Taking Chances
Page 60

Bree stepped away from the stove and took a few hesitant sniffs. “I don't smell anything but the eggs.”
“Ugh, are they bad?” I opened the fridge and looked at the date on the carton. They still had a week and Bree and I had picked them up just yesterday for Mom. I shut the door and walked to the cabinet to get a glass. When I stepped behind Bree I was assaulted again by the smell of the eggs. I barely made it to the kitchen sink before throwing up everything from the night before. Aw hell.
Bree held my hair back and got me a glass of water when I finished. When I finally looked up at her I was surprised to see her pissed off. Her mouth was mashed into a straight line, arms folded over her chest, an eyebrow raised. She wasn't stupid, she'd put it together.
“Are you kidding me?” She screeched, “You didn't even tell me you'd had sex with him!”
I started shaking and fat tears were falling down my face, “This can't be happening.” I sobbed and slid to the ground, “I'm just sick, right? This isn't happening!”
She sat on the ground in front of me and pulled me into a hug. “Shh, it will be okay.” She rubbed her hands over my back in comfort, “Have you taken a test Harper?”
“No, no I can't,” I sobbed, “I can't be.”
Heaving a sigh, she stood up and pulled me with her. “Well then maybe you're not.” Her sad smile told me she didn't believe that for a second, “But we're going to find out. Come on,” she grabbed two large water bottles out of the fridge and handed them to me. “Start drinking these, I'll drive.”
We didn't say anything the entire drive to the drug store. When she pulled into a parking spot I just shook my head and handed her my card. Five minutes later she came out with a bag full of boxes and handed them to me. I stared at the bag, and after a minute started reading directions.
“You knew Bree, didn't you.”
She sighed and grabbed my hand, “I figured.”
“How?”
“A lot of things. You've been eating a ton, last night wasn't your first dizzy spell. You get out of breath when we walk to class, and you refused to leave Brandon's side when I was having our week of hell last month. I kept thinking it, but every time I brought up sex, you told me you still weren't ready. And then today...well it was just the final piece of the puzzle.”
I didn't say anything else, just continued to down the water and try to stop my entire body from shaking. When we got back to Mom and Dad's she waited in the bedroom while I used a stick out of each of the four boxes. If I was going to find out, I wanted to be sure. Bree held me while I bawled my eyes out later from the results. There had been a smiley face, a 'Yes', a plus sign and a 'Pregnant'.
“What am I going to do?” I pulled the comforter over my head and curled myself into a tight ball.
Pulling back the comforter, my amazing friend held my chin until I looked at her, tears streaming down her own face. “We're going to tell Mom,” I started to refuse that but she continued, “I promise she won't be mad at you, she'll just be sad for you. You know she got pregnant with Chase when she was seventeen?”
I shook my head, they looked young, but I hadn't known that.
“Well she did, she'll understand Harper. She can make an appointment for you and after that, you'll have to figure out a way to tell Brandon.” She sighed and ran her fingers through my hair, “He's a good guy, he'll take care of you.”
A new round of sobs shook my body, “I cant. Tell Brandon. He's not. He's not. Bree I didn't. Didn't lie to you.”
She waited until I had quieted down and my breathing had returned to normal, “What do you mean?”
“I didn't lie to you Bree, I never had sex with Brandon.”
“You cheated on Brandon?” She gasped, “With who?”
“I can't. You'll kill me Bree.”
She scrambled off the bed and stared at me in horror, “You slept with my BOYFRIEND?!”
Oh crap, “No! No I swear I didn't! I would never do that to you Bree, I don't like Konrad like that at all. Oh my God, how could you even think that?”
Huffing, she grabbed her chest and forced herself to sit back down, “Well there's no other reason I would hate you enough to kill you. I'm sorry I thought that.”
“Don't, don't be sorry for anything. I did this, I created the mess. Bree I never meant to hurt Brandon, I swear. I love him, I really do.”
“But?” She prompted.
“I love someone else too. He's begged me to leave Brandon, but I couldn't.” I choked on the last words.
“How could you not tell me about this? How could I not know…you're always with Brandon, I don't get it.” She started, “Wait. You're always with Brandon, when did this even happen?”
“The night you all went to LA.” I replied softly.
“You weren't sick?” She was mad I'd lied to her again.
“No, I just wanted to mope over him alone, and then he was there.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
“At the house? You invited him here?”
“No Bree, I didn't invite him over.” I watched her confused face, and after a few minutes I could practically see the light bulb click on.
“Oh shit.” She breathed. “You and Chase?”