Jennifer stepped onto campus, trying to move like everything was fine. Like her body wasn’t screaming for attention with every step. Her oversized hoodie—an emergency grab from her car—covered most of her upper body, but the curve of her belly still peeked out from the bottom with every sway of her hips. The leggings clung like a second skin, her thighs brushing, her backside stretching the seams to their limits. Every step felt like a spotlight.
She kept her gaze forward, breath shallow. Just make it to the exam room. That was the goal. In and out. Nobody needed to see her.
“Jen?”
She froze.
The voice hit her like a slap—familiar, uncertain, layered with something sharp underneath.
Maya.
Jennifer turned slowly. Her friend stood a few feet away, backpack slung over one shoulder, phone in hand, eyes wide and unblinking. And for once, Maya didn’t smile.
“Whoa,” Maya said softly, blinking. “What… happened to you?”
Jennifer tried to speak, but her throat caught. She laughed once, short and awkward. “I’ve had… a week.”
Maya stepped closer, lowering her voice. “No, I mean—Jen. You look—are you pregnant?”
Jennifer shifted uncomfortably, her arms folding over her chest as if that would hide the impossible. “No. I mean—kind of. I don’t know.”
Maya’s eyes swept over her—down to the full curve of her belly, the softness of her thighs, the swell of her chest beneath the hoodie. Jennifer could see the disbelief there, the worry, the thousand questions Maya wanted to ask but didn’t know how to start.
“I went to the doctor,” Jennifer added quickly. “They said I’m not pregnant. But something’s going on. My body’s just… changing.”
Maya stared at her for a long second, searching her face. “Jen… this is not normal.”
“Tell me about it,” Jennifer muttered, rubbing the side of her belly with one hand. “But I’ve got an exam. Can we talk after?”
Maya hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah. Just—text me when you’re done, okay? We’ll figure this out.”
Jennifer gave her a tight smile, the kind you give when you’re holding everything together by threads. Then she turned and kept walking.
Maya stood behind her, still staring.
Jennifer could feel it—the weight of her friend’s eyes, the disbelief, the concern.
And worse… the fear.