The Heartbreak Factor - Part Three

Chapter Seven.

“Sammy,” Chloe asked as she stood outside waiting for me.

“Yes.”

“Are you okay?” I heard her say as I stood leaning against the wall, staring at the box in my hand. “You’ve been in there for ages now.”

I looked at the door and then back at the box. I didn’t want to do this; I didn’t want to do this at all.

“Have you done it yet?”

“No,” I said.

“Come on,” she said in a reassuring tone. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

Hesitantly, I opened the box and pulled the white stick out. “This is disgusting,” I groaned, reading the instructions.

“I would do it…” Chloe said but I interrupted her.

“Chloe, I know we’ve been best friends for seventeen years now but I think that’s taking friendship a little too far,” I joked.

“Have you done it yet?”

“Hold on.”

“I’ve been holding on for the past ten minutes.”

“Thirty more seconds won’t hurt then, will it?”

“Just hurry up.”

Flicking the cap back on the end of the stick, I put it back in the box and closed the box back up. Step one was complete; now all I had to do was find the courage in me to read the result off the stick. All sorts of things were going through my head, but just one thing in particular was on my mind. I did not want to be pregnant – that would ruin everything.

“Sammy.”

“Yes.”

“Have you done it yet?”

“Yes.”

“Well..”

I could tell by the tone in Chloe’s voice that she was getting impatient. On the other hand, I didn’t want to find out.

“I’m not pregnant,” I said, throwing the box in the bin without even looking at it.

Unlocking the door, I looked at Chloe as she sat on my bed, looking surprisingly disappointed. “Are you sure?” she asked, making her way into the bathroom.

“Positive,” I said, stopping her. “Well the test was negative, but I’m positive that I’m not pregnant.”

“Shouldn’t you be smiling then?”

“I am,” I laughed, faking a smile for her benefit.

“Okay,” Chloe smiled.

“Fancy a coffee?” I asked, walking into the kitchen and switching the coffee machine on.

“Sure.”

*

Pouring the milk into the mugs, I tried to get the thought of the pregnancy test that was lying unread in the bathroom bin out of my head, but it was impossible. Switching on the radio in the kitchen on didn’t even work either.

“You lied, didn’t you?”

I turned around to see Chloe stood in the kitchen doorway, holding the box with the pregnancy test in it. She didn’t even need me to reply as she knew by the look on my face that I had lied.

“Sammy, what are you so scared of?”

Picking up the mugs, I ignored her as I walked into the lounge. Slumping down onto the sofa, I put a cushion over my stomach and huddled it, hoping that it’d make the worry go away.

“Are you going to answer me or am I just going to have to ask George as he’ll know?” Chloe asked, sitting down on the sofa next to me.

I looked at her as she looked back at me with a worried look on her face.

“I don’t want a baby. I’m..” I stopped to correct myself. “We’re too young. I’ve just turned 20 and George is 21 – that’s no age to be parents.”

“Sammy,” Chloe laughed, taking hold of my hand. “It’s the 21st century. Age is just a number at the end of the day.”

“But there isn’t just that,” I sighed. “I’ve got my career and George has his. Do you not realise what would happen to both our careers if we have a baby? And there isn’t just mine and his careers on the line here – there’s Josh, Jaymi and JJ’s careers too as it’ll reflect on them too if George can’t tour much because of a baby. I don’t want to put him in a position where he has to choose between something he loves and a baby. I can’t do that to him; I can’t do that to them.”

“You know that George would drop everything and anything for you as he loves you more than anything,” Chloe said.

“I don’t want him to drop anything for me though.”

“But you know that if it came down to it, George would drop the world for you within a heartbeat,” Chloe said.

“Yeah.”

“And other artists have managed to have a career as well as being a parent – look at Jay-Z and Beyonce and Adele,” Chloe smiled.

“They took time out.”

“Sammy, if you are pregnant, things will be okay.”

“Whatever.”

“Do you want to read it or shall I?” Chloe asked, getting the test out of the box.

“Neither,” I said, taking the test from her hand and throwing it into the bin besides the sofa.

“Stop acting like a child, Sammy,” she snapped, getting the test from the bin.

“A child?” I asked. “Do you not realise how I’m feeling right now? There is nothing that I want more than to start a family with George, but not now – we’re just not ready to bring a child into the world.”

“Sammy.” I could tell from her tone that she was going to give me a huge lecture. “Your mum and dad brought you into the world when they were younger than what you are now – they were 18. They did such an amazing job with you, just look how you’ve turned out – you don’t take anything for granted, you think of others before yourself and you’re just a credit to them both. They brought you up with nothing but love. Look at what you and George have,” she began, looking around at our apartment. “You have a home – you lived at your grandparents for the first three months of your life. If this test turns out to say that you are pregnant, everything will be okay. George will support you; your mum will support you; your family will support you and I’ll support you. The media at first will criticise you, but they’ve criticised you before and you’ve not let it get to you, and as for your fans? There will always be some that disagree with the things you and George do, but the majority of them will support you.”

I knew she was right but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed in myself.

“Will you do it?” I asked her, looking at the test in her hand.

“Of course,” she smiled, sitting back down on the sofa next to me. I watched her as she twisted the stick to show her the result that determined both mine and George’s futures.

“What is it?” I asked, getting inpatient as she looked at the test.

“It’s positive.”