"Alice I swear to God if you don't stop that fucking pacing around, I'm going to flip out on you," I sneered at Alice from across the room. I couldn't help but be on edge as I endured quite possibly the scariest situation I had yet to be in. All the while she seemed amused by the circumstances.

"Empty threats Bella, empty threats," she giggled.

Alice stopped for a brief second, only to jut her neck out toward me in a 'come and get me' manner, then began pacing the tiled floor once again. She was making me more nervous by the minute.

I walked back over to the bathroom counter, where my bag full of what must have been six different pregnancy test brands lay. I pulled the plastic bag up letting all the boxes slide out onto the hunter green marble.

Alice rushed over to me. "Here, start with this one first. First Response is the most reliable test, it can detect the pregnancy hormone up to six days before your missed period," she quoted.

"Can it also detect it up to sixty days after a missed period?" I laughed, earning an eye roll from her.

I took the small pink box from her, opening up the cardboard flap and sliding the plastic package out onto the counter. Taking out the paper pamphlet, I carefully read over the directions. God knows I didn't know how the fuck these things worked, and I definitely wanted the results to come out accurately.

"It's simple Bella. You take the plastic stick, you pee on it, and then you wait for five minutes. It isn't rocket science," she laughed causing me to glare at her. As much fun as this all was for her, it was absolutely terrifying to me.

I removed the long plastic test from its shiny white package, examining it. It looked easy enough.

"Hey, remember when I was the one on the other end of that stick. Literally?" she asked opening up another one of the tests.

"Yeah, how could I forget? You were freaking out. I think you successfully bought out the Walgreens of all their pregnancy tests. How many did you take, like fourteen?" I asked, remembering that crazy day of walking into a bathroom full of test sticks. That day was the happiest I had ever seen Alice.

"It was ten, Bella," she corrected me. "And I had to be absolutely sure. You know those factories produce so many of these things per minute that there is always a chance of getting a fluke. It was better to be safe than sorry."

"I guess that explains why I have to use six different test brands then," I sighed. I was really not looking forward to this, at all. My stomach felt like a million tiny butterflies were fluttering around inside.

I walked across the beige tile slowly over to the toilet. The coldness of the tile on my bare feet made my toes curl up. I pulled down my white sweatpants along with my panties and sat down on the seat. As I looked down at the test I felt as though I was literally holding my future in my own hands. It all felt so outlandish and perverse to me.

I looked over to Alice who was now sitting propped up on the edge of the bathroom counter. When she caught my nervous eyes, she gave me a soft smile. Then she reached over and grabbed three of the other pregnancy tests, opening up each one and taking out the test stick.

"Okay, here's what you're gonna do. You're going to pee on the First Response then set it flat on the counter. Then I'll pass you each of these to do the same," Alice proclaimed.

"And then what?" I asked.

"Then...we wait five minutes."

I slid the test down in between my legs. It felt rather awkward and I was almost rethinking not just using a cup. It took about thirty seconds of sitting there before I could even start to urinate. Of course, when I actually needed the pee for a genuine purpose I wouldn't be able to go.

"Okay, that's enough. Now set it on the counter. Here." Alice handed me yet another stick to piss on.

Once all four tests had successfully been saturated, I got up from the toilet pulling up my pants. Immediately I went over to the sink to wash my hands mostly because my aim hadn't been precisely accurate and I needed something to distract me during the wait. As I pushed the knob turning off the water, a wave of nausea collided with me. I still couldn't connect the reality of what was really occurring. This could not be happening to me. I was anxious to get this all over with and prove to Alice that I was, in fact, not pregnant.

"Has it been five minutes yet?" I asked, wanting to know my fate.

"Chill Bella, it hasn't even been 60 seconds."

"Ugh, I feel like I'm going to hurl," I said, placing one of my hands over my sickened stomach.

"Well then it's a good thing you're standing right beside a toilet," Alice laughed. "Bella, it's going to be fine, I know it will be," she assured. She's always had a way of knowing the outcome of different situations. Surprisingly, she usually had been right in her assumptions. If by fine she meant that the tests would come back negative then I hoped that her prediction was accurate.

Alice walked over to the counter, staring down at all of the tests that were spread out. She picked up the First Response test letting it rest in her hand. She carefully placed it back down on the counter and examined the other three tests. All the while allowing no emotions show through her solemn expression.

"Wh-What do they say?" I couldn't stand not knowing, yet I was fearful of the conclusion at the same time.

Alice glanced up at me, her facial appearance still concealing the results. "Okay wait, just tell me if I'll like the outcome?" I pleaded.

"Bella, just come over here and see for yourself." She huffed and sat the test back down.

As I slowly walked over to my results, I felt like a prisoner on death row walking to the electric chair. Once I was at the counter, I slowly let my eyes drift down toward the tests. Staring back at me were First Response, Clearblue Easy, Accu-clear, and E.P.T. They all had the exact same response to show me.

I glanced over at Alice whose eyes were glistening with joy. I didn't really know whether to laugh or cry at that exact moment. So many different emotions were swarming through me and not at all the ones I had been expecting. I should have felt relief for finally knowing the outcome, but I didn't.

I looked back down at the tests lying flat on the marble. All I could think about was how much someone's life could change depending on how many lines showed up in that little window.