Bury a Friend | Hemlock Grove |

Chapter 25 | Try to Wake Up |

"When was your last period?" Ally asks sounding concerned.

"I don't know," she mumbles, putting her head in her hands. She pushes her hair from her face.

"You know, that's a sign-"

"I know what it's a sign of," Emma snaps, head shooting up. "I'm... I'm not pregnant."

"I know it's scary, but you need to take a test," Ally tells her. "I mean shit happens. I think we've all taken one." That's not true, neither of them had taken one but Emma didn't need to know that. "C'mon we can ditch and go get one. It'll be like... like a fun girls trip, right Kim?"

"Yeah, totally?" Kim shoots Ally a confused look. 'A fun girls trip? Really?' Her eyes scream. "It's really not a big deal. If it's positive, I'll get you ice cream to cheer you up. If it's negative we can get ice cream to celebrate. Either way, we get ice cream!"

"Or hot chocolate," Ally adds. "It's freezing outside."

"Oooh, hot chocolate sounds good. Right, Em?" Kim pats her back. Emma ignores them, putting her face back in her hands. She tries to fight off the urge to dry heave but fails. "It's fine, we're here for you no matter what!"

"I'm not pregnant," Emma groans and shakes her hands off.

"You need to know for sure."

"I know for sure," she squeaks before throwing up again. They're ignoring her. They won't listen to her and keep talking.

"Oh Emma," Kim tries to soothe the crying girl, but her dismissiveness only makes it worse. "Please don't cry, it's okay."

"Is it Roman's?" Ally sounds too excited. "That baby's going to be so fucking hot."

"Al, not the time," Kim hisses. "You're going to be fine," she runs her hands soothingly along Emma's back. "C'mon, let's go."

"You're not listening to me!" She blubbers.

"You're just afraid," Ally says. "You need to know if you-"

"I know I'm not because I haven't had my period since like," she starts strong but falters, "like September."

"September?" Kim looks her up and down with eyes bulged. Emma nods. "Did you get birth control or something?"

"I think I'm just stressed, I guess," she shrugs. A loud dry cough erupts through struggles to breathe. "Nothing to worry about."

"I think you're having a panic attack," Ally mumbles, pushing her hair back.

"Have you talked to your doctor? That's not normal," Kim suggests.

"Really, it's nothing."

"How much weight have you lost?" Ally asks bluntly. Emma glares at her as if to say 'what do you mean.' "I'm not blind, I can see you've lost some weight. Your baggy ass clothes can only cover it up so much."

"I've lost some weight from stress, that's all. Just school and stuff."

"How much?" Kim bypasses her excuse. "What do you weigh?"

"I don't know. I haven't checked?" Kim looks ready to keep pushing, but the bathroom door opens to a flock of girls ready to touch up their makeup.

.....

In their stairwell, Roman and Peter chain smoke and down large coffees. They'd been spending the last few nights in sleeping shifts and waking up every hour or so to do a patrol through the town. The leech comes with them like some strange pet. Letha is concerned, she asks if they're okay, but doesn't push. Having lived her entire life around Roman she knows not to push too hard.