Free Hand of Thorns by Ashley Beale Page A

pissed would be the greatest understatement.
    As soon as the bathroom door closes, she starts in on me. "What the hell was that? What aren't you telling me?!"
    "I... just... it's..." I stutter, unable to tell her the truth. Because how do I do that?
    "You just, it's... it's what? You're not telling me something!" Her voice grows louder.
    Bowing my head, I say, "I didn't want to tell you yet."
    "That you're sleeping with Leon fucking Owens?"
    "What?" I lift my head, almost wanting to laugh, except that she truly looks furious with me. "No. No, it's not like that."
    "Then what is it like?"
    Suddenly the door opens, and in walks Rochelle with Penelope behind her. The door closes once more and Penelope shakes her head at Sumner. "Stop it. Let her explain."
    "Oh, because suddenly the two of you are so damn buddy buddy. What? Are you knocked up too?" Sumner glances at me, the sarcasm on her face contours into seriousness. "Wait... you're pregnant? With Leon fucking Owens’ kid?"
    I roll my eyes. "It's complicated."
    "How is that complicated? It's pretty fucking simple to me."
    "Let her explain, Sumner," Penelope repeats.
    "Damn, y'all, this is entertaining." Rochelle leans against the wall, overlooking the catfight.
    I hate that this is how I have to tell her. "I don't know if I'm pregnant."
    "So you did sleep with him?"
    "No."
    "Then... what?" Sumner crosses her arms over her chest, completely annoyed, confused, and angry. Maybe even a few other things too, but I'm not going to guess everything, because currently I'm trying to figure out how to tell her truth.
    Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes. "I decided to surrogate for them."
    The entire bathroom goes completely silent.
    After a second, I open my eyes to look at Sumner. Her jaw is ticking back and forth, but I can't read her thoughts.
    "So..." Rochelle starts in. "You are pregnant or you're planning to get pregnant, or what? Because I'm fucking lost."
    Penelope sighs for me. "She doesn't know if she is pregnant, but she is trying to carry a child for them. It's a beautiful gesture, and something completely selfless but terrifying. She was going to tell us all this week, I happened to guess beforehand, that is the only reason I know already. Let's all support her. She needs us."
    "Not too much, apparently. She can't even ask her best friend for advice or tell her the truth." Sumner's words slice through me. "Don't bother calling me." She opens the bathroom door, slamming it on her way out.
    We all jump at the sound, then look at one another. I'm waiting for someone to say anything, because God knows I can't think of anything to say. Finally Rochelle whispers, "Well, I'm certainly not one to judge. I lived in Sin City, I have a lot of secrets." She winks at me, trying to break the ice.
    Penelope runs her hand over my shoulder. "It may seem impossibly tough right now, but Sumner will come around, and you still got us. It'll all be okay, I promise."
    I appreciate her efforts and want to swim in her words, but right now... I'm not sure what the hell I got myself into.

Chapter Six
July 27 th
    Two days after the Fourth it was confirmed through blood work that I am in fact pregnant. Although I previously had that gut intuition that I was prior to the test, it was a surreal moment to actually hear those words. " It was successful. You are officially pregnant!" I wanted to cry with happiness, and possibly a bit out of fear as well. But what really set my emotions off was when Ellie jumped into Leon's arms and cried out, " We're pregnant! We're having a baby!"
    I get her excitement, and I'm truly happy for them. I'm simply being a big, giant baby about it all, and it made me feel wretched that I don't actually have anyone to share the excitement with, because it's not actually my baby. I obviously knew that from the beginning, but hearing it said out loud and experiencing it the way I did was still pretty displeasing.
    In part it had to do with watching Ellie and Leon, the way their