Page 539 of Hell Hath No Fury
When I think I’ve peed enough, I place the lid back on the end of the stick and lay it flat on the counter.
Three minutes is super easy.
I put a timer on my phone, then go back to my room to grab my PJs. As I walk back to the bathroom, an odd feeling washes over me. My heart begins beating faster, and my skin breaks into an itchy rash. I find myself scratching, unsure what the hell is happening.
But as I walk in, my eyes immediately divert to the test.
Two pink lines, though one is faint.
Two lines … means ….
I’m pregnant.
CHAPTER FOUR
My skin tingles in discomfort as my chest tightens, restricting my ability to breathe so effortlessly.
I gasp for air, and my eyes twitch, followed by the room spinning. Without even knowing it, I lean against the tiled wall and slide down until my butt touches the ground. My head drops between my legs to shut out all the incessant noise inside my mind, which refuses to shut the hell up. The tips of my fingers run through my hair while I intake shallow breaths, but the panic is crippling me and makes breathing incredibly difficult.
This can’t be real.
It’s broken … the test is broken.
My eyes widen, then I scramble back up to look at the test.
Still two lines.
My body collapses, but I don’t even feel the impact of the hard floor. Everything is black, silent, but slowly my senses start returning. Beneath me, there is something fluffy. It takes me a few moments to realize it’s the bathroom rug.
I lay here. For how long, I’m not sure. Eventually, I crawl to my bedroom and into bed, seeking comfort beneath the inviting comforter, but I’m far from tired.
How can this happen? We used protection, always. Cole always wore a condom, and it’s not like we have sex all the time. In the past month, it’s been maybe twice since we haven’t had the chance to be alone. Plus, after Livvy’s birthday party, I chose to lay low and keep my father happy, so he allowed me to continue seeing Cole.
But there was that time at Livvy’s party. We reused a condom for the second time because it was the only one. I agreed because I was drunk, and common sense was lost on me.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The darkness becomes my enemy, allowing thoughts to fester and grow into a whirlwind of emotions. What am I supposed to do now? Do I get another test done? Assume this is true. What if it’s a false positive? Is that even possible?
I reach for my phone on the nightstand and begin googling. False positives were a possibility, but then I read on. The website talked about ‘signs’. The obvious is a skipped period. Okay, so last month was light, but I barely thought anything of it. It was that light, I didn’t even use a tampon since a panty liner sufficed.
Swallowing the lump inside my throat, I continue to read on.
Nausea, fatigue, slight cramping, and tender breasts. My hands reach beneath my bed shirt, cupping my breasts. As I begin to move around slowly, I notice the tenderness when I press harder.
The pit of my stomach swirls, creating a dry heaving before I’m forced to jump out of bed and repeatedly vomit into the toilet.
With my head lying against the toilet seat, the fear cripples me again until I break down in tears and fall asleep on the bathroom floor.
* * *
The stroll down the corridor feels different today. Everywhere I look, students are busy chatting with their friends or laughing while scrolling on their phones. Kids are relaxed, having fun, and not carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. The way it should be.
I wore my school blazer over my blouse, worried people would notice, even though my stomach is still flat. Kids are intuitive, and after what happened with Lucy, I’m not taking any chances.
Lucy isn’t at school today, and rumor has it she may not be coming back. A part of me wants to reach out to her, but then I finally understand what she said about the others’ judgment.
I’m seventeen, just like her. It’s not just me I have to think about, it’s Cole too.
