My Childhood Friend's Pregnancy Trap Backfires

My childhood friend, Savannah Dunham, clutched her stomach, her voice thick with tears. "Benny, can you please just take me to the restroom first before we go meet Ms. Kirkland? It'll be quick. I won't take much of your time. Please, I really feel awful. I don't know who else I can turn to."

Still, I turned her down. "We're sitting for the SAT tomorrow. I can't focus on anything if I don't get my exam admission pass sorted out. Besides, I'm a guy. It really isn't appropriate for me to walk you to the ladies' restroom."

Savannah's tears spilled over, her voice cracking. "Benny, you used to always be there for me. Are you pushing me away now that I've gained so much weight?"

I clenched my fists, feeling a chill running through me.

Before I saw the comments, I thought she'd just put on weight over the past year. I never imagined she was actually pregnant, and close to full term at that.

Nolan Findel, our class representative who was always bursting with a sense of justice, happened to pass by right at that time. Seeing Savannah cry like that, he spoke up for her. "Benson Frost, how could you bully Savannah just because she's gained some weight?"

With someone taking her side, Savannah sat on the ground clutching her stomach and sobbed even harder.

"My stomach hurts so badly that I can barely walk. I just wanted Benny to walk me to the restroom. I don't understand why he won't help me with something so trivial. He used to be so ready to help me whenever I needed him. We grew up together, after all."

Nolan grew even more furious. "Benson, no decent person would remain indifferent seeing someone in this much pain. And you're her childhood friend on top of that! How can you be so cold-blooded? Do you even have a conscience?"

Another one of our classmates frowned and chimed in. "She really looks like she's in a lot of pain. What if something happens? Just take Savannah to the restroom, Benson. I'll go find Ms. Kirkland and ask about your exam admission pass so nothing gets held up."

The other students all started speaking up for Savannah too, as if refusing to take her to the restroom made me some kind of monster.

Savannah's expression grew even more pained, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. Seeing that, the crowd's urging grew more insistent.

I couldn't tell if she was faking or not, but I caught the flash of triumph in her eyes. It turned out this person I'd grown up with since childhood was actually hellbent on destroying me in such a vicious way.

Suppressing my anger, I kept my expression the same and held up my phone.

"You've all got it wrong! I just thought that if she was in so much pain, going to the restroom wouldn't be of much help, so I was going to call 911. Savannah, I figured going to the hospital would be a much better option than having me walk you to the restroom."

Savannah stopped clutching her stomach and scrambled to her feet to snatch my phone. "No! I just ate something that had gone bad. There's no need for the hospital! I just need to go to the restroom!"