Page 112 of A Good Book

I grunted. “Don’t be proud. He pulled out.”

“Pulled out of what?”

“Me.”

“Oh.” She laughed. “Gotcha. That’s not all that reliable. You have to be careful. That last thing you need is to end up pregnant.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Do you really think I called you to tell you he pulled out? End of story?”

“Uh … is this a trick question?”

“Have you heard of pre-ejaculatory fluid?”

She snorted. “Gabriella, are you high?”

“No. But you’ve had lots of sex, so I thought you would know.”

“Yes, I’m the slutty sister. Let’s see, I’m guessing just from breaking down the term that it’s when a guy dribbles before he shoots.”

“What?” I wrinkled my nose.

“When a guy gets turned on, but before he orgasms, a little (I assume)pre-ejaculatory fluidcomes out. It’s like when a girl gets wet because she’s turned on. Is this for your anatomy class?”

“I’m not taking anatomy. Ben must have … dribbled.”

“Gabbs, why are you being so weird—holy fuck … ARE YOU PREGNANT?”

I cringed while pacing my dorm room. “I am,” I murmured.

“Who knows? Sarah? Mom and Dad? Have you told Ben? What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking we were going to do that other thing, you know, the dry version. But we only had on underwear, and the next thing I knew, it kind of slipped out. So he asked me if it was okay, and I kinda wanted to, so I said yes. But he pulled out at the end. Then he dumped me. Weeks later, I took several pregnancy tests, but they were all negative. Then I started feeling tired and nauseous, so I went to the doctor, and she said I was for sure pregnant. That’s also when I found out that there are sperm in pre-ejaculatory fluid.”

There was another long pause.

“Eve?”

“Yeah, I’m still here. I’m just …”

“How do I tell Mom and Dad?”

“I don’t know, but I want to be there when you do.”

“Ugh! I knew I should have called Sarah.”

“No. No. No. Sorry, that just came out. I’m glad you called me. From my experience, it’s just best to tell them when you’ve done something really bad. Chin up. Shoulders back. And own up to your actions. But have a plan. Like, show them you’re an adult. And even if this wasn’t part of some grand plan, you’re mature enough to handle it and do what needs to be done.”

I thought about it for a few seconds.

“Did you say he dumped you?”

“Yeah, but he’s here now. And he wants to do the right thing. He says he loves me and he always has, but I don’t think we would be together if I wasn’t pregnant. And that really bothers me.”

“Gabbs, he’s deaf. Have you even tried to imagine what he must be going through?”

“No. I haven’t because I’ve been a little preoccupiedbeing pregnant.”

“You’re going to be pregnant for nine months. He could be deaf for the rest of his life. And pregnancy isn’t a disability.”

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