One of the perks of being pregnant, and in high school, is that morning sickness can be used to feign an actual illness, and I manage to get out of school for almost the rest of the week because of it. Amanda is nice enough to bring me my homework, and I email Ms Henry about tutoring, so I don't miss too much. 

On Friday, however, my mom puts her foot down. 

"You need to try to go to school," she says. She watches me from the bathroom doorway, her arms folded across her chest. I sit in front of the toilet. My cheek is pressed against the white --and clean, thankfully- seat. "Otherwise we need to go ahead and make a doctor's appointment." 

I close my eyes. I'm exhausted. I don't want to deal with this. But I can't go to the doctor's yet. The diagnosis that my mother will get is one that I know she won't like. 

She frowns at me. Her voice is soft and gentle. "Do you think you'll be able to make it?"

"Yeah," I murmur. 

She walks over and runs her fingers through my hair. "I love you," she says, and then leaves the bathroom. I swallow back the nausea and force myself to get up.  It wasn't just the morning sickness that was keeping me down, I knew that. Just the idea of seeing Blue-Eyes again sent me running back to the toilet. 

I call Amanda and tell her the news. 

I get dressed and hover around the toilet until I hear a horn blast from outside. My hands shake with nerves as I gather my backpack, yesterday's homework, and go out to meet Amanda. "Just call and I'll come get you," my mom says as I step outside. 

Amanda sits behind the wheel of her van. I climb inside and slump down in the seat. She glances at me from the corner of her eyes as she eases down the driveway. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"Like shit," I grumble. I hold up my hands, which shake like I've drowned four cans of red bull. "I'm trembling, Amanda. I'm not sure I can do this." 

"Alice, stop that. You can do this," she says, and smiles at me. "Kill him with kindness. It will bug him if you show up smiling happily and act totally over it." 

"But I'm not totally over it," I sigh. 

"He doesn't know that." Amanda's van pulls into the student parking lot and puts the massive car into park. "He knows that you're pregnant, and that you suffer from morning sickness. Plus there's a good chance that he's not even going to be here today. Like I've told you, he's been playing hooky too."

I grunt in response. I stare up at the school with disdain. It seemed to be even more prison-like today. Amanda climbs out of the car and waits, somewhat patiently, on the sidewalk for me to emerge from her car. I climb out slowly and test the waters. No one immediately notices my appearance, which sends a wave of relief rushing through me. I walk toward Amanda and rub at my temples. 

"I'm tired. I think I'm developing a headache." 

"I'll punch you if you try to get back into that car," Amanda says with a cheeky smile. I scowl at her and scan the parking lot. No sexy black mustang in sight, so I assume that I am safe for now. 

I sigh and loop my arm through hers. Amanda smiles and tugs me toward the courtyard. My stomach twists uneasily, but it's manageable. We walk onto campus and I absently tug at my shirt. It's pretty baggy, and a pale pink color. It's not like I'm showing yet or anything. I didn't feel like trying to look pretty today. 

"Well look who decided to show up today," a painfully familiar voice sounds from behind me. I turn and grimace at Miley, who stands a few feet away with her hands folded across her chest. She looks like the darker version of Regina George, from Mean Girls. Red-Roots and Bimbo Two are huddled around her like brainwashed puppies. 

Her gaze is glued to my hand. I lower it to my side and glare at her as she says, "Come to give your support for the next Virgin Mary?" 

I grind my teeth. Amanda steps forward and folds her arms across her chest. She inserts herself between Miley and I, almost protectively. "Leave us alone," Amanda orders. "We're already stressed out enough. We don't need your petty insecurities directed toward us as well." 

I swear I would hug her right now if I wasn't afraid I'd puke on her. 

But I feel horrible, because she's taking all the hits for me. She's not the pregnant one here. She shouldn't be teased for something that she's not. I step forward and put a hand on her shoulder. I flash her a smile. 

Then turn to Miley. "Get a life, okay?" I smile sweetly at her. "Or at least some common sense. Amanda isn't the pregnant one here. I thought it was pretty obvious, considering I've missed school and have been in a relationship for the past several months. And I find it kind of sad that you feel you have to ridicule her in order to make yourself feel better." 

Miley eyes me. Her lips twist with a smirk. "So that's why he dumped you." 

The blow was pretty low. 

I swallow and force myself to shrug. "If we're really being honest here, I'm the one who broke it off." Technically, it was true. I was the one who chose to leave him, instead of doing what he wanted. He just got to walk away first. But Miley didn't need all the glory details. 

She rolls her eyes. "If that's what you want to call it, sweetheart." 

Amanda's hands are clenched into tight fists. She opens her mouth to say something, but I give her shoulder a good squeeze. I flash Miley a beaming grin. "You're really not worth another ounce of my time, sweetheart." 

Amanda unwillingly lets me drag her away, all the while muttering death threats. Once we're a good ways across the courtyard, I let up and turn to her with a challenging look. "Kill them with kindness, remember?" 

She scowls at me. "I love it when you turn my own words against me. It's kind of turning me on." She mutters sarcastically. 

I snicker. "You have the weirdest fetishes." 

Amanda rolls her eyes and lets out a laugh. She loops her arm through mine again and we start walking toward my first period. 

The moment is bittersweet. They really aren't lying when they say that gossip spreads faster than a wildfire.

By lunch, the entire school knows I've been knocked up. 

I know this because when I go to open my locker to retrieve my chemistry notebook, a mountain of diapers and condoms falls out. 

Amanda stares at the diapers and condoms that collected around my feet. Her hands clench into tight fists as the students in the hallway with us burst into a round of laughter. I reach down and pick up a diaper, and wave it in the air.

"Gee," I call out, knowing that the perpetrator must be close to watch my reaction. "Give me a couple more months and I'll definitely need these. The condoms included because at least you all know now that I can actually get some, unlike the rest of you losers!" 

It was a horrible assumption; I'm sure Miley gets passed around more than a joint at a college party. But I am not a happy camper, and tend to get lost in the moment at times. 

"Alice," a nearby teacher scolds. I grimace as the troll from my first period approaches, irritation rolling off him in waves. He glares at me. "That was highly inappropriate. I think a visit with the principal will do you some good." 

Amanda's mouth drops open. "But that's not fair. She's being bullied." 

"All the more reason to go," the troll barks. 

I slam my locker door shut and flash a smile at Amanda. "Don't worry about it Amanda. I'll see you in Art." 

When I enter the front office, I notice that the secretary seems to be waiting for me. She stands as I enter the room and casts a pitying look in my general direction. "Alice?" 

I nod. 

"Right this way, sweetheart. He's expecting you." She leads me toward the door to the principal's office. I fight another grimace and fight the nausea that swells inside my stomach. 

The first thing that I notice, as I step inside the principal's office, is that my mother is sitting in one of the chairs situated in front of his desk. 

The second thing that I notice is that she's beyond pissed. 

"Oh, no," I mutter. She must know. 

"If only you said that instead of opening up your legs," she responded sharply. 

That most definitely confirms it. 

 Author's Note:

Sorry for the long wait! I've been super busy with school work ;-; I'm not too happy with this chapter, but I hope that you enjoy it. Well, as much as you can. I know that most of y'all are still pretty pissed with Seth right now xD <3