Alpha’s Baby(17)

“The most that’s going to happen is they will disband Alpha and Kappa.” I snorted. I had so wanted to join a frat, and now, I didn’t give two shits about it. “And from my point of view, that’s not really a bad thing.”

Bella let out a sigh as I turned a corner and Rite-Aid came into view. “I really hope you’re right, Stefan.”

“Trust me,” I said with more confidence than I felt in order to reassure her. “I am.”

A minute later, I pulled into the parking lot and quickly took a vacant parking space in front of the store. I turned off the engine and looked over at Bella.

Bella pulled up her hoodie, undid her seat belt, and opened her door. I could see her hands shaking. She was scared shitless. I couldn’t blame her. It hurt that I had partly caused her anxiety.

I placed a comforting hand on her arm before she could climb out of the vehicle. “Bella?”

Bella sniffed, taking the back of her hand and wiping at her cheek. I almost pulled her into my arms. “Yeah?”

“Don’t worry about any of this, okay? No matter what happens, everything is going to be all right. I’m going to be here for you, whatever the result.”

Gratitude briefly replaced the worry in her eyes. “Thank you, Stefan,” she replied softly. “That really means a lot.” It was kind of strange, Bella being so fragile. In a way, I kind of liked it, given the circumstances. She’d always been a bitch to me, and now, I was the one she was going to have to look to for support. I was now Bella’s protector.

Bella began to climb out of the car, but I called her again.

“Bella.”

“Yeah?”

I wiped at the sweat that had begun to bead my brow. “Hold on, would you? I’ll come in with you.”

Bella shook her head, waving me off. “It’ll be easier if I do it alone. I’ll be right back.”



Bella





Pulling the stuffy hoodie off my head, I strolled into the pharmacy, feeling weak in the knees, my pulse increasing by the second. It was all so surreal. Here I was, going to buy a pregnancy kit to find out if I was pregnant with my stepbrother's baby.

“You need any help, Miss?” asked a deep voice as I neared the female hygiene aisle.

I looked up into the eyes of a handsome employee. He looked around my age, and in a way, he reminded me of Stefan with his dirty-blond hair and blue eyes. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt covered by an apron, he had a smile plastered on his face that showed off a pair of dimples and straight, white teeth.

Oh, hell, I thought in exasperation. Not now.

“No, I’m fine,” I muttered. “Thanks for asking.”

He peered at me closely, refusing to take the hint. “Is everything all right? You look kind of pale.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated. “It’s just the weather. I hate rainy days.”

The blond continued to look at me. “Hey, do you go to NSU?”

“No,” I lied. I nervously cast a glance out the store window and wondered if Stefan could see me talking to the guy. With how jealous Stefan seemed to get at the thought of me wanting to sleep with another guy, the last thing I needed was him seeing a cute guy chatting it up with me.

The worker’s features twisted into a thoughtful expression. “I could have sworn that I’ve seen you around somewhere. Hey, I know where I saw you. You’re that chick who—”

I began moving away. “Sorry, gotta go. My grandma is stuck at home, sick with severe constipation. I need to get her an enema and get back to her fast!”

That will make him leave me alone, I thought as I quickly rushed past him and made my way to the opposite side of the store. Once I was sure the nosy fellow had gone off helping another costumer, I made my way back to the feminine hygiene aisle.

Each step I took toward the pregnancy tests felt heavier than the last. By the time I stood in front of all the choices, my heart was pounding within my chest like a smith’s hammer. I stood there, transfixed, almost overwhelmed by a range of products. Eventually, I settled on a box labeled First Response.

I paid quickly and walked into the tiny bathroom, closing the door behind me and locking it. The sound of the clicking lock sounded like my doom.

I walked over to the sink and opened the box. Two lines for positive, one line for negative.

After I was done, I waited anxiously, my limbs trembling. Three minutes. The box had said to wait for three minutes.

The time seemed to tick by very slowly, each second seeming like an eternity. When it was time, I closed my eyes, willing the test to be negative. After praying desperately for another minute, I popped open my eyes and stared at the test.

A shocked gasp escaped my throat, and then a sound that I didn’t even know was possible, a sound that reminded me of my soon to be destroyed life.