Hellion, a New Adult Romance Novel (The Rebel Series) (14 page)

“Yes, I do know that.
 
So are you going with me to the clinic?”

I blink a few times, trying to clear the cobwebs from my brain.
 
“Clinic?
 
Did I miss something?” I sit forward suddenly.
 
“Please tell me you’re not pregnant.”

“No, don’t be stupid.
 
But I do need to
keep
from getting pregnant, so I need more pills.
 
I don’t have insurance yet, so I have to go to that public health clinic place where I can get them free.”

“Oooooh.
 
Okay.”
 
I tilt my head. “Did we talk about this before?” I’m a little worried I’m losing my mind. This feels like a conversation I should have remembered.

“Maybe.
 
Maybe not.
 
If I didn’t say it out loud, I know I thought it really hard.” She gathers up all her wrappers and shoves them into her empty bag.

I throw off my covers, scattering my junk everywhere.
 
“Oh, well, my bad, then.
 
I should have read your mind.”

“Sha.
 
Damn straight.
 
That’s what BFFs do.
 
When can you be ready?”

“Fifteen minutes.” I rush over to my dresser and start yanking various things out of the drawers.

“Yeah right.”
 
She leans over and shoves her bag in the trashcan before sliding her body up towards the headboard so she can lie down.
 
“Wake me up in ninety minutes when you’re really ready,” she says as she places her head on a pile of covers and a corner of my pillow.

When I turn around to tell her I won’t take longer than thirty minutes, I see she’s already asleep.
 
I can’t help but shudder at the way the drool is already coming out of her mouth and pooling on my sheets.
 
Ugh
.
 
I’m going to have to change them now.
 
But that’s what BFFs do when their friends have make-up sex all night and then come bearing Taco Bell gifts.
 
I will take the full ninety minutes to get ready so she can be all fresh and sparkly for her trip to the birth control center, because I’m that kind of friend.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

WE’RE STROLLING UP THE SIDEWALK that leads into the health clinic to retrieve the no-baby pills when a familiar face comes walking out in the other direction.

“Alissa, hey!” I say, fully expecting her to smile politely like she always does and greet me back.
 
We were never really close friends or anything, but the two of us having the same major and her living in Teagan’s dorm had us crossing paths a lot over the last few years. She’s a lot more serious about life then either Teagan or I am, but that doesn’t stop her from always being polite.
 
She’s a good girl like that.

Alissa looks up at me, her eyes bloodshot and red-rimmed.
 
Her gaze drops to the sidewalk and she makes as if to go right by Teagan and me without a word.
 
It’s then that I notice her belly.

“Alissa?”
 
I grab her by the arm as she’s about to walk past me like I’m a stranger with a bad haircut.

“Don’t,” she says, pulling away slightly as she keeps on going.

I stand there with my mouth hanging open as she walks away.

“What the holy hell was that all about?” Teagan asks quietly, twisting around to watch her go.

“Did you see her belly?” I say, just as softly.
 
I don’t want Alissa to hear us talking about her.

“Yeah.
 
Holy massively preggers.”

“I told you, right?” I look at Teagan.
 
“That she was pregnant?
 
The news was all over campus.
 
But she’s a lot farther along than I realized.”

“Yeah. It’s weird to see it.
 
I mean, she’s so young, right?
 
Talk about a statistic.”

“Listen,” I say, something coming over me, “go in without me.
 
I’ll catch up.”

“Where are you going?” she shouts at my back as I turn and walk in the opposite direction.

“BRB!” I yell.
 
I don’t want to announce to the entire world and the small group of anti-abortionists always hanging around there that I’m going to go tackle a pregnant girl.

About ten seconds later I’m almost caught up to Alissa in the parking lot.
 
“Hey!
 
Alissa!
 
Wait up!” I yell at her rapidly retreating back.

She stops at her car and uses the key to unlock the door.
 
It’s an older model Toyota, too ancient to have an automatic key lock.
 
I’m impressed at the shape the thing is in.
 
It looks like a granny’s been driving it for fifteen years or something.
 
When I reach the side of it, I lean back to see if there are any stuffed animals in the back window.
 
Nope.
 
That’s a surprise.

“I’m in a hurry, Quin.
 
Sorry.”
 
She’s using her ultra polite tone, usually reserved for professors and people in the registrar’s office.

She tries to shut the door after getting in, but I put my hand up to block it.
 
“Where are you going?”

“None of your business,” she says, her voice finally showing some annoyance.
 
I had expected it sooner.
 
I don’t know why, but something is making me harass a pregnant woman.
 
I’m going to blame it on The Bell.
 
I should have gone with the mild sauce, I guess.

“I see you’re pregnant.”
 
Boom
.
 
Conversation opener.
 
I’z got skills.

“Brilliant.
 
I guess your contacts are working.
 
Do you mind?”
 
She finally looks up at me at the same time that she grabs the inside handle of her door and starts yanking on it.

But I’m too stubborn to move yet. I have more harassment to dole out. My body sways side to side with the movement of her attempts at shutting the door on me. “So I’m just wondering … if you’re like … I don’t know … seven months pregnant, what are you doing at a birth control clinic?”

Her face turns a shade of pink that would be really cute if it didn’t have the tears along with it.
 
I feel just a tad guilty for making it happen, but not enough to stop.
 
I have a feeling there’s something big going on here and any girl who has to go to a clinic alone needs a friend as far as I’m concerned.

“Bug off, Quin.”

“Bug off?
 
Wow.
 
Them’s serious fightin’ words, Alissa.
 
Are you sure you can back them up in your condition?”

She pulls the keys out of her ignition and throws them onto the dashboard.
 
“What do you want from me, Quin?!
 
Can you just tell me so I can be on my way?!”
 
She looks up at me with the perfect mix of fury and anguish in her expression.
 
She’s like an angry nerd, and if it weren’t so out of character for her it would be amusing.

I step closer, putting my hand on her shoulder and softening my voice, all the harassing tone gone.
 
“I just want to be sure you’re okay, that’s all.”
 
I give her my concerned look.
 
“I’m worried about you.”

I don’t know what I expected in response, but this isn’t it.

She throws herself over her steering wheel and starts bawling like a baby.

“Oh, shit.”
 
I bend down and pat her on the back, a true-blue freak-out coming in a big wave over my head.
 
“Sweetie, I’m sorry.
 
I didn’t mean to get you upset.
 
Shit!”
 
I stand up and look around in a panic.
 
Teagan is nowhere in sight.

I scramble to get my phone out of my purse.
 
My fingers fly over the keypad as I text like a mad woman.

Gt ur az out here double time. Fuck!

After about thirty seconds of me patting Alissa’s back and Alissa crying like I’ve just stabbed her in the heart, Teagan is by my side.

“What took you so long?!” I whisper-yell at her.

“What the hell did you do to her?” she asks, ignoring my demand for answers.

“Nothing!
 
I just told her I was worried about her, that’s all.”
 
I keep patting her back, hoping it’ll help.

Alissa starts blubbering and talking at the same time.
 
“She didn’t … do … a-a-anything -ing -ing …. Baaaaaahhhhhh haaaa haaaaa!”

And more crying ensues.

Teagan and I look at each other, panic-stricken, now taking turns patting Alissa’s back.
 
We have a pretty good beat going, but it’s not really helping.

“Alissa, honey,” Tegan says, “you need to stop crying and talk to us.
 
What’s going on?
 
Are you upset about being pregnant?”

Alissa’s cries turn into something not even really human-sounding at that question.

I cross my eyes at Teagan and shake my head. “Nice.
 
Good work, Tea.”

“What?
 
How am I supposed to know that was some kind of trigger word?”

I point to the clinic.
 
“Duh!”

Teagan gives me her guilty dumbass smile.
 
“Oh.
 
Yeah.
 
Boner ding.”

I bend down to get my face closer to Alissa’s.
 
“Alissa!
 
Hey!
 
You need to stop crying, okay?
 
Someone’s going to call the cops on you for … disturbing the peace or whatever.”

She quiets down pretty quick.
 
“I can… I can… I can’t sto…. sto…stop!”
 
She tries to breathe, but hiccups take over and then she starts retching.

Teagan jumps back as I grab Alissa by the shoulders and drag the top half of her body towards the open door.
 
“Okee dokee, no vommy in the Toyota, okay-zees?”
 
I hold her up while her body convulses with dry heaves.

“Why are you talking to her like she’s two?” Teagan whispers.

“Shut up, I don’t know why.”

“Ahhhhhhh, gaaaaaah, mmmuuuuuhhhhh!” Alissa groans out between heaves.

“Oh my god,” Teagan says in a low tone.
 
“Pregnancy suuuuucks.”

Alissa starts crying in the middle of her choking and heaving.

“Okay, Tea-Tea.
 
Time for you to go get us some water, k?”
 
I lift an eyebrow at her.

Unable to deny my power, she leaves with an eye roll, heading back into the clinic.
 
I’m pretty sure she’s glad for the chance to escape.

“Okay, Alissa,” I say, pushing her back into the car.
 
“Time for
you
to get a
grip
.”

She flops back onto her seat, her eyes closed and her face pale.

“Jesus,” I say, squatting down and staring at her.
 
Thank goodness she didn’t actually throw up; I don’t know what I’d do then.
 
There aren’t any sticks around here I could poke her with and I don’t care how sad someone is; I will not ruin a good pair of shoes by standing in puke.

“Alissa … do you need medication or something?
 
Is that why you’re here?
 
Are you diabetic?
 
Do I need to shoot you up with something?”

“No,” she whispers.
 
“Just shoot me, period.
 
With a gun and a bullet.”

“Mmmm … no.
 
Not today.
 
I’m fresh out of murdering thoughts at the current time.
 
Try me tomorrow, though, because you never know when they’ll crop up again.”
 
I think of Mick and how badly I screwed up last night and decide maybe I could work up a good murdering rage without a lot of effort.
 
Alissa’s sad voice brings me back to reality.

“I don’t need any medication.
 
I just need to go.”

“Where are you going?” I ask, thinking this is a safe question.
 
Wrong-o.

She starts crying again.

I don’t know what makes me do it.
 
Maybe it’s panic.
 
Maybe it’s all the meat byproducts I just consumed.
 
It could even be the root beer, although I doubt it.
 
I mean, what could be more innocent than a root beer?

I slap her.
 
Right on her sad little face.

She stops crying immediately and her eyes fly open.

After a few seconds of speechlessness, she opens her mouth.
 
“Did you just slap me?”
 
Her voice is in a really funny high pitch.
 
I’m pretty sure all the dog-ears in a two-mile radius are perked up right now.

“Yep, I sure did.”
 
That’s right.
 
Play it off like it’s no big deal, like you didn’t just assault a pregnant lady.

“I’m pregnant in case you haven’t noticed!” she screeches.

“Yes.”
 
I put my hand on top of hers.
 
“And you’re having some kind of nervous breakdown or something, so I was just trying to get you back on planet Earth.
 
You’re welcome.”

Her nostrils flare a few times and then she lets her head fall back against the headrest.
 
She breathes out a big, long sigh and a sad smile creeps onto her lips.
 
“I cannot believe I’m about to thank you for slapping me in the face.”