Read Online Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson - Free Book Online

wanted to say, “Yeah, me too,” but didn’t. Instead she went to help the man at the counter. To her relief, the shop continued to be busy. And that helped to pass the time. Occasionally she’d glance over to see the pregnant woman still sitting there with her feet propped up on the table. She was reading Better Homes and Gardens and probably dreaming of better days.
    Finally it was a quarter to four and Marge came back. “Bless you for helping out like this,” Marge told her as she slid her purse into the cabinet under the counter. She smiled and pointed to a slightly off-colored tooth. “The dentist gave me this temporary cap. The permanent one is supposed to look nicer.”
    “Better watch out for those Corn Nuts.”
    Marge grinned, then glanced over at the pregnant woman. “Is that the red minivan?”
    Sophie nodded. “She’s having a really hard day.”
    “I can imagine.”
    “She might need a little TLC.” Sophie grabbed up her bag. “I have to get to a yearbook meeting.”
    “You run along, honey. And thanks!”
    Sophie took one last look at the pregnant woman and dashed out of the tire store. Once outside, she gulped in a huge breath of fresh air. Whether it was the tire fumes or seeing that oversized belly, Sophie was feeling nauseated. And she so didn’t want to have to explain why she had suddenly hurled in her dad’s parking lot.
    She got into her car, opened all the windows, and quickly drove away. She’d barely gone two blocks when she knew she could go no farther. She pulled to the curb, jumped out of the car, and hurled right onto the street. A school bus passed by slowly, and the kids inside were laughing and shrieking and pointing out their windows like she was the funniest thing since SpongeBob SquarePants.
    Finally she was done. But as she was getting back into her car, she realized that she’d splattered vomit on her shoes. Just great. Now she could go to the yearbook meeting smelling like barf. Maybe Wes would be sorry he’d coerced her into another year of working on the yearbook.

7
    For the next few weeks, Sophie lived in a constant state of fear, anxiety, and general hopelessness. Just to be sure, she’d purchased another home pregnancy kit, only to get the same positive results. Why they called the results positive was a mystery to her. Being seventeen and pregnant was anything but positive. It was, in fact, the most negative thing she’d ever experienced. Seriously, she would have rather been diagnosed with terminal cancer or run over by a freight train. Anything would be preferable to this.
    Naturally she disguised these raw emotions in a cloak of humor, wit, and sarcasm. Then she topped it all off with a big umbrella of denial. Despite bouts of “morning” sickness, which occurred at various times of the day, and despite a “very late” period and sore breasts and a need to use the restroom more frequently, she continued to tell herself that this wasn’t really happening. She wasn’t really pregnant. And she certainly was not going to have a baby.
    She focused her attention on other things. Like being selected as the yearbook editor and working on the school paper. She put all her energy into these activities—almost as if her journalism success might somehow erase the reality she was unable to face.
    “So how about you?” Carrie Anne was looking directly at Sophie, kind of like she was directing that question to her.
    “Huh?” Sophie blinked.
    “You’re such a space case,” Jenny teased.
    “It’s because she’s too smart,” Kelsey said. “You know, one of those airhead genius types.”
    “Thanks a lot.” Sophie looked back at Carrie Anne. “So what was it you were asking me?”
    “If you’re going to the homecoming dance.”
    “Well, let me see.” Sophie held up her hand and counted on her fingers. “First Jeremy Brock asked me to go. Next was Caleb Stanton. And then there was—”
    “Yeah, right.” Jenny laughed.
    “How the jocks love me,”