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Chapter 18 by Miriam Miriam

You have the pills, now what?

Don't swallow it

Once outside you open the box with the morning-after pills. You pull out the plastic packaging and look at them. They are just inconspicuous looking white pills, and you wonder if you should take one. For one reason or another you are hesitant, and you just can't figure out why. The last thing you need right now is to become pregnant, so why aren't you...

"Marlow?", you hear someone say. You look up and suddenly stare into the familiar face of your former classmate Jacob beaming a smile at you. "Fancy running into you! What are you doing here?". He sounds genuinely surprised to see you in this part of town, but you can only react by hastily stuffing the pill packaging back into your bag. There's no way he could have noticed what you were doing right away.

"Oh hey! Jacob. I... just had a job interview.", you explain. The both of you used to have class together, often talking during your breaks. You didn't speak to him as often since you took your year off, but you did recently let him know you were looking for a new job. You quickly explain to him how you had an audition for an acting job just now, but you make sure to leave a few important details out.

Jacob smiles at you. "An actress, huh? That's so cool", he says, sounding genuinely excited. "I hope you get the job! I'm glad you didn't end up working at that grocery store forever. You seem to have so much more potential."

You blush slightly, somewhat uncomfortable with hiding the full truth from him but extremely uncomfortable with the thought of Jacob finding out what kind of audition it truly was. You thank him for his kind words and you briefly catch up. To your frustration, he steers the conversation towards the store you just left.

"What brought you here anyway?", he asks, and you mentally tell him that it is none of his business. "I had to pick up a prescription...for a friend.", you lie instead. He raises an eyebrow at your explanation, and you feel yourself getting more frustrated with him.

"Oh? Did you have the job interview nearby?", he then asks, likely knowing you don't live anywhere close to this part of town. You clench your teeth briefly, really not enjoying where this conversation is heading. And when did he become so inquisitive anyway? You really just want to be left alone right now.

"Uh. Yeah, just downtown", you answer, quietly wondering if you said too much already.

How to handle an old acquaintance?

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