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Whatever. I could see a bud.
A plant child.
At this thought, I grimaced.
"Isabella Abbott! Go and take this test! You think you're definitely not pregnant? Then prove it to me! If the test is negative, THEN you're definitely not pregnant!" Hayley slammed the blue and pink package on the kitchen table.
I lowered my gaze.
Sure. Simple. Quick.
That was the inscription on the package.
I didn't want to be pregnant. And if I didn't have a positive test, then I couldn't be pregnant. It was that simple. Right?
"Don't play ostrich! Burying your head in the sand won't make anything better. Nothing at all. On the contrary, in the end, the problem will only get bigger and bigger." I looked up. Sparks seemed to fly from Hayley's eyes. But suddenly she twisted her mouth into a broad grin and then burst into loud laughter. She laughed so hard that she eventually clutched her side.
"Ow, that hurts," she gasped.
"What the hell is so funny about this whole thing?" I asked, slightly offended. "I'd like to laugh too."
"Well..." Hayley hemmed and hawed a bit. She started laughing again, then pulled herself together and cleared her throat. Once. Twice. Three times. "I said it would keep getting bigger. That's... that's actually like with a child." Hayley's corners of her mouth twitched tellingly, but she tried very hard not to burst out laughing again.
"Really funny," I grumbled. Hayley was right, of course. But even though I had always appreciated her humor and we had laughed together about the most impossible things, this time I couldn't join in.
"I... well..." Hayley fixed her gaze on the edge of the table. Her face was working suspiciously. She was still trying not to laugh as much as possible.
"That's enough!" I snatched the blue and pink package from the table and disappeared into the bathroom. Fine, I'd take this damn test then! So Hayley would finally shut up! It would be negative anyway!
It had to be negative!
Angrily, I stared into the mirror.
And what if it wasn't?
I hastily pushed that thought away. I locked the bathroom door and studied the description on the package. The whole thing did indeed sound simple, safe, and quick. Open the package, pee on the stick, and then wait three minutes. Read the result.
I took a deep breath.
Okay. Better to get this over with quickly. Hayley was right, even if I didn't want to admit it. Waiting didn't make the problem any better, and waiting longer certainly wouldn't.
Resolutely, I tore open the package and followed the instructions.
A short time later, I was staring at the window of the test stick.
When would something happen here?
Impatiently, I looked at the clock. Time suddenly seemed to pass infinitely slowly. It would take forever before I could read a result. I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them again, there was still nothing to see in the test window.
Quick?
No, this thing was definitely not quick.
Hopefully, the test was at least reliable.
I looked at the clock again.
Still no result.