"I'm not pregnant!" She yells out loud, fist pumping the air. My eyes widen and I grab hold of her before placing my hand over her mouth.
"Shut up! They might hear you!" I hiss and she immediately grows silent before nodding in agreement. I pause, watching her with narrowed eyes before I slowly remove my hand from her mouth. Thankfully, she doesn't begin screaming about her pregnancy test results again.
"That was so close," I tell her, blowing out the breath I've been holding in anticipation the entire time. Ivory nods, mumbling an agreement. She bends down to retrieve the pregnancy test box from the floor. "What shall I do with this?"
I shrug, looking around the bathroom for a good hiding spot.
"You could put it behind the toilet? No-one will look there. Don't forget to throw the test away before someone finds it." I point at the test on the floor and Ivory nods before picking it up. A wide smile lights up her face and I don't think I've ever seen her look so relieved.
"If I didn't pee on this thing, I'd kiss it." She giggles, holding the stick up in the air. I laugh at her, shaking my head in disbelief from the entire pregnancy scare. I begin to wonder how Ivory's life would be like with a baby —
"Would you have kept it if you were pregnant?" I ask her, curious to know her answer. Ivory pauses, nibbling on her lower lip as she thinks hard about her answer. After a few seconds, she nods.
"I think I would. I'm so young and both Ben and I have the rest of our lives to have children so I'm grateful that I'm not. I honestly never want to have sex again." She cringes, glancing down at the box and test in her hands. She's definitely had a lucky escape, not that a baby isn't a blessing. A baby should be born into a life where both parents are ready for the life changing decision.
"I'm sure Ben can fix the sex thing," I respond, reaching forward to knock her shoulder playfully. She rolls her eyes at me, a pink tint covering her cheeks. A knock on the bathroom door interrupts the conversation and we both freeze on the spot, snapping our head towards it.
"Oh no." Ivory whispers, her eyes widening. There's another knock this time, more impatient and demanding this time.
"Ivory? Hurry up in there!" Jake yells from the other side. I release a small gasp, my eyes connecting with Ivory's that flash with fear. She mouths help over to me, waving the used test and box in the air. We have to get rid of the evidence. I lunge forward and take hold of the box before stuffing it down my top. The cardboard presses uncomfortably in my skin and Ivory whimpers, glancing around frantically. Eventually she also stuffs the test down her bra and I snort in laughter before slapping my hand over my mouth.
"If you don't open this door soon, I'm going to kick it down! God, I knew drinking all that eggnog was a bad idea." Jake mutters on the other side. I roll my eyes and stifle a laughter as I picture him desperately crossing his legs on the other side of the door. Ivory inhales sharply, squaring back her shoulders before she steps forward and unlocks the door. She plasters a wide smile on her face and Jake glares at her in return. His eyes flicker over to me and immediately they fill with confusion.
"Emily? Why are you two in here. . . together?" He asks, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. I smile brightly at him, nerves beginning to take over.
"I was helping her." I respond quickly which isn't entirely a lie.
"With what?" Jake asks. Crap, I haven't thought of an answer for that. I begin to stutter miserably, looking at Ivory for help. My eyes widen at her in panic —
"Periods!" Ivory yells, nodding over enthusiastically. If she doesn't tone it down, Jake will definitely suspect something. I watch as his face crumples up further in confusion.
"Periods? You were helping Ivory with her period?" Jake says, sounding slightly disgusted as he looks at me. I shake my head, thinking fast.
"She asked me to bring her some painkillers for period cramps. I'm not physically helping her with a period Jake." I chuckle nervously. He doesn't look entirely convinced but he nods slowly.
"The eggnog is seriously stirring in my stomach right now." He comments, holding his hand to his mouth. I take hold of Ivory by the arm, dragging her past Jake and out of the bathroom.
"Great! That's our cue to leave." I smile at him over my shoulder as we scurry away. He watches me with suspiciously narrowed eyes before shrugging and disappearing inside the bathroom. Once we're safely away from him, I burst out into laughter, falling inside my bedroom with Ivory right behind me.
"That was so close," I whisper as I turn towards her, the relief crystal clear in my voice.
"Thank you Em, you literally saved me from eternal humiliation and regret." Ivory says gratefully. She leans forward, pulling me in for a hug. The box inside my top behind to dig into my skin further but I embrace her back just as tightly. When I pull away, I give her a questionable look —
"Periods? Really? You need to work on your last minute lies." I laugh and she giggles sheepishly.
"I panicked. Guys hate period's, especially Jake. One time he saw my tampon box in the bathroom and completely freaked out. He threw them out the window." She tells me, looking completely unimpressed by her cousin. I burst into a fit of laughter, picturing Jake Melvin freak out over a box of tampons.
"Let's hope he doesn't remain freaked out forever. On my last period a few months ago, he was so sweet. He bought me
