PLAYING THE FENCE

Chapter 7 • Decisions

"Girl, what did you eat?" Ryann held one hand over her nose and the other held her best friend's hair into a ponytail. Naj had been throwing up all morning, and didn't know what was causing this stomach bug.

"I really don't know" Naj groaned, "This shit feel like the stomach flu"

"Mhh you sure you ain't pregnant?" Lay-Lay half joked, coming into the bathroom with some ginger ale.

"Drink some of this".

Naj listened to her friend and put her lips to the bottle. It helped her stomach a little bit, but she knew it wouldn't be long until she had to hurl again.

Ryann placed a cold rag on her best friends forehead.
"When was your last period?" Ryann asked, on a serious note.

Naj realized she didn't even get a period yet, and it was the 18th of March. Her cycle was usually due at the beginning of the month, so it was definitely late. She said a silent prayer - because lord knew she wasn't ready for a baby at the tender age of 21. The only person she had been fucking was Kane - and she knew the he would automatically think she was trying to trap him. Fortunately for him, she wasn't.

"Bitch, no" Naj admitted, "Bitch I'm in the prime of my life, I can't be pregnant".

The two friends laughed, even though they knew Naj was serious. She was wild and couldn't be tamed - she partied more than Ryann and Lay Lay put together. Naj couldn't imagine nine whole months without drinking or smoking.

"Well, ma ma you may wanna take a test" Lay-Lay advised her sick friend, "here, I got a spare in my drawer"

"Bitch, who has a spare pregnancy test?" Ryann laughed.

Lay Lay grabbed the first response pregnant test out of her drawer and made her way back into the bathroom.

"Last month I had a scare" Lay admitted, "but my period came on a hour after I bought the shit".

Naj was nervous. She hadn't even had a chance to have a pregnancy scare, because she honestly hadn't thought about the shit. Her period was irregular after being on and off of birth control, and she could've missed multiple without even realizing.

After drinking a little more ginger ale, she felt the need to pee. Lay-Lay and Ryann exited the bathroom and let her do her business alone. Naj peed on the stick as the directions read, and closed the cap on the top.

"Girl I don't even wanna read that shit" Naj rolled her eyes, coming out of the bathroom.
At this moment, she felt her life was on the line.
Ryann picked up the stick after two minutes passed by. Needless to say, Naj wasn't going to like the news.

"Naj I love you and I wouldn't lie to you ma ma" Ryann started her sentence.

"Bitch..." Naj's eyes widened.

Ryann didn't even have to say the rest, her face said it all.

"Your pregnant, hoe!" Lay-Lay laughed, grabbing the stick and parading it in Naj's face.
"Mhhh, ya baby father is rich. Lucky bitch".

"If y'all think I'm keeping this shit, you's a damn fool" Naj fussed, throwing the positive stick in the trash.

"Girl what?" Lay questioned her friend, "At least tell the man first, see what he has to say".

"He don't want kids right now and neither do I" Naj stated firmly.

"I'm with Lay" Ryann voted, "Tell him first".

Naj was through with her friends. Neither knew the anxiousness she was feeling inside. Aside from being sick as a dog, she was pregnant by a nigga she barely even knew. Sure, he had money - but that didn't mean shit. Kane was prideful of not having any kids or a relationship at his age, always preaching about living his best life. This sure was not in the blue print.