I shut the door and brought the pizza into the kitchen. I grabbed a couple plates and opened up the box. The smell hit me, and I wasn’t sure what the fuck was on this pizza.
“What did you order?” I yelled to Thomas.
“Anchovies, pineapple, and garlic with a barbecue sauce.” He called back.
“That’s… huh?” We were going to have to talk about pizza choices for the future. “That’s just fucked up.”
“It sounded good when I ordered it.”
“Is this what you normally eat?” I carried the plates into the living room, where he was sitting up and waiting.
“No.” He shrugged and held out his hands. “But it was what I wanted for some reason. It just sounded good. Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“I usually get sausage and pepperoni, so…” I handed him the plate. He immediately started eating ravenously.
“God, I was so hungry.” He moaned.
“Stan… Do you know Stan the Man?” I asked, and Thomas looked at me blankly as he enjoyed his pizza. “Anyway, Stan makes this vanilla extract that is the best I have ever had. I… uh… I like to bake and…”
“You bake? That’s so cute.” He grinned.
“Well, I usually burn the cookies, so… But anyway, I always buy this from him every year, so it’s fresh because he somehow makes it and sells it. He really should open up his own business or something. Smell it.” I unscrewed the top and held it under his nose. He took a big whiff, and a sense of calm overcame him.
“It smells a lot like you – without the ginger. That’s strange. The pizza kind of does too.”
We ate and afterward lay together on the couch watching some Lifetime movie about a cannibal fraternity who killed sorority girls and ate them. It was horrible – just like the pizza. But I didn’t tell him that. As long as it was with Thomas, I didn’t really care.
14
THOMAS
This cannotbe happening. My heat didn’t come. It always comes like fucking clockwork. But this month, the day passed. The week passed. I wondered if it were just late because of finding my mate, so I waited and waited.
It never came.
I didn’t tell Darren. There was no point in getting him worried or worked up. We had both decided that we were going to be careful so this didn’t happen. It was too soon. He was too young. We were both working hard right now, and he was preparing for finals.
I withdrew some. It was like I was in a catatonic state whenever I thought about it – and it was all I could fucking think about. Darren was busy with practice and classes, and even though I spent every night with him, he hadn’t realized what was really wrong. Of course, he didn’t – Alphas…
But I had gotten concerned enough that I made an appointment with the campus doctor, and when he had me take the test… Surprise Mister Professor and Mister Student! You get to be parents at what is probably the worst time in the world for either one of you.
Not me. I’m… I could do this. But my mate – my Darren – he still has three more years of school left, at least. He has dreams and aspirations that he needs to see through, and I will not be the impetus for his giving up on them. No fucking way.
So, what did I do? I called the only voice of reason I currently had in my life.
“Well, hey!” Robert picked right up. I thought his classes were done for the day. As soon as I heard his voice, I started sobbing. “How are you? I have so much to tell you that… Shit. What’s wrong, Juvie. Thomas? Are you ok?”
“No… I don’t think I am, Doc.” I took a deep breath and tried to keep my voice steady. “I’m not sure what to do, and I’m looking for some advice.”
“Did something happen, Thomas? Do you need me to come where you are?” He said soothingly. This is why I called Doc. When you’re having an emergency, you can always count on him.
“No. I’m hiding in my office and…” I couldn’t say it. I took a deep breath and let it out before I could get my voice back in my own control. “I’m pregnant. It’s really early, so…” I sniffed and wiped my nose. It felt so good to admit this to someone else after all the worrying I had been doing before I found out.
“How long?”
“It will be two months soon.” I choked.
“Did you tell… uh…”
