Best Mistake

"What am I going to do?" I cried, my head in my hands. My knees were pulled up to my chest as I curled in a ball on the couch. Megan was sitting on the coffee table across from me, rubbing my back while trying to comfort me. "What am I going to do?" I asked again in a whisper.

"I know it sucks, but you have to tell him," Megan said with a lopsided smile and a shrug.

I shuddered. "I can not believe this is happening to me right now."

I got up from the couch and sauntered into the kitchen, absentmindedly beginning to pace.

"I can't either. Why didn't you use protection?" Megan asked, sliding onto one of the bar stools.

I glared at her for a second. I didn't know why we didn't use protection. It wasn't like I carried my birth control with me everywhere I went. As for Alex not using a condom, I couldn't answer for him either. I was sure neither one of us planned on even having sex that night. My palms began to sweat as I shrugged.

Megan's eyebrows rose, an accusatory look playing on her face. "Well no matter how it happened, it happened. You need to tell him, Whit."

My eyes began to brim with tears. "N-no, I don't," I stammered.

She scoffed. "So you're just going to have this guys kid and not tell him about it? Seriously? I can see how clearly hard this is on you. You didn't get in this situation by yourself. You shouldn't have to deal with this on your own. He has to know."

"What if I don't have it though?" I thought, and it made me shudder.

"You are going to have it, right?" she eyed me suspiciously. When all I did was glance at her nervously, her eyes shot open so wide I thought they were going to fall out of her skull. "Seriously?!"

"I don't know, Megan!" I shouted, slamming my hand down on the counter. "I don't fucking know what I'm going to do. I want to tell him, but at the same time, I don't. I'm so conflicted right now, I have no clue..." I trailed off, my voice cut short by my sobs.

Megan walked around the counter and pulled me into a tight hug while I cried into her shoulder. After a moment of comforting me, she pushed me away at an arms distance, keeping her hand on my shoulders. "Do you still have his number?"

I nodded and she disappeared for a second, returning with my phone already on Alex's contact information. She handed it to me and it felt like I was holding a bag of bricks. She slid back to the other side of the counter, leaning against it while I connected the call and put my phone up to my ear.

"Put it on speaker," she whispered. I glared at her again, but she reached up and turned it on, placing my phone on the counter. I waited while it rang, hoping he wouldn't pick up.

"Hello?" Alex said, picking up after the sixth ring.

I was so terrified I almost couldn't speak. "H-hey Alex."

"Who is this?" he asked. He sounded almost annoyed.

I glanced at Megan, who urged me to continue. "You probably don't remember me. This is Whitney, Whitney Pate. We hung out about a month ago?"

It sounded like he cursed under his breath and he mumbled something. I looked at Megan. "It sounds like he's not alone," she said.

I felt the blood drain from my face. Of course he wasn't alone. He was with Sophia.

"Is there...something I can help you with?" Alex asked in a hushed tone.

I began to panic. "Look, I know this is probably a really bad time and you were probably hoping you'd never hear from me again and I'm sorry but there's something really important I need to talk to you about but I need to do it in person is there any way I can meet up with you sometime soon," I blurted, my sentences meshing into one.

Alex was quiet for a second. "I really don't think-"

"Please, if it weren't important I wouldn't be bothering you," I interrupted.

He sighed exasperatingly. "Sure. You, uh, you in Baltimore?"

"Yes."

"Can you meet me at the Metro Coffeehouse tomorrow at 4:00?"

"Yes," I said again.

"Ok, see you then I guess." I heard him mumble another curse word before he hung up.

Notes