Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

guy,” I said.
    â€œHow do you know him?”
    â€œWe have P.E. together,” I said, opening the door and slipping inside, making my getaway. “It’s no big deal.”
    â€œHe seems nice enough,” my father offered, his eyes on the lawn.
    â€œI don’t know,” she said slowly. I started up the stairs, pretending not to hear her, turning away to keep my secrets to myself. “I just don’t know.”

Part II
    SOMEONE LIKE YOU

Chapter Five
    â€œI need you,” Scarlett said to me as I was busy weighing produce for a woman with two screaming babies in her cart. “Meet me in the ladies’ room.”
    â€œWhat?” I said, distracted by the noise and confusion, oranges and plums rolling down my conveyer belt.
    â€œHurry,” she hissed, disappearing down the cereal aisle and leaving me no chance to argue. My line was long, snaking around the Halloween display and back into Feminine Products. It took me a good fifteen minutes to get to the bathroom, where she was standing in front of the sinks, arms crossed over her chest.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” I said.
    She just shook her head.
    â€œWhat?” I said. “What is it?”
    She reached behind the paper towel dispenser and pulled out a small white stick-shaped object with a little circle on the end of it. As she held it out, I saw that in the little circle was a bright pink cross. Then, all at once, it hit me.
    â€œNo,” I said. “No way.”
    She nodded, biting her lip. “I’m pregnant.”
    â€œYou can’t be.”
    â€œI am.” She shook the stick in front of me, the plus sign blurring. “Look.”
    â€œThose things are always wrong,” I said, like I knew.
    â€œIt’s the third one I’ve taken.”
    â€œSo?” I said.
    â€œSo what? So nothing is wrong three times, Halley. And I’ve been sick every morning for the last three weeks, I can’t stop peeing, it’s all there. I’m pregnant.”
    â€œNo,” I said. I could see my mother in my head, lips forming the word: denial. “No way.”
    â€œWhat am I going to do?” she said, pacing nervously. “I only had sex one time.”
    â€œYou had sex?” I said.
    She stopped. “Of course I had sex. God, Halley, try to stay with me here.”
    â€œYou never told me,” I said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    She sighed, loudly. “Gosh, Halley, I don’t know. Maybe it was because he died the next day. Go figure.”
    â€œOh, my God,” I said. “Didn’t you use protection?”
    â€œOf course we did. But something happened, I don’t know. It came off. I didn’t realize it until it was over. And then,” she said, her voice rising, “I thought there was no way it could happen the first time. It couldn’t.”
    â€œIt came off?” I didn’t understand, exactly; I wasn’t very clear on the logistics of sex. “Oh, my God.”
    â€œThis is nuts.” She pressed her fingers to her temples, hard, something I’d never seen her do before. “I can’t have a baby, Halley.”
    â€œOf course you can’t,” I said.
    â€œSo, what, I have to get an abortion?” She shook her head. “I can’t do that. Maybe I should keep it.”
    â€œOh, my God,” I said again.
    â€œPlease.” She sat down against the wall, pulling her legs up against her chest. “Please stop saying that.”
    I went over and sat beside her, putting my arm around her shoulders. We sat there together on the cold floor of Milton’s, hearing the muffled Muzak playing “Fernando” overhead.
    â€œIt’ll be okay,” I said in my most confident voice. “We can handle this.”
    â€œOh, Halley,” she said softly, leaning against me, the pregnancy stick lying in front of us, plus sign up. “I miss him. I miss him so much.”
    â€œI