“We had sex without a condom. He pulled out, but…” Her voice cracks as fresh tears start to stream down her cheeks.
“Oh, Lucy.”
Normally, I wouldn’t consider this an issue. But Lucy isn’t on any other form of birth control. So, if she really did have unprotected sex, pull-out method or not, there could be a chance she is actually pregnant.
“Why didn’t you tell me before?”
“Because it was stupid, and then everything fell apart, and I broke it off, and I just—” She sucks in a breath as her eyes shine with tears. “I can’t be pregnant, Riley. I can’t.”
I keep my voice steady even though my heart is racing for her. “Okay. We don’t know anything yet, so let’s not panic unless we have to. Did you get a test?”
She pulls a small pharmacy bag from her tote.
“Two, actually. I thought maybe you could…”
“Take one too? Of course. Whatever makes you feel better, Luce.”
She smiles faintly, and we head upstairs to my old room. At least, that’s what I consider it now that I’ve been spending every night of the past week in Kieran’s bed with him.
As Lucy starts unboxing the tests, I lock the door just in case Kieran decides to come home early. I’ve never taken one in my life, considering I was a virgin up until two weeks ago, but I decide to go first for the sake of solidarity.
When I reappear from the ensuite, Lucy disappears inside next, and as I wait for her, I set my test face down on the bed.
My heart is beating fast.
Poor Lucy. If her test turns out positive, her life is going to change forever.
There are so many factors to consider. Time. Money. Co-parenting.
Will she have to drop out of college? Or will the professor step up so that she doesn’t have to give up on her career dreams? It’s enough to make someone’s head explode.
This is why I take the pill.
Lucy flushes, water runs, and then she reappears.
“How long do we have to wait?”
“Three minutes.” She sets her test down beside me.
I grab my phone to set a timer and then try to think of something to talk about that could distract Lucy from her potentially life-altering situation.
“So… I got the internship offer this morning.”
Lucy gapes at me. “The one atLever Industries?”
“Yeah. Ross offered it to me on the spot.”
“That’s amazing news! Have you told Kieran?”
“I called him right after.” I leave off the fact he sounded distant on the phone. It seems Lucy has enough emotional baggage on her plate right now, and I don’t need to add to it.
“Is it over the summer or…”
“It doesn’t start until the fall, so I’m going to have to fit it in around school. It’s only one day, but I have no doubt it’s going to be stressful.”
“Are you sure you can handle it?”
I laugh. “I have youth on my side. Besides, working at a company like Lever Industries is what I want to do in the long term, so it would be career suicide to turn such an amazing opportunity down just because I’m going to have a full schedule for a few months.”
