Labor Day had arrived and left and it signaled the end of Summer vacation. As depressing as it was there was small amount of joy from the fact that this was the last year of school. Bruce lingered outside the main entrance awaiting his friends to arrive.

He took a seat in the same spot they had occupied since their first day of senior high. They continued to meet there on the first day of each new semester ever since. He had actually been there a week earlier to apply for parking space. He would turn 18 in a few months and be eligible to drive his car, now he would ride his motorcycle.

He checked out the new arrivals that were beginning their Sophomore year, especially the girls. He looked over the people he knew that were returning to see what the Summer had done to them. Who had lost weight, gained height, who had the darkest tan and what girls had filled out.

His friends finally arrived and they joined him. As they sat watching they saw a newer Lincoln coupe pull to the curb in order to drop its passenger and they saw it was Amber Conway sitting in the passenger seat. After stepping out of the car and standing erect the entire populace of those outside stopped talking and heads turned in her direction, some that were walking stopped in mid stride to look.

Amber was pregnant. Mouths dropped open in unison and eyes grew wide. Amber pregnant, no one could believe it. Their reaction would be similar to an episode of The Brady Bunch where Marsha announced that she was pregnant.

Amber was blonde, attractive, intelligent, artistic, but a little naïve. So the idea of her being with child was a total shock.

"Gotta be at least five months," Darlene Dole commented.

"How would you know?" someone in the group questioned.

"My sister just had her baby and that's how much she was showing at five months.

Probably happened over Spring break," Ralph commented.

"Yeah, I remember her parents pulling her out of school a week early," Darlene responded.

Bruce nodded as he remembered her being pulled out of art class for a meeting with her parents and the principal. Soon everyone knew that her parents were going to Greece for Spring break and wanted to ensure there was no problems taking her out of school a week early. As she was an A student and liked by all her teachers there was no problems.

He also recalled that she was different when she returned. Still stunning to look at but she was a lot quieter and less talkative. One of her Amber's closest lady friends offered that she had fallen in love while on vacation.

"More likely she had fallen into the bed of a Greek stud, and she liked it," Ralph offered.

That comment caused him to earn the nickname "Rotten Ralphie" as the girls thought it was a terrible thing to say about someone as sweet and innocent as Amber was.

"I'm willing to bet five dollars she ain't innocent anymore." he added.

All of Amber's lady friends ran to her side and when they saw her condition there was a great deal of hugging, kissing and crying between them until the bell rang signaling the start of the school day and year. They all slowly headed inside.

Bruce though nothing more about it. He would see her in the halls and in a few of the classes they had together but that was the extent of it. She was not one of his close friends as she was one of the most attractive and popular girls in school and so she hung with a different crowd.

Outside of exchanging daily pleasantries and joining in the gossip sessions in art class they really didn't say much to each other.

It would happen during lunchtime that their relationship would change forever. He saw her struggling to stand and balance her books, purse and lunch tray. As he was headed in the direction of the tray drop off window he simply grabbed her tray from her, she smiled and thanked him.

He noticed that the group of people the normally crowded around her table was diminishing daily so he took it upon himself to carry her tray whenever he was finished with his lunch. This went on for about week until one day she motioned to him as he exited the serving line, so we walked over to her.

"You are welcome to join me if you want to," she said with a smile."

"Aren't you worried about your friends will say?"

"No. Are you?"

So Bruce took a seat and thus began joining the stunning blond for lunch. As they chatted they discovered that they had many of the same likes. His friends called him 'slave boy' as he still carried her tray everyday and after she stood up he then handed her the purse and stack of books. This topic was brought up before the start of the school day.

"You ain't gonna get anywhere with her," Rotten Ralphie said.

"Yeah and besides that field has already been plowed," Tim added

Bruce had this overwhelming urge to punch his friends in the mouth.

"I ain't trying to get anywhere with her."

"Then why bother with her at all?"

"Well she looks and smells better than most of you guys."

Their response was silenced by the arrival of the girls off their group. Darlene Dole and Marcia Lopper kissed him on the cheek and was told to ignore these bozos.

"He's being a gentleman and there ain't nothing wrong with that," Darlene commented. 

 One day about two weeks later saw one of the alpha males of the football team sitting in his usual place. As he didn't want to cause a scene or get in a fight with that muscle bound jerkoff he simply went back to his old table.

He wasn't angry or upset as she wasn't really his girlfriend or anything so he couldn't tell her who she could share her table with. He had just taken a bite of his burger and when he looked up Amber was approaching him.

"May I join you?"

"Of course."

"I left my tray on my old table."

He quickly retrieved it and set it down in front of her.

"Why didn't you walk over?"

"I saw 'Lance Romance' sitting there and didn't want to intrude."

"I don't think he will be back."

"Why?"

"All he was interested in is what had happened to put me in this condition. That tool wanted details."

"That's kinda creepy."

"Tell me about it."

"What about your entouge?"

"What about them? I eat lunch with anyone I want to and besides in case you haven't noticed they don't hang around me much anymore. Getting pregnant has made me an outcast."

"Their loss."

"Exactly."

 ......................End of Part 1.......................