Unexpected Turns

17

I don't think I've ever felt more sick in my life. Even when I had the flu at age seven and was hospitalized for two days. Even when Scott made me ride the Twisty Turner at the school carnival five times in a row. Or even that time when he convinced me that it was a good idea to eat sushi from a gas station.

Never before have I felt like this; so weak, so nauseous, so low.

The room around me is spinning. The chatter of the party guests become a dull hum. All there is is Dani, and her round pregnant belly. Chris stares at his feet, and I don't mind--I wouldn't be able to meet his eyes anyways. I feel Scott place a hand on my shoulder, and I have to swallow down the sensation to either barf or cry--I can't tell which, but perhaps it is both.

Dani laughs slightly. She must not feel the tension the way Scott, Chris, and I do. She must not realize that I am about to break. "Shocked?" she jokes.

I open my dry mouth without even knowing what would fall off my tongue. "How..." I mutter, almost a whisper. "How far along are you?" She's just big enough to be showing, but not big enough to of been knocked-up for long. I start to do the mental math in my head of when Chris and I first got together.

He must be able to sense my thoughts. He raises his head as soon as I ask the question, his eyes wide. "Charlie, no--"

"Relax, Chris," Dani says with a small chuckle. "She can ask whatever questions she wants! Stop being so defensive of this." She bats a hand at Chris and then puts it to her belly. "I am twelve weeks pregnant."

I frown, trying to divide while my head continues to pound with all of my piling emotions. "So that's..."

"Three months," Chris says. I feel his gaze burning into me, but I refuse to turn my head. If I do, I won't be able to hold back the tears anymore. "Here, Char, why don't I show you to the back room? You can put your stuff down--"

"I know where the back room is," I snap at him. My throat feels tight, as if someone is choking me. I can't think of the timeline. I can't determine whether there was an overlap.

Dani furrows her eyebrows, looking between Chris and me. "Is everything alright?" she asks, completely oblivious.

At this, Scott decides to speak up. After all, these kind of spontaneous lies are his specialty. "Charlie is upset with Chris for choosing the acting industry over getting a degree," Scott says. Surprisingly, it sounds like a fairly solid excuse as to why I could be upset. But then, Scott furrows his eyebrows, as if becoming confused by his own story. "But he will still be getting his degree..."

"Which is why," Chris adds quickly, coming to the rescue. "I don't think she should be so mad at me."

Dani seems to buy the story. Either way, I don't care. I just stand there, my arms hanging weightlessly at my sides, my whole body numb. "Ah, I see," Dani says, nodding. "Well, seems like you two should work this out because my doctor said that negative energy isn't good for the baby."

My head snaps to face her, and suddenly, I'm not in control of my own body anymore. I glare at her, my mouth moving before I can stop it. "Oh yeah? Well maybe you should just take that negative energy and shove it up your--"

"Hey! Hey!" Scott shouts, waving his hands wildly. "Look! Is that Britney Spears?"

Dani, who was watching me in dismay, pauses to look at Scott, confused. Chris takes this opportunity to push me back towards the guest room behind the stairs, away from everyone else. I try to fight him, hitting at him with frustration. But, just as always, he is stronger. He guides me back, and over his shoulder, I can hear Scott continue to distract Dani.