• Chapter 12: Shopping Trip

    Kauri, Carrie, Cameron, and Nancy went to the mall first. It wasn’t a big mall, but it was more than enough to supply the small city with what thee people wanted. There were a couple fast food restaurants and one ice cream shop. There were 14 clothes shops, and 1 bookstore. It was the only mall in the city since no one dared to put a second mall in such a small town.
    “Ok, we’ll go to JC Penny’s first, then Macy’s, then Mother’s Instinct. Sound good to everyone else?” Nancy laid out the plans. “After that, you can go wherever you want to. I’ll just look through the phones.”
    “Isn’t Mother’s Instinct maternity wear?” Carrie suspiciously asked.
    Nancy looked at Kauri, who was giving a pleading look back. She immediately knew what was happening. “Oh, that’s right. I somehow forgot that. Scratch Mother’s Instinct, you’ll be able to spend more time with each other.”
    Nancy looked back at Kauri after the group continued to walk through the mall. When she made eye contact, Kauri mouthed ‘Thank you!’ Nancy pointed her finger to both herself and Kauri and mouthed ‘WE’RE still going.”
    While in JC Penny’s, Kauri and Carrie tried on clothes. Every single one of Kauri’s choices had elastic underneath her chest, then just draped down with nothing keeping it close to her torso.
    “I don’t like it on you,” Carrie would remark.
    “Why not?” was always Kauri’s question.
    “Well, not to be rude, but it makes you look either fat or pregnant. All but the stomach area looks cute. I just don’t think that style is good for you.”
    “I think it looks very nice,” Nancy would always chime in, making an excuse for Kauri to give to Carrie.
    Carrie looked a little upset when Kauri went to the checkout with 3 shirts of that cut at JC Penny’s and 2 from Macy’s.
    “Ok, everyone’s free to go wherever they want now. I’ll call when I’m ready to leave, and we’ll meet in the center circle, got it?”
    “Yeah, but you don’t mind if I go with you, do you Nancy? I want to give them some time to themselves,” Kauri asked, putting her hand up to her mouth and lowering her tone for the last sentence.
    “Of course, honey,” Nancy politely said, leading her towards Mother’s Instinct. “Why haven’t you told Carrie?” Nancy began questioning Kauri once they got a safe distance from the other two.
    Kauri sighed, thinking of how to word her excuse as delicate as possible. “Ok, I love Carrie like a sister. I have for 6 years now. It’s just that… since I’ve known her for so long, I know what she’d do. She’d either WAY overreact, or not keep her mouth shut, because both of those are characteristics of Carrie. You’re son is the only one I’ve told, because he’s close to the only one I trust. He’s the only one that knows I’ve been kicked out, because if I told someone that, I’d have to tell them I’m pregnant. I really don’t feel like explaining everything to the entire school. I’m worried that if it got around that I’m pregnant, the fact that I was raped might not get around, and people would call me a whore because I don’t have a boyfriend.”
    Nancy thought about the large chunk of information she had just been given before she thought of some wise advice. “I know you might have not though about this, but if people find out your pregnant by seeing your stomach, they’re way more likely to not know you’ve been raped. That means they’re way more likely to think of you as a whore. So, I want you to promise me that you’ll tell your friends and let them tell people, as long as they tell people you were raped, starting with Carrie. Got it?”
    “Yea, I promise. Thanks for everything. Letting me stay at your house, eat your food, getting me a ride to and from school, getting me clothes, and helping me out.”
    “Hey, it’s not like I haven’t been pregnant before. Stop by any time and you can get any of those things. Here we are, Mother’s Instinct,” Nancy stated, stopping outside the medium-sized store.
    As Kauri looked through, she immediately noticed none of these clothes were made for 15-year-olds. She looked through the smallest sizes and found a couple of shirts she liked. She walked out of the store with 4 new shirts. She was careful to place those clothes inside the JC Penny’s bag once she was outside the store so Carrie wouldn’t ask.
    “Nancy, I’m going to go find them, if it’s ok with you.”
    “Oh, it’s fine. Go, have fun with your friends. I’m going to look through the cell phones.”
    Kauri hoped to find Carrie and Cameron either in or near Hot Topic, so that was the first place she checked. Once she got outside the store, she looked in. When she didn’t see them in the store, she turned around to check Rue 21. When she turned around, she discovered them sitting on the benches in front of Hot Topic making out. “Alrighty then, I’ll come back some other time. Call me when your done.” Kauri took 5 steps and her phone began ringing. “Hello?”
    “Get your big butt back here.” It was obviously Cameron’s voice.
    “Why? You can see my big butt, and Carrie likes it, don’t you, Carrie?” Kauri asked, knowing the phone was on speakerphone by the echo.
    “Oh yeah, I do. Why don’t you walk backwards so it’s not only closer, but I don’t have to take my eyes off it,” Carrie joked.
    Both Carrie and Kauri began to laugh as Kauri began to back up. She turned around and faced them. “Ok, what do I do now?”
    “Where do you want to go?” Cameron asked.
    “Cinnabon and Taco Bell. You?” Kauri answered.
    “Cinnabon sounds good to me,” Carrie chimed in.
    “The food court it is!” Cameron concluded. “Right after I go to the restroom.”
    “Me too,” Kauri and Carrie both said.
    “Hey, Carrie,” Kauri got Carrie’s attention in the restroom over by the sinks as they perfected their hair in the view of the mirrors.
    “What?”
    “What if I told you… a month ago I was raped and now I’m pregnant?”
    “Are you serious, or is this hypothetical?”
    “Serious.”
    “Then I’d ask you if that’s what caused your dad to drink and if that’s why he chose you to beat.”
    “Yea. That’s what happened,” said Kauri, not looking Carrie in the eyes because she had waited to tell her. She felt bad that she had told Carrie’s boyfriend, but not Carrie.
    “Have you told Cameron?” was her first question.
    ‘Have you told Cameron!?!?’ Was that all she could think about? She’s pregnant and abused, and she asks about Cameron?!?!? Kauri could hardly bring herself to answer the question directly. “Yes. Yes, I’ve told Cameron. He told his mom, so that’s why I got maternity wear instead of regular clothes,” Kauri forced herself to politely answer without losing her head.
    “Good, otherwise I might’ve been tempted to tell him, since he is my boyfriend.”
    Kauri couldn’t believe that this was her best friend since 4th grade. “Actually, I kind of want you to tell people, but be sure to include the fact that I was raped, so people don’t spread things about me being a whore.”
    They walked to the food court, Carrie carrying on about how she ‘knew’ something else was wrong besides the fact that Kauri’s dad was beating her. Kauri just rolled her eyes, wondering if she ‘knew’ that she had been kicked out of the house. Cameron told her not to ever mention the beating thing, especially since his mom had no idea. He knew it would be best if she never found out, otherwise she would surely call child services, and neither him nor Kauri wanted something started.