Page 5 of Ruin The Friendship
A knock on the door sends more dread racing through my body.
“Lydia, honey?” Dottie yells.
I look into the mirror, and god, I look horrible. My eyes are watering and bloodshot, and my face is pale. “Yeah?”
“Can I come in?”
My heart drops into my already empty stomach. The sudden and aggressive nausea has passed, leaving me exhausted. Wiping the saliva from my lips with a paper towel, I unlock and open the door.
Dottie steps into the small bathroom and pulls me into a hug. Tears burn my eyes as she holds me tightly.
“What’s going on? Do you need to go home?”
I shake my head into her shoulder. “I’m fine. It’s been a long day.”
“Are you sick? Or is it something you ate? I can bring you home if you need.”
I shake my head without thinking. “No, I’m not sick.”
“Lydia, honey, are you pregnant?” Dottie murmurs into my ear, quiet enough that I can barely hear, but I know what she’s saying.
I take a deep breath and pull back, wiping the tears streaming down my cheeks. Shrugging, I say, “I think so. I tried taking a test today, but I had to leave before I saw the results.”
Dottie wipes the tears from my cheeks. “Do you… know who the father is?”
I nod, swallowing my embarrassment. “We aren’t together. We went on a few dates, and then he ghosted me. I don’t know what to do, Dottie.”
My voice shakes as the weight of it all grows heavy on my shoulders.
Dottie cups my cheeks, holding my gaze. “Well, you know that whatever you decide, you have our support. We are here for you, and we love you, whether you’re blood or not. And you know Fletcher will be there for you no matter what. We’re your family.”
“Thank you,” I blubber.
“Does Fletcher know?”
I shake my head. “Not yet. Please don’t tell him. I’m still—I don't know what to do.”
She nods, and I drop my head onto her shoulder and wrap my arms around her. She holds me for another minutewhile I cry, and when I’m done, she helps me fix my mascara, and we head back out to our seats. The period is already a minute in, but Fletcher isn’t on the ice, so I don’t think I’ve missed too much.
If Ron notices something is amiss with me, he doesn’t say anything, and for that, I’m grateful. I’m already going to have to try to hide this from Fletcher for who knows how long, and I’m dreading that. Fletcher knows me so well. I’m sure he already suspects something after this afternoon.
The rest of the game passes quickly until we reach the final minute of play. I’m nauseous the whole time, but thankful I can watch the game as a distraction to the whirring thoughts in my brain. It’s still two to zero, and it’s looking like we are going to win with a shutout.
Fletcher hops over the boards, skating briskly across the ice toward the other team's goal. He rocks into an opposing player, takes him to the ground, and passes the puck to his teammate, Calvin Miller.
The play is so fast that if I were to blink, I would miss it. Calvin passes to Shepherd Wafford, one of the new rookies, and Shepherd shoots. The puck flies into the net above the goalie’s right shoulder. The horn sounds, the cherry lights, and the crowd erupts.
The boys rush the ice, hugging and screaming as they celebrate their win. The other team leaves the ice immediately, ignoring the cheers of excitement from our fans.
I’m sure Fletcher will have to do press tonight, so we are in for a long wait before we get to see him. That’s fine with me. I’m always happy to chat with Ron and Dottie.
4
NEVER SAY NEVER
FLETCHER
“Graff, Miller, you’re on press tonight,” Coach says.
