Two Pink Lines
A faint growl erupted from Ruby's tummy. With her hands trembling, she pressed it on her flat tummy. Her breath was shallow, her eyes blurred, and her chest tightened.
It was as if she had just been cast by an evil spell.
No!
This was obviously a death sentence.
Her mother died upon her birth; she got bullied every day at school; being raised by her father was never easy, yet she had hoped for a better future, but now her hope seemed to be crumbling before her.
Her eyes glittered, and she slightly parted her lips. She had a lot to say, yet her lips could not move an inch.
"Miss Ruby"
The doctor jerked her out of her dreamland. She slowly raised her head, facing the doctor.
"Congratulations! You are 2 months pregnant."
A faint chuckle escaped her lips.
How dare he repeat the news to her? Does he think she is deaf and didn't get him the first time?
The edge of her lip raised a bit.
This was no occasion to celebrate. For heaven's sake, she is just an 18-year-old unmarried high school finalist.
The worst case is that she is merely a scholarship student in one of the elite schools in the country. What will happen when a rat gets this deadly news to the school authorities?
Just thinking of this, hair rose at the back of her neck.
"Here," the doctor handed her an envelope.
She hesitantly collected the envelope from the doctor and swallowed hard.
It felt as if she had just been handed her own death certificate a few days before her death and burial.
Of course, she is as good as dead now.
The doctor cleared his throat, then he said, "Since the pregnancy is already two months, why don't you start attending antenatal classes?"
Ruby's body shivered. This sounded like a joke.
"I don't know yet." She sneezes continuously, fighting the urge to cry.
With a deep breath, the doctor added, "Miss Ruby, our antenatal clinic is ready to welcome you at any time."
Ruby forced a smile. She stood up from the chair and bowed slightly before walking out of the doctor's office.
Walking into the street, each step she took was heavy. It was as if the tiny thing inside her was already wearing her off. Her steps were those of a toddler who had just begun to walk.
The sky suddenly became dark. She roamed her eyes around her surroundings, yet nothing seemed unusual.
People moving to and fro and cars yanking. Birds were busy chirping in the trees under the clear sky.
Ruby breathed out. Of course she is the only one who has changed.
She is pregnant.
Worse to it, she has no right to tell her sperm donor about this news.
Everything is just messed up.
At the thought of the sperm donor, her eyes become bitter. Despite her efforts to embrace her tears, they come out, streaming down her eyes.
She would willingly search for needles in the desert rather than telling her baby daddy about her pregnancy, which is equal to climbing Mount Everest.
He was not her friend or lover, nor was he her one-night partner.
Yet the fruits of the prank of that night she has been trying hard to forget have come to hunt her.
Loud sob escaped her slightly parted lips. She was not even worthy to be his mistress. Her baby daddy is just someone way too out of her league.
Someone who doesn't even know her name.
Her knees finally buckled. Her whole body was pressed down, and she fell to the ground.
'This is the end of me.'
She thought.
With her hand pressing on her stomach, she cried her lungs out. She did not even care about the people who were staring at her with all sorts of expressions written on their faces.
Her fingers traced her tummy with a mixture of pain and frustration.
How on earth was she carrying her enemy's baby?
An hour later, Ruby was standing before her house. A faint noise was coming from the flat, an indication that the house was not empty, saving her the stress of fetching a spare key in her small bag.
Since she lives with her father and cousin, her father has the main key, while she and Micky have spare keys to the house in case no one is at home.
"Ruby! Your home" A tiny voice chirped when Ruby entered the house.
Micky, a seven-year-old cousin to Ruby, stood from the worn-out couch with mismatched cushions. He outstretched his arms, smiling.
Contrary to his expectations, Ruby did not spare Micky a glance. With her energy drained, she walked past him, passing through the corridor with a few family portraits on the walls into her room.
Little Micky's arms fell slowly, his face flicking with disappointment. This was unlike Ruby.
Even when she is down, she has always managed a smile for him. He sighed, sensing the heaviness that clung to her retreating figure.
Inside her room, Ruby tossed her small bag onto the floor. She lay down on her bed with her eyes staring at the ceiling.
She was lost, deep in thought.
Her breath was shallow; memories took control, dragging her back to that haunted day.
Only if she hadn't met her.
Only if she hadn't known her.
Only if she were never bullied on her first day of school would things have been different.
All sorts of thoughts clouded her mind.
Everything began that fateful day. The gorgeous dress, the scholarship, the party, and the life developing inside of her.
'I cursed the day I met you, Ariana Dawson, her harsh inner voice murmured.
With that, she sank deep into the past, remembering the moment her world changed irrevocably.
The day she met Ariana Anderson.
