NEW ERA | The Three Deities

Afterglow

I woke up the next morning, still sore from last night's activities with Rindou. He was laying, still asleep, next to me with his arms wrapped tightly around me. I felt this feeling of bliss as I looked over at him. I knew how much he cared for me and how much he had always cared for me. I was so shitty to even think about leaving him for Kakucho, who had left me without much of an explanation at all. 

I got out of bed, still naked, and went to throw a robe on as I walked into the kitchen. I was off work today due to the shop being closed with Draken having some official business to handle. I still had no idea what he was up to, but if he found out that I slept with Rindou, the opposing factor in our friendship, he surely would be pissed. I began to get out the dishes in order to cook breakfast, my tummy still hurting from last night as I bent over to get a pot for the rice. 

I heard Rindou stir in his sleep as he was finally starting to wake up. He came stumbling in the kitchen in nothing but his boxers while wrapping his arms around me from behind, kissing my neck. 

"Sleep good?" He mumbled. 

"Yeah, still sore though." I smiled, laughing even. 

"As expected. How was it? Was I good?" He asked, concerned that he wasn't enough for me. 

"It was amazing, the best night of my life." I turned to him and said. Truth be told, I wanted to go again, but I was too sore to even think about it. 

I began to make breakfast as Rindou had sat himself at the counter. His phone started to buzz and he answered it. 

"Yeah, I'm still at Valerie's." I assumed it was his brother calling. 

He quickly jumped up and handed me the phone, gesturing for me to talk to Ran. 

"Hello?" I said in a confused tone. 

"Can you do me a huge favor, Val?" Ran said, in a worried tone. 

"What's up?" I said as I was stirring the pot of rice. 

"I need you and Rindou to come over and bring a pregnancy test as soon as possible." 

"Okay... I will get ready and head over soon." I could hear what sounded like Zoe puking in the background. 

Rindou went into the room to put on his clothes as I followed him, turning the stove off and leaving the pot on another eye so it doesn't burn. Rindou grabbed my keys, insisting that he drive since he could tell that I was a nervous wreck and we headed off to the store. 

It was raining when we stepped out at their apartment. The gloomy day had led me to feel more and more tired as we headed up the stairs and into the front door. The sight in front of me was horrific. 

Zoe, leaned over a trash can, puking her guts up as I carried the bag of pregnancy tests over to her. 

"I don't want to take those, I just have a stomach virus that's it!" She yelled at us. 

I had enough. She was taking these damn tests and she was going to cooperate with me whether she liked it or not. I yanked her up by her arm and practically dragged her ass to the bathroom and sat her down for a well needed pep talk. 

"Zoe, I swear to God..." She cut me off. She was an emotional mess. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, saying how scared she was if they came out positive. 

"What do I do? I've been kicked out! I have nowhere to go!" She exclaimed. 

"You have somewhere to go, damnit! You have ME!" I yelled back at her. That's when the look on her face changed from worry to calmness as she took a breath. She held out her hand and I opened the box. 

I stood beside her and watched her pee on the little stick and turn it over on the counter. 

"Let me see!" She said, standing up from the toilet. 

"Three to five minutes, it's not time yet Zoe." I told her as she shut up. 

Those three to five minutes were the longest minutes I've had to wait in forever, I could only imagine how Zoe felt. 

Once the time was up, I flipped over the stick and held it up to the box. 

One pink line. Negative. 

Hysterically, she started crying. She cried and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Ran came running into the bathroom, snatching the test out of my hands as he fell to the floor next to her. I just stood there in complete shock as Rindou hugged me from behind.

The thoughts of her and I growing up together soon clouded my mind as I watched her cry and burrow her face into Ran's shoulder, a blank stare across his face as he continuously looked at the very negative test in relief.  

Zoe was a wild child, but I never expected this from her. I wasn't disappointed, however, I knew I had to get her to a clinic right away. She was sick with something and I couldn't bare to see her in pain any longer. 

I gathered her things and took her to the car, making sure she could stand and had a trash bag in case she threw up again. Once we got in the car, she was acting completely normal. No sickness, no vomiting, nothing. 

"Hey uh, what the fuck?" I said as I began to drive off. 

"I had to get out of there. I knew you would come get me if I convinced Ran that I could possibly be pregnant and freak him out." 

"Zo, why didn't you just call me?" I asked while turning into the other lane, headed towards my house instead of the clinic. 

"Because if I did, he would know that I was leaving him and he would try to fight me on it." 

"Why are you leaving him?" I asked. 

"I went through his phone last night and he's been talking to other girls. A year and a half down the drain and my heart is broken. Can I stay with you in the meantime?" She rambled on. 

"I mean, yeah but why did you go through all of this? You still haven't answered my question." I said as I turned into my driveway. 

"Because... Val. I really did get kicked out of my parents. Plus, I wanted to freak him out and get him to understand that he can't just treat women that way. What if I really was pregnant?" She began to laugh with a devious smile. 

She was sick and fucking twisted. 

"Yeah, you can stay with me." I said while getting out of the car.