"You ain't going anywhere until you tell us what is wrong, Jessy."
Starlet's voice was firm.
But it wasn't harsh.
It carried the kind of firmness that only came from someone who cared too much to stay quiet anymore.
I sat quietly on my bed, my hands resting weakly on my lap.
My body felt heavier than it ever had before, even though I was losing weight.
My clothes had started to hang loosely around my shoulders.
My face had grown thinner.
But somehow, my body still felt heavy.
Drained.
Every movement required effort.
Even breathing sometimes felt like work.
Across from me sat the three people who had become my entire world.
Starlet.
Riley.
Melyne.
They were seated close together, their eyes fixed on me with an intensity that made my chest tighten.
They weren't angry.
They were worried.
And that made everything harder.
"You keep saying it's ulcers," Riley said after a moment.
Her voice was softer than Starlet's, but there was seriousness in her tone.
A quiet determination.
"But I know you're lying."
Her words pierced through me.
Because she was right.
I was lying.
Not because I wanted to deceive them.
Not because I didn't trust them.
But because I was afraid.
Afraid of saying it out loud.
Afraid of making it real.
Afraid that once the truth left my lips, there would be no way to take it back.
The lie had been easier.
"I have ulcers."
It sounded believable.
Simple.
Temporary.
Something that would eventually pass.
But the truth…
The truth was something much bigger.
Something that would change everything.
I lifted my eyes slowly and looked at them.
Really looked at them.
These were the girls who had been beside me every single day.
They had watched me grow weaker.
Watched me struggle to eat.
Watched me disappear into someone they barely recognized anymore.
And still, they stayed.
They helped me when I was too weak to stand.
They brought me food even when I couldn't swallow more than a few bites.
They helped me walk when my legs felt too tired to carry my own weight.
They covered for me when I couldn't attend classes.
They made excuses for me when lecturers started asking questions.
They had protected me.
Without even knowing what they were protecting me from.
I had become someone who depended on them for almost everything.
Even the smallest tasks felt exhausting.
Sometimes taking a shower felt like climbing a mountain.
Sometimes simply getting out of bed felt impossible.
And through all of it…
They never complained.
They never walked away.
They simply stayed.
Melyne was quiet.
She had barely spoken since they entered my room.
But I could feel her eyes on me.
Steady.
Observant.
She already knew.
Or at least, she suspected.
Melyne had always been the most perceptive among us.
The one who noticed the small details everyone else missed.
She hadn't asked questions.
Not because she didn't care.
But because she didn't want to force me.
She was waiting.
Waiting for me to trust her enough to say it myself.
The weight of that realization made my throat tighten.
Tears began to burn behind my eyes.
I blinked quickly, trying to hold them back.
But the emotion pressing against my chest felt too heavy.
I realized something in that moment.
I couldn't carry this alone anymore.
Not when they had carried me through my weakest days.
Not when they had loved me without even knowing the truth.
My hands began to tremble slightly in my lap.
My heart pounded loudly inside my chest.
So loudly that I was certain they could hear it.
This was the moment.
The moment everything would change.
The moment the secret would finally leave the darkness where I had been hiding it.
I opened my mouth.
But no words came out.
Fear held them hostage.
Starlet leaned forward slightly.
Her expression softened when she saw the tears forming in my eyes.
"Jessy," she said gently.
"We're not here to judge you."
Riley nodded in agreement.
"We just want to help."
Those simple words made the tears spill over.
I lowered my head, my shoulders trembling slightly as the emotions I had been holding inside for so long finally began to break free.
For weeks, I had been carrying this secret alone.
Carrying the fear.
The shame.
The uncertainty.
And now, standing at the edge of the truth, I felt like I was about to step into a completely different life.
I took a shaky breath.
Then another.
Trying to steady myself.
My fingers curled tightly together as I forced the words past the fear that had been choking them.
"I'm… pregnant."
The words were barely louder than a whisper.
But in the quiet room, they sounded deafening.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The silence that followed felt thick and heavy.
I slowly lifted my head.
Starlet's eyes widened slightly.
Riley's mouth parted in quiet shock.
But neither of them said anything immediately.
They were processing.
Trying to understand the weight of the words I had just spoken.
Only Melyne remained still.
Her expression didn't change much.
And that was when I knew for certain.
She had already suspected.
"I knew something was wrong," Riley said softly after a moment.
Her voice carried sadness, not judgment.
Starlet leaned back slightly, running a hand over her forehead as she tried to absorb the news.
"How long?" she asked quietly.
I swallowed.
"A few weeks," I admitted.
The room fell silent again.
This time, the silence felt different.
Not tense.
Not accusatory.
Just heavy with understanding.
"Does the father know?" Starlet asked.
The question made my chest tighten again.
I nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"And?" Riley asked carefully.
I hesitated.
The answer to that question was more complicated than I wanted it to be.
"He knows," I repeated softly.
"But he's… distant."
That single word carried more meaning than I could fully explain.
Distant.
Absent.
Gone in ways that words could barely capture.
My friends exchanged glances.
They didn't need further explanation.
They could see the pain written across my face.
Starlet reached forward and gently took my hand.
Her grip was warm and steady.
"Jessy," she said softly.
"You should have told us."
Her words weren't a scolding.
They were filled with hurt.
The kind of hurt that comes from realizing someone you love has been suffering alone.
"I was scared," I admitted.
My voice cracked slightly as the words came out.
"I didn't know how to say it."
Riley moved closer and wrapped her arms around me.
The hug was sudden but comforting.
"You're not alone," she whispered.
And those four words broke something inside me.
For the first time in weeks, the crushing weight of loneliness loosened slightly.
I wasn't alone anymore.
The truth was finally out.
The secret I had carried like a heavy stone inside my chest had finally been spoken.
And although the future still felt uncertain…
Although fear still lingered in the corners of my mind…
Something inside me felt lighter.
Because the people who loved me now knew the truth.
And they hadn't walked away.
They had stayed.
Just like they always had.
And in that moment, surrounded by the only family I had in that place, I realized something important.
Sometimes the hardest part of telling the truth…
Is simply finding the courage to begin.