Chapter 6

Lily’s POV

I stood in front of the pharmacy shelves, pulling the hood of my hoodie tight over my face, my fingers hesitantly hovering over the various pregnancy test packages. These small boxes seemed to mock my ignorance and recklessness, each one silently judging me, reminding me that this could be the stupidest mistake of my life.

"Need any help, miss?"

The sudden voice startled me, and a female store clerk appeared behind me, wearing a professional smile on her face. I tightened my hat and lowered my head. No one here knew me, being twenty and pregnant wasn't something to be ashamed of. I didn't know why I was so desperate to hide.

"No, thank you. I'm just... browsing," I replied softly, avoiding eye contact.

The clerk nodded and left, but I felt her gaze carrying judgment. Maybe I was overthinking. My eyes returned to the shelves, and the price tags made me cringe. The digital pregnancy tests were much more expensive than the regular ones, but they were said to be more accurate. Should I buy two, three, or four?

I bit my lower lip, tears welling up in my eyes. If someone had told me a month ago that I would be standing here buying a pregnancy test today, I would have laughed at them and maybe even punched them in the face. But here I was, paying the price for my own foolishness and irresponsibility. Condoms existed, but I chose not to use them—I was on the pill, or at least supposed to be. Not that I was consistent with it. Deep down, I knew this was preventable.

A tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly wiped it away. This was entirely my fault. I tried to hide the tears, planting as much happiness in my mind as possible so they wouldn't fall, but before I knew it, it was too late, and I couldn't stop them. The first thing I did was look around, wiping away the tears. Luckily, it was still early, and there weren't many people on the street.

"Miss, are you okay?"

A young voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked down to see a boy of about ten, his brown eyes filled with concern. He couldn't have been more than ten, looking at me with kind, bright eyes. How bad could a child like him be?

"Christopher! I told you not to talk to strangers!" a male voice came from the end of the corridor.

I looked up and saw a familiar face - the man whose expensive suit I accidentally spilled a drink on a few weeks ago at the Skyline nightclub. He stopped in his tracks, clearly recognizing me. The first thought that flashed through my mind was to turn around and run.

"But she's crying, Joseph," the boy - Christopher - insisted, "You told me to help people."

"Yes, I meant those who need help," another voice said. I noticed a young man standing behind Joseph, his alert eyes scanning the surroundings, standing tall like a soldier.

Joseph approached me, a polite smile on his face. "Small world! You work at the Sullivan family's Skyline nightclub, right? I'm Joseph."

"Lily," I replied softly, then looked to the side.

"I'm Christopher," the boy introduced himself, pointing to the young man behind him, "That's Tyler. But, are you crying, miss?" The boy asked, and Tyler chuckled beside him.

Joseph's gaze lingered on my face, then shifted to the pregnancy test in my hand. "Why are you crying? Can I help?"

"I don't--"

"I think she's crying because she's pregnant!" Christopher said, pointing to the pregnancy test I failed to fully conceal.

Several customers in the pharmacy turned to look, and I felt my cheeks burning, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me. Joseph seemed to feel the awkwardness too, as he cleared his throat.

"You're here because... it's none of my business. I'm sorry, Christopher can be too direct sometimes."

"I don't want any babies," Christopher continued, completely unaware of how awkward the situation was, "To have a baby, you have to do that thing. I saw it on my brother's computer, on a site called--"

"Christopher!" Joseph cut him off sharply, while Tyler chuckled beside him.

I heard Tyler's mouth curve into a light smile for the first time, a satisfied expression on his face, while Joseph looked extremely embarrassed. He pursed his lips, and I couldn't help but laugh.

Joseph said, "Well, well, at least you made her happy."

Christopher flashed me a bright smile, shrugged his shoulders, and I shrugged mine too. Growing up in a group home, I knew very well that children did nothing but express innocence and show consideration for others, but that was exactly what I loved about them. I love kids.

"Are you crying because you might be pregnant?" Joseph asked softly, his voice suddenly gentle.

"No, I don't even know if I'm pregnant!" I defended, then realized I was just exposing more information. "I mean... it's just in case."

"Being able to raise a child is a blessing," Joseph said, his eyes holding an emotion I couldn't read, "although sometimes it's difficult."

"Can you keep this a secret?" I asked cautiously, feeling a bit embarrassed asking, but I knew he was with Nathan, and I couldn't let him find out, anyway.

Joseph looked at me, seemingly assessing my words. Finally, he nodded. "I don't know who I should tell, but of course, I can keep it." He gave me a warm smile.

We locked eyes for a moment, but after a while, I became shy and wanted to go home as soon as possible.

"Well, thank you for your advice and encouragement, but I really have to go," I apologized, patting Christopher's head.

"Goodbye, miss!" I heard Christopher call out behind me, but I had already disappeared, heading to the counter to pay for the pregnancy test.

Back in my rundown apartment in Brooklyn, I immediately rushed into the bathroom and tore open the pregnancy test packaging. My hands were shaking so badly, I could barely hold the small plastic stick.

Sitting on the toilet seat, waiting for the results felt like an eternity. My thoughts drifted to the past - the rebellious girl always getting into fights in high school, the college student who pursued a dance dream at New York University but dropped out due to not affording tuition, now 21, making a living by dancing at a nightclub, no plans, no future, just a pile of bills and more and more regrets.

The small window on the pregnancy test began to show the results, and I bit my lip, mustering the courage to look at it.

Two lines.

The digital screen blinked with the brutal truth: "Pregnant."