W.A.Y.S

                                    

                                          
A week later
"Ntombi!" My dad knocked on the door and I felt too tired to answer the door so he just came in. "Your room is a mess, it's been a mess for while now, I'm starting to get worried." My dad said as he sat on my study chair. "What's wrong?" My dad asked me and bawled out my eyes again. A part of me wanted to admit it and say what's wrong but then I'm not ready to deal with the aftermath of it.
"You've been crying like this for a week now, what's wrong?" My dad sat on my bed, even though I haven't showered for a few days he still held me to him. "I don't like seeing you like this" he said and I continued crying. "You're gonna get sick if you continue like this" he said as if he knew it's not good for the baby. "You even losing weight" he said.
I looked at him as I wiped my tears. "I'll be fine" I said and he was uncertain about that. "I bought you lasagna in case you're hungry" he said and I smiled before saying thank you. "Mo is here by the way, she's just talking to your sister" he added and I nodded. Jermaine called me and I answered. "I was about to come over by the way you're avoiding my calls" he said and I sighed. "Your eyes are so puffy, do you want me to come over?" He asked and I sobbed again. "No, Mo came over for the weekend" and he nodded. "I don't want you stressing too much, it's not healthy for the baby" he said and I nodded.
"What else can I do Jermaine? My life is over, my parents aren't going to trust me anymore. How do I tell them about you? About us?" I sobbed and he nodded his head. "I'm coming over tonight, I need to see you. You're not fine and I'm worried" he said and I just cried even more. I've never cried like this in my life. It's like every day I just get more scared and more sad. I feel like I'm grieving, grieving who I was before knowing I'm pregnant? I don't know.
Mo knocked and immediately got into my room and I hung up on Jermaine. "Bestie?" She said and once she saw me her eyes opened wider. "I'm worried about you!" She said and I shrugged before hugging her. "You smell like death by the way, we're going out tonight, ain't no way." She said and I said no. "I'm not going anywhere" I said as tried to wrap my sheet over my head.
"Look best, I don't know what you're going through, it can't have you rotting like this. This is just not you Naledi!" She said and I looked at her. "You can never understand what I'm going through" I say and she turned me around. "What's wrong Naledi? And if you say nothing I'm going to slap you." She said and I rolled my eyes. My face met with her hand and I looked at her in shock. "You're not gonna force me to tell you what's wrong with me" I shouted at her and she stood there waiting to slap me again.
"I'm pregnant" I say for the first time ever. I said it like I was accepting it. "What?" She scrunched her face and I nodded before sobbing again. She grabbed me and held me tightly. "I'm sorry nana" she said and I nodded. "Who's the father?" She asked me and I took a deep breath again. "Mr J" I said, I was very ashamed of this, "I don't even know how I'm going to overcome the shame it comes with" I say as I bury my face in her neck. 
"Your lecturer got you pregnant? Was it forceful or?" She asked and I laughed at how ironic this was. "I think we had 10 rounds in one night 3 weeks back somehow, someway, he nutted in me" I wiped my tears as I smiled because she wanted to laugh so hard. "You were not dumb enough to have raw sex like that and not expect to get pregnant! Did you guys test for STI/STD?" She asked and I nodded. "We got tested and once we found out that we're both healthy, we had sex like we wanted to make a baby and I partially regret it" I explained to her.
"Let's talk about it when we're out? Let's go to Tang?" She suggested and I finally agreed. "He said he'll pass by later on." I said. "Great, he'll give us a ride while he explains to me what a grown man was doing not having protected sex." She said. "It's not entirely his fault, I could've gotten contraceptives but I didn't" I said as I felt tears coming down again. 
While I got ready, Mo cleaned my room and changed my sheets. "I don't ever want to see you living under these disgusting conditions ever Naledi" she lectured me and I just nodded my head. "You're growing something in there, as crazy as it is, it's a blessing from God. He is trying to give you a purpose, one further than the one you had before the baby. You're powerful right now, you're a woman and you need to embrace it. Yes you are young but it's happening to you so face it! We will face it together best friend because I love you!"
I hugged her tightly and put on my clothes. I wore black mini dress and my knee high boots with a coat on top. I was definitely not showing yet so I could wear tiny stuff. My eyes were still a bit puffy but it was better than before. "I'm outside" I read the message and I told Mo. I said goodbye to everyone and told my dad we'd be back by 10 and he agreed. 
"Jabari's brother, Jermaine?" Mo paused as she looked at him stand outside the car. "You fucked brothers without knowing!" She said and I nodded as I made intense eye contact with Jermaine. "You look sexy!" He hugged me and kissed my neck and I smiled. "Thanks to Mo" I said and she walked towards us. "Please drop us at Tang?" I asked and he said yes. "Oh, Mo this is Jermaine and Jermaine, this is Mo, my best friend" I introduced them before we got into the car.
On our ride to Tang, Jermaine and Mo were talking, discussing our relationship and Mo was being overprotective. Jermaine handled it well and I was grateful that they get along because that's how it should be. Once we got to Tang, Mo left me to get a table and I sat in the car with Jermaine. "Sit right here, I'm coming back" he said and he went to the back and came back. He came back with a big white box and I already had a feeling of what's inside.
"Babe, I know you're not happy about this and our little family but I wanted to reassure you that I'm going to be here every step of the way. It's us forever and I know I said this while we created our little love bug but I meant it" he said and I felt myself get teary. I fanned my eyes so tears don't fall down and mess up my make up. "I meant it when I said I love you, that could also possibly be  the time our love bug got conceived" he laughed and I laughed with tears in my eyes. 
I opened the box and it was a cute jacket and cute Nike shoes. "Babe?" I cried as I grabbed him and kissed him. There was a note written, "we're going to be great parents" and I nodded as I kissed him. I looked at the fur jacket and I kissed it. He held my flat stomach and he kissed me one last time. Jermaine is really trying to take full responsibility of this but I can't help but to think about my parents reaction to it all.