Page 128 of When You Blush
“Let’s do it,” Dani says, standing and holding her hand out for the test. “I’ll go first. And if the chief got me pregnant again already, he’s sleeping on the couch tonight.”
“Oh, like you’d let him sleep anywhere but with you,” Skyla says, shaking her head and laughing.
“Fair, but he’ll get a stern talking-to.”
“I’ll grab a basket,” Billie says. “And ignore the fact thatmost of you are fucking my brothers. Because no. That’s horrible. When you’re finished taking it, put your test in this basket on the counter back here, andno peeking.”
“Why am I suddenly nervous?” Skyla asks. “I know I’m not pregnant.”
“Because you just nevertrulyknow,” Ava says with a wink and smiles smugly at me. “I love these girls. They feed into my crazy.”
One by one, we take turns in the bathroom at the back of the store, then deposit our test in the basket, results-side down.
We wait for five minutes, all of us hovering over the basket like it holds the secrets of the universe, and then Ava says, “Okay, let’s check them.”
“I’m going to mix them up first,” Billie says, giving the basket a little shake.
“I’m sweating,” I mutter, flapping my arms like wings, trying to get some air to my armpits. “Book Club is supposed to be fun, Ava. Not stressful.”
Ava giggles, and Billie pulls out the first stick.
“Negative.”
We collectively breathe a sigh of relief.
“Next one,” Billie says, “negative.”
“Thank God. I hope that was mine,” Skyla says.
“Positive.”
We all freeze at that one word uttered from Billie’s perfectly painted lips.
“Fucking hell,” I grumble, shaking my head.
“Negative. Negative,” Billie continues, but now we’reall eyeing each other as if we can tell who's knocked up just from looking in each other’s eyes.
“Positive.”
“Wait.” Alex holds up a hand. “Are you fucking telling me thattwoof us are pregnant?”
Unease slips through my gut. I cannotbe pregnant. Neither Blake nor I want kids. We’ve only been together for like six minutes.
No.
“Okay.” Ava doesn’t sound so sure of herself now. “I guess we’re all taking another test.”
“I hate you,” Dani says to Ava. “Like, notreally, but I hate you right this minute.”
“I think we all do,” Alex agrees, and then we file into the bathroom, one by one, as if we’re walking the plank to our doom.
This time, we hold on to our tests.
Dani breathes a sigh of relief when hers is negative.
Skyla does a little dance in her seat. “Not it.”
“Alex?” Billie asks, and Alex shakes her head.
