Foolish Girl

Hanna threw her a flabbergasted look. June, her best friend, waited for her to speak. Both of them were cleaning up the store room. It was their turn for the week. There was no one there except for the two of them. So, June had decided to let the cat out of the bag to Hanna, thinking that her friend should know about the important day. Hanna did not take it very well. She pulled June away from the door and brought her to a corner, for fear someone would hear.

‘Are you serious?’ Hanna asked incredulously.

‘Yeah’ said June apparently excited.

The world seemed to spin very fast. Hanna placed a hand on her forehead, feeling slightly woozy. Years ago, June was no more than a shy, desolate girl who have difficulty adjusting with everything and anyone after they entered high school. She seldom speak to anyone, and was alone all the time. If it wasn’t because of Hanna, she would have suffered from a terrible depression. Hanna knew that June wanted attention, and that her being her best friend was not enough. June has problems in her home; she kept saying that her parents never cared about her, and that her younger sister was getting all the consideration she was craving for. Hanna felt sorry for her and was always ready to be at her side when June needed someone to speak to. But, she knew that June wanted more attention.

That’s when Jeremiah came, and June got a lot happier. It was the first time she had ever had any boyfriend, and having one had built up her confidence. She started to speak, and was gaining more and more friends. Hanna was glad for her at the start, until she noticed that June was getting clingy to all the attentions given. June started making up stories about herself, for instance, she always have missed calls on her cell phone from strangers, where all of them were boys. It took some time for Hanna to really know that not everything June was telling her was true. Some of them were made up. Nevertheless, Hanna ignored her doubts and trusted June. She wanted June to be happy.

But what June had told her that evening shook her belief.

‘June…’ Hanna spoke with difficulty, ‘do you realize what you’re about to do?’

‘Hanna, he’s going to prove to me that he loves me’ June said gleefully.

‘But that is not right- June, this is not an easy matter’ Hanna said, the look of pure terror was on her face.

June smiled. She took Hanna’s hands into hers.

‘Listen, Jeremiah and I are going to do it this Friday night’ she said. Hanna widened her eyes. ‘He said he would have everything ready’.

‘June!’ Hanna cried. Her friend was really serious about it.

‘This is very important to us, Hanna. Please, don’t tell anyone’ said June pleadingly.

‘This is not right, June’ Hanna said.

‘Hanna, everybody is doing it. This is how we’re going to prove that we love each other’.

‘Oh God, June… Just because everybody is doing it, that doesn’t means you have to’.

June’s happy expression turned sour. She released Hanna’s hands and backed away.

‘I thought you’re going to be happy for me’ she said, dejected.

‘Happy?’ Hanna said the word harshly. ‘How can I be happy when my friend wanted to have sex with her boyfriend secretly as prove of their love? Can’t you see Jeremiah is trying to take advantage on you?’

‘Don’t talk like that about Jeremiah!’ June cried.

Hanna blinked. June never spoke in that kind of tone towards her.

‘June, don’t you realize?’ Hanna said, trying to keep calm.

‘We’re not going to do it without condoms-’

‘That is not my point! Don’t you realize how it would affect your family and your future if people find out?’

‘They won’t unless you tell them!’

‘This-is-not-right’.

‘Hanna, this is right-’

‘It’s immoral! It’s not right for you to have sexual intercourse with anyone before marriage-’

‘Oh! You and your stupid Christian principles. Listen Hanna, God had given me nothing over the past years. My family never cares for me. Jeremiah loves me, and because of him I am able to look in the mirror, and see that I am pretty and I deserve those idiots’ attentions. I am going to enjoy my life, Hanna. I don’t want to be like you. You kept obeying your parents like a dog, and you don’t have any principle of your own. I will do it. And I will not be sorry for it’.

A tensed silence fell. Hanna’s lips were quivering. Tears welled up in her eyes. June had changed. Hanna felt betrayed, stupid. She had believed June; trusted her even ignoring her lies. She was wrong. June never thinks of anyone but herself. Hanna shook her head and said no more. She walked across the store room, and left June alone. That evening, she strolled down the road to her home alone.

After that incident, she never spoke to June again. Some of her friends had asked her what happened, but she merely shrugged and went on minding her business. June never bothered to even look at her. She continued praising herself in front of other girls, telling them she felt tired replying her admirers’ messages. Hanna rolled her eyes every time she heard their giggles. She thought June must have done it with Jeremiah. Someone told her they checked in to a cheap hotel that Friday night, after the fight they had. Hanna couldn’t care less now. She was tempted to tell June’s parents about it, but something stopped her. After some weeks, she decided to just drop it, and let June had her own life in order, even though she knew June was only destroying it.

Months passed, and Hanna heard about the break-up between June and Jeremiah. June seemed disconsolate, and Hanna did consider going over to talk to her. But then, June stopped going to school. She sent a letter to the teacher saying she was sick, and needed a long rest. It looked like a big thing since June had gain popularity with her outrageous lies, which more and more people were beginning to realize. But then, other matter got the students to forget about June. Someone had found a dead, shriveled baby dumped in garbage at Bunga Kekwa Lane. Hanna thought it was scary, considering that’s where she and June lived.

‘It’s very cruel for someone to throw a baby in a stack of trash’ said one of her friends.

‘The baby still has the umbilical cord you know’.

‘And they said it was a premature birth. The baby was so small’.

‘I can’t imagine things like this happened near our homes. I mean, sure there are a lot of cases of dumped babies in the news, but in a place like ours…’

Hanna was not listening to them. Her mind was preoccupied with June. She was worried. What kind of sickness that had June home-bound for days?

‘I think I’m going to go and visit June today’ she thought out loud.

‘What?’

‘Nothing’ Hanna said instantly. ‘I think it’s very inhuman too…’

Her friends agreed and they continued talking about the baby. After school was finished, Hanna went over to June’s house. June’s mother greeted her cheerfully.

‘June’s been complaining about headaches. She said she wanted some time off from the school so we let her. That girl is always having headaches these days’ said June’s mother. Hanna just smiled and nodded her head. Later, she went over to June’s room. She knocked it and there was a soft voice calling her to enter.

June was surprised to see her. She was sitting on her bed in her pajamas, punching her cell phone’s buttons animatedly. Hanna saw, for a splitting second, the worried look on her face before she looked at her coming in.

‘Hi’ said Hanna rigidly as she closed the door.

‘Hi…’ said June, a warm smile spread on her pallid face. ‘Come on sit down’ June patted her bed, beckoning Hanna to sit beside her. Hanna just obeyed.

They were quiet for a few seconds.

‘So, how is thing at school?’ June broke the silence.

‘Oh, fine. Just fine’ said Hanna. June giggled a little. Hanna smiled awkwardly. Silence ensued again.

‘I’m sorry…’ June spoke again, ‘For the things I’d said back there’.

‘Oh’ Hanna had wished she wouldn’t mention that fight. She never likes it when people said sorry to her, even if she wanted them too. It just felt- weird. ‘Don’t worry about that. I’d forgotten about it already’.

‘Really?’ June asked.

‘Yep. I don’t even remember what we were yelling towards each other’ Hanna lied.

‘That’s,’ June said faintly, ‘good’.

It was quite a bombshell for Hanna as June started to sob. She tentatively put her arms around June.

‘Hey, what’s wrong? Did I say something that hurt you?’ Hanna asked. June shook her head.

‘Hanna, I don’t know what to do’ cried June. Hanna was bemused.

‘June, are you okay?’ she asked.

‘No. No, I’m not okay…’ June sobbed. ‘I’m afraid…’

‘Afraid of what?’

June hesitated. She buried her face in her hands and cried silently. Hanna moved closer to June and wrapped her arms around her.

‘June, what is it? Come on just tell me’ Hanna said comfortingly. June shook her head again. Hanna observed her quietly for a moment. ‘Is this about Jeremiah?’

June didn’t shake her head. Her sobbing was muffled.

‘June, forget about him. He’s not the right guy for you-’ Hanna stopped speaking when June shook her head again. She looked at Hanna teary-faced.

‘No, that’s not it’ she said. ‘We didn’t know what went wrong…’

Hanna felt her heartbeats increased.

‘We were careful… I just found out… Jeremiah doesn’t want anything to do with it…’

‘Don’t tell me, you’re pregnant?’ Hanna inquired. June cried even more, and shook her head.

‘I didn’t know what to do… I was afraid… I thought what my dad will do if he knows… he would kill me…’

‘June, I don’t understand. Did you get pregnant?’

‘Hanna, I didn’t know what to do…’

‘Did you get pregnant?’

‘I- I w- was pregnant…’

‘Was?’

Then it all dawned on Hanna. She clasped her mouth.

‘Oh my God… the baby…’

‘It’s not my fault… if my dad and mom finds out about it… Hanna please, I’m afraid…’

There was nothing Hanna can do. June was taken to the police station that very evening. Afterwards, more and more people were talking about June. Her family faced the embarrassment greatly. They had to move out from Bunga Kekwa Lane to start things anew. Back in school, people had stopped talking about the baby. June was the topic now. Her story was constantly used by the principal to remind students to act more wisely next time. Hanna thought sadly; June had always wanted so many attentions. Now, her terrible mistake earned her an endless shame. She just hope that June will change now. She hoped June live according to her common sense rather than following what other people say or do.