Something Wiki by Suzanne Sutherland Page A

take them at the same time every day, okay? Every day, no skipping.”
    â€œSure,” I said, nabbing the bag off the counter and bolting for the front door. I didn’t even look back to see if Dad had followed me, though of course he had.
    This can’t be normal.
    Dad told Mom about my prescription. I heard them talking about it in the living room. Mom sounded surprised, but it wasn’t like she sounded worried or weirded out or anything. For someone who didn’t even want to talk to me about sex, how is she okay with me being on the Pill ?
    I wanted to shut off my body, my brain. I knew I couldn’t, though. So I did the next best thing. I went downstairs to watch TV by myself in the basement.
    The basement’s a total wreck since Dad started trying to renovate it. I don’t think he has a clue what he’s doing, but he’s trying hard to make the place more like home for Z and J.
    I’d tried calling Trisha, but her mom said she was in the middle of practising piano. I could hear her playing endless scales in the background, so I said never mind, I’d talk to her tomorrow at school.
    I sat there on a stray milk crate amidst the construction site, flipping channels for an hour without finding anything that seemed worth watching.
    Later, Dad came downstairs to see how I was doing.
    â€œEverything okay down here, kiddo?” he asked.
    â€œFine,” I said, not taking my eyes off of the TV as the pictures flashed in quick succession.
    â€œAnything you want to talk about?”
    â€œNot really.”
    â€œLike what I’ve done with the place so far?” he asked, turning to survey his work.
    â€œIt’s fine.”
    â€œWell, all right. Don’t stay up too late.”
    â€œI won’t.”
    Flip, flip, flip .
    Nothing.
    Even later, just as I was starting to get ready for bed, J came by my room to talk. It’s pretty hard to keep a secret in a house this small. Z must have heard Mom and Dad talking about the Pill, and then told her about it. It felt pretty awful to think that everybody knew about my new prescription before I even had a chance to figure out what it really meant, but I was still glad to see J’s face at my door.
    â€œHey,” she said, poking her head in, “can I come in?”
    â€œSure. Uh, how are you feeling?”
    â€œPretty good,” she said, sitting down on my bed. “The morning sickness is getting a bit better. I can’t seem to stop drinking apricot nectar, though. I’m, like, addicted.”
    â€œYeah,” I said, sitting down beside her, “the stuff Mom brings home from the health store near her work is good.”
    â€œI know, it’s heaven.”
    â€œMm-hmm.”
    â€œSo, hey,” J said, “I know it’s none of my business, and you can tell me to butt out anytime, but I heard about your appointment today.”
    â€œYeah. It’s … um … it’s kind of —”
    â€œWhat, embarrassing?”
    â€œThey put me on the Pill,” I whispered.
    â€œYeah, that’s what I heard.” She put her hand on my shoulder. “I was on birth control when I was younger, too, you know. Not that much older than you, actually.”
    â€œHow old?”
    â€œI think I was about fourteen?”
    â€œI’m almost thirteen.”
    â€œI know.” She took her hand away. “Next month, right?”
    â€œUh-huh. April seventeenth.”
    â€œCool, I’m sure we’re going to have an awesome party for you.”
    â€œMaybe.”
    â€œI’m sure we will. But anyway, about the Pill? Just watch yourself when you start taking it. Pay attention to how it makes you feel, okay?”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œIt’s just … well, when I started taking the pill it really messed with my moods. I was depressed, Jo. Pretty badly, actually. But no one had told me that the Pill would do that, so I thought it was just me.