“Not really. The sex is fantastic. But I don’t want to be tied down. You know I like to play the field. I have another year of college, and I don’t want to be with only one guy.”
That was my bestie. She liked to sample the dessert menu, so to speak.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“He knows we’re not exclusive, but I think he wants to be.” She tucked her legs underneath her. “Enough about me. What’s with the mail?”
I slouched. “I’m looking for the electric bill.”
She picked up the letter from Dr. Vasquez. “Is Dr. Vasquez your ob-gyn? Or is she your mom’s?”
My brow knitted. “No, Dr. Mitchell is our doctor. Why?”
She waved the envelope. “I think my mom told me recently that Dr. Vasquez was merging practices and moving her offices in with another doctor.”
“Huh. Let’s see.” I opened the envelope and read its contents. “You’re kind of right.” I placed my fingers against my mouth as I read. “Dr. Mitchell sold her practice to Dr. Vasquez.” As I reached the third paragraph, the blood in my veins froze.
“What is it?” Bails asked.
“If my memory serves me correctly, I got the birth control implant in June or July after my junior year in high school.”
“That means you’re three or four months past the three-year mark,” she said, her green eyes fixed on me. “But you’re on Nexplanon like me. Studies have shown that it can last longer than three years.”
“Dr. Mitchell said the same thing. So I should be fine.” I gnawed on my thumbnail. “According to this letter, this is the second notice they sent out. And it indicates that I’m approaching four months past due. I never got the first notice unless my mom did and threw it out, thinking it was junk. They also tried to call the number on file, which is my old number. Thanks to Josh.”
“Chica, don’t panic. Just make an appointment as soon as possible.”
I placed the letter on the nightstand. “I’ll call Dr. Vasquez’s office on Monday first thing.”
“Wait, why are you worried? Is Lucas not using a condom?”
“He did the first time but not since,” I said.
“Do you feel like you have any symptoms that the implant isn’t working anymore, like spotting or irregular bleeding? Those could indicate that the implant is losing its effectiveness.”
“Nothing. I feel normal.”
“Then don’t worry.” She hopped off the bed. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you about Josh. Has he found you on campus?”
“No signs of him, and I’m not worried about him either.” I really wished everyone would stop asking about Josh.
“Maybe he wants to apologize to you for grabbing your arm. How many times has he done something to piss you off and then groveled to you? Anyway, I’m tired. See you in the morning.” She blew me a kiss on her way out, closing the door behind her.
I briefly eyed the letter from Dr. Vasquez then searched the internet for information on Nexplanon. I really shouldn’t be obsessing, but I needed to put my mind at ease. Several sites outlined a few reasons the implant could fail, but the only category I fell into was timing-related with the caveat that as hormone levels declined, symptoms could include irregular bleeding or spotting. Since I’d had the implant, I hadn’t had a period. However, Bailey had spotting with hers. She always grumbled about how jealous she was that the implant had shut down my period. Nevertheless, two sites I found mentioned cases where the implant lasted up to four years.
I couldn’t panic nor could I take any action until Monday morning, so I threw the junk mail into the trash and placed the important stack on my dresser. Then I stripped down to my panties, grabbed my phone, and crawled into bed. It was late, but I wanted to hear Lucas’s voice and see his handsome face before I fell asleep. Plus, I owed him an answer about dinner with his mother.
So I took a chance and tapped on the video icon above his name and adjusted the pillows against the headboard.
When he came into view, my night was complete. He grinned so big my skin tingled.
“Hey, you,” I said. “Sorry I haven’t texted you back. Work was busy.”
His eyes widened. “Whoa. Are you ready for me, Midnight?”
“Always, but I don’t wear anything to bed but my panties. Unless I’m with you then nothing.”
“Ever have phone sex?” he asked.
