That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Forty Two:

I wake with a start and scramble from the bed. My stomach leaps up through my throat, and I book it toward my bathroom. The light flickers on and I drop in front of the toilet, forcing the seat upwards. My whole body lurches forward as I heave last night's dinner through my mouth. 

Shakily, I sit back as the wave of nausea passes. I squeeze my eyes shut and flush the toilet. My cheek rests against the icy cold edge of the seat. 

"Alice," I hear my mother call as she enters the room and flips on the light. "It's time for school. Get up." 

I groan. 

She walks through my bedroom and stands in front of the door. Immediately, her features morph with worry. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Just a little nauseous," I sigh into the toilet bowl. "I'll be fine." 

"Have you thrown up yet?" 

"No," I lie through my teeth. I keep my face angled away from her, so she can't see through my white lie. It really isn't that big of a deal. I felt like this yesterday morning too, and the sickening feeling seemed to wear off around lunchtime. Plus I wouldn't be able to see Blue-Eyes today if I didn't go to school. 

My mother frowns at me. "Are you sure? I have a few sick days that I can use." 

I wave a dismissive hand at her. "I'm fine. Dinner probably didn't agree with my stomach last night. I'm starting to feel better already." I ease up onto my feet and walk over to the sink. I splash some cold water onto my face and then give her a thumbs up. 

She makes a worried noise but backs off. I wait until the staircase creaks beneath her wait before I start to rapidly brush the nasty taste from my mouth. Once my mouth is minty fresh, I walk to my dresser to fish out some clothing. I pick out an old t-shirt and some shorts. Blue-Eyes will just have to understand why I don't look best. If he complains, I'll puke on him. 

When I come down for breakfast, my mother hands me a couple of tums and a bottle of water. I reluctantly take the tums; just looking at the water makes me want to puke again. Then she ushers me into her ugly van and drives me to school. 

Amanda is waiting for me when I walk onto campus, and she waves her hand wildly when I notice her. I walk up to her slowly, my gaze shifting around the crowds surrounding us in search of my boyfriend. "Hey," she greets as I slow to a stop in front of her. 

"Hey," I respond, smiling weakly. 

Her eyebrows crinkle. "You okay?"

"Just a little nauseous." I shrug my shoulders. "I don't think that it's anything to be worried about though." 

Amanda's lips press into a firm line. "Are you sure?" I can see the wheels churning inside her head and I frown at her. Her eyebrow arches. "When was the last time you and Seth did the naughty?" 

I pause. "I don't know. I've been grounded for about two months now. Probably a month ago?" 

"Did you use condoms?" Amanda crosses her arms over her chest. 

"I don't remember," I say. My features twist into a scowl. "I'm not pregnant, Amanda. There's no way that I could be. I've only had sex like twice in my life, and I'm on birth control." 

Amanda holds her hands up defensively. "I just want to make sure. Is this is the first morning that you've been sick?" 

"No," I reluctantly admit. 

"Then why are you here?" 

"It usually goes away around lunchtime," I sigh. 

Amanda shoots me a pointed look. I roll my eyes and shake my head. The bell rings and an even deeper frown graces my features. "You haven't seen Seth, have you?" I ask. 

She shakes her head. My stomach twists into knots and I look around, preparing to head off toward class. Amanda grabs my arm and jerks me to a stop. "Hey," she says, "Will you do me a favor?" 

"What is it?" 

"Take a pregnancy test. I just want to be sure, okay?" She frowns at me. "A friend of mine went through the same thing in middle school, and she had the same kind of symptoms." 

I groan. "Amanda, I don't even have a car right now. I'm grounded, remember? I can't just go up to my mom and ask for a pregnancy test." 

She flashes me a smile. "I can get you one. Meet me near the student parking lot before you go to lunch tutoring, okay?" 

I nod. She releases me and I watch her rush toward said parking lot. With a shake of my head, I start toward my first period and slip inside the classroom. The troll-teacher is somewhat surprised to see me early today. I ignore him in favor of watching the other students enter the room. When the late bell rings, and the troll starts class, only one seat is empty. 

Blue-Eyes has decided to stay home, once again. 

And he didn't even text me to tell me, either. 

I sigh. The school day passes fairly quickly, and I soon find myself standing in front of the student parking lot gate, waiting for Amanda. I lean against the wall nearby and fold my arms across my chest. My foot taps against the concrete. 

"Sorry, I'm a bit late." Amanda appears. She flashes me a grateful smile and I return it with a depressed one. She quirks a brow. "I take it Seth isn't here today?"

I shake my head. 

She sighs and shakes her head, grumbling incoherently under her breath. She grabs my arm and drags me toward the math building, where my lunch tutoring takes place. 

"When am I going to take the test?" I ask as she opens the door and we step inside. 

"Right now," Amanda says, and she shoves me toward the bathrooms. We step inside the female restroom and Amanda quickly makes sure that it's empty. I shrug my backpack off and lean against the wall in wait. 

Amanda ducks down in front of me and begins to rummage through her backpack. She whips out a small box and passes it up to me. It's bright pink and, already, I despise it. 

"This better not take long," I grumble under my breath as I enter the stall. 

"It should only take like ten minutes. I've already told Ms. Henry that you left the packet at home, so she expects us to be late to tutoring today." Amanda remarks as I do my business. When I'm finished, I rest the stick on top of a paper towel and wash my hands really good. 

And then we wait. 

I lean against the wall and tap my foot impatiently. "There's no way in hell that I could be pregnant," I grumble under my breath. "This test was a waste of money." 

A small beep resounds throughout the room. Amanda steps forward and holds up the instruction manual, gaze shifting back and forth between the test stick and the small booklet. Then she swallows thickly. "Well, I wouldn't say that." 

"What are you talking about?" I shoot forward and grab the test.  I examine it hastily. 

My blood runs ice cold. 

"This is impossible," I whisper. 

"I bought another just in case," Amanda whispers back. She darts toward her backpack and holds up another box. "Just in case of a false positive." 

I snatch it from her hands and take it. I set it down atop another paper towel and watch it intently. Amanda paces the length of the bathroom behind me, and mutters incoherently under her breath. 

Another ten minutes pass. 

Another pink plus sign appears.