The Test That Changed Everything

Emma's POV

The pregnancy test fell from my hands. It hit the bathroom floor and broke into two pieces.

I looked down at the broken plastic. My hands were shaking so much I could not breathe well. Two pink lines. I could see them clearly. There was no mistake.

I was going to have Jake Sullivan's baby.

My legs felt weak. I sat down on the cold floor and pulled my knees close to my chest. This could not be real. Not now. Not when Jake was so close to getting everything he wanted in life.

I could hear sounds coming from my laptop. It was playing videos from last night's hockey practice. Jake's practice. He had made the most beautiful goal I ever saw. After that, he kissed me like he never wanted to let me go. He told me we would be together forever.

That was only twelve hours ago. Twelve hours ago, I thought I knew what would happen in my future.

Now everything was different.

I crawled across the bathroom floor. I picked up the broken pieces of the test. The pink lines were still there. They seemed to be laughing at me. My school books were on my desk. They reminded me of the job I wanted to have. Now those dreams seemed impossible.

Jake was about to start his last year at State University. NHL scouts were already calling him on the phone. This was supposed to be his best season. The one that would make him a professional hockey player. Everyone said he was going to be a star.

A baby would ruin all of that.

I put my back against the bathroom wall. I closed my eyes and thought about last night at the ice rink. Jake was practicing by himself. He was working on his shots in the empty building. I had gone there in secret to watch him. I always did that during our summer love story.

When he saw me in the seats, his whole face became happy. That smile made every girl at school feel weak. But it was just for me. He skated over to where I was standing. His blue eyes were bright under the lights.

He had asked me if I saw his goal. He was breathing hard from practice. His dark hair was messy from his helmet. Sweat made his practice shirt stick to his strong chest. He said his coach would be very excited when he saw the video.

I had put my face against the glass between us. I told him it was perfect.

The word meant much more than just his hockey shot.

Jake's eyes got darker. He jumped over the wall and landed next to me. He put his hands on my face and kissed me. The kiss made my knees feel weak.

The kiss tasted like winning and summer nights and everything I never wanted to lose. His body was still warm from practice. I felt like I was melting. This was our secret world. We had stolen moments in empty buildings where no one could judge us for loving each other even though we came from different kinds of families.

When we stopped kissing, the real world came back. August was almost over. Jake would go back to college soon. Our perfect summer would end.

I had whispered that I did not want this to end. I put my hands on his practice shirt. I told him I did not want him to go back to college. I said I would miss him so much it would hurt my body.

Jake used his thumb to wipe away a tear I did not know was there. He called me baby and told me not to cry. He said he was doing all of this for me. For us. He said that once he got picked for the NHL, we would not have to hide anymore. We would have everything we ever dreamed about.

I started to say "but what if" but he stopped me.

He said no "what ifs." He put his forehead against mine. He said we were going to make it. He promised me that. But he made me promise something too. He made me promise I would not go back to that loser Marcus while he was gone. He made me promise I was his, only his.

Marcus was my old boyfriend. He was safe and boring. He was everything Jake was not.

I promised him. I said never. I told him he was the only one I wanted. Jake Sullivan. The only one I would ever want.

He kissed me again. It made me feel dizzy and want more. When he stopped, his eyes made a promise that made my heart feel happy.

He said "Forever, Emma Reed. You and me, forever."

Forever.

Now I was sitting on my bathroom floor with a broken pregnancy test in my hands. That word felt like a mean joke.

Someone knocked hard on my door. My heart started beating fast against my chest.

A voice said "Emma? Are you in there, honey?"

I stopped moving. That voice was cold and bossy. It belonged to Margaret Sullivan. Jake's mother. Why was she at my dorm room?

Fear went through me like lightning. The pregnancy test pieces were still in my hands. I put them behind my back and stood up.

The voice said "Emma, I know you are in there. We need to talk."

My hands were shaking as I opened the door. I put on a fake smile. I said "Mrs. Sullivan! What a surprise. Jake did not tell me you were visiting the school."

Margaret Sullivan stood in my doorway like a queen looking at a poor person. Her silver hair was pulled back perfectly. Her expensive clothes probably cost more money than I paid for a whole semester at school. Her cold blue eyes were so different from Jake's warm ones. She looked at me like I was trash.

She asked "May I come in?"

It was not really a question.

I moved to the side. My mind was going fast. Margaret had never talked to me before. I was pretty sure Jake had never even told his family about me. We had agreed to keep our relationship secret until he was successful. Until it did not matter that we came from different kinds of families.

I said "Of course, please come in." I pointed to my tiny dorm room. I suddenly knew how poor it must look to someone like her.

Margaret's sharp eyes went right to my hands behind my back. She said "What is in your hand, dear?"

My blood felt like ice. I said "Nothing, I just..."

Before I could do anything, she stepped forward. She took the pregnancy test pieces from my hands. Her face went white when she saw the pink lines. Then she slowly looked up at me.

She said "You are pregnant."

It was not a question. It was like she was blaming me for something terrible.

I opened my mouth to speak. But Margaret was already reaching into her expensive purse. She took out a checkbook and started writing.

She said "Here is what is going to happen." She did not look up. "You are going to take this money. You will disappear from my son's life. You will get rid of your little problem. Jake is about to become great. I will not let some gold-digging college girl destroy everything he has worked for."

I said "Mrs. Sullivan, I love Jake. I would never..."

She laughed. The sound was sharp enough to cut glass. She said "Love? You think this is love? You are nineteen years old, Emma. You have no idea what love is. What you have is a stupid crush that is about to ruin two lives."

She tore the check from the book. She held it out to me. The amount made my knees feel weak. Fifty thousand dollars. More money than my family had ever seen.

She said "Take it. Take it, get rid of the baby, and disappear. Or I will destroy not just Jake's career, but your whole future. I have connections at every university in the country. Every sports marketing company you might dream of working for. Cross me, and you will find yourself with no job and ruined before you can blink."

The room started spinning around me. This felt like a bad dream.

I whispered "I will not hurt Jake. I love him."

Margaret's smile was pure ice. She said "Then prove it. If you really love my son, you will do what is best for him. And what is best for him is a life without you and whatever mistake you are carrying."

She put the check on my desk. She walked toward the door. She stopped only to say one last mean thing.

She said "You have twenty-four hours to decide, Emma. Take the money and disappear. Or watch me destroy everything you and Jake have ever cared about. Oh, and one more thing. If you think running to Jake will help you, think again. I have photos of you with three different men this summer. One phone call from me, and Jake will believe you are nothing but a cheating woman who got pregnant and is trying to trap him."

The door slammed shut behind her.

I looked at the check on my desk. Then I looked at the broken pregnancy test pieces still on my floor. Margaret's last threat kept playing in my ears. Photos with other men? What photos? Then I remembered. I had been helping male classmates study for extra money. Innocent study times that Margaret had somehow made look like proof I was cheating.

Twenty-four hours to choose between the love of my life and his whole future.

But as I sat down on my bed, one scary thought filled my mind. What if Margaret's photos looked real enough to make Jake believe I had been unfaithful?

What if the choice had already been made for me?

What if no matter what I chose, I was going to lose Jake forever?