Page 101 of Wolf

I hardly sleep Sunday night and fight to stay awake for class on Monday. Rachel leaves me at the door after school ends, pointing to the library.

“I have to get this paper done. See you at home?”

“Okay.” I’m relieved for the reprieve and considering how I might purchase not only a pregnancy test but a throwaway phone without it getting back to me when I enter the local pharmacy.

Mama and Daddy use the family-owned pharmacy down the street but that doesn’t mean they don’t have parishioners who shop here because it’s more convenient.

After stuffing the contraband items in a basket and covering them with stuff I don’t need but conceal it, I stand at the end of the aisle and stare at the checkout counter.

Leland Quartermaster, Daddy’s friend is chatting with the woman behind the counter who looks vaguely familiar. Does she go to our church?

Am I making a huge mistake?

“Are you going to move or what?”

Shaking out of my stupor, I step back and mumble, “Sorry.”

“Whatever,” the girl says, and my stomach falls to my knees.

It’s Draven. Draven, who’s daddy is Shadow Saints MC.

I am so screwed if she knows who I am and sees what I was about to buy. Sick to my stomach, I walk down another aisle before abandoning the basket and rushing from the store.

All the way home, I consider my options, but the risk remains if I shop anywhere in this small town and it’s not exactly like I have the means to go somewhere else.

The following day, I’m sunk in my misery while my peers enjoy their lunch all around me. Rachel is in the library again and I’m not particularly hungry, so I go back to the bench by the water.

I’m drifting somewhere between sleep and wakefulness when something drops to my lap and falls to the ground.

Startled, I sit up and open my eyes to find Draven standing over me.

“What?” I mumble, glancing at the ground.

A white plastic bag rests at my feet and confused, I say, “What’s that?”

“You’re welcome and by the way, you have some seriously weird cravings.”

She walks away after that, and I pick up the bag gingerly before looking inside.

“What?” I gasp, staring at her retreating figure. It’s the pregnancy test, the throwaway phone, and the snacks I grabbed to hide my loot.

Wow.

After school, I rush to the bathroom, mumbling about showering before turning on the water and pulling out the instructions.

It seems easy enough and after peeing on the stick I set it aside and work on activating the phone. I have a hundred minuteswhich doesn’t seem like much but I’m hoping I don’t need more to contact Miriam and figure out what’s wrong.

Since I don’t really want to know what my future holds, I send Miriam a message, hoping I remembered her number correctly.

To my frustration, she doesn’t immediately respond, and I set the phone aside to read the results of the pregnancy test.

No. No, no, no. I can’t do this. I…can’t.

Sliding to the floor, I scrub my hand down my face. I’m not sure how long I stare into nothing before Rachel bangs on the door and says, “You better get out before Mama gets home.”

Hours later, I’m lying in my bed, trying so ridiculously hard to sleep but despite the exhaustion seeping through my bones, the swirling thoughts about my future won’t let me rest.

Wolf hates me. My parents will die, or I guess, I will if they find out. I have a small stash of money from Maddox but how far will that get me?

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