Decision

WORD COUNT : 654


Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. A hand reached out to take hers and squeezed.

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

Sarah and Jill sat on a bench across the street from the clinic. Jill, who was kind enough to have escorted her friend to the clinic, felt very uncomfortable and had no clue as to what she was to say.

Sarah, who was neither listening or responding, stared at the entrance to the clinic with an intensity that frightened poor Jill. Her eyes never wavered, never moved. Her hand was as limp and as cold as a dead fish in Jill's sweaty hand.

Jill cleared her throat and applied pressure to her friend's hand again. Sarah grunted and turned her eyes to meet Jill's. "Yes?"

"Are you sure?" Jill asked again, cringing at how cliche she sounded, but not articulate enough at the moment to elaborate.

Sarah shook her head. "No, I'm not sure, but I'm only sixteen, I won't get any help, my parents will disown me, I'll live on the streets. It's all just... too much." Her eyes returned to the entrance. "Who would put in a red door? Who?"

Jill took her eyes from Sarah and studied the red door with Sarah. It was a legitimate question. Red was not the kind of color you chose for the entrance to an abortion clinic.

"Are we going to go?"

Sarah trembled, tears rolling down her cheeks. Her head suddenly turned to Jill, and she could see the inner turmoil going on within her best friend. Her heart ached to see her suffering the way she was and felt immediately sorry for having asked such a stupid thing.

Ever since both girls were young, it had always been Sarah leading, Jill following. Jill knew this and she was okay with that. When Jill's father had passed away, it was Sarah who lead Jill back to reality, comforted her, held her while she cried. That was almost ten years ago now, but ever since then, Jill had found Sarah to be a rare person. Filled with compassion and understanding, they were loyal to each other, and every time the world turned and pointed a finger at them, they had each other.

This was no different.

Jill felt as if her heart would explode and her lungs cave in. Her body ached to run away, but unconditional love made her feet lead.

"Do you think I should go in?" Sarah blurted out. There was such pleading in her eyes.

Jill did the only thing she could do for her friend. She told the truth. "I believe that some doors are better left unopened."

She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. "I don't want to be in Grade Eleven pregnant."

"Listen to me," Jill put her hands on Sarah's shoulders and physically moved her so that she could see her face. "No matter what you decide, I'm here for you. If you decide to keep the baby, if someone so much as makes fun of you, I'll be right by your side. No matter what, I'm going to be here for you."

"But what if I go through that door?"

"Then we go through it together." Jill stated simply.

Sarah stood up from the bench, and took a hesitant step toward the clinic. Jill followed her friend's lead right up to the bright red door. Both girls paused, Sarah staring at the entrance, Jill looking worriedly at her friend.

When their eyes met, Sarah nodded but made no move. Jill knew her friend as well as she knew the back of her hand. Sarah needed someone to open the door for her. She couldn't do it herself and she couldn't be the leader this time.

Jill did what a best friend would do, took hold of her best friend's hand, the best friend she'd known all her life, and opened the door.