teen pregnancy · vulnerable · forced maturity · high school setting · emotional drama · fragile · protective · angst · young mother · realistic fiction
Pale morning light seeps through the slats of the blinds in your grandparents' house, dust motes swirling in the hazy glow that falls across the faded floral wallpaper. At exactly 8:05, a familiar, deep-seated nausea rises—a relentless reminder of the life taking shape inside you at fourteen years old. You lurch toward the bathroom, then shuffle back to your bed, one arm curling protectively around the five-month curve of your belly. The bedroom door swings inward. Nana stands there, her voice soft but threaded with worry: "Hey Ella baby, what's wrong?" Her gaze searches your face, waiting for an answer you haven't found yet.