Sugarcoat jumped off the treadmill and wiped her forehead. Panting, she turned to Indigo, who was warming up her leg muscles. “You’d better avoid coach Sombra for a while. Apparently the league officials got the referee’s report from the match. It includes a suggestion to ban someone for five games.”
“That’s like, half of the regular season,” Indigo muttered. “Are they crazy?”
“They’ll try to lower that to three,” Sugarcoat said. “Which will probably work, given that this is how the appeal committee rolls. Also, you’d better talk to the coach. He was pissed when you didn’t show up after the match.”
“So, I should talk to him while avoiding him?” Indigo asked. “Did you get a head injury again?”
“Whatever you fancy.” Sugarcoat rolled her eyes and took her phone and water bottle from the treadmill. “Anyway, Sunny Flare texted me while I was running.”
“What did she say?” Indigo asked, cracking her fingers.
“‘I’m back, bitches’ and a photo of her standing in front of her house. Guess she’s back from the rehab.”
“I hope Sour Sweet doesn’t hear about that.” Indigo leaned forward, touching the floor with her hands. “She has great plans involving Sweet Leaf and South Africa. Cutting Sunny may cause a problem…”
“South Africa? Geez.” Sugarcoat shrugged. “By the way, how was your date with Bulk? I’ve seen him at the match so–”
“Awkward,” Indigo replied. “We talked a bit and we almost ended up in bed, but I didn’t feel like it, so I left soon after that. He’s too good to show that he had a problem with that, but I think that–”
“Don’t think too much,” Sugarcoat said. “You either overthink it or he’s a dick. I can ask Sandalwood–”
“Better not.” Indigo walked to the rowing machine and sat on the seat. “I’ll talk to Bulk later myself. So far, I feel like attacking my record.”
“Witnessed.” Sugarcoat stood next to the machine and watched as Indigo chose the 2000 m option from the workout list. Indigo grabbed the handle and pushed herself off of the footrests, quickly reaching her optimal pace. For a while, all Sugarcoat could hear was the spinning flywheel and the ringing of the chain. Soon, however, it was joined by Indigo’s laboured breath and moans.
“Come on,” Sugarcoat muttered, looking at the display and taking track of the time, cadence, and amount of watts. “You can do better than that.”
Indigo groaned in response. She pulled the handle harder; her face was covered in sweat and Sugarcoat could swear that she could see every single muscle of her calves. Suddenly, however, the handle slipped from her hands. Indigo fell back and rolled off of the machine, landing in a strange position due to her feet still being held by the footrests.
“You okay there?” Sugarcoat asked. She freed Indigo’s feet and helped her lie down on the floor. Indigo muttered something incoherent, blinking and trying to get up.
“We’d better get you out of here.” Sugarcoat looked around, searching for someone from the staff. Luckily, one of the fitness instructors noticed them and walked to Sugarcoat.
“Is everything alright?” he asked.
“Of course, she just felt like having a nap,” Sugarcoat deadpanned. “What do you think? We need to get her out. She has to get some fresh air.”
Indigo groaned. “Outside?” she slurred. “It’s cold there.”
“And you just passed out,” Sugarcoat said, watching as the instructor lifted Indigo despite her weak protests. “Come on, let’s get you out…”
A fifteen minutes later Indigo, feeling much better, was sitting with Sugarcoat on a couch at the ground floor. A while spent outside was more than enough to bring her to consciousness; she immediately tried to rush to the changing room to get some warmer clothes and Sugarcoat barely convinced her that it’d be better if she helped her with it. Indigo reluctantly agreed, but it wasn’t the end of her trouble.
“I guess you shouldn’t drive home on your own,” Sugarcoat said. “Call your parents or something.”
“I’m fine, really,” Indigo muttered. “It’s not the first time I passed out on the rowing machine. Remember when I set my record?”
“Yes, but you passed out after you set it, not halfway through,” Sugarcoat replied. “Besides, I hate to inform you that your time would be about ten seconds worse than your personal best.”
“Maybe those iron pills still aren’t working.” Indigo shrugged. “You don’t think it may be something more serious? Or am I just getting old?”
Sugarcoat looked at Indigo and shrugged. “Oh, I have several theories.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “May I ask you a personal question?”
“Would my ‘no’ stop you from asking it?” Indigo asked.
“No,” Sugarcoat replied.
Indigo rolled her eyes. “Okay then.”
Sugarcoat looked around and leaned towards Indigo. “When did the red dragon last show up?”
“Excuse me?!” Indigo raised her eyebrows.
“I’m sorry,” Sugarcoat muttered. “People just don’t like when I talk about periods. Anyway, when was it?”
Indigo shrugged. “Umm… Well, it’s always a bit irregular, especially when I’m training a lot, and I guess there was that anemia thing so–”
“Hard data, not excuses.” Sugarcoat groaned. “February 15th in my case, if that makes you more comfortable.”
“Hmm…” Indigo furrowed her eyebrows and scratched her head. “I guess… December?”
Sugarcoat facepalmed. “I have no further questions.”
“You think I’m sick?” Indigo asked. “I can die?”
Sugarcoat lowered her hand and gave Indigo a look. “No, quite the opposite, actually.” She sighed. “You’re pregnant.”
“What?” Indigo shrugged. “Me? Pregnant? No way. Can’t be. I didn’t even have sex.”
Sugarcoat nodded slowly and looked at the window.
“What are you doing?” Indigo asked.
“Last time a virgin got pregnant, the Star of Bethlehem appeared in the sky, prompting the wise men to go to Jerusalem,” Sugarcoat replied. “I wouldn’t want to miss it.”
Indigo groaned. “I meant recently. Like, last time it was on New Year’s Eve? I think.”
“Almost three months, then,” Sugarcoat said. “That’d work. Now when I look at you, I can see the difference, though your thin ass isn’t helping.”
“Oh, fuck off,” Indigo muttered, looking at her stomach. “It looks as it always did. I guess?” She shrugged.
“Yeah. Your performance in the gym declined, you have iron deficiency, weird mood swings, you throw up from time to time…” Sugarcoat smirked. “Not sure about food cravings. You eat sandwiches with peanut butter and bacon all the time.”
“Bullshit,” Indigo said.
Sugarcoat stood up. “There’s one way to find out. Can you walk?”
“I think so.” Indigo got up from the couch.
Sugarcoat smiled. “So, we’ll take a walk to the mall…”
The mall was not far away from the gym. Sugarcoat pushed herself through the crowds, leading Indigo in her wake. They stepped on the escalator and, once they were on the second floor, Sugarcoat went to the first store with cosmetics and healthcare items she saw. Without a word, she walked to the large shelf with condoms on one side and pregnancy tests on the other. Indigo was pretty sure that such a placement caused many customers to spend a long time thinking on their life choices.
“We need to be sure,” Sugarcoat muttered, grabbing a handful of pregnancy tests and putting them in the shopping basket. “Sensitivity of every single of them rates between ninety-five and ninety-nine percent, so if we take, like, ten…”
“Chill out, Sugarcoat, or I’ll smack you,” Indigo muttered. “One will be enough to tell you that I’m not pregnant.”
“Shut up.” Sugarcoat took a few more tests of different brands and walked to the cash register. The cashier, a woman just a few years older than them, looked at her shopping basket. Her eyes widened and she looked at Sugarcoat.
“It’s for her.” Sugarcoat pointed at Indigo.
“It’s a… homework,” Indigo replied, kicking Sugarcoat’s ankle. “Yeah, we have an assignment like that. Totally.”
Something in the cashier’s smirk told her that her explanation was met with a mild disbelief. Once Sugarcoat paid, Indigo dragged her out of the store and hid behind the corner, in the corridor leading to the toilets.
“I swear, if it turns out that I’m not pregnant, I’m gonna feed your brain to you,” Indigo muttered.
“What if you are?” Sugarcoat asked.
“Then I’ll kick your ass anyway!”
“Yeah, sure.” Sugarcoat rolled her eyes and pointed at the toilets. “Now go and take the tests.”
“It’s a waste of time.” Indigo muttered, walking towards the door. “I’m not pregnant.”
“Fuck.” Indigo rested her face on her hands. “I’m pregnant.”
“Told you,” Sugarcoat muttered, sitting on the bench next to her. “I’ve seen all the signs and the tests only confirm–”
“Shut the fuck up, Sugarcoat!” Indigo exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes. “I’m pregnant! What will I do now?”
Sugarcoat looked at the screen of her phone. “If you’re in a hurry, there are three places where you can get an abortion within a mile radius. We can–” She couldn’t finish because Indigo grabbed the front of her jacket, pulling her towards herself.
“That’s not funny!” Indigo growled. “What will I tell Bulk? Or my parents? Hell, my whole life just got fucked and you’re still being–”
“Chill out for a moment,” Sugarcoat muttered. “Take a deep breath. There’s no need to panic. You’ll just tell Bulk that he’s gonna be a daddy and I guess together we’ll figure out a solution.”
“But how did that even…” Indigo looked at Sugarcoat. “Sandalwood!”
Sugarcoat raised her eyebrows. “Sandalwood got you pregnant? Well, that complicates the matter, if only because I’m going to kill him now.”
“No,” Indigo replied. “He gave us some shady vegan condoms back when we were in Our Town.”
“I can assure you they’re fine,” Sugarcoat said. “Thought now when I think about it, I guess he left them in the sauna and–”
“Whatever!” Indigo exclaimed. “No matter how it happened, I’m screwed. I don’t want to get an abortion, but giving birth…” She shuddered. “I don’t want to be a mother yet!”
“Do we have to discuss that in the middle of the mall?” Sugarcoat asked. “Also, there’s always adoption. You’ll have peaceful eighteen years until the kid starts to look for their biological parents.”
Indigo looked around, at the people walking around them. Most of them were focused on doing the shopping, although she thought she’d rather not share her story with them, accidentally or not. “So, where do we go?”
Sugarcoat looked at her phone. “Sunny Flare invites us to a little get-together.”
Indigo shook her head. “Somehow, I don’t trust Sunny Flare when it comes to keeping a secret.”
“Well, it’s not like you’ll keep it for much longer,” Sugarcoat said. “Like, if I noticed this, someone will too.”
Indigo sighed. “Sure, why not. Maybe we’ll bring Lemon too?”
Sugarcoat only smirked.
“You know I was being sarcastic, right?” Indigo asked, seeing Lemon Zest standing in front of Sunny Flare’s house. “Ah, of course, you only understand sarcasm when it’s convenient.”
“Remember, we’re here to support you and find a solution,” Sugarcoat replied, walking to Lemon. “Hello.”
“I got your message,” Lemon said. “I also got Sunny’s message. Wonder how’s she.”
“Better than Indigo, I guess.” Sugarcoat pushed the gate leading to Sunny’s garden and walked towards the front door.
“What happened?” Lemon asked, looking at Indigo. “You seem pale. Are you okay?”
“Long story,” Indigo replied.
Given the size of Sunny Flare’s house, it was surprising that she opened the door almost as soon as Sugarcoat rung the doorbell. Unlike Indigo, she looked much better than when they’d last seen her. She smiled and hugged Sugarcoat, despite her weak protests.
“Hello,” Sunny said. “I’ve seen Lemon from the window and I knew you’d appear.” She looked at Indigo and Lemon and her smile faltered. “Sour still hates me for that whole Sweet Leaf thing?”
“I don’t think so,” Sugarcoat replied. They walked inside and went to the biggest and cosiest of Sunny’s rooms. Indigo was surprised to see that Sunny’s father was home; he smiled and waved at them when he saw them.
“Wait, no one told you about Sour?” Indigo asked when they sat together on bean bag chairs and Sunny’s bed.
“What about Sour?” Sunny shrugged. “I almost completely severed the ties with the outside world by the end of my stay. Now I sleep better, gained a few pounds, almost don’t think about drinking–”
“Well, Sour ended up in the nuthouse after cutting Suri Polomare’s face with a razor blade,” Sugarcoat said. “Also, Indigo is pregnant and we don’t know what to do about that.”
“What?!” Lemon exclaimed.
Indigo turned to Sugarcoat, furrowing her eyebrows. “I could’ve told them myself, you know.”
Sunny stood up. “You’re pregnant? But how?”
“Well, when two people really love each other…” Indigo sighed. “Sugarcoat’s sarcasm rubbed off on me, it seems. Anyway, I don’t know what should I do…”
“Do you want to keep the baby?” Lemon asked. “What about school?”
“School is the least of my concerns,” Indigo replied. “As for the baby, I’m considering giving it up for adoption, but… What if it doesn’t get adopted and gets stuck in some crappy orphanage because of me?”
“Well, if you found a family…” Sugarcoat shrugged. “But I guess you should tell Bulk first. After all, it’s his baby too.”
“Maybe later,” Indigo replied. “By now I’m still too shocked to think. What will I tell my parents?”
Sugarcoat smirked. “I can go with you.”
“No way.”
Sunny scratched her head. “I was just thinking… What if the baby ends up in an orphanage and becomes like auntie Lightning Dust? If I recall correctly, your parents were also young when she was born, right?”
“They were twenty-one, but they raised her by themselves,” Indigo replied. “Dad nearly ended his football career, but mom convinced him that he’d be more useful earning money to give the kid a decent living.”
“Something you and Bulk don’t have.” Sunny nodded. “But given how she turned out, it didn’t quite work, right?”
“Sunny, stop thinking,” Sugarcoat muttered, seeing how Indigo froze. “Maybe you think you can do it better now that you’re sober, but it’s not exactly true.”
“Yeah.” Lemon turned to Sunny. “Besides, I’m still mad at you.”
“But why?” Sunny asked. “I did nothing wrong.”
“Aside from causing this whole thing with Sour and Sweet Leaf.” Lemon rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
“Oh, please,” Sunny muttered. “Your not-quite girlfriend ran away with your ex-girlfriend and you’re pissed at me because my old drunken self caused shit to happen to them? Shame on you, Lemon Zest.”
“You are a woman of many astounding virtues,” Sugarcoat deadpanned. “Although I can’t help but notice that your new, sober self sounds almost the same as your old, drunken self. Besides, we’re supposed to help Indigo, right?”
Indigo shrugged. “You don’t have to, really. I know what I will do.” She stood up. “I’ll go and tell Bulk and my parents everything. Then… Well, we’ll figure something out.”
“Are you sure?” Lemon asked.
“Yeah…” Indigo replied. “I’ll better go. I’m kinda tired.”
“Maybe someone should drive you home?” Sunny stood up. “I can do it.”
“No, thanks.” Indigo waved her hand. “I know your driving all too well…”
Indigo parked in the garage and got out of the car, breathing heavily and nearly collapsing. Adrenaline rush caused by learning about her pregnancy had ended and she felt that she was about to pass out again. Resting herself against the wall, she walked around her father’s pickup truck.
“You okay there?”
Startled, Indigo raised her head and saw her father kneeling next to his truck. The rear wheel was taken off and Indigo’s father was currently in the process of dismantling the brakes.
“New brake discs,” he said, looking at her. “Let me guess: the training was fine?”
Indigo stood straight, taking a deep breath. “Yeah,” she replied, hoping that the dim light in the garage would hide her paleness. “I…” She took another deep breath. “I feel a bit tired.”
“You really should watch out.” Indigo’s father stood up and looked at the brake disc. “You’d better ease out with trainings until your iron gets better.”
“Sure,” Indigo replied. “I think I’ll go to bed now.”
She sneaked out of the garage and walked upstairs. After reaching her bedroom, she closed the door and dropped on the bed. The phone slipped out of her pocket and landed on the mattress, so she picked it up and looked at the screen.
Indigo let out a whimper. For a moment, she hovered her finger above the list of the last calls. She imagined Bulk’s reaction if she called him. It wasn’t that she felt he’d be mad; she was afraid he’d say nothing. He’d accept it, but… Indigo shuddered at the thought.
She sighed and put the phone on the nightstand. Then, she turned on her bed, weeping quietly.