Is there a pregnancy scholarship?

This is a thing that just happened:

I'm sitting in the office working on some stuff that needs to get done by the end of my internship, looking at my computer, when two girls come in and start saying stuff like "I need my child support!" and "Is there a pregnancy scholarship?" at which point I look up and see two girls who I know are definitely not pregnant, and then I notice that they've got balloons tucked under their shirts. "It all happened last night! Do you want to feel it kick?" "I'm still trying to figure out who the daddy is. I've got it narrowed down to 10 guys. All brothers. They're on the same basketball team." "It's kind of awkward walking through the hallways." "Hang on, take a picture of me doing the heart!"*

I smile. They're enjoying themselves. Besides, this is just balloons under t-shirts. It's not real.

But it is real. Because I've seen and talked to plenty of girls in this school who say these exact things (or some version thereof), except they're not talking about the balloons under their t-shirts, they're talking about the children growing under their skin.

I kind of want to cry.


*The heart - make a heart shape with your hands on your belly. Bonus points for a kissy face and protruding stomach.