Ups and Downs

Tay.

The first Friday of the school year was here quickly. I got out of bed to start the day and felt dizzy. I ran to the bathroom as the world was spinning around me. I began to throw up and soon my sister Lindsey was holding my hair back.

"Mom! Tay's throwing up!" she yelled out to our mom. My mom came into the bathroom and took Lindsey's spot while I continued to throw up. I started crying as this went on for about 20 minutes.

"Shh, shh, sh. It's okay," my mom soothed me as she rubbed my back. "Do you want to stay home?" my mom asked. I shook my head. I knew that if I didn't go to school there would be no way she would let me go to the party tonight.

"No. I want to see if I can do it. I feel better," I told her with a smile.

"Well, you don't have a fever. Hurry up and get ready, Alex will be here soon," she said, feeling my forehead then kissing it before leaving the bathroom. I sighed, picked myself up off the floor, and got ready for the day.

~

"She was throwing up this morning. Just keep an eye on her, okay?" I heard Lindsey tell Cass as I came around the corner.

"Yeah, of course," Cass answered. She came over to me at my locker.

"You were throwing up?" she asked. I nodded but didn't say anything.

"Who was throwing up?" Sierra asked as she went to her locker.

"Tay was apparently. This morning."

"What? Why?" I sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. I woke up feeling dizzy and the next thing I knew I had spent about 25 minutes throwing up," I told them nonchalant. "But I'm fine now. I'll see you guys later," I added as I scurried away to class.

~

"Tay," Cass said as she caught my arm. It was right before lunch, but I wasn't sure if I was up to eating after this morning.

"Yeah?"

"Sierra and I both started our periods on Tuesday. Did you?" she asked concerned. I shook my head. All three of us have been matched up without fail since about 8th grade. "Are you...?" I shrugged. I knew exactly what she was getting at, but I was going to be in denial for as long as I could. "When was the last time you and Alex?"

"Right before they left." Alex and I had started being intimate around the six month mark. We started dating right before my freshman year. We met through my older sister who was dating his friend Zack at the time. We had been together for just over a year now.

"Were you safe?" I shook my head. We were pretty inconsistent about condom use. That hadn't been a problem until now. "Oh, Tay," Cass said sympathetically. I shrugged again and looked at the ground.

"Hey, babe," Alex said as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed me. I quickly shot Cass a warning glance before Rian took her away to our lunch table.

"Hey," I finally answered Alex with a fake smile.

"Are you okay? Sam said you had gotten sick this morning."

"Yeah. I'm fine." We sat down with all of our friends. I was lost in my own world before the smell of someone's food started to get to me. I ran into the bathroom with Cass and Sierra following after me. I threw up again and again. Cass was looking at me with even more sympathy as Sierra held my hair back. Cass handed me a piece of gum once I was finished.

"Tay, are you sure you're alright?" Alex asked as I sat back down at the table. I nodded my head before resting it on my arms. Alex rubbed my back and I could feel the tears threatening to fall.

"I need to go," I mumbled. I got up and wandered the halls by myself until it was time for the last class of the day.

"Hey, I'm gonna come over early so we can get ready for the party together, alright?" Cass said as she got to class. I nodded. Today I just wasn't capable of words. She sighed and patted my back before going to her seat.

~

"Taylor! Cass is here!" my mom yelled from downstairs. She was very apprehensive of me going to the party when I had been getting sick all day.

"Hey," Cass said softly as she walked into my room.

"Hey," I responded, barely audible. I was curled up in bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"Awful. It seems like the smell of everything is making me puke. My body wash was even making me queasy. And that's my favorite scent!" I complained. Cass nodded slowly before reaching into her bag.

"I got something for you," she told me as she handed me a pregnancy test.

"Cass, I -"

"Just take it Tay." I sighed as I got out of bed and went into the bathroom. I followed the instructions then went back to Cass. I handed her the test.

"I can't look at it." She nodded as she waited for the results to appear.

"Tay, I don't think you should go to the party tonight."

"Why?"

"You're pregnant," she answered as she turned the test around.