Since Forever Ago by Olivia Besse Page B

off the engine. “Besides, I went through this entire process with you, remember? ‘We’re totes twinsies.’”
    Riley couldn’t help but let out a tiny snort of laughter at his lame impersonation of Audrey before unbuckling her seatbelt and pushing the car door open. “Totes,” she repeated in a hollow voice, a feeling of dread washing over her as she stared at the clinic’s unassuming front door.
    Max noticed her quiet demeanor and reassuredly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, trying not to blush as he did. “I know he’s my friend and everything,” he began, clearing his throat uncomfortably before continuing. “But I really hate him for putting you through all of this.”
    Riley shot him a grateful smile before taking a deep breath. “Let’s just get this over with,” she muttered as he led her towards the entrance.
    The morning after that fateful night at the club, Riley had bombarded Max with a series of texts, demanding that he relay any information that he might have had on the sexual habits that Noah had employed with his army of sluts. Despite Max’s insistence that, no, he did not know if Noah had used protection during his dalliances, Riley continued to harass him well into the early afternoon. Fed up with her nagging and anxiety-fueled outbursts, Max had driven over to the distraught girl’s apartment and dragged her to the local health clinic for a comprehensive exam.
    “I don’t want to,” Riley had whined in protest. “I’m scared!”
    “I’ll get tested with you,” Max had offered, as he would have been willing to do anything to get her to stop whimpering. “We’ll do this together.”
    Sitting under the fluorescent lighting in the waiting room had been absolutely agonizing for the both of them, with Riley nervously wringing her hands as she stared off into the distance and Max flipping through a pile of precautionary pamphlets with a horrified expression on his face. Chronicling their respective sexual histories to the clinic workers had made them feel cheap and slightly petrified, prompting them to carefully observe their interviewers’ faces for any signs of judgment or disapproval. The poking and prodding that occurred within the sterile exam rooms had been somewhat humiliating, and the two had barely spoken a word to each other as they made their way back to Max’s car.
    The next few days had been torture for Riley, with her jumping at the mere trilling of her text message ringtone. The receptionist had informed them that the clinic would call in the event that there were any positive results, but that no call would be made if the findings were negative. When the provided time frame of 3-5 days had passed with no fateful call making an appearance, Riley had assumed that the silence simply meant that the clinic lost her phone number. And so, she had explained her theory to Max, who had rolled his eyes and begrudgingly picked her up for another trip to the health center so that she could receive an in-person confirmation of her results, whatever they might be.
    “All clear,” the nurse confirmed with a warm smile after flipping through the chart in her hands.
    “Are you sure?” Riley slowly asked, trying to peer at what was written on the lab paperwork. “Like, those are definitely my results?”
    “Definitely your results,” the nurse repeated before letting out a small chuckle. “You’re good to go!”
    After thanking the nurse profusely and even pulling the unsuspecting woman in for a hug, Riley practically skipped back out to the reception area, where Max was waiting for her with an amused smirk on his face. “To the pharmacy?” he joked, causing Riley to let out a relieved laugh as they headed towards the exit.
    “In celebration of our cleanliness, I’m going to buy you the greasiest, messiest, most disgusting pizza that we can find,” Max announced once he had started the car, looking over at her with a grin. “Sounds good?”
    “It’s a date,” Riley