Archie's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID, ready to give a frustrated sigh if Reggie was calling again about basketball practice. But it wasn't Reggie. Veronica was calling. "Ronnie, are you okay?" Archie questioned. Wrinkles formed on his forehead. He was worried.
"Please come over," Veronica murmured. Her voice sounded wispy and frail, like it could fade away at any moment. "I'm not feeling well, I vomited again… I don't want to move… please come over."
Archie was already putting on his jacket and grabbing the keys to his car. "Veronica, I'm coming as soon as I can. Just lie down, okay?"
"Okay." Veronica weakly pressed the end button on her cell and placed it on the tiles on her bathroom floor. Her other hand was gripping the side of the toilet she just threw up in. She tried to get up from the position she was in, using the toilet seat for leverage. Suddenly, a splitting headache began throbbing in her brain, a pulsating pain that radiated around her skull. It consumed her entirely, threatening to constrict around her until she dissolved into nothingness. Her vision blurred and hot tears spilled from her eyes. Whimpering like a scared child, she sat back and crossed her legs, burying her head in her hands.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming." Archie whispered this to himself over and over and over until he opened the door to Veronica's bathroom.
"Ronnie, what happened?" He crouched down near her fragile body and placed a gentle hand on her gentle, rubbing up and down.
She groaned in response. Her head was pounding even harder now. She felt like her brain was pushing out on her skull. Too much pressure and it would explode.
Saying nothing, Archie easily picked her up and carried her to her bed, laying her down lightly on the jumbled covers. She buried her face deeper into the pillow, letting the fabric soak up her tears.
"It's going to be okay, Ronnie." Archie turned around and began walking out of the room. "I'm going to get some pain relievers."
A few minutes later, Archie came back into the room with a small container of pills and a glass of water. He helped Veronica sit up and she gratefully swallowed the pill, leaning her head back on the headboard.
"Do you need anything? I can heat up some leftovers or order take out or…"
"No, I'm not hungry."
"Are you sure? It's not a problem at all."
"I'm really fine, I just want to go to sleep."
"Veronica, it's 8:04. This is early for you!"
"I know, its just I've been super tired and that's it so just let it go, okay Archie?" Veronica seemed surprised at her raised voice, immediately feeling apologetic. "I-I'm sorry. I don't… I just… I'm sorry."
Archie gave her a curious look. "Ronnie, is everything okay? Like, with your parents and all?"
Veronica licked her lips, refusing to meet his eyes. "Yeah, my parents are my parents. We still have issues… we will always have issues… but we will eventually get over it." At least that was true.
"Are you keeping something from me?" Archie pressed further. "You've been acting kind of weird for the past few weeks."
"It must be the stomach bug I have," Veronica whispered. She stared at her clasped hands, looking at anything but his eyes.
"No, not that." Archie said. "You've been avoiding me in the halls and acting happy one moment and angry the next." Veronica pursed her lips, a sure sign of nervousness as Archie knew form experience.
"Also, you're not paying attention during class and skipping classes and not eating the lunch food when you do come to school."
"The lunch food is disgusting."
"That's not the point!" Frustration boiled up in Archie. "I just need to know what's going on!"
"I'm sorry!" Veronica cried, tears once again rolling down her cheeks.
"hey, hey, hey," Archie whispered. He crawled closer to her along the bed and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shaking shoulders. "Was it something I said?"
She wiped the tear drops from her cheeks and sniffled. She hated it, feeling like a helpless child. She was Veronica Lodge, for cripes sake! Bold, strong, and confident Veronica Lodge. Vulnerability was new and odd for her. And, fear of Archie leaving her after what she was going to say was also new.
"I have to tell you something," Veronica said suddenly. Fear and anxiety was spreading in her mind, something she rarely felt near Archie. She carefully shrugged his arm off her shoulder and moved herself so she was sitting right across from him. She took a deep breath. Better now than later.
"Three weeks ago was when… strange things started happening. Headaches, nausea, vomiting… and more things that I don't want to go into detail about." She glanced at him. He was listening carefully, not interrupting. So, she continued. "I started have weird cravings and aversions and I stopped eating as much as I used to. I was tired all the time and decided to ditch class. Then the mood swings began, and I thought maybe it was just a weird teenage thing." Another deep breath. "And then… I noticed I missed my period." Silence. Veronica looked at Archie. Realization filled his eyes.
"Oh my gosh, Ronnie…"
"I'm pregnant."