Nadine sat on her bed, staring blankly at the pregnancy test in her hand. The night in Bangkok kept replaying in her head like a movie she couldn't turn off.
For the past two weeks, her emotions had been all over the place. And the last three days? Nausea. Vomiting. The whole cliché. Her period usually as punctual as a Swiss train had completely ghosted her. Naturally, panic kicked in. She hadn't even used the test yet. She wasn't ready.
"Please. Please, don't be pregnant," Nadine whispered, patting her still-flat stomach like it could hear her.
She wanted to cry, laugh, and scream. All at once. Flopping back on the bed, she grabbed a pillow and slammed it over her face before letting out the loudest scream her lungs could manage.
"Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhh!"
When she was done screaming, she burst into hysterical laughter. Classic emotional whiplash. One minute she was spiraling, the next she was laughing like a lunatic.
Dragging herself upright again, she picked up the pregnancy test and started pacing around her room, gripping it like it was a ticking bomb. Her palms were already sweating buckets.
"Chill, Nadine. You don't know anything yet," she muttered. "It could be nothing. Maybe it's just stress. You're fine. Everything's fine."
"Okay. You got this. Deep breaths… in… out… in… out. Stay calm, Nadine. It's gonna be okay."
She blew out a long breath. After psyching herself up for what felt like forever, she finally headed into the bathroom with shaky steps.
You can do this, Nadine. It's just plastic. It's not life or death. Right?
It took about five minutes for the results to show. And because she was feeling extra dramatic, she didn't just take one test. She took five. All different brands. Just to be sure. Classic overthinking.
Her heart pounded as she watched the clock tick down. Five minutes. The longest five minutes of her life.
"Okay," she exhaled. "Moment of truth. It's just late, like last year. Nothing to freak out over."
She picked up the first test. Before looking at it, she squeezed her eyes shut and whispered a prayer.
Slowly, she opened one eye, then the other.
One red line.
She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her shoulders, once tight as a drum, slumped in relief.
"Thank God. See? You're just paranoid."
Confidence somewhat restored, she picked up another test.
Her face turned ghost-white.
Two lines.
Immediately, she grabbed another.
Then another.
And another.
"No. No. No. No. ARGHHH!"
Nadine let out a loud, panicked scream as she stared at four out of five tests showing two red lines.
Positive.
Her knees gave out and she dropped to the floor. Her brain short-circuited. Blank. Completely blank.
Oh no. What the hell am I supposed to do now?
She didn't even know who the father was. Not exactly a detail you could shrug off.
Then there were her parents. Her dad would probably drop dead from a stroke the second he found out his precious daughter was knocked up, unmarried, by some random guy whose name she didn't even know.
And Matt.
God.
She hadn't even told him about what happened in Bangkok.
Yeah. This was bad. Real bad.
***
The first thing Nadine did after seeing the test results was call her best friend, Elisa.
The moment Elisa picked up, Nadine skipped the small talk and went straight to the point, begging her to come over to her apartment. Luckily, it was the weekend and Elisa was in L.A.
Technically, Elisa lived there, but being a model meant she was constantly flying in and out of cities and countries like it was her part-time hobby. So actually catching her in town felt like winning the lottery.
Once Elisa arrived, Nadine broke down completely. She told her everything. From the chaotic night in Bangkok to finding out she was possibly pregnant with Ethan's baby. Elisa sat quietly through it all, not saying a single word.
"Lis? You heard me, right? Why are you just staring at me like that? Say something! What do I do? Help me, pleaseee…" Nadine begged, sounding like she was five seconds from falling apart.
"I heard you, babe," Elisa finally said, blinking. "I'm just… speechless. Like, holy sh*t. Are you serious? How did this even happen?"
"I just told you how," Nadine groaned. "So now what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Elisa gave her a look that was a mix of pity and disbelief.
"I mean, what I don't get is, why the hell did that guy even kiss you in the first place?"
"I have no idea, Lis. He just walked up out of nowhere and kissed me. Like, I was literally about to leave when he did it."
Elisa just shook her head. "Girl. Your life is officially a soap opera. Like, straight-up daytime drama."
"I wish this was a soap opera. Then at least I'd know it's fake." Nadine sighed and flopped back against the couch.
"Okay, I'm gonna ask. Sorry in advance," Elisa said carefully, "but… what's the plan? Are you keeping the baby? Or are you thinking of, you know... not?"
Nadine instantly smacked her on the arm. Hard.
"Ow! What the hell?" Elisa rubbed her arm, giving Nadine a wounded look.
"Don't say sh*t like that, Lis. I never said I wanted to get rid of it. The baby didn't ask for this. It's not their fault." Nadine's voice cracked a little. "I just... I'm scared. I don't know what to do."
Elisa pulled her into a hug.
"You've got this, Nadine. You're strong, independent, smart and yeah, maybe a little impulsive, but you'll be an amazing mom. Your parents love you like crazy. And you've still got me, okay?"
"Thank you, Lis. You're seriously the best," Nadine mumbled, hugging her tighter.
"Don't forget 'gorgeous,'" Elisa added with a grin, pulling away.
"Yeah, yeah. Gorgeous too."
They'd been best friends since high school. And even though Elisa always came off as this fearless, confident, unshakeable woman, Nadine knew better. She knew the pain Elisa had been through. She'd lived it, too. The version of Elisa standing here now was forged through fire and heartbreak.
"So… what about Matt?" Elisa suddenly asked.
Nadine sighed deeply. "I don't know, Lis. Maybe I'll talk to him tomorrow."
Elisa gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You'll be okay, babe. I know it doesn't feel like it right now, but it'll all work out. You're stronger than you think."
And in that moment, Nadine couldn't have been more grateful for a friend like Elisa. She wasn't just a friend, she was family.
***