Page 90 of The Wrong Promise

“Sorry,” I call back and follow Penny up the stairs, the brown paper bag in her grasp. She hands it to me before I shut the bathroom door. This is not my first rodeo. Penny and I have tested on many occasions, often when we were panicked in our early twenties at being a day late.

She knocks on the door as I’m washing my hands, and I open it for her. We sit on the floor with the stick between us.

“How many days late are you?”

This is the part where we stare at each other and chat rather than watch the stick for any change while the timer ticks away.

“I think a week. Ten days, maybe.”

She nods, holding my gaze. “Have you any other symptoms?”

“Vomiting. I was ill recently and had antibiotics. But then when we, you know, the timing doesn’t align.”

She arches her brow. “So it happened more than a couple of times…”

I lower my gaze. “If you call it a couple of times a night, then yeah.”

“Oh my fucking God,” she whispers.

I peer up, and our eyes meet. “I’m sorry, Pen. I should’ve told you.”

She reaches and takes my hand. “It’s fine. I know he’s a charmer. Most girls can’t resist him.”

“I could. I did. But then he…” I shrug. “He was nice to me. And I hated that I fell because I remember how much of an ass he was to you when you first met Frank.”

She giggles. “Yeah, but he really is a gentle soul when you get to know him.” She narrows her eyes. “Does Frank know?”

“I don’t think so.” I close my eyes momentarily and open them again. “This is one way to take my mind off Piper. It’s weird that I had an image in my head of holding a baby girl,and I named her Piper. But I know it’s because I want to honor Piper and not because I want a baby.”

She lowers her gaze and then looks at me and shakes her head. “You can honor her in other ways.” She holds up the stick. “You’re not pregnant, Zara.”

I throw myself at her, and she hugs me. I cry quietly onto her shoulder. “Finally, some good news.”

She pats my back. “We would have figured it out.” We stay like this for a few more seconds. “Now what?”

When I arrive homefrom Penny’s, I find my parents sitting on the couch watching a basketball game. “Franklin’s team, the LA Sharks, are playing,” Dad tells me.

I nod. “That’s great. Are they winning?” I ask, even though I’ve never been interested in sports. Neither were my parents, but since my best friend’s husband’s family owns the team, they have supported them. I guess Penny’s excitement has rubbed off on them.

My cell vibrates with a message. George.

Hi Zara. Piper’s funeral is on Friday. I’m not sure if you’ll be back here but I thought you would want to know.

The air freezes in my lungs.

Thank you. I will be attending. You know how much I loved her.

“You had a visitor,” Dad announces. “Jobe Hendricks came by to see you.” Dad is studying me.

I nod again. “Yeah, he’s a nicefriend,” I emphasize. “I’ll catch up with him another time.” I sit with my parents onthe couch. “Do you mind turning the television off? I need to talk with you.”

“Of course, love.” Mom and Dad stare at me. “What is it?”

“I’m struggling to accept I’ll never see my friend, Piper, again.” My throat burns again as the tears fall easily. I don’t have to do much. It’s like a faucet, one thought, and the water flows. “Her funeral is on Friday, and I want to attend. It means leaving early.”

Mom places her arms around my waist. Her head pushed into my chest. “We understand, honey. I have loved having you home, but you also need closure.”

“The problem is I don’t know if I want to stay… I promised myself a year to make something of a career for myself, discover a new country, and find myself. Now, going back there, it will remind me of her. Everything we did together, and it’s going to hurt. I don’t know if I can,” I rasp out the last words.

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