Where We Fell by Amber L. Johnson Read Free Book Online Page B

sample.” Hannah’s voice is controlled
and tight. I know she’s going to burst out laughing at any second.
                “Yeah.”
                “You have frozen baby batter somewhere?
For future use?”
                I finally face her again and can’t help
but smile because she is, too. “Maybe. I guess they want to make sure I can
have kids in the future if something happens because of all of the chemicals.”
                “Did you watch porn?”
                “No! No, they
didn’t . . . It’s a hospital. They just, ya know, gave me a cup
and said, ‘ There’s the bathroom’ and I was expected to just hand it over
in a few minutes.”
                “Oh my god. Was your mom there?”
                “Not IN the bathroom. No. Jesus.”
                She’s in full laughter mode now, hand to
her face, and cackling. “Oh. Oliver. That’s awesome.”
                “Shut up. It wasn’t the best experience.
But at least I have a back-up plan.”
                That’s when she catches her breath and
leans forward until I have a pretty good view of the valley between her
breasts. She licks her lower lip and tilts her head to the side. “Well, if you
couldn’t watch porn, what did you think about?’
                I don’t answer because I know that she
knows.
                “Better question: Who did you
think about?”
                Swallowing thickly, I shrug my left
shoulder and avoid eye contact with her until she taps her monitor to get my
attention. When I finally look at her, she’s practically glowing.
                “It was me?”
                 My chest starts to feel tight and I
know my face is bright red.
                “Seriously. Blink once if it was me.”
                I do. And she jumps up from her desk
chair, throwing her fists in the air.
                “Oh. My. God. Holy shit, Oliver Bishop.
You just made my entire life at this very moment. It’s kinda gross, but it’s so
damn flattering. Like, I can’t . . .” She’s smiling bigger and
brighter than I’ve ever seen her.
    Which is exactly why I close my laptop and
disconnect from her.
    ***
                “I saw Ryan getting coffee this
morning.” Hannah is eating some baby carrots and tapping her toes against the
top of her desk. They’re painted electric blue today.
                The view from my end isn’t so bad.
                “Did you talk to him?” It’s hard to say
that I’m jealous of someone I’ve never met before, but Ryan seems to be that
one person who can pull that reaction out of me.
                She sighs and nibbles on the carrot. Her
hair is down and it looks soft and shiny from recently being dyed. “Nah. I
think Tricia broke up with his stupid ass. No need to rub salt into the wound.”
                These are our conversations as she goes
to school and I debate whether or not to sign up for online classes since I’ve
missed fall enrollment.
                And then, one day, something spectacular
happens.
                Hannah’s face is hardly an inch away
from the screen as I stand before the camera, elated and shocked at the same
time.
                “You look like an extra from the Teen
Wolf set.”
                “It literally happened in my sleep. I
swear. You saw me last night. I was, you know . . .” My mouth
can’t form the word ‘hairless’ as I pass my right palm over my left arm.
                “Is it going to stop growing? I’m
concerned your mom might not be able to open your bedroom door due to your
follicles exploding like that.”
                “Hannah.”
                “What?”
    “My hair is growing back. Shut up for a second.”
    She has this look on her