Whispered Secrets - Jay Mirano (most inspirational books of all time TXT) 📗

me. But what I wanted more than anything was to see Jake’s face, to have his hand on my shoulder and tell me it’d all go smoothly. Or, in his words, a-okay.
I pulled out my phone and hit Speed Dial 1 – Jake. I picked idly at balls of lint on my jumper as the call trilled in my ears, wondering what was taking him so long. He usually answered on the second ring, no later. The call rung out, unanswered. What the Hell

? I called again, this time starting to feel worried. They’re probably just in a movie or something

, I told myself. Stop being so clingy.

But I ignored that rational voice. I sat down on the curb and listened to my second call fade away.
"Hey! This is Jake! Leave a message and I’ll get back to you!"

I groaned, kicking at a handful of stray pebbles at my feet. Third time lucky, I reasoned, hitting the call button again. But this time, the call was cut-off. Jake had cut me off!
I was about to send him an accusatory text, when my phone vibrated with a message.
Sam, stop bugging me, seriously.

My fingers lingered on the buttons, debating whether or not to reply. I considered sending back something equally brash and obnoxious, but decided against it. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and cursed under my breath. Jake would have a lot to answer to tomorrow at school.

***

I hadn’t touched my pepperoni pizza. Instead I toyed with the edge of the paper plate, too afraid to look Johnny in the eye. I fleetingly wondered if it was really necessary to break it off with him, but I knew it was. The relationship was a fake, and I couldn’t do that to Johnny, no matter how irritating he was.
Johnny reached out a hand and lay it across my own, steadying it. I felt an urge to pull it away, but decided against it. I’d let him have this one girlfriend-boyfriend moment, it was the least I could do.
“You seem distracted, what’s up?”
I looked up at him, wanting more than anything to hide under the table and tell him to go away. “We need to talk.”
I saw a worried look flit across his face, before being swallowed up by that face-encompassing smile once more. “Shoot.”
“I know I’ve been leading you on,” I started, biting my lip. “But it needs to stop.”
“What are you talking about, Sam?”
I inhaled sharply. “We need to break up.”
Johnny’s face crumpled. His pizza sagged and then fell from his hands, and yet his fingers remained outstretched, as if still holding it. He looked broken, and I’d been the one that broke him. I felt that guilt rise again, and this time I couldn’t fight it off.
“Why? What… What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything,” I said, trying to sound up-beat. I attempted to put my hand on his arm, but he drew away. “It’s got nothing to do with you.”
“What, ‘It’s me, not you’? Is that it?” He let out a bitter snort.
“Pretty much, yeah.”
“That’s just what people say when they’re trying to spare hurt feelings. Well, it’s too late for that, Sam. You may as well just tell me the truth.”
“You really want to know?”
“Obviously.”
“There’s someone else.”
His face darkened with an ominous shadow. “Who?”
“I’m not dating anyone else, I didn’t cheat. My heart just belongs to another.”
He let out such a hysterical laugh that I thought he’d actually gone insane. A few of the other people in the restaurant stopped and stared.
“I can’t believe I ever liked you,” he spat.
“Don’t be like that,” I said. “There’ll be another girl out there for you – another girl who deserves you. But that girl isn’t me.”
He shook his head. “Yeah, you bet there is. Next time I won’t go for such a massive whore.”
I felt my mouth drop open with shock, and Johnny brusquely pushed away from the table. He dropped a ten dollar bill on the table and stormed out.
I could feel the eyes of the other patrons burning into me, overtly curious. I hadn’t expected Johnny of all people to make such a scene. A few hushed whispers broke out around me like fires, and I got to my feet. I could feel the tears threatening before I’d even made it to the door.
I stumbled out into the fragmented moonlight, wiping at my face with the hem of my sleeves. I ripped my phone out and called Jake yet again, but the call went straight to voicemail. Why did Jake have to fall off the face of the planet right when I needed him most?

Chapter IV

"Samantha Lorden, you're required in the Nurse's office, please."
I could feel my cheeks burning as I stuffed my geometry work back into my bag. A few of the girls in class let out poorly concealed giggles as I made my way from the room. I ripped the pink slip from the messenger's hand and pushed passed him into the hallway.
What on earth did the nurse want to see me for? I made way my toward her office, shrugging my backpack over my shoulders and tightly wrapping my hands around the straps. I could feel my stomach churning, fluttering with a thousand trapped butterflies. What if something awful had happened? It was school policy to call students to the Nurse's office whenever there was a family tragedy. I felt my pace quicken as I thought about all the possibilities; had Mom been in a car crash? Was she sick, in hospital, worse? What if it wasn't Mom at all, but Dad? Or Grandma? The blood drained from my face, dread consuming me like a wave.
At last the Nurse's office appeared down the hall, a single wooden door with the word 'Nurse' painted across it in stark black letters. My hand hesitated over the handle for a moment before I trudged in, a lump already forming in my throat.
The Nurse's round, moon-like face appeared from around a corner. "Just a moment, love!" she called, her voice muffled amidst the sound of drawers slamming shut and rustling papers.
I sat on a plastic chair, picking idly at a flake of peeling blue paint. The wall clock above my head ticked loudly in the empty room, seeming to fall into rhythm with my rushing pulse. I drew my bag onto my lap and hugged it closely, burying my chin in the fabric.
At last the nurse bustled from around the corner, her hands laced before her. "How may I help?"
I handed her the pink slip and mustered a faint smile. She nodded gravely and indicated for me to follow her into the examination room.
The nurse smoothed her white dress as she sat, before motioning for me to do the same. I half-fell half-sat in the chair opposite; my clumsiness always did come out more when I was nervous.
"Samantha, isn't it?"
"Sam," I said, forcing that smile again. "Just Sam."
She nodded, before reaching across her desk and retrieving a battered clipboard. "I understand you're in a relationship with a boy named Johnny Adams?"
"Er, not exactly. We broke up last night."
A sympathetic look flashed across her face, before being swallowed by her usual stony expression once more. "Well, he came to see me this morning... He was worried about you, what with the condition you're in and all. He asked me to give you some advice."
I cocked an eyebrow. "Condition?"
Her eyes flitted down to my stomach. "I think you know what I'm talking about, Sam. There's no need to be shy -- I am your nurse, after all."
"So you're telling me that Johnny came here and told you that I'm... Pregnant?" The words came out more shrilly than I had intended, and I was finding it physically difficult not to scream.
"Please don't be upset with him. He told me that you refuse to tell your parents, and he asked me to help you decide between your options."
I let out a sarcastic laugh. "How chivalrous of him!"
"He seems genuinely concerned, Samantha. I know you're no longer together, but as the father, he has certain rights. He did hint that he wouldn't support a termination, and that perhaps giving the child up for adoption would be the best outcome."
"Look lady, I'm not pregnant," I said, gritting my teeth to stop myself from audibly growling. "It was just some stupid lie some stupid girl told."
The nurse shook her head. "Listen, I'm not here to judge you. I've been a nurse at this school for nearly two decades now, and I've helped a fair few girls in your position before."
I opened my mouth to protest, but she silenced me with a quick flick of her wrist.
"Now, now, I know you must be scared, which is

understandable. It's your choice whether or not to tell your parents, but I would suggest that you do."
Now it was my turn to silence her. I got to my feet and slung my bag over my shoulder in defiance. "I don't care what you <i>suggest, I am not -- and I repeat, NOT -- pregnant. If you've been working in this high school so long, I would have thought you'd know what the bitches here are like. This whole pregnancy thing was just a bad rumor that got <i>way out of hand."
The nurse's mouth gaped open and closed as she struggled to compose herself. I could feel the sting of tears threatening, and before they had a chance to escape, I'd rushed from the Nurse's office and back out into the deserted hallway.
The walls around me turned into a streaked blur of lockers and brick as I ran. The last thing I wanted was for someone to see me crying; that would <i>really incense the rumors. I dashed for the girl's bathroom and locked myself in a cubicle. Salvation.
Now the tears came freely, spilling down my cheeks like a waterfall. I made no attempt to wipe them away, and they dripped from my chin onto my outstretched palms. They pooled there, quivering as I shook with the force of my sobs.
I couldn't believe Johnny could be so venomous, so spiteful. You could barely call what we were as 'dating', especially since we'd only shared one drunken kiss. I had well and truly learned my lesson now, though. No more façades, no more lies. If Jake wanted to be with Lacey, then fine. I wasn't going to meddle any more.
The bathroom door screamed open, and I stifled my tears. Vacuous, high-pitched voices swam in the air, so easily identifiable. Lacey and her drones.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, biting down on my lip to avoid making noise. Having Lacey spot me in this state would be a nightmare beyond imagination.
"You know, I heard Sarah Donovan was gonna make prom queen this year," one of the drones drawled, probably Dayna.
"Don't be ridiculous," Lacey spat, the irritation clearly audible in her voice. "Sarah Donovan is such a Plain Jane."
"Yeah, but she's well-liked; captain of the Lacrosse team and all that," the other drone this time, Emily.
Lacey let out a maniacal laugh. "Captain of the <i>Lacrosse team? So what! I'm head cheerleader, and last time I checked, we were at the top of the social hierarchy."
Dayna and Emily murmured to themselves, clearly not convinced.
"Besides, I have my own plan to become prom queen, something that's going to blow that snotty Sarah Donovan right out of the