Immaculate by Katelyn Detweiler Page A

detail of our past. But we weren’t just in the woods for a pleasant stroll down memory lane.
    I sighed. “I think it’s time I head down and get this over with.”
    The girls nodded, and we each gave one final glance around the house before making our way back down to the ground. Who knew how long until we’d all be up there again together? Years?
    Maybe never.
    We walked back over to the blanket, and I skimmed through the instructions again to be absolutely sure I had the steps down. It all seemed simple enough: remove the cap and put the tip in my stream of pee for at least five seconds, lay the test down flat to develop, and wait three minutes for the results. The three minutes of waiting would no doubt be the trickiest part of the process.
    â€œAll right, then,” I said, grabbing all four sticks from the boxes, two of each kind, and started toward the bank of the creek. “I guess you can just close your eyes or something? Or don’t. I don’t really care, to be honest. I’m just so glad you’re both here, because there’s no way I could be doing this by myself.” I was shaking as I said it, the plastic sticks tapping against one another in my hands.
    â€œI’ll help you,” Hannah said, jumping up from the blanket. “I’ll grab the used sticks and hand you the new ones, make sure they’re set up flat afterward.”
    â€œCount me out,” Izzy said, her lips puckered in disgust. “I love you, Meen, don’t get me wrong, but I do have my limits.”
    â€œHannah, are you sure you’re okay with that?” I asked, ignoring Izzy.
    â€œI want to do it. Don’t worry about it.” Her voice was so calm and sympathetic, the way my mother would have sounded if this had been a moment I could have shared with her.
    I hoped that the next time I’d be taking a pregnancy test—some day in the very ridiculously distant future—I’d be ecstatic and overcome with happy, excited tears. I hoped that the next time, I’d be able to call my mom afterward and scream the good news to her over the phone.
    But I had Hannah and Izzy by my side, and in the moment they were more than enough. More than any girl in my predicament could have hoped for.
    Hannah looked away and I squatted, willing it to happen despite the highly unusual circumstances. I held the first stick out as soon as I felt a trickle. Hannah grabbed it when I was done and handed me stick two, and between both of our efforts, there were four pink-tipped tests lying flat on top of their boxes before I even realized it had all happened.
    â€œThanks, Hannah.” I grabbed her hand as we made our way back to the blanket. “You made that much easier.”
    â€œOf course, Meen. Now we just have to think about something else for a few minutes.”
    The three of us sat in silence, at a loss for what in the world we could possibly talk about for the next one hundred and eighty seconds besides those four sticks.
    â€œSo . . .” Hannah started, an unfamiliar grin spreading over her face. “I’ve decided I’m definitely going to apply to Ole Miss this fall. I’m sure I probably won’t get in, and even if I do, I can’t honestly imagine being that far away from you guys . . . wherever you guys will be, that is . . . But don’t you think it would be fabulous to be surrounded by so many dashing Southern gentlemen? That’d be a nice change of scenery. And I’m pretty sure I could pass for a sweet little blonde Southern belle.”
    â€œSeriously?” Izzy choked out, her voice sputtering. “What happened to our pact to not be more than three hundred miles away from one another? What about our weekend road trips? I can’t exactly hop in my Jeep and drive to Mississippi for a night if I end up at Penn State, can I?”
    I looked up at Hannah, her cheeks blazing deep pink. I was just as