Mom at Sixteen Page #3

...and they should stick to them?

- But he says earlier...

...women can do anything men can do.

Still, just because they can

doesn't mean they should.

Jacey, do you have any insights

to offer us?

- On what?

- On last night's reading.

What was it again?

"The Course of Gender. " Did you read it?

- Not last night.

- Then you've just earned yourself a zero.

I read it two years ago. James Hobart.

In the short story following his essay,

"The Life Span of a Day"...

...he looks at the concept

of gender in today's world.

He makes the assumption that

after death, when souls gather...

...they meet on equal footing. His

hypothesis is there is no gender in heaven.

That's correct.

Don't forget, your analysis of one of the

works of Shakespeare is due by Friday.

- Jacey, can I speak to you a minute?

- Yeah.

- Why are you in my class?

- What?

Why are you in English II,

when you belong in AP Literature?

I read your transcript. The past two

years, you've taken honors classes.

- I thought I'd take it easy this year.

- What do you think we'd have today...

...if Mr. Shakespeare

took the easy way out?

Mr. Shakespeare didn't

have MTV and the Internet.

He had no choice than to sit around...

...and write about boys who wanna sleep

with their mothers and kill their fathers.

Does anyone know anyone

who's pregnant right now?

Yeah.

My boyfriend's sister got

pregnant when she was 16.

Her parents had to support her.

It was really hard for her.

You all hook up, and you speak about

friends with benefits.

Do you discuss the responsibility

that comes from having sex?

There's things a girl can do. If she's

hooking up just for fun, she should be...

It's not all on us to be careful.

It's your guys' fault too.

You think kids are having sex

younger these days?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

They're more scared to talk

to their parents about it these days.

- Yeah.

- Why do you feel...

...you can't speak to your parents

more openly?

Having sex is a secret.

You don't talk to your parents.

My dad would freak out.

If you got a girl pregnant, what would

you want the next step to be?

How would you go about that?

Personally, I wouldn't

turn my back on her.

If you got a girl pregnant, how would you

take care of it? Do you have the support?

If a girl I was with got pregnant,

I'd tell her to get an abortion.

Just that easily, you'd just

have an abortion like that?

We get no say in the matter.

Most chicks don't even tell the guy

when they get an abortion.

What about when the guy

just walks away?

My sister had an abortion

because she was all alone.

My mother kicked her out of the house.

Mrs. Cooper. Mrs. Cooper,

what's your take on abortion?

What do you think?

The Supreme Court ruled on Roe v. Wade,

giving a woman a right to choose.

Yeah, but I don't really care about the

Supreme Court. What do you think?

A woman has the right

to choose, still, now.

- At the moment, that's being threatened.

- Let's say there's this woman...

...who wants to have a baby,

but she can't get pregnant.

How do you think she'd feel about

these girls casually aborting fetuses?

I would imagine that she'd

feel very badly about that.

Okay...

This is dumb. You tell us to be honest,

but you won't be honest.

Jacey, if you'd like to talk personally,

we can do that after class.

It can't be as bad

as you're making it.

It is. This new girl, she is pushing me.

I do not know why.

Honey, don't you think that probably

has more to do with your hormones?

Excuse me, my hormones?

Don't make this just about me.

I'm not going through

all this just for myself, you know.

Yes, you are.

You don't want a baby?

We're not in this together?

I thought we both wanted a baby.

That's not right?

- I just don't care where it comes from.

- Where are you coming from?

We've been going through this

for over a year.

An adoption, two cycles of shots

twice a day.

Losing a baby through adoption.

Now you don't want it?

- Is it still worth it?

- Yes, it is! Yes, it is!

It is worth it. It's worth it.

Because I can feel something.

I can feel something, Bob.

I swear it's working.

It's growing inside of me.

I know it's gonna work this time.

I know it.

I burnt the chicken!

- It's just chicken.

- It's not just a chicken!

Look at it. Look. Is this chicken?

It's garbage now.

- It's fine.

- It is not fine, Bob! Everything is not fine.

Come on, huh?

I'll take you out for Mexican.

Go by yourself. I don't wanna go.

I went to take a migraine pill today...

...and to my enormous surprise,

there were only two left.

Last time I took a pill,

I had a half a bottle.

- What should I conclude from that?

- Don't look at me.

I get high on life and S'mores.

I love S'mores.

- Shut up.

- Don't talk to your sister that way.

What, so you're asking me

if I took your drugs?

First, I could get better drugs at school.

Second, tranquilizers don't exactly count

as migraine medicine.

So you are taking drugs?

I just said that I could get better drugs

at school if I wanted.

Why, that's a great attitude, Jacey.

Macy, if you turn that camera on,

I swear to God, I will smash it.

I was just going to my room

to film my sorrow.

What do you want from me?

Do you have any idea what you're

putting this family through?

- You know, we did make a decision.

- You made a decision.

No. No. No, no, no, no, no.

That's not fair, and you know it.

We came to an agreement together.

I'm keeping my half.

- I expect you to keep yours.

- I'm sick of lying about it.

What do you wanna do,

tell everyone in the world?

I didn't kill anyone. I just had a baby.

You know... Keep taking drugs, okay?

There's a good chance you'll kill yourself.

Hey, this is Brad. You've finally reached me,

but I'm not here...

... so leave a message after the beep.

Thanks.

- Come on, ladies, go! Push!

- They look good.

- Yeah. Is that Jacey in the lead?

- Yeah. She's incredible.

- She's a total natural.

- Yeah.

She just broke the school record too.

Yeah.

- Wow, congratulations!

- Great.

Jacey?

Call an ambulance.

- You're with her?

- Yeah, I'm one of her teachers.

- What happened?

- She passed out in swimming class.

Her coach is coming.

- Can you tell me her name?

- Jacey. Jacey Jeffries.

Jacey, I'm Dr. Hughes.

Can you hear me?

Is she gonna be okay?

It's almost over, Jacey.

We're going to the delivery room.

Concentrate. Breathe.

- I'm right here. Right here.

- Mommy, I'm scared.

You're doing great. I've got your hand.

You're doing great.

Can you tell me your name?

Jacey Jeffries.

- Is he okay?

- Is who? Is who okay?

You fainted. They brought you here.

You'll be all right.

- We called your mom. She's on her way.

- No, call her back.

We're giving you fluids.

I wouldn't swim any more marathons.

Jacey. Jacey.

Oh, honey, what happened?

- I'm okay, Mom, okay?

- I'm her mother. What happened?

She'll be fine, Mrs. Jeffries.

She's just dehydrated.

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