baby mine • chapter one • unexpected
The whole thing starts innocently enough. Some tenderness in her breasts and a sudden distaste for the smell of coffee, the taste of almonds. Veronica chalks it up to fluctuating hormones and doesn’t think much of it.
Then comes the bloating and the exhaustion. She can barely keep her head up and her eyes open in class, and her teachers start to notice. When they ask her about it, Veronica tells them it’s because she hasn’t been sleeping well. They look at her with worry and pity, nodding along and telling her that they understand before eventually dropping the subject.
Betty is her rock; calling off Cheryl when she berates Veronica for being too tired to participate in Vixen practice and telling her redheaded cousin to give her a break after the past few months she’s had.
Kevin starts carrying her bag and textbooks for her between classes, because she’s too tired to do it herself. And even Moose helps her with her duffel and equipment after practice.
Reggie, Sweet Pea, and Fangs come downstairs to set up for the night to find their boss curled up on one of the velvet couches, sound asleep, still in her Pop’s uniform. And when she leaves at the end of the night, one of them tails her, just to make sure she gets home safe and sound.
Josie glances anxiously at Reggie when Veronica falls asleep behind the bar during her set one night. When he goes over to wake her up, she’s snoring.
Occasionally, her mother will look at her oddly and ask her if she’s alright. But her father just assumes it’s because of Archie and ignores it, going about his business just as he always has, although he takes every opportunity to throw digs her way.
She’s emotional beyond belief. One minute she’s laughing, the next she’s sobbing. Veronica blames stress, hormones, and lack of sleep. Then one morning in late November, about a week after Thanksgiving to be exact, she jolts awake and has to sprint to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she throws up. She thinks perhaps she has a virus. It is that time of year, after all, and she’s been feeling nauseous for a while now.
Despite the early hour, her mind starts turning and she rushes back into her room, yanks open her vanity drawer and grabs her birth control. She quickly realizes two things: first, it’s not a virus, and second, she’s late. Very late.
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