Page 101 of The Rebound
“That’s a bit of a mixed signal, don’t you think?”
“I guess.” I slump against the door. “I just don’t want to hurt her.”
“Neither do I.”
“I also don’t want her to be mad at me.”
“So talk to her too.”
We look at each other over the roof of his car. Again, he makes it sound so simple.
“You ready to go home?” he asks when I don’t respond.
I nod and this time I don’t correct him.
Home.
21
It’s late by the time I get back. The driveway is empty, meaning Tomasz must still be at work, and there’s only one light on in the upstairs landing.
I let myself in as quietly as I can, leaving my shoes by the door as I hurry up the stairs but Louise calls my name as soon as I reach the top step.
“I’m back,” I yell, slipping into my bedroom. “Traffic was a nightmare.”
“Could you come in here?”
“Give me a sec!” I strip out of my clothes and pull on a pair of pajamas, tying my hair into a loose ponytail, but when I stick my head into her bedroom, the room is empty.
“Abby?”
Her voice calls from the back of the house and I turn, my fuzzy socks sliding along the floorboards. “Where are you?”
“Bathroom.”
“Are you alright?”
No answer. The door is open but there’s no light on. Starting to feel like I’m in the middle of a scary movie, I flick the switch to see Louise sitting fully dressed in the empty bathtub, her knees drawn to her chest.
We stare at each other.
“Why are you sitting in the dark?” I ask eventually.
“It kind of just got dark around me.”
“…Okay.” I do a quick scan for any obvious injury, thinking maybe she hit her head but there’s nothing. “What’s happening right now?”
A tiny frown appears on her face. “I think I’m pregnant.”
I wait for the punchline. Maybe thatisthe punchline.
Maybe it’s not.
“Youthinkyou’re pregnant?” I ask carefully, and my next thought is that she could have had a miscarriage. Horror fills me as I glance around the room but there’s nothing out of place. Except for my sister in the bathtub.
She holds up something in her hand. A pregnancy test. I move instantly toward her, arm outstretched, but she hesitates.
“I peed on it.”
