The John Hughes Club

Chapter Sixty Seven - Five Months Later

We have had many hurdles of hurt and judgement to jump over, but they're beginning to no longer seem so high. I have grown immune and accustomed to the sneaky little stares and whispers. My skin has become thick to the ignorant lack of understanding, and even the immature curiosity. To be honest, the kids at school have become irrelevant within the grand scheme of things going on in my life right now. I'm on the cusp of leaving school. On the cusp of motherhood. We had kind of hoped that the Archleigh gossip train might lose its steam about my being pregnant, but as my stomach has been growing over the months, so too has the interest. That interest might be born out of teenage intrigue or teen spite, but it's constantly been there. Not that it matters anymore. I came to Archleigh as the girl who got stared and whispered about, I'll be leaving it in much the same way.

"You look amazing, Mindy...totes ahhhhh-maaaaaziiiiiing!" Ros gushes, standing back to admire more of me from where she is in my bedroom.

Agreeing with her, Ella nods over and over and over again, looking much like one of those funny little bobbing heads air freshener thingies you get in a car. "Chas is going to freeeeeeeeeeak!" she squeals, so girlishly softly, clasping both her hands together with such youthful glee.

"Thank you!" I say with a thrilled lilt. "You girls look absolutely gorgeous toooooooo! You really do!"

Proudly, both Ella and Ros stand taller in front of me, not just because they are in heels, but because they are loving the compliment.
They do look gorgeous.
They should be proud.

Getting ready for our prom tonight has been so much fun. Our exams are finally over and we're so ready to celebrate that. We have been preparing ourselves for this evening for weeks and weeks. Hours and hours have been spent on Pinterest, getting dresses and hair style ideas. Every moment, I have loved. Every moment, I haven't taken for granted. I have quite simply, just been a teenager. Getting ready in my bedroom with Ella and Ros, is just a continuation of me being that teenager. I might be pregnant, but I am still a sixteen year old girl who just wants to go and enjoy her prom with her amazing boyfriend and supportive friends. A teenage girl who wants to say goodbye to her Secondary school life and say hello to her new one that will include a baby. And me and the girls have been been getting ready in true teen style. There has been music, dancing, makeup, many conversations, many spritzes of perfume, and enough laughter to make my cheeks already ache...yeah, I'm cherishing every second.

"Can you believe that it's actually prom night?" Ella's sweet lisp makes itself heard as she smoothes down the tulle pleats in her dress, looking at us with nothing but gleaming expectation. Capturing every inch of her personality, Ella's gone for the cutesy short style. Light lemon in colour, along with the sequin bodice, it perfectly compliments my endearingly sweet friend. Myself and Ros helped with putting her thick hair up into a classy conditioned ponytail, leaving all of her coily curls to cascade down the top of her back and the middle of her shoulders. I think Zigs will certainly be pleased with the pretty results of Ella's hair and dress.

"I'm certainly ready to blow off some exam steam, for sure!" Ros brags, turning up the music because CamelPhat have just come on through my iPod speakers. As she's dancing around, I laugh. In the most inelegant of ways, she's bouncing from side to side, fist pumping the air, getting lost in the sweeping rhythms. Ros went all out sophistication in her toe-length sapphire blue maxi dress, but with her enthusiastic bedroom dancing, the one shouldered chiffon number keeps losing its sophisticated shape.

"You're going to mess your hair up!" I warn her, still laughing, not wanting all of mine and Ella's amateur hair stylist endeavours to go to complete waste.

"It'll be fine! I have so many hair grips in this chignon, I'm surprised my neck can take the weight!" giggling, her spectacularly bad bedroom jig confidently continues.