Playing The Game

Playing The Game - Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Joel dropped me off at home and I searched around the house for my mum, before remembering that she was at work. It was weird not being at school.

What the hell was I supposed to do now? It was so boring with no one else in the house.

“It’s so boring in this place!” I groaned out loud to myself as I trudged upstairs to my room and flopped down on my bed. I instantly regretted that though, because pain shot through my torso. I’d forgotten about my ribs—again. How the hell does someone forget that they have broken ribs?!

I sat up on the bed and looked around searching for something to do. Suddenly my eyes landed on Joel’s leather jacket lying on the floor. I walked over and picked it up, then sat back on the bed.

I can’t believe I still have this have this, I thought with a smile.

Even though Joel had said that he wanted it back, every time I tried to give it back to him, he always came up with some excuse as to why I should keep it with me.

It brought back so many memories and I smiled as I remembered all the times we’d spent together. It felt like years, not just a few months.

I sat there, holding Joel’s jacket, breathing in his familiar sweet but spicy scent, remembering everything. Every kiss, every touch, every word. I felt so lucky. I was going out with a rock star, someone that every girl I knew fantasised about being with, and, even though he’d done some bad things recently, I knew he loved me.

I don’t know how long I sat there for, but eventually I fell asleep, jacket still in hand.

* * *

            Three days passed and still no one would tell me what was going on with Mandy.

So I decided that I would call her and have her come over to my house and explain to me what was going on.

“I don’t know if I can, Rubi,” she said after I’d asked her.

“Come on, Mandy. Please? Pretty please? I really want to know what’s going on. It’s not something bad is it?”

“Uh, no, I don’t think so. Well, not really. Kinda. I don’t know. But I don’t know if I should tell you. Your mum told me not to say anything until you’d recovered completely.”

“Completely?! That won’t be for, like, another 6 weeks!”

I heard her sigh. Yes! She was thinking it over.

“Okay, fine.”

“Yay! Thank you! I hate not knowing something that everyone else knows about.”

“Yeah, I know,” she laughed.

“I’ll see you in a bit. Thanks again. Bye.”

“Bye.”

I hung up and raced downstairs, sitting down on the lounge to wait impatiently for my friend. Finally I would know what was happening! I really hoped she wasn’t in trouble or anything.

Ten minutes later she was there, and she sat on the lounge with me. I stared at her, waiting for her to come out with it.

She took a deep breath and looked away from me, squeezing her eyes shut. “I’m pregnant.”

I blinked a few times as I registered what she’d said. “You’re what? H- How? How far along are you?” I asked, glancing down at her stomach. She couldn’t be too far, because she was almost flat with only the slightest protruding bump.