Broken, Navaura Campbell [top young adult novels txt] 📗

you throwing up and stuff.” She stayed there for a minute. I took my bag off my shoulder and unzipped it. Pulling out one of two water bottles I handed it to her. “Here, wash your mouth out.” Tamarah took the water bottle, undid the cap and turned it up. I listened as the water splashed around her mouth. She closed the bottle, and then swished it around her mouth. After she’d spit the water out, she said, “Thanks Vanessa. If this doesn’t clear up by the end of the week, I’m making me a doctor’s appointment.”

I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, that would be best. It could be the flu or something.”

She handed me the bottle and I put it in my bag. I still hadn’t brought up what I wanted to ask her yet. Inhaling sharply, I glanced at her, “Hey Tamarah.”

She turned her gaze upon me. “Yes.”

“There’s nothing going on between you and Tommy is there?”

“No.”

I noticed that she said this too fast. “So like you guys have not fooled around behind my back have you?”

She darted her gaze away from me, looking out at the houses in front of us. “Come on V- I’d never do that to you.” Her gaze came back to me, “You’re my best friend and I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you. I have to much respect for you to do that. Why are you asking?”

Honestly I didn’t know what had me so curious, but I just couldn’t shake that possibility.

“I don’t know, Athena asked me today if I’d seen you or him and I thought it was weird the way she asked, like she knew something I didn’t.”

Tamarah laughed and I could hear the nervousness in it. “No. nothing is going on between me and Tommy, besides, I’m going after Timothy. He’s who I want.”

I stared at her, her eyes shining at the mention of his name. As I stared, I knew that there was nothing that could take her eyes and heart off of Timothy. Even if I didn’t understand it, Tamarah was in love with him. I don’t know how or why but Tamarah had set her sights and heart on Timothy Rawsin. I almost felt sorry for the poor guy because when Tamarah wanted something, she was ferocious. She would go after him until she got him. With her chasing him, I thought why would she want my man when she’s had her eyes on Timothy since she’d first met him in the beginning of the semester?

~ ~

Field and Track tryouts

 

“I don’t like you.” Tristan Hardoway told Timothy, during the stretch warmups for practice. Timothy flickered his blue gaze over to him. “What am I supposed to do, cry?” Tristan was just as limber as Timothy, tall and wiry with straight hair that went down to his shoulders. He wore a piercing in his eye brow, and lower lip. He also had a tattoo of Marilyn Manson on his right shoulder blade. Although he was naturally a redhead, he’d died his hair black and he dressed in Goth. “Do you know why I don’t like you?” He asked.

Timothy shook his head no, “It’s not like I care. I suppose you can just pick a number and get in line.”

“I don’t like you because you wear formal clothes to school. What junior wear formal clothes to school?”

Timothy furrowed his brows, “Honestly Tristan, I was hoping you’d come up with a better answer, maybe even the truth.”

“It is the truth.”

“No it’s not.”

“So why do I hate you then?”

Timothy sighed, “Since ninth grade I’ve been kicking your butt in track. You’ve been demoted since I was a freshman. I’m lead sprinter and you hate it.”

“I can take you any day, Rawsin.”

Timothy laughed, “Yeah, right.”

“I wonder how Jesus would feel hearing you talk like that, that’s not Christian like.”

“It is for now. If you want to run, shut up talking and let’s do this.” Timothy stated, already irritated with him. Tristan was fast but not as fast as Timothy and one of the things he loved doing was making him eat his dust. Tristan stood up, “Let’s do this.”

Timothy, stood up and assumed the running position. Tristan glanced over at Cory Valdez, “Time us man.” Unknown to them, Coach Copeland had been observing the two boys and had already taken out his stop watch. Cory cleared the past time on his watch and set it to zero. “On your mark,” he said, alerting others on the bleachers. “Get set....”

 

“Go Timothy!” Timothy felt his entire face turn red. A soft smile lit his features. He liked knowing that she was out there. Now he had to win. “Go...” As soon as go was spoken, Timothy shot out like a canon, Tristan hot on his heels. When they hit the hurdles, Timothy jumped them effortlessly and so did Tristan who still lagged behind just enough for Timothy to speed up even more after he hit the black asphalt. He ran so hard and so fast that the wind flew behind him and for a novice, the mile track would have been difficult and even had them breathless, slowing to a still but for him, it was a breeze.

 

He felt like his feet wasn’t touching the ground and he loved that. Once he came to the Finish line, his legs stopped, tingles working it’s way through his body. He hadn’t even broke a sweat for this relay, but he supposed it was due to the fact that the sun was hovering just behind a cloud. He took his towel and wiped his face. Turning, he went back to the bench he’d placed his things on, including his bag and stared at Kalen with a huge smile on his face. Kalen came up to him and handed him a water bottle. “Look at you big bro. Keep that up and you’ll be getting that scholarship this year.”

 

“I know, Tristan just doesn’t understand how much I love running. Every year he makes himself look like a fool trying to race me.”

“You know why he chooses you to pick on, right?”

“Cause I’m the only one he can’t beat.”

“Yep. Maybe you should give him the win, just to get him off your back.”

Timothy laughed sarcastically at this, “Yeah right, like he’d even want my pity. He has to win fair and square. That’s one thing I do like about the guy. He’s not a cheat.” He took a long swig of water from the bottle.

“Yeah, but he look so down after you beat him.”

Timothy laughed, “Girl, stop it with the pity thing ok? It’s amazing that you are as iron clad as you are. I’d think that with all the guys at this school you’d at-least drool after one.”

Kalen shrugged her shoulders, “If there was one worth drooling over, I’m sure I’d be a lost puppy, but fortunately for me, high school boys are just not on my level.”

Timothy shook his head, “You’re only fifteen Kalen, fifteen. What are you going to do with a man?”Kalen shrugged, “Nothing. Christ is my man until he sends someone to fulfill that position.”

Timothy laughed. “I’m glad to hear that. Just make sure when that man comes I meet him first, you got that.”

“Of course.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Timothy ruffled her hair. Just then the coach called out his name to join the other runners on the track. Timothy, handed her the bottle. “I’ll see you after practice.”

“Alright. Have a good run.”

~ ~

Tamarah stood outside Allen Hall Clinic. She couldn’t hold back anymore. She needed to get the test done today. Her cramps were getting worse and she felt severely bloated. Also, the smell of food continued to make her gag. She knew from reading and researching over the internet that there was a 50 percent chance that she was pregnant. Maybe an even higher percentage, but this she didn’t want to admit.

 

She didn’t want to think of the possibility of being a teen mother. She couldn’t be a teen mother, it just wouldn’t work for her. There was so much she wanted to do and so little that she hadn’t experienced and she definitely didn’t want her first experience to end in such a disastrous note. Pregnancy when it was her first time having sex? To top it all off, it was with a guy she couldn’t stand, so to be pregnant by him would be a blow to her pride. She also thought about Timothy and wondered what he would think of her if he knew she’d slept with her best friend’s boyfriend?

 

The thought made a fear creep up in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t want him to write her off because of that. He’d probably think she was a whore and wonder how could she even call herself a friend of Vanessa’s. He’d probably think she wouldn’t make a good girlfriend. What would her mother think, that she was irresponsible, that she didn’t know how to handle her own or that she couldn’t be left alone any more? It was times like this when Tamarah wished that her relationship with Angela Gray was better than what it was. If she had a mother like Vanessa’s mom, she wouldn’t have ended up this way. In more ways than one, she wished Vanessa’s mother was her mother. At-least then she could be held accountable. Inhaling sharply, she decided that no matter what was going through her mind, she still had to go inside that clinic.

~ ~

“Mrs. Williams, how long have you been having these dizzy spells?” Dr. Mathison inquired before beginning the yearly physical on Denise.

“A good two months now.”

“Two months, huh?”

Denise nodded. “Yes, I think it may be low sugar. I read somewhere that when you get low sugar you can get frequent dizzy spells.”

“That’s true. Frequent dizzy spells, cold hands, cold feet, and you can also become fatigued.”

“I’m having more symptoms than that. I’m actually gaining weight to.” She stated.

“Well, we’ll have a look, just to make sure you’re healthy. Any other symptoms I should know about?”

“ I’ve been feeling bloated for the past six weeks now.”“You’ve been taking the birth control pills regularly haven't you?”“Yes, like clock work. I don’t think I could be pregnant.”

“That shouldn’t be an issue if you have.”

Denise laid back against the white tissue paper, her feet already placed in the stirrups. She watched as Dr. Mathison wrote in his chart and then placed it in one of the mail slots by the door. He went to the sink, washed his hands and wiped them with paper towel. Once his hands were dry, he pulled on a pair of latex gloves and then said, “I remember fourteen years ago when you came to me with these same symptoms and it turned out you were pregnant, and even then you were on birth control.” Denise laughed, “I know. It was very weird. I think that’s a very small percentage and what’s the chance of it happening again? I mean you switched pills. I’ve been taking the same ones since Craig was three. They’ve worked like a charm.”

“That’s good.” The doctor came over and began examining her. Although Denise had done this plenty of times before, it never failed to make