Happily Ever After

Chapter 16

 After Nathan left I sat in my bed for a long time just staring up at the ceiling. I thought about Nathan and his mood swings, until somehow, I fell asleep.

I woke up sweating. I sat up slowly and looked around. It was still dark out so it had to be sometime early in the morning. I glanced over at my alarm clock. 3:26. My stomach started churning. I quickly threw my hand over my mouth and rushed out of bed into the bathroom. I fell down onto my knees and ripped the toilet cover up and threw up all the orange juice I had drank earlier.

When  I was finally done, I rested my head against the coolness of the marble floor. I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath. A quiet knock on the door startled me out of my sick stupor. 

“Anna? It’s me, can I come in?” The familiar voice asked softly.

“Yeah, sure.” I croaked.

Chelsea walked in and sat beside me on the floor.

“Are you okay? I’ve never seen you so sick in your life… What’s going on Anna?”

I sighed. I guess it was about time I told her. This definitely wasn’t “stress” upsetting my stomach. I needed to take a test, like, now.

“I think I’m pregnant Chels…” I whispered in fear.

When she didn’t respond right away I looked up at her. She just stared down at me in shock with her mouth slightly hanging open.

“How Anna… I didn’t even know you lost it…” I shrugged and closed my eyes again.

“Will you get me a test?” I asked her, pleading for her to say yes in my head.

“You know I will. I’ll go right now. The gas station down the road is 24 hours. I’ll be back in a few minutes, I’m also going to grab you a ginger ale, it might help your stomach…if you’re not pregnant, I mean.” I nodded and she got up and shut the door behind her.

As I waited for her to come back, my mind was racing. I couldn’t believe she took that as well as she did. I also couldn’t believe she didn’t ask who I had sex with. I knew it was only a matter of time before she did ask. I’d have to make someone up, or just be really vague. There’s no way she’d be cool with me messing around with Nathan. Or would she?

The longer I waited for Chelsea to return, the more the fact I might be pregnant was getting to me. I couldn’t be pregnant… I just couldn’t. I’m too young to have a baby. There has got to be some other reason I’m three months late and throwing up like crazy… could it be stress? Can stress do that to you? I don’t know.

But what if I was pregnant? How would I tell Nathan? We had just gotten on good terms, would it change that? What am I thinking, of course It would change that. Oh god. I’d get fat! I’d be huge! Everyone at school would know…

Chelsea’s knock interrupted my panic, I let her in and she passed me the soda and test. She nodded at me, and then quietly left the bathroom. I sighed and stood up. Better now then never, I thought.

I opened the package with shaky hands and read the directions. Pee on the stick, let sit on even surface, blah blah blah. I did as the directions said, replaced the cap, and sat the stick on the back of the toilet seat. I leaned forward and placed my head in my hands. What was I going to do if that little test said positive? 

I stayed in that position for what seemed like hours, though I knew it had only been minutes. I shakily lifted my head, and turned around to grab the test. I held the test in both hands, and slowly looked down at the little stick in my hands.

I gasped in horror as I stared at the innocent stick. Sure enough, I was pregnant.