Chapter 5

It took all of three days before Naoko sensed something was up with me.

“You’re drinking tea,” she said accusingly early on a Wednesday morning. “You hate tea.”

I sipped my caffeine-free Earl Grey tea and cried inwardly. Taking a sip and trying not to cringe, I replied, “I don’t hate tea.”

“I distinctly remember us getting boba tea that one time and you almost burst into tears.” Naoko sat down next to me and crossed her legs, giving me her I’m onto you look that she was so good at. “Then you threw the tapioca balls at me after we’d left.”

My cup of tea had already turned lukewarm, and I set it down on a nearby table with a sigh. I’d been avoiding coffee because, according to Doctor Internet, caffeine would turn this fetus into a tentacled monster. Even though I wasn’t particularly attached to the fetus, I didn’t want to screw it over so early.

“I’m trying to cut back on caffeine,” I said.

“There’s caffeine in tea, you know.”

I glowered at my roommate. “You know what? You can lea