14. Negative

ASTRID

“Thank you for tonight.” I said to Noah as he walked me to my dormitory.

Tonight was great and it was the first time in a long time that I laughed. Tyler was effortlessly funny and he made it easy for me after I belched out loud and he wouldn’t stop teasing me about it.

It’s also the first time I was seeing Noah in a different light. He’s always the type to say a few words and doesn’t give a fuck about what anyone thinks or how they felt.

I was a little nervous to enter the dorm although I knew the girls would be asleep.

“You are welcome and goodnight.” Noah said.

I waved at him before sneakily entering my room. The girls were sleeping and I knew I had a few hours more to sleep before class.

I undressed and changed into something comfortable for me before sleeping. I woke up the next month, a little earlier than the school alarm time because I didn’t want anyone to wake up and see me in the dormitory.

I got to class earlier than I should but I was a little nervous about how the day would turn out because of what happened last evening.

Students started coming into the class one after the other, each of them whispering loudly about me and that I was pregnant.

I didn’t know if I was and I was planning to find out soon. Noah did help me feel a little relaxed yesterday and I really wanted to thank him again today.

Adriana and her friends entered the class and I became uncomfortable. I knew that they were going to come at me and just as I said, they did.

“It’s physical health education after this class, how are you going to cope? Anyways that won’t be needed because you won’t be attending. And also I’ve told my mom that you are pregnant so you should be summoned soon concerning your dismissal.” She said with a smile on her face.

Upon the mention of the headmistress, I began to panic. The thought of that ruined my whole day. I already have a lot going on in my head and I'm stressed because I don’t know if I’m pregnant or not and this happens.

Noah entered the class and I waved my hand at him, wanting to greet him but he didn't respond. He simply looked at me for a brief second before looking away.

“Ouch. That was cold.” I said to myself mentally as I watched him walk past my desk.

Did I do or say something wrong? I couldn’t help but wonder. I heard side snickers but didn't pay attention to it.

“Good morning class.” Mr Isaac said.

“Astrid, you have been invited by the headmistress. You can go to her office now.” Mr Isaac informed me and upon hearing that, I felt the pit of my stomach churn.

I already knew why she was calling me. Adriana already told me why her mother would want to call me and the thought of getting kicked out of the academy again scared me.

I took up my bag from the floor and made my way out of the class, heading towards the headmistress office.

When I got there, I stood outside for a few seconds trying to encourage myself that it was going to be fine while fighting the tears that threatened to slip down my cheek anytime soon.

I took in a deep breath, exhaled deeply before knocking on the door of the headmistress.

“Come in.” I heard her say before opening the door and entering the room.

She took off her glasses when she saw me and gestured for me to sit on the chair. I did as told, my palms sweaty and my legs shaky.

“It wasn’t long when I asked you if you were pregnant and now I heard that you are.” The headmistress remarked.

A lot has happened in my life. It’s been thirteen days since I slept with Damien but because of the circumstances that surrounded me afterwards, it felt like a month and I didn’t want to convince myself that I was pregnant already.

“I’m not pregnand.” I said to her.

“But that’s not what I heard. You were caught buying a pregnancy test and it confirmed that you are pregnant. And you know the rules of the school.” She replied.

I shook my head. “I only got the test but I never used them. I am not pregnant.”

“Then why did you get the test? For someone else? You are contradicting your word Astrid. You got the test to know if you are pregnant but you aren’t pregnant because you haven’t used that? Is that it?”

“Yes… I mean no.” I replied.

She sighed deeply. “You know the rules of the academy and you are a student on scholarship. You are sponsored by the school and if anything, you have more duties than any other because you don’t have the funds to keep yourself here and you go get pregnant?”

“I…”

“We raise warriors, not Astrid's, not sluts.”

Ouch! Her words shot me hard in the chest.

“Since it has been confirmed that you are pregnant…”

“Please give me a chance to at least know if I’m pregnant or not before deciding my fate.” I quickly go on my knees, pleading for her to give me a chance.

“Alright then.” She said to my surprise.

“Take this.” She handed me a polythene bag. “There are two pregnancy tests. Go into my office bathroom and check for yourself.”

“If the result turns out negative, you are free to continue with your academies until you graduate but if it’s positive, pack your bags and leave the school immediately. She stated firmly.

With shaky hands, I took the polythene bag from her and went to her office bathroom.

I was trying so hard not to cry because I knew that it would do me more harm than good. The fate of my life depends on this moment and I was too scared.

It took me some seconds before I was able to use the test.

I looked away not wanting to see the result immediately. I couldn’t count the number of times I inhaled and exhaled deeply before taking the bold step to see the result.

“And what is the result?” The headmistress asked as I stepped out of her office.

I showed the two test results to her, feeling so relieved by the result. I have never felt so much at ease in my life.

“Negative.” I replied.