I didn’t know what to say, so I just smiled and looked back at the screen, but something warm settled in my chest. For the first time in years, I fell asleep feeling safe.
The next day was Tuesday. Aunt Bonnie had to work, but she left me a key and told me to make myself at home. I spent the morning wandering around her apartment and the afternoon doing the homework I had brought with me. By three-thirty I started getting nervous about Kate’s visit. She showed up right at four, looking anxious but relieved to see me. We stood in the doorway hugging for a long time before I pulled her inside.
“This place is nice,” she said, looking around.
“Aunt Bonnie’s not home yet. She should be here any minute,” I said. “Do you want some water or something?”
Kate nodded and followed me into the kitchen. She looked pale and exhausted, like she hadn’t slept at all. We sat at the kitchen table in awkward silence for a few minutes before she finally spoke.
“Mom and Dad think I’m at debate-team practice. They don’t suspect anything yet, but Mom made a comment about me gaining weight this morning. I almost had a panic attack.”
Before I could answer, we heard keys in the door. Aunt Bonnie came in carrying a bag of groceries, still wearing her work clothes. Her face lit up when she saw Kate.
“There’s my other niece,” she said warmly, setting the groceries down so she could hug her.
The second Aunt Bonnie wrapped her arms around her, Kate burst into tears. The next hour was intense. Kate told her everything: about Tyler, about being eight weeks pregnant, about being terrified of our parents finding out. Aunt Bonnie listened carefully and asked questions, but never once judged her.
“Have you decided what you want to do?” Aunt Bonnie asked gently.
Kate shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m only sixteen. I’m supposed to go to college next year. But I also don’t know if I could go through with an abortion.”
She started crying again.
“And adoption?” Aunt Bonnie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You have options,” Aunt Bonnie said. “And you have time to decide. But first, you need to see a doctor and make sure everything’s okay. I can take you if you want.”
Kate nodded gratefully. “Could you? I’m scared to go alone, and I can’t ask Mom.”
“Of course,” Aunt Bonnie said. “And Kate, whatever you decide, I’ll support you. Even if your parents don’t.”
Kate looked at me then, eyes still wet. “I’m so sorry about what happened, Lily. I just panicked. I thought if they found out while you were still there—”
“It’s okay,” I said, and this time I meant it. “I get it. And honestly, it’s better here anyway.”
After Kate left, promising to text us about setting up a doctor’s appointment, I helped Aunt Bonnie make dinner. My mind kept spinning through everything at once: Kate’s pregnancy, my new living situation, the confrontation Aunt Bonnie kept saying was coming.
“Aunt Bonnie,” I asked as we chopped vegetables, “what’s going to happen when my parents find out about Kate?”
She sighed. “I don’t know, honey. But we’ll face it together, all three of us.”
The next week was surprisingly peaceful. I settled into a routine at Aunt Bonnie’s place. She woke me up for school, dropped me off on her way to work, and picked me up afterward. We made dinner together, watched TV, and talked. She asked me about my interests, my friends, my classes, all the normal things parents are supposed to care about but mine never had. Kate came over a few times after school under the excuse of debate-team research. Aunt Bonnie took her to a doctor’s appointment that confirmed she was about nine weeks pregnant. Kate still hadn’t decided what she wanted to do, but at least she was getting prenatal care in the meantime. My parents? Total radio silence. Not one call or text asking how I was. Kate said they barely mentioned me at home, as if I had simply stopped existing. It hurt, but it also confirmed what I had always suspected. They didn’t really love me the way parents are supposed to love their kids.
Then Friday evening, everything blew up. Kate called me in a panic.
“Mom found my prenatal vitamins,” she said, her voice shaking. “She put it together with me gaining weight. She knows, Lily. She knows I’m pregnant.”
My heart dropped. “What happened? What did she say?”
“She went ballistic,” Kate sobbed. “She started screaming about how I’d ruined my life. How no decent college would accept me now. How I brought shame on the family. Dad came home in the middle of it and lost his mind too.”
I put the call on speaker so Aunt Bonnie could hear.
“Are you safe?” Aunt Bonnie asked immediately.
“I’m in my room with the door locked,” Kate said. “But they keep pounding on the door, demanding I come out and face the consequences of my actions. I’m scared.”
