Page 42 of Unspoken Ties

“Are you pregnant, or something?” he asked, never one for subtlety.

Luciana joined him in the doorway, spectating my illness with a mixture of sympathy and concern etched on her face. “TD, you can’t just ask someone that!”

“Well, why not?” Tall Dino replied, challenging Luciana with a sideways glance. “It’s a legitimate question! She suddenly starts throwing up at the mention of olives-”

“You were listening in on us?!” I was so frustrated that I managed to lift my head and give him a piercing glare.

“I was walking down the hallway andhappenedto overhear your conversation.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Well, that’s one way to remember your first time.”

I was surprised I hadn’t murdered Tall Dino by now. However, he and Luciana had come to my rescue before, so I was in his debt. And his personality could be endearing, sometimes.

“Hey! You know more than if you just walked down the hallway,” Luciana said. She and Tall Dino squabbled back and forth, before finally being interrupted by Short Dino shoving a bottle of Gatorade between them. I reached out and grabbed the bottle, taking a sip to rid my mouth of the horrible taste.

“Enough,” commanded Short Dino, looking from Tall Dino to Luciana. They both went silent. When Short Dino talked, it was with purpose, and they didn’t dare question anything he said. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah,” I mumbled back, taking another sip of the Gatorade.

I couldn’t be pregnant - right? I hadn’t even… The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I hadn’t even considered thepossibility until now. A sequence of events played back in my mind, the timeline fitting too perfectly to be dismissed.

“But it took my mom like five years to get pregnant with me,” I said, trying not to hyperventilate. “And then she was never able to again. I didn’t think it would be this easy to get pregnant!”

“Calm down,” Short Dino said. His voice had a soothing quality to it, not too different from a lullaby. It was much more pleasant to listen to than Tall Dino’s, and I wished it was him that did more talking. “You don’t even know for sure, yet.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” Luciana said, fists curled in a determined position. “Let’s go to the store and buy a pregnancy test!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Luciana grabbed my hand and led me towards the door. Tall Dino followed behind us, chuckling to himself, while Short Dino brought up the rear. I already felt dizzy, and the whole scenario had an unreal quality to it, as if it was some sort of surreal dream.

We piled into the car, and I wanted to disappear into the car cushions. This was surely the most embarrassing moment of my life. Short Dino was driving and Tall Dino was riding shotgun, while Luciana and I sat silently in the back. With every bump in the road, I felt myself jolt with uncertainty.

As we neared the store, Luciana squeezed my hand for reassurance. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot. She was someone who could handle even the most chaotic situations with grace and ease - something I wished I could emulate in that moment.

Tall Dino broke the silence as we parked. “Well, let’s go inside, then.”

“I-I can’t do that!” I said, my fingers curling into the seats. “Then a stranger will know.”

“And? They don’t care,” he responded.

“But I do!” I protested, my voice sounding small and vulnerable in the enclosed space of the car.

Luciana intervened then, her grip on my hand momentarily tightening. “It’s okay, I’ll go in and buy it.”

“You,” Short Dino interjected in a very stern tone. “Go nowhere without one of us.”

“Don’t need Emilio getting the wrong idea,” Tall Dino mused, flashing a mischievous smile. “A girl and her bodyguard walk in to buy a pregnancy test-”

“Oh my god, TD, will you shut up?” Luciana said, nibbling on her thumbnail.

“Well, I think my jokes are fun-”

“Stop!” Short Dino near yelled, causing everyone in the car to jump. His gruff voice had an edge of irritation to it. “I’ll get it. Wait here.” Short Dino opened the door and made his way into the store, leaving an eerie silence in his wake.

“Did he just…” I asked, unable to believe that Short Dino’s voice had reached a tone that loud.

“I’ve never heard him raise his voice,” Tall Dino said in disbelief.

“Neither have I,” Luciana added, her eyes wide and her voice a whisper.

We sat in silence, waiting for Short Dino to return, the tension palpable. The car felt somehow smaller, and I couldn’t help but notice the way Luciana started tapping the end of her thumbnail against the car window in a nervous rhythm. I echoed her gesture on my knee, as if the tapping could somehow ease the heavy blanket of silence encapsulating us.

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