Chapter 44
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
ASTRID
“You’re fucking with me right now,” I whispered, staring down at the test.
Diya sat on her knees and chewed on her inner cheek. “Astrid, I don’t know what to do.”
I raised my gaze to her. “And you thought I would?!”
After shrugging her shoulders, she stared at me for a few moments, then threw her head into her hands. She mumbled something, but I couldn’t quite make it out until she finally jumped up and began pacing. “I don’t know how it happened.”
“Girl, be so fucking for real right now.”
“All right, I know how it happened, but we were so careful,” she said.
I narrowed my eyes at my bestie. “Mmhmm. Careful as in …”
“As in … you know …” She shrugged again. “Sometimes pulling out.”
“Sometimes?!”
“Maybe once …”
“Once?! Diya!”
“What am I supposed to do?! He’s so fucking sexy, and I don’t know how to tell him.”
“He doesn’t know?!” I whisper-yelled. “He’s your stepdad!”
“I know. I know.” She placed her hands over her face. “I know!”
“I don’t think you know.”
“I do, but he has such a big dick …”
“Oh my God,” I said, as if I hadn’t convinced myself that sleeping with Diya’s brother wasn’t a problem because he had a big dick, too, and how could anyone ever say no when they were getting dicked down so, so good?
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Bad?!”
I didn’t know what to say, except to repeat her words. Diya was not the type to get pregnant young. Not saying that she’d be a bad mother, but she had so many aspirations to move far, far away, and she had so many mommy issues.
“Oh God,” she whispered, pacing the room and running a hand through her hair. “Oh God, when Calix finds out, he is going to kill both of us. What am I supposed to do?! How am I supposed to tell either of them?”
“Does Mr. Stepdaddy want kids?” I asked.
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
“Have you talked about it?”
“No, but … don’t judge me, okay?” She peered over. “He has a breeding kink.”
“Girl, don’t we all at this point?” Must run in the family. “Let me guess. You have one too.”
Diya got all red and covered her face with her hands. “No! Maybe. What do I do?!”
“Do you want to keep it?”
Diya’s face dropped. “I don’t know.”
“There are options, you know. Adoption or abortion.”
Her lips curled into a frown. “I don’t know. I don’t want to do either of those, but I … I can’t see myself raising a baby now. What if people start asking who the father is? How am I going to say my teacher?”
“Ask Sakura Sato.”
“But she’s, like, so popular.”
“She is not.”
“She is now.”
“She’ll still talk to you.”
“No, she won’t.”
After handing back her pee stick, I pulled out my phone and found Sakura’s contact. Last year, we’d had to do a project together for Civics, but I hadn’t talked to her since. She had always been quiet and kept to herself.
“What are you doing?! Don’t tell her!”
“I’m not going to tell her that you’re pregnant. I’ll say that I am.”
“Astrid, you don’t have to—”
“Oh my God, girl. Shut it and let me work my magic.”
Me: Hey, Sakura! Sorry for messaging you so late. I kinda … ran into a predicament and was wondering if you could give me some advice. This teacher and I … well, I’m sure you could guess what happened. Do you have time to meet up tomorrow for coffee?
Diya and I stared at the phone for what seemed like forever until Sakura began to type.
Sakura: Hi! Yes. 4 p.m.?
Me: Sounds great! See you then. :D
“See? Easy-peasy. Besides, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You won’t even be showing by the end of the year,” I said, then scrunched my eyebrows together. “Wait, how far along are you? How long have you been sleeping with him?”
Diya raised her gaze to me and grimaced.
“Oh God,” I murmured.
“It started … a few months ago.”
“A few months?! And you didn’t tell me officially until—you know what? It doesn’t matter. We have a coffee date with Sakura tomorrow.” I jumped off her bed, pulled down the blankets, and pointed. “Until then, get some rest.”