Anything but Normal - Melody Carlson [41]
“Yeah, it’s not the kind of thing a girl likes to brag about.” “Well, that was a long time ago,” Kelsey protested. “People should be smarter now. Don’tcha think?”
“Especially with all the abstinence campaigns going on,” Hannah added.
“Like that’s gonna solve the problem.” Jenny’s tone was sarcastic. “Girls still get pregnant.”
“Not this girl.” Hannah shook her head vigorously.
“Or this one.” Kelsey made a face. “Ugh, can you imagine how totally humiliating it would be to have to take classes at the pregnancy center?”
Carrie Anne nodded. “Seriously, Sophie, what were you doing there anyway? I mean, you already wrote your little opinion piece.”
“I’m doing a human interest story for the paper.”
“Good for you,” Jenny said.
“Well . . . I guess it’s something people need to know about. I had no idea there were so many girls there.”
“How many are there?”
“They told me it’s around thirty. But they’re not all from Brewster. Some of the girls come over from Maxwell too. Some are pregnant, and some already have a kid. Some do half days and some do whole days.”
“So they bring their kids to school with them?”
Sophie nodded. “There’s a pretty nice day-care facility and everything. It’s quite an operation.”
“Isn’t it freaky, though, Sophie?” Kelsey asked. “I mean, didn’t it feel weird being there with all those pregnant girls? Didn’t you want to just tell them that they wouldn’t be in that place if they’d just waited until their wedding night to—”
“Yeah, that’d be real nice.” Jenny punched Kelsey in the arm.
“Ouch!”
“Just because a girl makes a stupid mistake doesn’t mean she doesn’t have feelings too. Sheesh.”
“Are you speaking from experience?” Kelsey narrowed her eyes at Jenny.
“Yeah, right. I’m pregnant, Kelsey. Get real.”
“Well, you’re the only one in our group who hasn’t made a purity pledge.”
“Puhleeze, don’t remind me.”
“Jenny’s right, though,” Sophie admitted.
“Right about what?” Kelsey asked. “Not making a pledge?” “No. She’s right that those girls do have feelings.”
“And aren’t we supposed to love everyone?” Jenny asked.
“It’s not that I don’t love them exactly.” Kelsey spoke slowly like she was trying to figure it out. “It’s just that I don’t want to be seen with them. You guys know that we’re not supposed to put on an appearance of evil. I mean, if I was with girls like that, someone might think that I’m like that too.”
A small part of Sophie wanted to scream out to Kelsey and the whole world that she herself was a girl like that. But she kept quiet.
“Well, I think you’re full of it,” Jenny said to Kelsey. “And just for the record, Jesus hung with people who were considered evil and sinful. I think it’s cool that Sophie doesn’t mind hanging with the pregnant girls. You go, Sophie.”
Sophie let out an exasperated sigh. If only they knew.
“I agree with Jenny.” Carrie Anne patted Sophie on the back. “You go, girl.”
“You must be better Christians than me.” Kelsey’s voice was too loud. “Trust me, if I had to spend time with a bunch of dumb pregnant teen girls, I’d want to straighten them all out.”
“I know what my dad would say.” Carrie Anne’s voice softened. “Actually, it’s what Jesus said.”
“What?” Kelsey said.
“You know . . . that whoever is without sin should throw the first stone.”
“Thank God I’m without that sin,” Kelsey said.
Their group erupted into laughter. Well, Jenny didn’t laugh all that much, and Sophie’s laugh sounded fake to her own ears. For the most part, her friends just didn’t really get it. And Sophie wasn’t much closer to getting it than they were. The truth was, she was embarrassed to be seen hanging with the pregnant girls. Never mind that she was actually one of them.
Consequently, she glanced over her shoulder as she made her way to the pregnancy center that afternoon. She didn’t really want to be spotted again, despite the fact that she was on an assignment and had arranged to do three interviews. She still felt uneasy as she went into the center.
Music was playing, and the place was decorated with black and