I tilt my head, wondering if the trip didn’t go well. “That bad with Harrison’s parents?”
She gives me a strange look. “No, they were great. I had fun. I’m exhausted, though.”
I laugh, understanding how she feels. “Where is Harrison?”
She makes for the kitchen, and I follow her. “He went with his parents. I’ll pick him up later.”
“I made coffee.” I grab two mugs from the cabinet. “That should wake you up, and then you can tell me all about it.”
Liv sits at the island while I fill both mugs. The aroma hits me, and a wave of nausea ripples through my stomach.
I turn, and my gaze smacks into Liv’s concerned expression. “Tori, are you okay? You look a little green.”
“I’m going to throw up,” I yell to her on my way to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth. I sink to my knees in front of the toilet, holding my hair to the side. My skin burns as my mouth starts to water. My entire body shakes. With my next breath, I gag and violently vomit into the bowl.
“Oh, shit!” I hear Liv behind me. I turn and fall on my butt as I reach up for a towel to wipe my mouth. I think I’m done, though I still feel queasy.
Liv stands above me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I don’t know what came over me.” I wipe the sweat from my brow. “As soon as I smelled the coffee…” Oh. I look up at Liv. She thinks it, too.
“Tori, is there any chance you could be pregnant?”
“Of course there is.” Oh, God. There is. When was my last period? I’m wracking my brain when Liv disrupts my thoughts.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back,” she says, leaving me along on the bathroom floor. I think back and remember how much I thought it sucked that I was due to start the same day as my first day at school. But I never did. Oh, God, no! My first day of school was three days after I was with Tug and five days before Brady came to get me. The math is what is. If I’m pregnant, it’s Tug’s. I lean over the bowl again, dry-heaving, the thoughts in my head not helping my retching stomach.
God, please let me have the flu.
Liv walks into the room, holding a pregnancy test. She tears the box open and holds it out to me.
I remove the foil wrapped test from the box. “Why is that you have a pregnancy test handy?”
She shrugs. “Harrison and I had a scare a while back. I bought, like, a hundred of them.”
I laugh, setting the test on the counter. “It only takes one.”
“Nope.” She laughs hard. “I took most of them until Harrison finally made me stop. Started my period the next day. Now it’s your turn.”
With no embarrassment that Liv is watching, I drop my shorts and sit down. I rip open the packaging and remove the stick. Liv turns away as I pee on it. She turns back as soon as I stop trickling. I set the test on the counter and finish up.
The two of us hover over the stick as though our lives depend on it. Mine does. What the hell am I going to do if it’s positive? Brady will never forgive me. I can’t lose him or Andrew.
It takes about fifteen seconds for my fate to be decided. “Two lines. I’m pregnant, right?” I feel like I’m going to be sick again, but fight it off.
Liv holds up the box, confirming that two lines is a positive test. She looks giddy with excitement, while I feel all the color drain from my face. My heart feels like it wants to run away and hide. It hates me. Just when things are finally right, another obstacle is put in front of us.
“
This is so great.” Liv is practically jumping up and down. “You and Brady get a second chance…Tori, what’s wrong?”
I’m numb. I have to tell her. I have to talk to someone before I break down. “I…I’m not sure if it’s Brady’s.”
I watch her face pale now. “Oh, my God! Who else did you sleep with?”
“It’s Tug’s,” I say flatly.
“What? ”