I didn't sleep. The test kit still lay open on the bathroom sink, its two pink lines staring back at me like some cruel joke. I sat curled up in bed, knees to chest, hoodie pulled over my head, willing time to pause just for a second so I could breathe.
But morning always comes. The smell of fried plantain wafted up the stairs. Aunt Grace was humming again, blissfully unaware that her niece had just stepped into a nightmare. My stomach turned. Was it nausea from the pregnancy or just the dread of facing her?
I stumbled to the mirror, barely recognizing the girl staring back. Pale. Sunken eyes. Broken. "I'm pregnant," I whispered. The words burned.
I tried to fake normal. Put on my baggy hoodie. Pulled my sleeves over my hands. But when i walked into the kitchen the minute she looked at me, her hum died.
"You look like hell," she muttered. "Gee, thanks," I snapped, grabbing a piece of bread from the counter without looking at her.
"Ava." Her tone sharpened. I ignored her and reached for the fridge. "I found the nurse's note in your bag."
I froze. My blood turned to ice.
"Why were you going through my stuff?" I asked, turning slowly to face her. She folded her arms. "Because you've been acting strange, Ava. Distant. Secretive. And now I find a pregnancy test note in your school bag?"
"You had no right!" I yelled, my voice cracking. "That's my bag. My privacy! You always act like you care, but the moment something feels off, you start snooping like I'm some kind of criminal!"
Aunt Grace's face flushed with fury and confusion. "You live under my roof. I have every right to know what the hell is going on with you, especially if it involves something as serious as this!".
"Oh, so now you care?" I spat. "You didn't care when I said I needed space. You didn't care when I begged you to let me go to that party just once! And now you're pretending to be the concerned parent?"
Her mouth dropped open, stunned.
"Ava…" But I was already storming out of the kitchen, my breath shallow, eyes burning.
I didn't wait to hear the rest.
I slammed my bedroom door so hard the walls shook. She stared at me for a long second, then turned her back and said nothing more. I left without eating.
School was a blur. I kept my head low in the hallways, trying to move through the crowd like a ghost. But people noticed. They always do.
I walked into first period late and found Daniel already seated near the window. He didn't say anything, but I could feel his eyes on me like he had yesterday too.
Something about his stare felt too familiar. Intense. Almost… watchful. When class ended, I was packing up slowly when I heard his voice.
"You alright?"
I flinched. Looked up. His hazel eyes met mine, calm and unreadable.
"Fine," I said too quickly.
"Thought so," he murmured, almost to himself, before slinging his bag over one shoulder and leaving.
Lunchtime came. I sat under the tree at the far end of the school field, where no one usually bothered to go. I needed air. I needed to not cry in front of the world.
"Hey." I looked up and saw a girl with braided red-streaked hair and glasses. She stood with a lunch tray in her hand and a cautious look in her eyes. "Mind if I sit?" I shrugged. She sat without waiting for more.
"I'm Talia," she offered, picking at her rice.
I didn't respond. She didn't push. After a few minutes, she spoke again.
"I saw you leave the nurse's office yesterday."
I froze.
She didn't sound judgmental. Just… curious.
"You looked pale. I thought maybe you were sick or something," she added.
I didn't know why I answered. Maybe I just needed someone, anyone to see me.
"I'm pregnant." Talia blinked, but didn't react the way I expected. No gasps. No disgust.
Just quiet.
"Shit," she said softly. "I'm sorry." Silence stretched between us.
And then, just when I thought she would leave, she said, "You wanna skip next period with me? Just walk?"
I hesitated, then nodded. For the first time since that night, I didn't feel completely alone. I didn't say a word all the way home.
The nurse had told me earlier, her voice like a whisper through fog. 'You're pregnant, Ava'. Just like that. Like it was a normal thing to say. As if those words hadn't shattered something inside me.
I walked like a ghost through the school gates, through the streets, and into the house trying not to think, not to cry, not to fall apart.
Aunt Grace was in the kitchen when I got in. I barely made it past the doorway when she spoke.
"Where have you been?" Her tone was sharp, but there was worry in it too. I didn't answer. I started up the stairs.
"Ava, I'm talking to you." I stopped, one hand on the railing. My head throbbed. "You missed morning classes. The school called."
I kept walking.
"They also mentioned a visit to the nurse's office."
That made me pause. She stepped into the hallway, her eyes narrowed. "Ava, what's going on?" I turned to face her, my expression blank.
"You tell me."
"Ava..."
"Did you go through my things again?!" I snapped.
Her eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't act like you haven't done it before. You think I don't know when my drawers are rearranged?"
"Ava....?"
"You know what, fine! Yes, I went to the nurse. Yes, she said I'm pregnant. Happy now?!" I said rudely yet broken
There was silence for a while.
Aunt Grace stared at me, as if she hadn't heard right.
"What?"
"You heard me." My voice cracked. "I'm pregnant."
She stepped back like I had slapped her.
"Ava… how…?"
"I don't know!" I screamed, tears falling fast now. "I don't remember! I was at that stupid party, and I was drunk, and something happened, someone did something and now I'm pregnant!"
Her face went pale. She took a shaky breath. "Ava… oh my God…"
I turned away from her, running upstairs, slamming the door behind me. I collapsed onto my bed, burying my face in my pillow to muffle the scream building in my throat.
I hated this, everything. The way my body felt foreign. The way my mind refused to piece that night together. The way I couldn't even cry properly anymore. Just this dull, aching burn behind my eyes that never seemed to leave. Aunt Grace knocked once. Then again.
"Ava... please open the door," she said gently, her voice barely audible through the wood.
I didn't respond.
"I'm not angry. I'm just... worried," she added, her voice soft.
I stared at the ceiling, jaw tight, lips sealed. My heart thumped like a warning drum in my chest.
Finally, I got up and opened the door, just a crack. Her eyes were red. She looked like she had aged ten years in the last ten minutes.
She stepped inside slowly. "oh my Ava..."
"I'm not talking about it," I cut in, sitting on the bed, arms crossed
She sat on the edge of the bed beside me. The silence stretched. The air was thick.
"I think you should see a doctor Ava," she said gently. I bit down on my bottom lip so hard I tasted blood.
"Fuck" I whispered.
"I can't be pregnant," I turned to her with the pains not just in my voice but my face as well.
"Ava..."
"I can't be pregnant, Grace!" I yelled. "I don't even remember what happened that night! I don't know who touched me, who... who violated me!" My voice cracked. "Do you even know what that feels like?!"
She reached out to touch my arm, but I pulled away.
"I feel disgusting. Broken. And now you're telling me I might have something growing inside me from that night?"
Silence.
"You don't have to face this alone," she said eventually.
"But I am alone," I said, quieter now. "Even when you're here… I still feel alone."
She didn't argue. She just sat there, staring at me with eyes full of helpless sorrow.