Obscene Mean Teen Scene

I am at the public library with my nephew, my sister, and my brother-in-law. My nephew looks like my sister, and my sister looks like me, so in a roundabout way, you could say that my nephew looks like me.

I’m sixteen, and I look younger. My sister goes to the bathroom, and my brother-in-law goes to get books, so I am left alone while my nephew plays in the children’s area. Another patron of the library approaches me.

Patron: “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

I look around, unsure if they’re talking to me.

Patron: “You! How old were you when he was born?”

Me: *Not catching on to the subtle undertones* “Oh, fourteen.”

Patron: “And you’re just walking around like it’s normal?”

Me: *Still not getting it* “Uh…”

Enter my brother-in-law, who’s more than ten years older than me and looks it.

Nephew: “Dada!”

My brother-in-law picks him up, and the patron looks shocked.

Me: “Are you okay?”

Patron: “This is disgusting!”

Brother-In-Law: “We’re in a library. Leave us alone.”

The patron looks disgusted and opens their mouth. Then, my sister comes back.

Nephew: “Mama!”

And cue all the air leaking out of the patron’s balloon.

Me: *Still confused* “What’s going on?”

Brother-In-Law: “Some judgmental stranger thought you were an unmarried teenage mother.”

Me: *Blinks*

Sister: “Not that it would have been any of their business if you were.”