Two weeks later, Louisa, Star's mother, began to notice a distinct change in her daughter—her behavior, her attitude, and even her body. Louisa had seen these signs before, and her heart clenched as a dark thought flickered in her mind. It can't be. Not my Star. She shook her head in disbelief, the thought too painful to fully acknowledge.
Star, meanwhile, was consumed by her own confusion. Her periods were late—two weeks late, in fact. She had never been late before, never missed a cycle. But there was something more. Something… different. Her breasts felt tender, her stomach had a strange weight to it. She ran her fingers over her skin, trying to make sense of it.
Wait... why am I worried? I haven't ever had sex… Star thought, her mind racing, trying to understand why she was even considering a pregnancy. She didn't have a boyfriend. She hadn't even heard of sex in the way some girls talked about it. But why haven't I gotten my period? Is it stress? Or maybe my boobs are just in the way, that's why they hurt. It can't be… Her thoughts spiraled in a panic as she considered the alternative.
Star had to know for sure.
With a nervous breath, she grabbed her savings, her medical records, and left in a rush to the clinic. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as she climbed into the nearest taxi, the world outside blurring as her mind raced through all the possible reasons for her delay.
When she arrived, the nurse greeted her with a professional smile. "Congratulations, Ms. Shinning," she said, looking down at the results. "You're four weeks pregnant."
The words felt like a slap. Star's breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. Pregnant? How? She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Finally, she forced a sound. "What? How?"
The nurse didn't seem to notice the shock. "What do you mean, how? You don't know that having unprotected sex can result in pregnancy?" The nurse tilted her head, the words blunt. "Or did the spirit get you pregnant?"
Anger flared inside Star, and she stood up too quickly, the room spinning as the nurse's words hit her like a thunderclap. Unprotected sex… I don't remember…
She thought of the night at Steffy's place, the strange encounter, the note that had felt wrong the moment she'd seen it. Wait... did Steffy... rape me?
The nurse's face went pale. "You were what? Hey!" she started, but Star wasn't listening. She grabbed her medical report and ran from the clinic, the world around her spinning, her thoughts nothing more than fragments of fear and confusion.
Outside, Star crumpled onto the sidewalk, tears filling her eyes as she screamed out into the open air. "NOOOOOOO!" Her voice cracked, filled with heartbreak and disbelief. She didn't understand. It didn't make sense.
With shaking hands, she hailed a cab to Steffy's place, but when she arrived, she found the apartment empty. The door was locked, the lights off. She turned to the neighbor sitting outside his house, hoping for some answers.
"Do you know Steffy?" she asked, trying to sound calm.
The neighbor, a man in his late twenties, shrugged. "Steffy? I just moved in yesterday. But a woman lives there. She was gone this morning."
The ground beneath Star felt like it was disappearing. Her stomach twisted. Steffy isn't even here... is he gone? Did he leave me with nothing but confusion?
She stumbled away from the apartment and went to the nearby bush, a place where she often found solace in the past. This time, however, the peace it once provided felt distant.
She pulled out her phone to call Steffy, but when she searched for his number, it was gone. No trace of his name, no trace of their conversations. The threads she thought connected her to him had vanished as though he never existed.
Her hands trembled, and the phone slipped from her grasp, crashing onto the ground. She could barely comprehend what was happening. This can't be real. It's just a bad dream…
In a frantic, desperate attempt, she beat her fists against her own chest, the pain from her body almost grounding her. I can't wake up from this! I can't…
Tears blurred her vision, and she collapsed to the ground, wracked with sobs. Everything she thought she knew was unraveling before her eyes. How could this happen to me?
But then, a voice cut through the storm inside her. "You always come here to encourage yourself," it said, calm and steady. "You always say, 'I'm strong, my star won't dim.' So, what do you think you're doing now, huh? You want to give up because of this pregnancy you can't get rid of?"
Star's head shot up. Her eyes scanned the clearing around her. "What?"
The voice continued, sharper now. "You're crying, but Steffy's off living his life without a care. You're down, but this is your fault too. You wanted a close friend, and look where that's landed you. How do you think your mother will handle this? And your father? He'll throw you out, won't he?"
Star's throat tightened. Her conscience was speaking, but the words were harsh. "I'm not here to discourage you, Star. I'm here to show you the truth. You're going to be alone in this. No one's going to stand by you. Your mother... She'll have no choice but to let you go."
Her conscience paused, and for the first time, the words softened. "But you've got courage, Star. You've got strength. You can face this. You can show Steffy that it doesn't matter whether he acknowledges the pregnancy or not. The truth stands, and it's his child. You're going to be the angel of your own life."
Star stared, confused and overwhelmed. "Why are you calling him my supposed father?"
But the voice didn't answer. It simply faded away, leaving Star alone in the quiet.
Her body trembled as she processed what had just happened. It wasn't a dream. It wasn't a hallucination. It was her own strength speaking to her.
I'm pregnant. It's real. Star's shoulders slumped as she whispered to herself, "I have to accept it. I'm pregnant."
Her return home was almost mechanical. Dinner was waiting, but she had no appetite. The weight of her own thoughts, the realization of what she was facing, consumed her entirely. She didn't even feel hungry.
In her room, she began to pack. Clothes. Books. Her laptop. The small, sweet packs she liked to nibble on during late-night study sessions. She packed it all into a carrier bag, moving with purpose, though her mind raced with a million questions.
She didn't know where she would go. But she knew that she couldn't stay here, not in this fragile, shattered world she'd found herself in.
And so, Star took the first step into a new chapter of her life, with uncertainty ahead, but a glimmer of the strength her conscience had shown her.
Stars shine unstoppable.
She didn't know what the future held. But she would find a way to face it.