Dedicated to _mothawriter_. Happy birthday in advance my July baby.

My eyes rushed through the content of the book on the table, searching for a particular topic. I needed to clear my doubts and the library was the first place I decided would do justice to whatever doubt I had.

"Page one hundred and fifty seven." I murmured, flipping the pages frantically, searching for the number on the right edge of the textbook.

It felt like that particular page was missing. It didn't surface and that alone increased my anxiety.

Relieve washed over me when I found the chapter. I pushed my chair deeper into the reading cubicle to prevent anyone from getting a glimpse of what I wanted to read. I rested my glasses on the bride of my nose, more firmly to prevent it from falling.

Some students making use of the library spoke in hushed tones. One thing the school library adhered strictly to was the no chattering policy. If you needed to talk in the library, you did it through hushed tones.

The librarians never joked with their jobs.

My mum didn't speak about our encounter at the bathroom during the ride to school. It was either she forgot about it or she was saving our unfinished conversation for later; when I returned from school. The latter I hoped it was.

Symptoms of Pregnancy.

My eyes carefully read each word even to the crosses on the letter t and f.

Cease of mensuration.

A small gasp escaped my lips. I hadn't seen my period in a month and not seeing it was the first symptom, it got me more worried.

I went through the book, reading carefully every symptom highlighted and explained. When I was done with reading my heart was thumping hard in my chest, my hands also quivering.

The only symptom which I wasn't exhibiting was cravings and eating ravenously. I only had three plates of white rice and fish stew for dinner yesterday, so I wasn't eating too much. Was I?

My stomach growled. I didn't have breakfast and it was lunch break already. I had not eaten anything apart from the meat pie I ate before coming to the library.

I moved the chair back, earning a loud screeching sound as the metal legs of the chair scrapped the tiled floor. That act would most likely attract stares from the other users of the library.

As expected, when I stood angry eyes peered at me. I waved a hand, sheepishly apologizing while picking the Home-economics textbook I was reading on the table.

Hastily, I returned it to the first metal shelf I came in contact with even though that wasn't where I originally picked the book from. I signed out of the library and hurriedly made my way to my class.

It didn't take long for me to get to the class as I had practically ran up the stairs within seconds.

I spotted Zara and Joyce talking on their seats. Anna and a few friends were also chattering at the far end of the class, giggling as well.

I moved towards Zara, on the left side but opted out, my subconscious telling me she was going to be insensitive to the news. I went to the far end of the class to meet Anna who was giggling to what one of the three boys with her had said.

"Meet me in the toilet." After I whispered the instruction, I made my way to the toilet building downstairs, waiting for her to join me.

With my hands on my waist, eyes on the ground and my thoughts on my new found discovery I paced at the entrance of the small building

"What's up, Tobi?" Anna's hand pointed out, palms open in a questioning manner. "Why are you pacing?"

I ignored her and entered into the female toilet, knocking to confirm no one else was in the toilet. Satisfied I got no response from all six stalls I knocked, I blurted:

"Anna, I'm pregnant."

Her face maintained the look of indifference, hands on both side as she stood like a log of wood by the door way.

"Did you hear me at all?" I crossed my hands facing her, a frown on my face. "I said I'm pregnant!" Mentally, I slapped myself for how loud my voice was then resumed pacing.

She bursted into laughter.

"Are you doing September fool or you've started acting film?" Anna asked amidst laughter.

I stopped in my tracks, staring at her like she had grown another head. Does this look like a comedy show? I wanted to ask but I kept mute.

"Tobi, have you joined the drama club?" Her laughter continued.

A scowl etching on my face, I retorted through gritted teeth, "if I joined the drama club, wouldn't I have told you?"

An amused look still plastered her face, this made me heave a despondent sigh. "Anna, I'm serious about what I'm saying. I'm pregnant."

"Preg what?" Said a girl from the doorway. Anna turned to see the figure who appeared behind her.

I let out a breath of relieve seeing Zara. She entered into the building, a very puzzled look on her face.

"Who is pregnant? Or has anyone of you joined the drama club?"

"Help me ask Tobi o?!" Anna responded clapping her hands softly. "I don't understand what she's saying. Abi, you're now Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ?"

At this point I bursted into tears entering the large space between the wall and bathroom stalls.
My back leaned on the wall as I facepalmed, crying into my hands. With my back still leaned on the wall, I moved to the floor in a sitting position, legs stretched out and hands still on my face as I cried.

A hand patted my shoulder trying to stop me from crying. Another rubbed my lap in circles, as soothing as it was, that didn't stop me from crying.

"Calm down." Said Zara, but I didn't. How could I, when there could be a baby inside of me. I couldn't become a mother at sixteen!

Pulling me to her side, I removed my hand from my face also taking off my glasses putting it on my lap which Anna was rubbing soothing circles on, squatting. Zara's hand went round my shoulder while I placed my head on her shoulder crying.

"I'm dead!" Tears rushed down my cheeks and mucus from my nostrils.

"Tobi, calm down. You may just be over thinking it. Have you even done a test? I mean a real pregnancy test?" Zara asked. I sat up as I stopped crying momentarily.

Anna nodded, now sitting on the tiled floor, her back resting on the door of a bathroom stall. And her hand still rubbing circles on my lap. "You have to do a test before you start making assumptions." She stopped rubbing the circles as she added, "what if it's just malaria?"

"Or fever sef?" Zara buttressed.

I shook my head. "Does malaria make you vomit?" I started crying again.

"So just because you vomited yesterday, you're automatically pregnant? Who told you that?" Zara tilted her head with an eyebrow raised.

"Can't you see?!" I threw my hands in the air, in agitation. "I'm vomiting, I haven't seen my period in a month and this morning when I woke up, I felt dizzy and I had a headache."

"And so?" Anna hissed, "You watch way too much Nollywood movies and you read too many novels. This is real life Tobi and not some kind of book or movie. It is only in Nollywood movies a female would vomit and she's automatically pregnant."

"Why haven't I seen my period then?" I arched an eyebrow.

"Tobi calm down! There's an explanation for everything. I'm sure the only reason you haven't seen your period is because, you're stressed and you're adding to it with the way you're crying. Besides, you haven't engaged in sexual intercourse with anyone, have you?"

I started crying again, this time my head in Zara's lap and two hands patted my back.

Anna's last questioning was the last straw, I was pregnant and that meant I was dead. Mr and Mrs Oyesile - my parents wouldn't stop till they had beaten me to death.

"Tobi you need to stop crying. Talk to us." Vocalized Zara. Hands grasped my shoulders, one of each pulling me up to see Zara's face.

I ceased crying for a moment, my head on Zara's shoulder. A student from SS3 walked into the bathroom, eyeing us warily then entered into the first toilet stall.

Few minutes later she left the toilet giving myself and the girls room to continue our conversation.

I sat up, my head leaving Zara's shoulder. "We had sex." I broke into fresh tears. My hands went to my face covering it as I cried into it. I was afraid to see their reaction, to see what they thought of what I just revealed.

"Isigini?" Zara's Igbo accent sounded prominent on the word.

"I'm more than five hundred percent sure you've joined the school's drama club." Was Anna's response.

"We had sex." I reiterated, crying into my palm. Although I hadn't seen their facial expressions, I could tell they were flabbergasted and disappointed.

"Tell me this is a joke Tobi. You're playing a prank on us right?" Anna uttered in disbelief.

I cried harder this time, I disappointed them.

"Why? When? Where?" Anna asked, her voice shaking.

I summoned the courage to look at their faces. The disappointment was glaring, not even masked. A look of confusion, disappointment and disgust plastered on both their faces.

"My birthday party." They both remained silent reminiscing on my answer. That single answer gave out all that needed to be answered.

"How?!" Anna whispered. "He raped you right?"

I wiped my face with my hands but the tears were still pouring freely like I had no control over it. "It was consensual."

Anna gasped then whispered, "Tobi?"

I leaned my back on the wall, putting both hands on my head.

"It could be malaria." Zara deadpanned.

"Zara, I just said Daniel and I had sex. Or didn't you hear me?"

"And I insist it could be malaria." She said laying emphasis on every word. "You're the good girl Tobi! You can't be pregnant!"

I removed my hands from my head placing them in between my lap. I picked my glasses and fiddled with one of the hands.

"As far as I'm concerned, you are not pregnant. Take malaria drugs and if after three days these symptoms persist then we can get a pregnancy test. But as for me, you can't be pregnant!"

Glossary
1) Isigini - You say?

A/N
Zara doesn't think Tobi is pregnant? What do you think? I wanted to give a double update yesterday but I just wasn't feeling this chapter. I'm still not feeling it but here it is anyway.

Oya o, who wants to see senior Abdul and Japheth?

Personally, I'm not sure if I want to see them again but do you?

Note: I had to unpublish this chapter due to a whole lot of errors I didn't notice earlier. If you had difficulties getting through with this chapter, I apologize.