𝙼𝚞𝚖 𝙰𝚝 𝚂𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

06

𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐆𝐨!

"Are you sure your parents are cool with this, honey?" the pharmacist had asked before handing over the abortion pills. I tried to act confident. "Yeah, they're totally fine with it," I replied, handing over the cash. As I made my way to the door, I could feel the pharmacist's suspicious gaze burning into my back. I hurried out of there before she could start questioning me or worse, ask for my mom to come in. That would definitely not end well.

◉◉◉

I plopped down on the toilet seat, clutching the abortion pill in my trembling hands. Maybe Jake was onto something. Maybe I needed to let go of this burden. I couldn't handle the thought of bringing a child into this mess of a life. Not right now, at least. With a bottle of water in one hand and the pills in the other, I steeled myself for what was to come. I just needed to be free from this nightmare.

I rationalized to myself that I could just tell my family I had a miscarriage. That would work, right? I felt like a monster for even considering aborting my own baby, but I knew I couldn't handle the responsibility. As I was about to swallow the pill, a voice startled me, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

"Bridgette," it was my mom. My heart raced as I tried to keep quiet. I couldn't let her in on the fact that I was about to terminate my pregnancy. She'd probably freak out and tell me to join my baby in the grave.

"Bree?" she called out one last time before giving up. She must have realized I didn't want to talk to her. Grandma stayed for a few days before leaving, and during that time, I stayed holed up in my room.

I just couldn't deal with anyone in that crazy house. Between Grandma's constant yelling, Mom's dramatic outbursts, Claudia's never-ending chatter, and Ethan's strange antics, there was no one I could really talk to except for Ariana, of course.

I took a deep breath, swallowed the abortion pills with a gulp of water. I did it. So why did I feel so guilty?

As I slinked out of the bathroom, trying to act casual even though there was no one around to fool, my knees felt like jelly. I mean, what did I expect after taking those damn abortion pills?

According to Dr. Google, I was supposed to start bleeding in 3 to 4 hours. How the hell was I supposed to hide that from my nosy family? I couldn't just bleed all over the place and pretend everything was fine. I suck at lying, they'd see right through me. I guessed I'd just have to hide up in my room for the day and hope for the best.

Few Hours Later

A lot of time went by and I still hadn't felt any weird symptoms from popping those abortion pills. I mean, that's what I get for googling stuff, right?

I casually texted Ariana, feeling completely at ease as I nonchalantly mentioned, "I took abortion pills." Despite the slight dizziness I was experiencing, I remained surprisingly calm in the moment.

Ariana's voice pierced through the phone, her words laced with panic and anger. "Are you out of your mind? Do you honestly believe you can just pop pills into your mouth like that?"

I could practically feel the heat of her frustration radiating through the receiver. For a moment, I half expected her to reach through the phone and slap some sense into me.

But strangely, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Was the baby gone already? Was my life back to normal? I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

That feeling was short-lived a few moments later, as my door suddenly burst open to reveal Ariana and Mom standing there, their expressions a mix of disbelief and anger.

"Wait, wasn't I just talking to you on the phone?" I exclaimed in disbelief as I stared at Ariana. "I was in the area!" she shouted.

But before I could process her explanation, my mom stormed towards me, her expression a mix of anger and concern. "What is this about you taking abortion pills?" she demanded, her words hitting me like a ton of bricks. Ariana had spilled the beans to my mom?

Panic set in as I tried to come up with an explanation, but my mom's furious glare made it clear that she wasn't in the mood for excuses. "It's not what you think, mom," I stammered, desperately trying to defend myself.

But my words fell on deaf ears as my mom's voice rose in anger. "Explain yourself!" she demanded, her tone leaving no room for argument. My heart raced as I struggled to find the right words to appease her fury.

I felt like I was drowning in a sea of judgment and disappointment. "I didn't ask for this, Mom," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. But she wasn't having any of it. Her eyes were blazing with anger, and her words cut through me like a knife.

"And so what, Bridgette? Everyone's been bending over backwards trying to support you through this whole pregnancy situation," she said, her eyes blazing with anger. "Do you honestly think any of us are thrilled about you getting knocked up at this age? You're constantly crying and throwing fits, but have you even stopped to think about how all of this is affecting us?"

I could feel the weight of her words crushing me, and I bit my lip to keep from crying.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't my fault that I was in this situation. I didn't want this life, but it seemed like no one cared about how I felt. I felt like a prisoner in my own body, trapped in a life I never asked for.

I glanced over at Ariana, who looked like she was regretting snitching on me to my mom. I didn't bother responding to my mom because I knew it would only escalate things, so I just sat on my bed in silence, tears streaming down my face.

My mom rolled her eyes and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. Ariana tentatively reached out to comfort me, but I angrily slapped her hand away. "Just go, Ariana," I muttered. She looked taken aback by my reaction and quietly left my room.

This was all her fault! But maybe my mom was right. I was acting dumb, being stupid, and just being a cry baby.

After a few minutes, I was done with all the crying and just let out a whimper when my mom barged into my room again. Ugh! Couldn't she have at least knocked first? Why did she always have to scare the living daylights out of me with the way she aggressively swung open the door?

"Where did you get them from?" she demanded, already dressed and holding the car keys. "Huh?" I replied, feeling confused. "Where did you buy those pills?!" she snapped impatiently.

Was I really that irritating that everyone felt the need to yell at me all the time?

▀▄▀▄ 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 ▄▀▄▀

Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. It really tugged at my heartstrings and I know it must have hit home for all the sensitive souls out there. 🥺 Let me know your thoughts in the comments and have a fantastic day. Don't forget to vote and share with your friends! Sending love to each and every one of you ❤️