Come Around

Cassie stared at the small box in front of her. Plan B stared back at her. All she could think was that at twenty three years old, she should be past this.

"It's not going to swallow itself," Angie said, opening the box and handing the pill to her friend, "How does this stuff work anyway?"

"It's a large dose of the same hormone used in most birth control pills. I take one now, and another one in twelve hours and it lowers my chance of getting pregnant by eighty nine percent," Cassie said, reciting what the pharmacist had told her almost word for word and Angie nodded. Cassie popped the pill in her mouth and took a drink of water, "I just can't believe I was so stupid," she said.

"You got caught up in the moment," Angie said, "It could've happened to anyone."

"But it shouldn't have happened. I know better than this."

Angie sighed, "Cass," she said.

"There's no excuse for this, Angie. It's not like I don't know first hand what happens when you have unprotected sex. I'm not an irresponsible teenager. I'm an adult," she said.

"An adult who insists on pushing her feelings for a certain person away," Angie said, "I'm not saying you had this coming, but I am saying that you've had this glow ever since you and Alex started getting closer."

Cassie sighed loudly, "Now is not the right time for that conversation, Ang," she said.

"Fine, but you're going to have to admit it to yourself sometime, you know. Otherwise you're going to end up regretting it."

"Seriously, Angie," Cassie said, "Not now."

Angie sighed again, "You wanna watch a movie?" she asked, finally listening to her friend and dropping the subject.

"Sure," Cassie said, pushing her chair away from the table and going into the living room.

She plopped into the big reclining chair and curled up. Angie put a movie in the DVD player and sat on the couch, trying not to worry about Cassie. She had a habit of beating herself up over things.

Near the end of the movie, Cassie began to shift awkwardly in the chair and after about ten minutes of this, Angie finally turned to her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Cassie shook her head, "I feel like shit," she said.

"Mentally, emotionally or physically?" Angie asked.

"All of the above," Cassie said, "But mostly physically right now. I think I'm going to be sick."

Cassie stood and headed for the bathroom. She grabbed a hair band from the cabinet and pulled her hair back before dropping to the floor and leaning over the toilet. It wasn't long before the contents of her stomach were emptied into the porcelain bowl. When she finished, she gasped for air, tears running down her face.

"Fuck," she mumbled to herself.

Angie leaned against the door frame, "Is there anything I can get you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Cassie said, leaning back over the bowl as more came up. Angie sat on the floor next to Cassie and rubbed her back. When she finally stopped vomiting, Cassie said, "A doctor who will remove my uterus."

Angie couldn't help but laugh, "I'm glad you still have your sense of humor," she said, hugging her best friend.

"I'm half serious, you know. It would make life so much easier."

"We both know you don't really want that. You want to be a mom someday," Angie said quietly.

Cassie nodded and the girls stayed seated on the floor. After awhile, Angie stood, offering Cassie a hand. She gladly took it and lifted herself up from the floor and wiped her eyes.

"I hate throwing up," she said.

"Who doesn't?" Angie asked, walking out of the bathroom and leaving Cassie to brush her teeth.

Just as she was finishing, her phone rang. Reaching into her pocket for it, she sighed. Someone had impeccable timing. She looked at the caller ID, debating whether she should answer it or not.

"Hello?" she said, deciding that she might as well.

"Hey," he said.

"I'm kind of surprised you're calling me," she said quietly.

"Why?" he asked.

"I thought you were mad at me."

He sighed quietly, "Well, actually, that's why I called. I think we should talk."

Cassie's stomach flip flopped, and not because she was nervous, "Now isn't really a good time," she said.

"We need to talk, Cassandra," he said, sounding rather impatient.

"Okay Alex, I understand that. But now is seriously a bad time. I'm going to be sick," she said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asked, now obviously confused.

"Hold on," she said, dropping her phone on the counter and falling to the floor in front of the toilet again.

The acid from her stomach burned her throat and her eyes watered. After what felt like forever, she was finally able to breathe again. She felt weaker every time she vomited. Tears of frustration streamed down her face. She didn't bother to wipe them away and reached for her phone.

"I really can't talk right now," she said, her voice hoarse.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his words dripping with worry.

"I just don't feel well," she said.

"Do you want me to come over? I can bring some crackers and make ramen for you and take care of you," he said.

Cassie sighed, "Why are you so sweet to me even when I'm mean to you?" she asked.

He let out a tiny laugh, "I think you know the answer to that without me having to say it," Alex said and she stayed quiet, "I'll be there in a little while," he said.

"As much as I appreciate the offer, it's really not necessary. Angie is here and she doesn't mind playing mommy to me. It's so rare that I'm sick, and I think she secretly enjoys it."

"But I want to."

"I know," Cassie said, "But you should do something fun instead. Have a guys day or something. You'll enjoy hanging out with your friends a lot more than taking care of someone who is always mean to you."

Alex sighed, "Okay, I guess," he said.

"I'll be fine. And I'll call you when I feel better, okay?" she said.

"Sure," he said, "Whatever you want."

Now it was Cassie's turn to sigh, "Please don't be mad over this," she said.

"I'm not. I'm giving you space because that's obviously what you want. I'll talk to you whenever," he said and hung up.

Cassie pulled herself up and brushed her teeth again before returning to living room. She sat in the chair she had been in before and watched the end of the movie. When the credits started rolling, she sighed.

"I think Alex made me feel even worse than before," she said.

"Did you talk to him?" Angie asked.

Cassie nodded, "He called me and wanted to talk. Then I threw up again and he was acting all worried and wanted to come over and take care of me. I told him not to and now he's mad all over again," she said.

Angie raised her eyebrows, "Why did you tell him not to come?" she asked.

"Because I'm not sick. It's just the side effects of that stupid pill I took. And I don't feel like explaining that to him right now."

Angie sighed and shook her head. Her best friend was far too stubborn for anyone's good.