voice."

"Okay," said my father. "I bet she's glad to come home early today."

"She is," said Stephanie. "It would give her time to rest up."

I didn't get my voice until later that night and I was glad to have it back. But I still have that cold. I didn't go to school for the next two days until it went away. It felt great to be back in school. I was able to get some work done while I was in bed although it was tricky since I kept sneezing, so I saved it the night I got better and did it for the following day. I was all caught up after all that.

 

23: Chapter 23

The next day, I spotted Melissa and went to her.

"How are you been doing these days?" I asked. "The teachers are worried about you because they noticed your grades started to go down."

"Not so well," said Melissa. "I'm having a hard time about my parents being divorced."

"I bet. Sometimes, they get along better. That's what happened to my stepsister's parents. She had a hard time, but she realized it was the best thing for them to do. They still get along much better. She would know how you feel. Actually, I had that experience, too," I said.

"You did?" asked Melissa.

"Yes. My mother took off one day when I was 4 leaving me and my father. We never knew where she was all these days. She and I got reconnected recently. She was working at Dave and Buster's. Dad and I were in California. We moved here last summer. I almost didn't want anything to do with her for what she did to us. But we slowly took steps before we had a better relationship. Dad just got remarried to my friend, Stephanie's mom, Miranda. They were friends back in college," I explained. "I visit Mom on weekends because Dad works the final shift at a hospital nearby."

"Wow," said Melissa.

"She asked me if I wanted to live with her, but I didn't want to in case it didn't work out and could take off again. Besides, I'm comfortable with Dad right now. He and I are very close," I said.

"I don't blame you," said Melissa.

"I know," I said. "This is between you and me."

"Okay," said Melissa. "I can see why since you and your mom are doing well and you must be afraid that it would destroy the relationship, right?"

"Yes," I replied.

She felt much better after she and I had a long talk.

At lunch, Eliza thinks Melissa is a bully. I didn't believe it.

"Where did you get that idea from?" I asked.

"I noticed that," said Eliza.

"I think you're a storyteller," I said.

"I'll prove it to you," said Eliza.

Stephanie and I just stared at each other.

"I'll bet she's not a bully," said Stephanie. "She's a very nice person."

"How much?" asked Eliza.

"$10 per person, so which means you'd owe me and Stephanie $10," I said.

"You're on," said Eliza.

Guess what? We won the bet. Melissa said it's a rumor that Eliza's making that up.

"We knew you're not a bully," said Stephanie.

"I wonder who started with that," I said.

"Probably Eliza. I won't be surprised. I don't believe in rumors," said Stephanie.

"Me, either," said Melissa.

Melissa got mad at Eliza for what she was doing and she owed us $10. Eliza tells us it was supposed to be a secret. We laughed at that. She didn't even say that. We wouldn't hide that anyway. It wouldn't be right at all.

"I don't want anything to do with you now," said Melissa as she took off.

"Thanks a lot," said Eliza, who was getting angry.

"She had every right to know," said Stephanie.

"That's right. How would you feel if someone did that to you?" I asked. "You shouldn't tell lies about anyone behind their backs. It's not very nice. To me, that's being a bully on what you did. If that was us, we would be punished."

"Exactly," agreed Stephanie.

That was when we left to go find Melissa. We felt bad for her.

"I never seen her mean," I said.

"Same here," said Stephanie.

We found Melissa at her locker.

"I can't believe Eliza would lie about me like that," said Melissa. "I would never bully anyone."

"I know you wouldn't," I agreed. "If you did, you would tell us about what the problem was."

"I agree with you," said Melissa.

After school, I texted Aunt Betty to tell her what Eliza did. She couldn't believe Eliza would lie about someone that way. I added I didn't believe it and Melissa says she would never bully anyone. She got mad at Eliza and would make her apologize to Melissa or she'll be punished. That's what she told me when she texted me later on.

At home, I did my homework. Mary Ellen texted me and says the teen wanted to move the appointment until tomorrow because she would be on vacation. I replied that was fine and asked her what time. It would be after school like it was planned. I said okay. Her mom would pick her from school and head over to the adoption center.

Eliza texted me and blasted at me for telling her mom on what she did. I said she should've thought about that before spreading rumors about Melissa. I blocked her number after that in case she tries to flip out again. That was the smart move. I wasn't going to let Eliza to be mean to Melissa. Honestly, Eliza is the one who's being a bully for the way she was treating Melissa.

I called Melissa to see if she's okay now. I remembered she would be at her mom's. She wasn't there. She was with her friends. I told her mom about what happened at school earlier. She was glad that I stood up to Melissa. Her mom already knew about what's going on because Melissa told her mom after she came home from school.

"Can you tell her to call me when she gets back? I just want to make sure she's okay," I said.

"Sure," replied Francine.

"Thanks. She has my number anyway," I said.

That night, the phone rang as I answered.

"Hello," I said.

"Hi, Mom told me you called," said Melissa.

"Yes. I was checking on you to see if you're okay," I said.

"I'm doing fine now. Thanks for asking," said Melissa.

"Not a problem," I said. "I texted my aunt and she got mad at Eliza for what she did to you. If she doesn't apologize to you tomorrow, she'll be grounded."

"Good. I'm glad. That would teach her a lesson," said Melissa.

"I know," I said.

The next day, I heard Eliza got a detention for gossiping about Melissa. I'm glad about that. I don't know what's the problem with Eliza lately. Neither does Aunt Betty. Eliza claimed she apologized about yesterday. I felt like saying how can she do that. Melissa told me Eliza never did. I had a feeling Eliza lied about that. School doesn't put up with any bullying or anything else.

At lunch, Melissa told me she's going to end her life. She couldn't stand being bullied anymore. Because of what Eliza did yesterday, no one wanted to bother with Melissa.

"Can we talk some more after school?" asked Melissa.

"I have plans to go somewhere with a friend," I replied. "But you can text me though."

"Okay, I was hoping if we can talk face-to-face," said Melissa.

"It won't take long, so I can come over after that," I said.

"That sounded like a good plan," said Melissa.

Then, I told her what I would be doing and she understood.

After school, I met Mary Ellen outside before we went to her mom's car. We took off to the adoption center. When we got there, the teen was on her way.

"She was leaving Sunday to go on a family trip, that's why she wanted to change it to today," said the adoption specialist.

"That's fine," said Mary Ellen.

The teen arrived five minutes later.

"I'll wait here while you talk in private," I said.

"Okay," said Mary Ellen.

The teen talked about her experience for ten to fifteen minutes. Mary Ellen felt better about it.

"The way I hear about her adventure, I feel adoption is the best choice for me and the baby," said Mary Ellen.

"Do you want to pick the adoptive couple now or do you want to wait?" asked the specialist.

"I'll pick now to be all set," replied Mary Ellen.

"Okay," said the specialist.

Mary Ellen and I looked through the profile and picked the right couple. This couple tried to have a baby for the past ten years since they got married, but it didn't happen. The woman did get pregnant last year, but suffered in a miscarriage. So they choose to adopt kids now. Mary Ellen wants to meet them. It got all set for next Thursday at 3:30 pm.

After we left, I was asked to bring me to a friend's house.

"Melissa wanted to talk to me. My cousin spread a lie about her and as a result, no one wanted to bother with Melissa," I said.

"I heard about that. Since when Melissa bullies people?" asked Mary Ellen.

"She said she would never do that," I said.

"Wow," said Mary Ellen.

When I got to Melissa's, she was on the porch.

"Thanks," I said as I got out of the car and went to Melissa.

"I'm thinking about switching schools," said Melissa.

"I don't blame you," I said.

"I just want to end my life at this point," said Melissa.

I listened while she told me what she had in mind to kill herself. I could see she's so depressed because of what Eliza did.

"Everything will be okay," I said.

"I hope so," said Melissa. "I just can't take it anymore."

"Mary Ellen couldn't believe it about what my cousin did," I said. "She agreed you wouldn't be a bully. The way I see it, Eliza's the one who is a bully."

"I think so, too," said Melissa.

She didn't want me to say anything about this. So, I agreed.

When I got home later on, I realized that I couldn't keep that as that secret. So, I texted Albert to tell him what Melissa might want to do and told him the reason. He told me I was a good friend to care for. He mentioned he would tell Francine so that Melissa can get help. Glad I did that because Melissa thanked me for saving her the following day.

I told her I did the same thing to a friend back in California. Melissa was lucky that she had a good friend like me to help out. Melissa went to the office to tell him she plans to switch schools so that bullying would stop.

"I already told my mom," said Melissa. "My grades started to drop even more because of all that."

"I don't blame you for leaving here," said the principal.

She signed herself off to drop out until she goes to a new high school. She turned everything in. She saw me and told me that.

"You made the right choice," I said. "I told those kids that Eliza said things that weren't true. I told them you're not a bully. They actually believed me."

"Oh, good," said Melissa.

Then, she left when her mom picked her up. I'm glad she's doing the right thing. She doesn't need all that. I bet wherever she would attend, her grades would go up. She still doesn't know her dad is dating my mom yet. I knew it wouldn't be the best to bring it up now. I'll wait until the time is right, which would be the smart thing to do. Stephanie agreed with me on that. Albert might agree on that, too. I was afraid if she found out; her grades might go down even more. It was bad enough it happened since her parents got divorced and when my own cousin spread lies about her. She should never start that from the beginning.

At lunch, I told Stephanie that Melissa left this morning.

"She decided to drop out to change schools," I said.

"Good. I hope things would get better once that happens," said Stephanie.

"I know," I agreed.

"Oh, how did the meeting made out for Mary Ellen with the teen?" asked Stephanie.

"Very good. She felt positive about the choice and already found the couple for the baby. She's meeting them next week at 3:30 pm. This couple has been trying to have a baby since they got married ten years ago. This woman got pregnant, but she had a miscarriage, so the couple decided to another option: sign up to adopt children," I explained. "Mary Ellen just knew adoption was the best choice to make right away after the meeting."

"Wow," said Stephanie.

"Mary Ellen told me about what the teen said. I let them talk in private," I said.

"That was the smart thing to do," said Stephanie.

"Yeah. It was a long story that the teen told her. This teen had a rough childhood. First of all, her father died when she was 5 and her mom took off on her two years later. She has been in foster care ever since. She got adopted by the time she was ten. They didn't know where her mom went to. To be safe, she was put up for adoption. This teen is 16. On top of that, she was abused by her uncle when she was nine during one of the visits, so the social worker put a stop to that. She could only visit other relatives, but not her uncle. They decided to put a restrained order to stay away from her. She was glad they did that. However, that stuck with her ever since. When she got pregnant last year, she knew she didn't want to be the mother at the time. Her foster parents were supportive and understood why she wanted to put her baby up to adoption. She added she might not want to be a mother at all. She had so many bad memories of her childhood. Her boyfriend was not happy with the decision at first because he was ready to be a father, but she didn't care. She wanted to do what was the best for her and the baby. She was afraid she won't be a good mother. He finally understood why she was placing the child for adoption," I explained.

"Wow. I feel bad for that poor girl. She had the right to do what she had to do," said Stephanie.

"I agree," I said. "She had no regrets with her decision at all."

"I don't blame her, especially since she wanted to get her life back," said Stephanie.

"The teen doesn't wish to meet her birth mother right now. She found out her mom was trying to find her," I said.

"She's the one who was out of her life anyway," said Stephanie as I agreed with her. "That wasn't fair to her."

"She just gave birth two months ago and signed the final adoption papers," I said.

"Which adoption option did she pick?" asked Stephanie.

"She did an open adoption so that her son can meet her when he turns 18. She wrote a letter to give him a few reasons why she had to give him a better life so they can put that a file. He can read that when he's ready to find his birth mother," I said.

"Wow," said Stephanie.

"I might actually do that, too, if I wanted to," I said. "I'll think about it when time comes. Maybe Samuel would do that with me."

"That would be a good idea to do," commented Stephanie.

"I know," I said. "I'm sure Samuel and I would talk about that soon."

He wasn't there today. He had a cold since last night. He told he gets that twice to three times a year.

"When is she meeting the adoptive couple?" asked Stephanie.

"A week from Friday," I said.

 

24: Chapter 24

After school, I stopped by at Melissa's house to see how she's doing. I rang the doorbell and she came to answer.

"I'm going to a new high school tomorrow. It's a private school. A friend of mine came by earlier to bring me a school uniform," said Melissa.

"That's good," I said. "Which one is that?"

"La Salle Academy, it's for grades 7 to 12," said Melissa. "My friend's been there since 7th grade. She loves it there. She would get bullied back in 6th grade, which made her choice not to go back to middle school when school started."

"I don't blame her for doing that," I said.

"I know," said Melissa.

"I bet you'll do well there. You needed to change," I said.

"Me, too," said Melissa. "I'm glad I did the right choice."

"I believe that," I said.

We had a long talk about it.

"I'm glad we can still talk and see each other whenever we want," said Melissa.

"So am I," I said. "You can tell me on how you did at your new school."

"Deal," said Melissa with a grin.

At home, I went to Dad.

"Hi, honey," said Dad.

"Melissa dropped out of school and going to a new school tomorrow," I said.

"That's a good thing. Eliza should never start a lie about Melissa," said Dad.

"That's what I said, too. She's going to a private school: La Salle Academy. It goes from 7th to 12th grade," I said. "She's glad she made that choice. I just went to see her and that was when she told me about that. I didn't blame her. She didn't need that. Her grades went down even more from all that."

"That's a shame," said Dad.

"I know," I said.

"Have you told her that her father is dating your mother?" asked Dad.

"I figured it's not the time to mention yet. I plan to wait for a bit," I replied.

"I don't blame you for that," said Dad.

"I know. Stephanie agreed with me to wait until the time is right," I said. "Mom wouldn't blame me for that either. I'd be worried her grades would go down even more."

"Albert is probably waiting to tell her at some time once she gets settled at her new school," said Dad.

"I would say so, too," I said. "She probably wouldn't mind since I've been supporting her and defended Eliza for being mean to Melissa."

The next day, at school, Eliza was looking for Melissa to 'beat' her up.

"Are you crazy to beat someone up? You can get in trouble for that," I said.

"Where is she?" asked Eliza.

"None of your business," I replied.

"That's right," said Stephanie.

I went to the office and told the principal on what Eliza was going to do to Melissa.

"I didn't want to tell Eliza because I know she'd find Melissa and beat her up," I said.

"I'm glad you came to tell me. It's good you didn't want to tell her," said the principal.

"After all, she was the one to cause Melissa to drop out to begin with," I said.

"I agree with you," said the principal.

After school, when I came home, Melissa texted me saying she did the best decision she ever made. She felt better with the change. She thinks she'd have better grades now. I was glad for her, too. I even told her about what happened and she was glad that I handled Eliza. She was also glad that I reported that to the principal as well. She also said what I told her was the smart move.

Good thing she didn't know about her father dating my mother although she's starting to adjust her parents' divorce. I'm thinking about studying to be a therapist when I apply for college because I'd make my friends feel better when they needed a friend to talk to when they need help through tough times. Dad tells me I'd be good at it.

I have plans to attend college there. I'm not sure which one at this time. I'll think of that when it's time to look into colleges. Although I like living in Rhode Island now, I'm still a California girl at heart. My friends and I plan to attend together. I'd live with Sarah or Janet when I go to college unless I get a scholarship to help pay the dorm rooms since they're very expensive. I'd also get a job in the meantime to save money for college, car, and anything else.

I told Dad about Eliza. He was glad that I reported her.

"When she asked me where Melissa is, I told her it's none of her business," I said.

"Good," said Dad.

"Because Melissa doesn't deserve to be beaten up," I said.

"I agree," said my father.

That night, I did my homework. I was studying for a test tomorrow for math. It was on fractions on addition. I use examples to study. It makes that easier for me to study that way. I get As that way. Stephanie came by and said, "It's time for dinner."

"Okay," I said. "I need a break from studying anyway."

I shut the notebook as I got up and went out there to have supper.

"Did you hear our school is having a spelling bee soon?" asked Stephanie.

"No. I remember doing that during middle school," I said.

"Oh, yeah, I remember that, too. You were one of the best spellers," said Stephanie.

I remembered that I won a few times. I took second place in Washington, D.C. That was for grade and middle school students anyway. Dad was proud of me when I get that. I'm happy with second place. It's better than last place.

"The winner wins a prize," said Stephanie. "We can sign up for it. I heard they do it there every year. The ones who sign up would get a list of words to study for."

"Okay," I said. "You and I could study together."

"Sounds good. If Samuel signs up, he can study with us," said Stephanie.

"Even better," I said.

After dinner, I went back to studying for the math test for a bit longer.

The next day, Stephanie and I went to sign up for the spelling bee.

"I wonder what prize we'd get if we win," I said.

"I know," said Stephanie.

The principal gave us the list of words to study for.

"You'll have two weeks to study for the bee," said the principal.

"Okay, sounds great," I said. "I've been doing that before. I won a few times and win second place in Washington, D.C. when I was living in California."

"That's very good," said the principal.

I noticed Samuel hasn't signed up for it. He probably never did that before. We asked Samuel and he said he's not a good speller.

"I thought you get As in English with our help," said Stephanie.

"Plus, Stephanie and I plan to study the words together," I added.

"I'm sure once we study real hard, you'd be a good speller by then," said Stephanie.

"That's true. I could give it a shot," said Samuel.

That was when he signed up and got the list of words.

"I've been doing it before," I said.

"Really?" asked Samuel.

"Yes, when I was in California, I would make it to Washington, D.C. during those school years. I'd win first or second place every time," I said.

"She was the best top speller," said Stephanie. "I remember that. Even when I didn't make it though, I would cheer her on along with the other girls."

"That's neat," said Samuel.

"I know," I said.

"One year, she caught one of the spellers cheating. She mentioned it to a judge and they were glad she noticed that," said Stephanie.

"What did the speller do to cheat?" asked Samuel.

"I saw the speller took a piece of paper out of his pocket and that was when she used that with to cheat. You're not supposed to do that. You're supposed to know it by heart," I said.

"The judges didn't notice that until Rebecca did. That speller got kicked off the stage for cheating," said Stephanie.

"That would teach any cheaters a lesson not to do that again," said Samuel.

"I know," I agreed.

I had just done the math test earlier. That was before I signed up. I got the test back with an A+ on it the following day. Mary Ellen signed up, too. She canceled the couple because she had a miscarriage. I think she was relieved about that part. The couple was disappointed that they couldn't meet Mary Ellen yesterday. She apologized that it happened suddenly and they forgave her. They hope they'd get chosen again someday.

We have been studying for the spelling bee for the two weeks together. We were ready by the time the spelling bee came around. They were doing it after school. Dad and Miranda were able to come to see me and Stephanie. Samuel's father and sister were there, too. Then, at the end, Samuel, Stephanie, and I were the top three.

"If they spell the rest of the words correct, it would be a three way tie as winners," said the judge.

I went up to the microphone.

"Spell mononucleosis," said the judge.

"Mononucleosis. M-o-n-o-n-u-c-l-e-o-s-i-s. Mononucleosis," I spelled.

"That's correct," said the judge.

I knew how to spell tough words. The next thing I knew it, I was the last one standing on stage. Samuel and Stephanie misspelled a word.

"If you spell this final word, you'll be the winner. Spell combustible," said the judge.

"Combustible. C-o-m-b-u-s-t-i-b-l-e. Combustible," I spelled.

"Congratulations. You're the winner," said the judge. "The prize we're sending you and your family to visit Washington, D.C. for a three day stay including the national spelling bee next month."

I couldn't believe it that I'm going there again. They said they do it for high school students as well. They do younger grades first before they do high school students.

When I got out of the auditorium, Stephanie and Samuel rushed to hug me.

"Way to go," said Stephanie.

"Thanks," I said.

"Those words are tough to spell," said Samuel.

"I feel great about that way," I smiled. "Who wants to help me to prepare for that spelling bee?"

"I would," said Stephanie.

"Count me in, too," said Samuel.

"Great. The more helpers, the better," I said.

I had great helpers for the past six weeks until the trip was paid for by the school. My family, including Stephanie, was going. Dad said that I can invite Mom if I wanted to. I liked that idea and she accepted the invitation right away. Miranda didn't seem to mind about that. I heard Melissa's grades have been improved ever since she switched schools. I was glad to hear that. She told me that herself. She already knew I was going to National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. and she wished me luck on it.

When we got to Washington, D.C., we went to tour the White House. I've been there a lot. I loved it. The auditorium is there in. The tour guides showed where the high school students would go the day after tomorrow.

Two days later, it was a big day for the spellers. I got my number and went to the stage with everyone else. They almost discouraged not to go on stage because of my pregnancy; but I told them I'd be fine. I was right. At the end, I was up against another speller. We were the final two. When she spelled that word wrong, I had a shot to spell that and I won. I added the letters that she missed.

"Congratulations on winning the national spelling bee," said the judge while the audience clapped.

The judge came on the stage to give me the trophy. I felt good about it. I couldn't believe that I won the contest. The rest of my family met me on the stage to have our pictures taken.

The next day, we flew back home. I still felt great about yesterday.

"That was a cool prize," I said.

"I heard they do that every year," said Stephanie. "I bet you might go for it again."

"Me, too," I said with a grin.

Mom said I can tell Melissa that she and her father are dating since she's settled.

"Are you sure that it's the right time to tell her? What if she found out you and her father lied all this time?" I asked.

"She would understand she and her father wanted to wait until it was time," said Mom.

Stephanie and I looked at each other.

"I'll tell her when I get a chance. Only one more thing: Would it better off that her father tells her that?" I asked.

"She's right about that," said Stephanie.

"If it was my child, I'd tell them," I said.

When we got in Providence, we grabbed our suitcases and went to get our car to get home.

At home, Stephanie and I talked about on how to tell Melissa.

"Albert should be the one to tell his daughter," I said.

"I know. I could imagine her on being angry at him for not telling her anything," said Stephanie.

"I worry about that, too," I said.

Later, I texted Melissa that I won the spelling bee and she was glad for me. Then, I managed to tell her about my mom dating her father. And, Stephanie was right: Melissa got very mad that her own father didn't tell her that himself. I added that Mom wanted me to tell her and said that he should've told her that, not us. On the other hand, she did like the idea of her father dating Mom because we could be sisters if they decided to get married when they're ready. I added my mom and her father wanted to wait for a while before telling her since she had a rough time. That was when she realized she was glad her father didn't tell her right away when her grades were dropped.

"I can't believe only few weeks left of school until summer vacation arrives," I said.

"I know," said Stephanie.

 

25: Chapter 25

On June 9, I had back pains. When I was about to get up to get water while I was studying for the finals, which is in a few days, I noticed my water broke.

"Stephanie, get Dad. My water just broke," I said.

That was when we rushed to the hospital. I called the adoption agency to tell them. They will inform the adoptive couple right away.

At the hospital, Samuel was by my side the whole time. I wasn't ready to push yet. I was about 5 diameters and I have to be 10 in order to push. They told me I was going to have a healthy child. I felt glad about that part. The adoptive couple was in the waiting room. They figured to give us some privacy for the time being.

Two hours later, the doctors told me it was time. That was when I gave birth to a girl. She was 8 pounds and 5 ounces. It felt good to hear her cry. I decided to call her Patricia to keep my grandmother in my memories. The doctor brought her out to the adoptive couple and they were happy.

"Meet your daughter," said the doctor.

"She's so pretty," said Mrs. Tuner.

"Our daughter will be happy to meet her new baby sister," said Mr. Turner.

"Have you decided on names?" asked the doctor. "Rebecca named her Patricia, after her grandmother. She said you can stick with that name or change to whatever you want."

"Okay," said Mrs. Turner.

Two days later, I was released from the hospital. I went to the adoption center to sign the final papers so Patricia can be with her adoptive couple. Samuel already signed it yesterday. They told me the couple kept the name, but replaced the first name to Nichole and kept Patricia as her middle name.

"I don't mind. I told them they can keep the name or change it if they wanted to," I said.

My life has been changed since after the adoption. I started bowling again for fun. I spent two months in Bahamas with my mother. Stephanie was with me. On top of that, I learned I passed all of my finals. I felt great. I wrote a letter to Patricia to tell her she will always be in my thoughts and did what was best for her. They have that on from my file so Patricia can read it when she turns 18 when she's ready to look me up.

In fact, the Turners asked me if I would like to be the part of their extended family. I wasn't sure that was a good idea. I don't want to disrupt her life. I made a decision not to be the part of it. I wanted to forget everything. I have no regrets on giving her up to a good home. Dad, Stephanie, and Samuel agreed on my decision.

They also asked Samuel to be the extended family, but he turned them, too. There were times I kept wondering about her, but I reminded myself I made the best decision for us. The adoption agency kept me in touch for a while to make sure I was doing okay. I liked that idea.

A few months later, after I started 10th grade, Albert asked Mom to marry him and she accepted it. Melissa was thrilled to be my stepsister. It's amazing that I'd have two stepsisters now. They got married before I turned 16. Albert had to buy a bigger house for me, Melissa, and Stephanie to visit him and Mom on weekends. Their house was a very good size. That was better than Mom's small house that had three rooms. Stephanie and I helped her to move all of our stuff to the new house. Stephanie and I decided to decorate the new room the way we had it before. In fact, the new room is big enough to have three beds, so we have two bunk beds. Melissa wanted to be with us, so her father agreed to let her do that. We had no problems sharing that room on weekends or holidays.

I had my driver's license before Christmas. Dad helped me save money to buy a car. In fact, he surprised me with a brand new car for Christmas.

"Really? I thought I saw three cars," I said.

"The one behind mine is yours. Our driveway is big enough to have three cars," said Dad.

"Wow, thanks, Dad," I said as I hugged him excitedly.

I think about Patricia sometimes. I almost cried around her first birthday. The specialist told me those feelings are normal. That helped me feel better. The sadness didn't stop me from telling myself that I still have no regrets about it and Patricia has a nice life. Samuel agrees with me that she's in a nice loving home. We're still together.

Two years later, we both got accepted into colleges of our choice. I did choose to study to be therapist like I wanted to do. I stayed with my girls instead of using the dorm rooms. Samuel wants to be a doctor.

A few years later, we both graduated and went on to get our master's degrees. Unfortunately, my father passed away when he had his third heart attack.

But my mom and I are still close. I still love my stepparents who care about me. I love my two stepsisters.

That was after we got married. I live in California again. I'm glad I'm in my old hometown.

Now, we felt we were ready to have children since we got settled in. We have three kids, Samuel, Jr., Robert, & Mary Jane, and we are one happy family. I wanted to keep my best friend alive. I still miss her every day. I also miss my father, that's why I named my second son after Dad to keep him in my memories.