Page 79 of Stay Dangerous

Making that abortion appointment was the easiest thing I ever had to do. Getting that shot in my ass?

Not so much.

It was late when the front door opened. I hadn’t even made it to my room, opting to lay on my side in the living room, staring at the Hennessy on the coffee table.

Nana had requested our parents’ presence, so they were out of town. We were sixteen, so we could be left alone, Nana said.

No one knew that’d been the case for years by then.

Auty rounded the couch and sat on the loveseat. We’d been getting along since Labor Day weekend, spending lunches on the bleachers at school. I knew that was why Porscha asked me to come with her to the clinic. She hated when me and Auty were good.

Her face bunched up as she took me in. “What’s wrong, Wynnie?”

Wynnie. I hadn’t heard that in so long. My eyes stung immediately as I sat up, turning so my back was to the arm of the couch and I was facing her.

As far as I could be. I would have broken down if she comforted me physically.

“I’m…” I cleared my throat. “I’m pregnant.”

“Pregnant?!” she reared back like I slapped her. “Who’s the dad? Is it… is it someone from East Kenton?”

“No, Auty, God! It doesn’t matter who the dad is, I’m not keeping it.”

She pulled her legs up under her and folded her arms. “You’re not?”

“No! Why the fuck would I bring a baby into this house?! God, you can be so dumb sometimes.” I knew I shouldn’t have been snapping at her, but between the hormones, sore ass, and acknowledging my boyfriend was lying, cheating, scum between my toes, I was at my wit’s end.

Sighing, I grabbed the Hennessy off the table.

“No! You’re pregnant, Wyn!” She was up in a flash, snatching the bottle from me.

I let her, wrapping my arms around my shins. “Not for long,” I chuckled. “Turns out, my weak ass baby’s daddy gave me the clap, too. So my abortion appointment is a week from now.”

Auty sat next to me then, pity swimming in those colored eyes of hers. It was hot as hell outside, still, and she had on a big ass hoodie and track pants. One day, when she was mad at me, she told me she’d rather be overlooked in big clothes and called a dyke than be known as a slut. I’d told her she couldn’t fit half the shit I wore anyway, shutting my door and locking it before she could try to put her hands on me.

But I saw what she was really saying, so I bought her a whole new wardrobe, ready for her to wear when she was ready to show the world how beautiful she really was.

“It’s next Thursday. Could you come with me? It’s in the morning, and then we can just come home and I dunno… hang out? And I tell you how I got mixed up in this hot mess.”

She looked hesitant, of course. If I wasn’t already reduced to pieces of myself, it would have hurt. There was never any hesitance when it came to my sister. If she asked me to die for her, I’d snap my own neck before she was even done asking.

“Yeah, okay. Next Thursday.”

There were a couple of protesters outside the clinic, but we bypassed them easily. I signed in, avoiding the eyes of the receptionist and then sat in the back, away from the windows, with Auty.

It wasn’t hard to stick by my decision. I don’t know if it was the clap, the shot, or who my baby daddy was, but I was sick every day leading up the appointment. I couldn’t even keep water down.

When I wasn’t barfing, I was crying. Rico hadn’t even attempted to talk to me the entire time, and I didn’t reach out tohim either. It was fuck him, but damn. Two whole weeks without even asking if I’m alive?

Lying in my bed in the fetal position, I forced myself to look at the past few years. How many times had it been weeks I hadn’t heard from him before I said something? Was he with other girls?

Was it Kisha? I always thought he had left her alone, but clearly, someone gave him the clap to give it to me.

I was in way over my head. I’d always been way over my head, but this was too much, even for me.

“Shit.”

I glanced at Auty’s phone before meeting her gaze, and braced myself.