Chapter 20
D
“What?” I asked, when I noticed Yolanda looking at me a little too closely.
“Nothing, I just wanted to check.” She seemed satisfied after checking the locket, then gently tucked it back inside my shirt. “You’re such a good girl. Keep wearing it, okay?“”
What she didn’t know was that the locket around my neck wasn’t the original. I had it replaced with a perfect copy, down to the creepy red blood inside.
The real one, I locked that thing in a steel box the second I took it off.
A few days later, Yolanda mentioned casually, “Oh, I’m going out with some friends this weekend. Probably won’t be back to the dorm.” Yeah, sure. Friends.>
I knew exactly what she was up to. She was planning to spend the weekend with Miles Larkin -the heir to the Larkin Group. What confused me was how she even got close to him. A guy like Miles wouldn’t just sleep with anyone.
So I followed her. And yep, just as I suspected, she drugged his drink. Watched the whole thing go down from a distance. She really didn’t hesitate.
When she came back, she looked completely drained. Slept like a rock. Honestly, it seemed like whatever happened in that hotel had taken everything out of her.
A couple weeks later, out of nowhere, she asked, “Trixie, did your period come this month?”
shook my head. “Nope. It’s been about a week late.”
Yolanda gave me this weird little smile. “That’s normal. You don’t even have a boyfriend, so don’t overthink it. Maybe just your hormone or something.“}
“Yeah, probably. Kinda nice not having it, to be honest.” I laughed a little, trying to sound casual.}]
But the truth, I was on my period. I just went full ninja mode to hide it. No pads, only tampons. And every time I changed one, I would wrap it up in toilet paper and sneak it outside to toss in a random bin. I couldn’t risk her seeing any evidence.}
For months, she really believed I hadn’t had a period.
Then one day, Sylvia pulled me aside and said, “Trixie, this has been going on for five months now. You’ve put on weight and you still haven’t seen a doctor? You should really get checked out.”
Before I could respond, Yolanda swooped in like always. “That’s not necessary. Trixie is fine. She doesn’t feel sick or anything, right? I haven’t had my period in five months either and I feel totally fine.”
Xyla blinked at us. “Wait, both of you haven’t had your period for five months? That’s… oddly synchronized. You sure you’re not secretly pregnant together or something?”
“I haven’t even been near a guy. How could I be pregnant?” I said, trying to sound casual. “Guess my body is just weak. I’ve been eating better lately, trying to fix it.70
Xyla turned to Yolanda. “Okay, then what about you?“}
Yolanda snorted. “Me? Not a chance. I’ve been super careful. There’s no way I’d end up pregnant.”
“But you’ve been gaining weight and throwing up a lot,” Xyla said. “You should probably go to the hospital just to make sure. Better safe than sorry.”
Yolanda waved her off. “It’s just my stomach acting up. I’ve always had a sensitive gut. Trust me, I’m fine. Getting pregnant? That’s impossible.“2
She was that confident because of the locket she gave me. She really thought it was protecting her.
Which, honestly, made things easier for me. I didn’t have to do anything to stop her from seeing a doctor. She wouldn’t go anyway.” To keep her from catching on, I started eating a lot more too, enough that my weight gain looked convincing.
And Yolanda’s appetite was just as wild as mine had been back then. Her belly kept getting rounder and rounder until even she started to get suspicious.
“Why is my stomach so big?” she mumbled one day, lifting her shirt in front of the mirror. “It seriously looks like I’m pregnant…”
Sylvia, who was nearby, didn’t hold back. “Yolanda, your belly is really getting out of control. You should go to the hospital. No joke, it looks like you’re expecting.”
“I’ve told you a hundred times, I can’t be pregnant!” Yolanda snapped.
“And how do you know that for sure?” I asked, watching her closely.
Yolanda glanced at me, then quickly said, “Because I just had my period a couple days ago.“}
She was lying, obviously. Sylvia tilted her head. “Then something is definitely not right. What if there’s something growing inside, like a cyst or… worse?“}
That actually shook her a little. “Fine, whatever,” she muttered. “I’ll get it checked out later.“}
