😱 “This wasn’t the news Angelina was ready for… Shayla is pregnant.” 🤰
😱 “This wasn’t the news Angelina was ready for… Shayla is pregnant.” 🤰
Angelina:
…What did you just say?
Shayla:
I said I’m pregnant. I didn’t whisper it. You heard me.
Angelina:
No. No, I couldn’t have heard you right. You’re joking. This is one of your jokes, right?
Shayla:
I wish it was. Trust me, I wish more than anything that it was.
Angelina:
But you’re only—
(stops herself, shaking her head)
How long have you known?
Shayla:
Three weeks. I took the test at Layla’s house. Then another one. Then another. They all said the same thing.
Angelina:
And you waited three weeks to tell me?
Shayla:
I was scared, Angie. You’re my best friend. I didn’t know how you’d look at me after.
Angelina:
I’m not mad—
(voice cracks)
Okay, maybe I am, but not at you. I’m just… shocked.
Shayla:
That’s what everyone says when they don’t know what else to say.
Angelina:
Do your parents know?
Shayla:
My mom does. She cried. Not yelled—cried. That somehow felt worse.
Angelina:
I can’t even imagine.
Shayla:
She keeps asking me what I’m going to do. Like I have a five-year plan just sitting in my pocket.
Angelina:
Do you know what you’re going to do?
Shayla:
No. One minute I feel weirdly calm, and the next I can’t breathe. Everything feels like it’s moving too fast.
Angelina:
(quietly)
Are you okay?
Shayla:
Physically? Yeah. Emotionally? Not even close.
Angelina:
Why didn’t you come to me sooner?
Shayla:
Because I was afraid you’d see me differently. Like I ruined everything. Like I ruined myself.
Angelina:
Hey. Don’t say that. You didn’t ruin anything.
Shayla:
It feels like I did. All my plans—college, moving out, everything—now it’s all question marks.
Angelina:
Plans can change. That doesn’t mean your life is over.
Shayla:
You say that now. Wait until people start whispering.
Angelina:
Let them whisper. They don’t get a vote.
Shayla:
(soft laugh)
You always say things like that. So confident. I wish I felt even half of that.
Angelina:
You don’t have to be confident right now. You just have to get through today. And tomorrow. One step at a time.
Shayla:
Will you… stay? I mean, not right now—just… don’t disappear on me.
Angelina:
I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me, remember?
Shayla:
Even after this?
Angelina:
Especially after this.
Shayla:
(eyes watering)
Thank you.
Angelina:
We’ll figure this out together. You don’t have to do it alone.
Shayla:
That’s all I wanted to hear.
Angelina:
So… who knows besides me and your mom?
Shayla:
No one. And I want to keep it that way for as long as I can.
Angelina:
People will notice eventually.
Shayla:
I know. That’s the part that makes my stomach twist. Not the doctor visits. Not the tests. The looks.
Angelina:
People can be cruel when they don’t understand.
Shayla:
Or when they think they do.
Angelina:
Have you told him?
Shayla:
(hesitates)
Not yet.
Angelina:
Shayla…
Shayla:
I know, I know. I should. I just—what if he freaks out? What if he disappears?
Angelina:
And what if he doesn’t?
Shayla:
That feels harder to imagine.
Angelina:
You can’t carry this alone. Emotionally, I mean.
Shayla:
That’s easy for you to say. You’ve always been strong.
Angelina:
No. I’ve just always had you.
Shayla:
(quiet)
I’m scared I won’t be good at this.
Angelina:
No one starts out knowing how.
Shayla:
What if I mess everything up?
Angelina:
You will. Everyone does. That’s part of being human.
Shayla:
That’s not very comforting.
Angelina:
It’s honest.
Shayla:
(sighs)
Sometimes I wish time would just pause. Give me a minute to breathe.
Angelina:
If it could, I’d press pause with you.
Shayla:
Do you remember when we used to talk about the future? Like it was some shiny thing waiting for us?
Angelina:
Yeah. We thought we had it all figured out.
Shayla:
Now it feels like the future showed up early and knocked the air out of me.
Angelina:
Or maybe it just looks different than you expected.
Shayla:
Different is one word for it.
Angelina:
Are you angry?
Shayla:
At myself? Yeah. At the situation? Definitely. At everyone else? Sometimes.
Angelina:
That’s allowed.
Shayla:
I hate that my life is about to become everyone’s opinion.
Angelina:
Then let’s make sure it’s still your life first.
Shayla:
How?
Angelina:
By making choices because you believe in them—not because people pressure you.
Shayla:
You really think I can do this?
Angelina:
I know you can. Even when you don’t.
Shayla:
Promise you won’t sugarcoat things?
Angelina:
Promise. But I won’t abandon you either.
Shayla:
(tears slipping)
I don’t deserve you.
Angelina:
Stop that. Friends don’t deserve each other—they choose each other.
Shayla:
Then… stay with me tonight?
Angelina:
Of course. We’ll order food, watch something dumb, and pretend the world isn’t screaming for a few hours.
Shayla:
That sounds perfect.
Angelina:
Tomorrow, we’ll face reality. Together.
Shayla:
Together.
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