Emily stood among a mass of clothes. She couldn’t decide what to wear. Standing in front of her full length mirror, she looked at herself disgustingly.

“This sweater is horrid. Where did I get this thing?” Emily mumbled to herself.

She groaned as she yanked off the purple sweater she was wearing, causing her hair to fall over her face. Emily grabbed her brush and quickly brushed through her thick, long, brown hair. When she finished brushing her hair, she put on a powder blue button down shirt and khaki low rider pants. She looked herself in the mirror and her blue eyes shone with satisfaction. She gave herself a second look and frowned. She knew her secret was eating her inside, but did it show on the outside? It’s just a normal day. There is nothing unusual about myself, she coached herself. With her head held high, she grabbed her backpack and jacket then went outside to warm up her car.

It was mid-December and the air smelled of Christmas cheer, although, Emily didn’t feel very cheerful. She quickly scraped off the ice on her windows of her new, red Mustang then got in to start it. Emily put the key in the ignition and tried to start the car. The engine didn’t turn over, it just sputtered. She tried it again and nothing happened. Emily hastily got out of the car and let out a frustrated sigh. What am I going to do, she thought to herself. Emily fumbled through her key chain for her house key; then she realized it was not there. She had given her house key to her father so he could make a copy later that day. She groaned with frustration and dropped her backpack on the ground. Standing in the cold, she tried to think of how to get into the house. It was lightly snowing and the temperature was unbearably cold. Just then, a yellow truck pulled into the driveway. She sucked in a breath…it was Brian, her boyfriend. He got out of the truck and looked at her in concern.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “It’s really cold out here, sweetie, “ he said as he put his arms around her. “What are you doing out here. You should be inside where it’s warm. You’ll get sick if you stay out here.”

“I know, I don’t have my key and my car won’t start,” she replied in aggravation.

Brian chuckled. “Happy Monday,” he joked.

“Shut up,” she muttered as she lightly smacked his arm and buried her head in his chest.

Brian smiled and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to make you laugh.”

Emily smirked. “Will you take me to school since my car won’t start?”

“Take you to school? Are you kidding me?” he said with a loud laugh. “Emily, you should learn to turn on the TV before leaving the house. School was canceled this morning.”

“Lovely,” she dryly responded. “Air head at your service.”

Brian smoothed out Emily’s hair and grabbed her hand. “You can hang out with me until your folks get home,” he said as he opened the passenger door to his truck door for her.

“Okay,” she replied.

Brian got in the truck and backed out of the driveway. He turned on the heat and linked his fingers with hers. Emily smiled and squeezed his hand tighter.

“We have to stop at the store first. My mom needs some flour for a cake she’s baking later. That’s why I drove by your house.” Emily nodded, not really paying attention. “Are you cold? I can turn the heat up some more.”

“No, I’m fine, thanks,” she said, not looking at him.

Brian looked at her and tickled her index finger with his thumb. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem awfully quiet.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m just tired,” Emily said as she smiled and drew her attention back out the window.

Brian shrugged. “I only half way believe you, but you know I’m here if you need me.”

They arrived at the store and Brian parked his car in front. “I’m going to get the flour. Do you want to come in with me?”

“No, I’ll stay here and keep warm,” she replied.

Brian kissed her on the lips. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Emily watched him get out of the car and walk into the store. She looked at her watch. It’s was 8:00 on December sixteenth. It had been three months since it happened…it was a memory that haunted her mind. She stared out the window and watched the snow fall. The snow turned into a blur as she began to remember the series of events that happened on September sixteenth.

“I feel bad because I’m here while your parents are gone for the weekend. You know they said you couldn’t have me over,” Emily said.

“They said you could come over,” he replied.

“They did?”

“Yeah, I told them you were coming over to help me study,” Brian said with a sly smile.

“But we aren’t studying.”

“What they don’t know won’t kill them,” Brian continued. “Besides, we’re studying something right now.”

“Which is?”

“Each other.”

The snow went back to normal and Emily blinked as she saw Brian coming back to the truck. He got in and put the bag in the back seat. “Since it’s so cold outside, why don’t we sit by the fireplace in my basement and drink hot chocolate? We could even snuggle under a blanket.”

“Sounds great,” Emily said, avoiding his glance.

“Emily, are you sure there’s nothing wrong? You’re acting really strange.”

“Nothing is wrong. I already told you that, so stop asking me!” she snapped.

Brian stared at her in shock for a moment. Emily sighed and placed her head in her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m having a bad morning and I don’t feel that great. Are you mad at me?”

“No,” he said softly. “Let’s go to my place before the roads get bad,” he said as he started the truck.

Emily crossed her arms and looked at Brian, studying him. His square jaw was stern, his short, brown hair was neatly in place except for a few pieces that stuck out on the side. His large, strong hands that held her so tight were gripped around the steering wheel. His deep blue eyes that looked at her ever so passionately, scanned the road for traffic. He looked the same to her as he did on that night. Emily signed and looked down at her stomach…not knowing what to do.

“Do you mind if I turn the radio on?” Brian asked.

“No, go ahead,” she replied.

Brian turned on the radio and scanned through the stations. Finally, he stopped on his favorite station and continued driving. The song that was playing had ended and the DJ’s voice came over the airwaves.

“This next song has been requested all morning. So, now here it is. The song “I Adore (Mi Amour)” by Color Me Badd.”

The song began and Emily almost started to cry. It was the song that was playing on the night of September sixteenth. She remembered the kissing, the laughing, and the passion. The memory of her and Brian in his room with the lights out and the music playing. She remembered him taking her clothes off as she took off his. Emily closed her eyes and the memory came to her so clearly, it was as if it had happened minutes ago.

“Do you have a condom?” she asked.

“I’m always prepared,” he said as he put one on. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she said.

“I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

“You’re not…I’m ready.”

“Emily! We’re here,” Brian said.

Emily jolted from her daydream and looked at him. “Sorry, I guess I kinda spaced out for a second,” she said as she got out of the truck.

They walked into the house and she stood in the doorway, apprehensively looking around. Everything was the same as it was on that night. Nothing had changed. Brian had gone into the kitchen to put the flour away and make the hot chocolate. He came back into the living room and saw Emily still standing in the doorway.

“What’s the matter, baby? You act like you’re scared of something,” he said as he went over to her.

“No, I just thought I’d wait for you here,” she said softly.

Brian smiled and put his hand in hers. “Let's go downstairs and sit by the fire,” he said.

He led her downstairs and to Emily, the stairway seemed to get longer and more narrow. A lump in her throat formed as the walls felt like they were caving in on her. Brian let go of her hand and prepared the fireplace. When she got into the basement, she slowly looked around. The couch was still against the wall like it was on that night. The picture of her and Brian on the night of the Homecoming dance was still on the table by the couch. Everything about that room reminded her of that night. Brian led her to the couch and they sat down. Emily sat stiffly next to Brian. He put his arms around her and she shivered.

“Are you cold?” he asked.

“Just a little,” she replied.

“I’ll go get a blanket. I’m sure the hot chocolate is ready anyway. Be right back,” he said as he disappeared to the stairs.

Emily closed her eyes and softly sighed to herself. She sat there alone in the cold, dark basement. Everything was silent except the occasional popping sound from the fireplace. She watched the shadows of the fire dance on the walls, it was almost like ghosts at play. She looked to her right and saw the door to his room. If she looked closely, she could almost see two bodies. The bodies of her and Brian. She closed her eyes again and shook the image out of her mind. I have to tell him, she thought. I have to let him know about me. I have to do it now. I f I don’t…I might never tell him.

Just then, Brian came back to the basement with a blanket under his arm and two mugs of hot chocolate. He handed her one of the mugs and sat down. Brian carefully unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around her. He kissed her lightly on the lips.

“Does that feel better?” he asked.

“Yes, much better, thank you.”

“I hear on the radio upstairs that it’s supposed to get really nasty tonight. We’ll probably have to wait until my dad gets home before I can take you back to your place. We can take his truck. He's got snow chains for his tires.”

“That’s fine,” she said softly as sipped her hot chocolate. “Let’s watch a movie or something. It’s too quiet in here.”

Brian smiled and handed her the remote to the television. “Order us a couple movies on Pay Per View. I’m ordering in pizza. Pepperoni okay?”

“Works for me,” Emily said as she scanned through the movie options.

Emily pushed away her thoughts for a while as she snuggled with Brian on the couch. They watched movies for the better part of the day. She had almost forgotten her troubles until she begin to feel nauseous. She rubbed her stomach under the blanket, but her stomach wouldn’t calm itself. Morning sickness had been a problem for Emily since she’d gotten pregnant, but she didn’t want to face the problem at that moment. She snuck away to the bathroom, relieved that Brian hadn’t caught on. He was too into the movie to notice. Emily turned on faucet and splashed cold water on her face. She stared herself in the mirror and tried to calm herself. This wasn’t the way she wanted him to find out. The more she fought it, the more her stomach churned. She took in a deep breath and leaned over the toilet. Her mouth watered as she got down on her knees. Emily retched loudly and began to cry. In the midst of her crying, she heard a light tapping on the bathroom door. Before she could respond, Brian was slowly opening the door.

“Baby? You okay?”

Emily sobbed as she flushed the toilet. Brian leaned down next to her and held her close.

“Baby, what is it?”

“I wanna go home. I…I think I‘m still sick with the flu,” she between sniffles.

Brian helped her up and led her to his bedroom. He sat her down on the bed and stroked her hair.

“Please, just take me home. My stomach hurt really bad.”

“Baby, the roads are too bad. Why don’t you lay down and sleep? It’ll be okay,” he soothed.

Emily calmed down a little and laid down on his bed. Brian pulled the blankets over her and kissed her forehead.

“Just rest, sweetie. I’ll take you home as soon as my dad get back from work,” he said softly.

Brian began to leave the room when Emily grabbed his hand. “Will you stay, please?”

He smiled and crawled into bed with her. He wrapped his arms around her and Emily felt safe. She wiped the tears off her face and turned over, facing him. Brian gently wiped the tears away from her eyes with his thumb. Tenderly, he looked at her, not saying a word. Emily sighed and leaned in closer to him.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier. I have a lot going on in my mind and I took my frustration out on you. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, babe. I know you didn’t mean it. I never got mad. I just wish you’d talk to me.”

“Brian?”

“Yes?”

Emily looked him in the eyes. “Would you be mad if I told you something that I’ve been keeping from you?”

“I doubt it,” he replied.

Emily sighed and backed away from him a little. “You know, how I was out of school last week with the stomach flu?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, it wasn’t the flu.”

“What was it then?” he asked with a straight face.

Emily felt her eyes fill with tears. Her chin began to quiver and the tears began to fall. She didn’t know how to tell him. Brian hugged her tightly and kissed the tears off her face.

“Em, you know you can tell me anything. I promise that whatever it is, I can handle it.”

Emily looked back at him and blinked back the remainder of her tears. “Brian…I’m pregnant.”

Brian slowly sat up and stared across the room with a blanket expression. Emily couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face turned pale and his hands began to shake. He lowered his head down and covered his face with his hands. Emily sat up and cautiously moved closer to him and put her arms around him.

“How could this had happened? We used a condom and we were careful.”

“Condoms aren’t 100% effective. We knew that,” she said.

“I know, but I didn’t think you could get pregnant on your first time,” Brian said softly.

“I didn’t think so either.”

“This is all my fault,” he said.

“No, it wasn’t. It was mine. I’m the one who said I wanted to have sex with you. I had a choice and chose to do it anyway. Now I’m facing the consequences. You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“No, why would I be?”

“Because I kept it from you.”

“I can’t say I’m not shocked…but I’m not mad,” he said as he looked at her. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I just found a couple of weeks ago and I wasn’t sure how to tell you. This isn’t how I wanted you to find out,” she said in almost a whisper. “So, what do we do now? Brian, you'll be leaving for Florida next month.”

Brian sighed and put his arms around her. He gently laid down, pulling her down with him. “I don’t know…but I do know one thing,” he said while caressing her face.

“What’s that?”

“We’ll get through it together.”

“You promise?”

Brian looked Emily deeply in the eyes and kissed her passionately. “I promise.”