1| Two Red Lines

"Tell me, Katty, why did you bring me here? Aren't we going to do summer work together at your house?"

Blair Tanzel looked at her best friend suspiciously. They were standing at the entrance of a hotel that had just opened two days ago.

Katty spread her arms desperately. "Who knows. I… I was just trying to help you."

"Help me? By taking me to the hotel? What for?" Blair doesn't like it anymore. She demands an explanation.

"Okay! I could never lie to you." Katty took a deep breath. "I'm not sure this idea will work either. But, he forced me to do it."

"He?" Blair's arms crossed over her chest. "Who do you mean?"

Katty puffed out her cheeks. "Andrew, he wants to surprise you."

"Andrew?"

"Yes, Andrew White, your boyfriend. He asked me to bring you here and will give you a surprise to celebrate your 6 month anniversary."

There was both joy and surprise on Blair's face. "If it's a surprise, why did you tell me?" Blair's tone began to soften.

Katty rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. As I recall, you forced me to tell the truth a few seconds ago! Besides, I'm also annoyed that along the way, you keep asking what we will do? Where are we going? So it's best to pretend to be surprised when you meet Andrew. Okay?"

They entered and sat in the hotel lobby. While Blair sat down and fixed her make-up, Katty went to reception to ask for a reservation on Andrew White's behalf.

Katty handed Blair a hotel room key and a can of cold soda.

"Sugar will make you feel better. You better start from here, do it yourself. But tell Andrew that I brought you. Remember, the most important part of a surprise is that you have to be surprised!" said Katty, rolling her eyes.

Blair laughed at the thought of having to feign surprise in front of Andrew. "Oh, thank you very much, Katty. You are my only friend who can make me laugh."

"Yeah, he booked room number 1024 for your surprise. Can you come there alone?" Katty kept checking her phone to reply to messages. "I have to go back because Antony is waiting for me."

Blair nodded. "Yes, I will repay your kindness. Have fun with Antony."

"You too. Remember, you must pretend to be surprised in front of Andrew."

Blair finished the rest of her soda before heading to room 1024. While she was in the elevator, Blair suddenly felt dizzy and uncomfortable. Her legs were wobbly. She clung to the elevator wall.

"My head… why does it hurt so much?" Blair clutched her throbbing head.

The elevator door opened. Blair came out and staggered like a drunken man.

"There must be something wrong with me. I have to meet Andrew. He might have some medicine or something."

Blair staggered. As time passed, her eyes grew blurry, and her feet seemed to float. Blair heads to a room with the number 1042 written on it. With her head spinning and eyes blurry, she goes to the wrong room, which should be 1024.

Blair tried to put in the key, but the door was already open before she could do so. Blair entered the dark and lonely room.

***

Two months later...

Blair stared intently at the two red lines on her pregnancy test. She was so scared. Blair repeatedly opened her eyes to ensure the tool she was holding didn't misrepresent the color and number of lines.

"I am pregnant?" mumbled Blair. "I'm only 17, and now I'm pregnant? I'm still in high school, though."

Blair exhaled heavily over and over again. She even started to tug at her gray-black hair in frustration. So many questions and thoughts ran through Blair's head, making her want to explode.

"How will Andrew respond to this reality? Will he be happy, or will he be angry? Yes, I know he loves me. He always says it, even every time we meet." Blair mumbled to reassure herself. "But it's a baby! A baby we never thought would exist. I am terrified! What if his presence would change Andrew's mind?"

Blair bit her lip until it hurt. She heard the sound of footsteps entering the women's restroom where she was hiding. Blair immediately covered her mouth and quickly wiped away the tears. She didn't want others to catch her carrying a pregnancy test in hand.

"This is so embarrassing and scary! Although I often get news that high school students get pregnant at a very young age without marriage, I never expected this to happen. How will others respond if they hear this news? How will my friends respond to my existence from now on?"

Blair lifted and bent her legs over the toilet seat. She was curled up like a baby while hugging both knees very tightly. The white pregnancy test kit was still tightly gripped in her trembling hand.

Blair hasn't had her period in almost two months. She thought it was just a result of the teenage hormonal changes. When some friends talked about high school pregnancies, it really frustrated Blair. It started buying pregnancy test kits at the pharmacy. Now she's sitting in the girls' restroom at a cafe not far from the school.

"More importantly, this time, how will my mother respond? She must have been disappointed and angry if she had realized I had gone this far. I'm still in high school. But she's my mom. She is also a woman. Will she ignore me? I think mom also got pregnant at the age of 16. I'm still a year older than she was when pregnant."

Blair continued to argue with her own mind and thoughts.

"No matter what, I have to tell them this. I couldn't possibly bear it alone."

There was a soft knock on the door to the toilet where Blair was hiding. The girl jumped and was so nervous that she dropped her pregnancy test kit.

Blair quickly picked up the pregnancy test and shoved it roughly into her bag. She hoped whoever was waiting in line at the toilet door didn't see her pregnancy test kit. Blair quickly wiped away the tears, straightened the wrinkled clothes, and slung the bag over her shoulder.

After taking a deep breath, Blair walked out and left the toilet. The three girls in line at the toilet door looked at Blair strangely and sneered.

"Do you think this toilet belongs to your mother? You should sleep in your own toilet, you bitch!"

Blair didn't respond to the taunts. Her hands were shaking too much to grip the bag's strap slung over her shoulder. She walked to the sink to wash her hands.

Andrew was waiting for Blair at one of the cafe tables. Many students from Blair's school were hanging out there after class. This time Andrew also came with three other friends. Blair knew them as members of the basketball team.

"Hi, darling?" said Andrew as soon as he saw Blair's appearance. "Where are you from? What took you so long?" Andrew reached out and wrapped it around Blair's slender waist.

Blair inched a little uncomfortable. A sudden realization flooded Blair.

"Maybe now my body shape is starting to change? I am pregnant. There's a baby that will grow and develop in my stomach," thought Blair. She couldn't imagine if her waist would get bigger.

"Andrew," Blair whispered. "Can we talk?" Blair tried to keep her voice low so the people sitting at the tables around them wouldn't hear.

Andrew suddenly grinned. His brown eyes glowed. He was thinking of something else when Blair whispered something for the two of them to talk to.

"Of course!"

Blair sighed. As soon as she saw Andrew's mischievous look, she knew her boyfriend had other things in mind when Blair said she wanted to talk alone. Andrew must have thought Blair tried to ask him to have sex as usual.

Blair walked away and out of the cafe. She went into an empty parking lot. Blair stood there with a very trembling and panicked face. She constantly clutched the bag over her shoulder without taking her eyes off the parking lot. She had to make sure no one was paying attention.

Andrew came after following Blair. The boy brought his face close to Blair's cheek and landed a mischievous kiss on the nape of the girl's neck. Andrew even pinned Blair to the wall knowing that the parking lot was empty.

Blair wasn't in the mood for any of that. Her mind was a mess. Her life might end now, but she couldn't keep all those secrets to herself. She had to share it with others, with the partner she had trusted and given all her love for, Andrew.

Blair tried to dodge and pushed Andrew's arm away.

The young man looked surprised at Blair's unusual behavior. "What's the matter with you, honey?" Andrew asked. "Are you having a problem?"

Again Andrew tries to get Blair and tease her. He hotly kissed the girl's neck and whispered sweet words in her ear.

"Do you want a hotter relationship than yesterday? I'll give it to you today. How about we do it at my house? My parents aren't around."

Blair's lips locked. She was sick of her current state but couldn't immediately admit what was on her mind. Once again, Blair clutched the bag strap slung over her shoulder and remembered the pregnancy test dancing around.

Blair placed both hands on Andrew's chest and stared into the young man's brown eyes.

Andrew is starting to get annoyed that he keeps getting rejections from Blair. According to Andrew, Blair has looked different and distant from him for the past few days. Andrew was getting annoyed, and he didn't like the neglect.

"Okay, Blair, because I wanted to talk to you one-on-one too. I think I can hold myself back and cancel my plans for you. But since you keep rejecting me, I can't hold it in anymore."

"What do you mean?" Blair didn't understand what Andrew was talking about.

"You have changed lately. I want to break up with you. I've had enough!" said Andrew.

"What?" Blair shouted. "Break? How could you ask me to break up? Just so you know, I'm currently pregnant!" Blair finally confessed.

"What?" Andrew replied. He felt wrong to hear Blair's statement.

Blair continued to stare intently into Andrew's eyes. "Yes, you heard it! I am pregnant!"

Andrew laughed lightly and lifted his head. "It's definitely not mine!" he exclaimed.

Blair couldn't believe the harsh words of rejection from her lover's mouth. "How could this not be your baby? I always do it with you!"

Blair reached into her bag and showed Andrew the two purplish red lines on the pregnancy test. "Observe. I'm not working on you. I'm telling the truth."

"Is that true?" This time Andrew smirked.

He took a step back to avoid Blair. Andrew's eyes suddenly looked at Blair with a look of disgust.

"You are a little bitch. You did it with someone else. That's why you changed. Now that you've suffered the consequences, you came to me and tried to threaten me to hold me accountable?"

"What do you mean, Bastard?" Blair replied.