A lie in church. ON RADISH

10- Unexpected

Listen to Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid.

I spent my afternoon in my room, doing my last project. Morris came every thirty minutes to check on me.

After following up with a doctor, we went back to the hospital and had my stitches removed. My feet felt better. No pain, and only a few scabs were left behind. We took a walk down the hallway to exercise my legs. I felt like a baby taking her first steps; it was a weird feeling at first, but then I got used to it and began to walk on my own with no help. I was relieved I could finally return to school. I had missed a lot.

I got my things ready for the next day and watched monkeys doing adorable stuff on a geographical channel. Adrian didn't show up that day, so I was stuck with Tristan, who made me a little uneasy after the bruises I had seen a few days back.

I wanted to know what was going on in his head. There was just something about him. He seemed to be in a world no one was part of. He had been avoiding me since he'd caught me staring at his wrist during breakfast. He was only available when I needed him to carry me around. I had gone days without even seeing him in the house. It was like I was living with a ghost. And when I got the chance to see him, he looked annoyed by my presence and wouldn't even speak to me. Sometimes, he stayed in his room the whole day and left for work before I woke up. He didn't like being around me. The feeling was mutual anyway. It just made me curious about his reasons. Only a few days left, and I'd be out of there.

I had always wanted to live on my own, but now, I was terrified as I thought of what my life would be like when I left here and got my own place.

"I choose to release the past and look toward the good that awaits me," I whispered to myself as I read the affirmation card. I took a deep breath and stared outside the glass wall, savoring the sun's scorching rays.

I was deceiving myself with those words. I really didn't know what to expect after I left here.

The pregnancy tests arrived on Tuesday. Vina had ordered them late. I called her on FaceTime as I opened the package. She was at her workplace but stepped outside to answer the call.

"You bought five?" I asked as I brought out the packets.

"Yeah, all from different companies."

I shook my head and laughed at her. I followed the directions and took all five tests. I set a timer and waited anxiously for the result. Vina told me about her encounter with an annoying customer and how she almost got fired for talking back and cursing him in Spanish.

My heart skipped when the timer beeped. I approached the counter where all five tests were lying.

"What do they say? Let me see," Vina asked.

"One line means negative, right?"

"Yes."

"It's all negative." I sighed in relief and showed her. For a moment, I'd thought they would come out positive. Wasn't that the weirdest feeling ever? To be scared of being pregnant when you hadn't seen a dick in three years?