“Do you have a pass?” Ms. Tandle asks, her slim fingers pausing over her keyboard.
“It’s my lunch block.”
She nods at a clipboard on her desk. “Sign in first.”
I jot down my name and time of arrival, then sit at the computer furthest away from everyone. I don’t want my business getting out—gossip travels fast among teenagers. My hands shake as I type my question into the search bar:Can a virgin get pregnant without full penetration?
My last period was two weeks before the move.I think. I never keep up with the dates. In my defense, I never had a reason to. Redmond and I didn’t venture past second base. And Sandman… he didn’t take it. Not all the way. I can’t be pregnant.Right?
A body drops into the chair beside me, nearly scaring me six feet under. “Can a virgin get pregnant without full penetration?” Meela hoots in laughter. “What the hell, girl?”
“Jesus, Meela, shut the hell up before someone hears you,” I whisper, my eyes frantically darting around the room.
“Quiet,” Ms. Tandle hisses.
“Sorry,”Meela mouths, shaping her fingers into a heart, but the no-nonsense librarian’s face doesn’t soften. She pointedly glares at us for a few more seconds before returning to her task.
“That bitch clearly needs her muff eaten and a good dick down ASAP,” Meela mumbles under her breath, then nods at the computer screen. “What stupid-ass assignment are you researching this for?”
“It’s not for an assignment,” I grit out.
“Researching for yourself, huh?” She bumps her shoulder against mine. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how babies are made.”
I close the page and grab my purse. “Not everyone is a sex expert like you.”
“I was joking.” Meela grasps my wrist, all traces of humor gone. “What’s going on with you?”
“Leave me alone!” I jerk away from her and storm into the hallway. Ms. Tandle sputters in outrage, but I have a whopping zero fucks to give. She’s welcome to kiss my whole entire ass.
I slam into the girls’ bathroom, startling the two occupants standing at the mirror.
“What the fuck is your problem?” the first girl shrieks, her hand flying to her chest.
“I-I’m s-sorry,” I stammer, tears streaming down my cheeks.
The door squeaks open and Meela walks in, coming to a stop beside me. “Out,” she orders the pair, jabbing her thumb at the door.
“Make me,” the second girl challenges, propping a hand on her hip.
“Bitch, I will dunk your head into the fucking toilet and piss on you,” Meela snarls, taking a threatening step forward.
“Let’s go,” her friend whispers. “I heard she’s a mental case.”
“You should listen to your homegirl.” Meela clucks her tongue. “I’m totally insane.”
Meela’s challenger pulls her bottom lip between her teeth, her bravado fizzling instantly. “Freaks,” she retorts, bulldozing past us. Her sidekick follows suit.
I slump against the wall and slide to my bottom, bringing my knees to my chest.
Meela sits cross-legged opposite me. “We haven’t known each other long, but I fuck with you hard,” she states sincerely, giving my knee a tight squeeze. “You can talk to me about anything and what’s said will stay between us, or you can tell me to mind my fucking business. Either way, I’m here for you.”
I open and close my mouth several times, unable to force the words past my tense throat. Saying them out loud gives them credence, but the truth can’t be ignored.
“I think…” The words die on my tongue. I draw my thighs tighter against my churning stomach and try again. “I think… I’m… I’m p-pregnant.”
I started taking my birth control pills as soon as I got them, but maybe it was too late.
“How late are you?”
