Results by BangBear “What about this one?” Alissa asked, holding a shirt by the hanger in front of her. “Mmmm, it’s a little too pink I think.” Alissa looked down at it, then at herself in the mirror. “Maybe you’re right. Hmmm, this one?” “I think the yellow is good! Try it on, see how it looks.” Alissa draped it over her forearm, adding it to the small bundle of shirts she’s collected from the racks of the store. After their recent boon at the club, the brown dog and chubby purple ferret decided to spend some time expanding their wardrobes. They got something to eat together, then went to a new clothing store that just opened. “I think we’re good with this. Let’s go see how they look.” Alissa followed Sophie’s lead to the dressing room. A quokka girl organizing and re-racking the unwanted clothing greeted them and escorted the two friends to adjacent booths. She was smiling but she didn’t seem all that happy to be there. “So, are you gonna take the job?” Sophie asked through the thin wall. “I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it. It’s a lot of money, but… I don’t know if I wanna do THAT for money. Feels weird.” “Yeah… The place is kind of rowdy, too,” she said, remembering how she was nearly assaulted by one of the patrons. “You might have to deal with weirdos.” “I think it would be mostly weirdos. Who do you think has to pay for that kind of thing?” Sophie laughed and stepped out from the booth. Alissa’s door swung open just as Sophie got to the mirror to inspect herself in the new outfit. “This is really cute actually,” Sophie said, turning about and admiring her reflection in the prospective clothing. “What do you think?” She turned to look at the dog, now slumped and holding the wall for support. “Wha- Alissa? Are you feeling okay?” Her friend groaned and shook her head. “I just got nauseous.” she groaned. Sweat was beading on her head, a stark change from how she looked a few minutes ago. “Oh, shoot. Go sit down there, I’ll go get you some water.” Sophie walked over to her ailing friend and wrapped an arm around her, offering her shoulder for support. They took only a few steps towards the bench before Alissa knew she wasn’t gonna make it. She looked around frantically for somewhere she could safely spill her guts. Behind the desk where the employee worked was a small waste bucket. Alissa bolted for it instantly, knocking the marsupial out of the way and diving headfirst into the plastic bucket. She could hear Sophie calling for her. “Ow! What’s you’re deal, bitch?!” the employee yelled. She sat herself up and rubbed her head, then realized what was so urgent. “Hey, don’t get it on the floor!” Despite her anger, she still held a smile. Sophie ran up behind the puking dog and knelt next to her, rubbing her back. “It’s alright, just let it out, Liss. I’ll drive us home.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Here you go, sweetie,” Joanna said as she passed her daughter a cup of tea. “The lemon and ginger should help your stomach.” Alissa was still feeling under the weather, but at least the miserable drive home was over. “Thanks, mom.” Alissa brought the cup to her muzzle, the smell of the tea already starting to help. “Of course, sweetie. Sophie, can you lend me a hand in the kitchen?” “Oh, um, sure? Just shout if you need anything, Liss, okay?” The sick girl groaned acknowledgment as Sophie stood up from the couch. There was a bucket with her, too. “What did you need?” Joanna passed the girl a banana as she filled a small pot with water. “Cut this up for me, please.” She looked over her shoulder to see if Alissa was looking at them before speaking in a hushed tone. “What did you say she ate, again?” Sophie mirrored the quietness as she chopped the fruit, though she wasn’t sure why. “She had a burger. Why?” “Did you try it?” Sophie nodded. “How did it seem to you?” “Um, fine I guess? It was a little overcooked in my opinion.” Joanna looked her over. Sophie looked no worse for wear. “Alright.” She set the pot on the stove and started heating it, then grabbed some plain oatmeal from their cabinet. Alissa held it together while the other two women prepped another remedy for her. After a few minutes, the small bowl of banana and honey oatmeal was ready and delivered to her daughter. “This should help settle your stomach,” she said, Alissa flanked by her friend and her mother. “Thank you.” Despite the lingering nausea, she was still hungry. This didn’t immediately set her off, which she took as a good sign as she began eating it. The two women let her eat it in peace. It was good. Warm, soft, and sweet. Easy to chew and swallow. Simple, and comforting. Even so, she could only eat half before she started growing disgusted by it. “No more…” she said, handing it to her mother. Joanna nodded and took it away without question, and when she returned, she held a small box in her hand. “Sweetheart, I know you’re not feeling well, but when you’re ready, I need you to take this for me.” Alissa looked over at her mom to see what she held. Her heart skipped a beat. “There’s no way… I can’t…” she didn’t want to see the need for it. “Just take it. There’s no harm.” Alissa looked back and forth between her mom and the box, then rolled her eyes. “Alright fine. I had to pee anyways.” She got herself up and took the test from her mom into the bathroom with her. The instructions on it were simple. Remove, unwrap, pee on, wait three minutes. And so, Alissa did just that. She waited, sitting on the toilet with her phone in one hand and the test in the other. The timer seemed to be going slower than reality, and seemed to slow down the closer it approached zero. Why was she nervous? Certainly this was a waste of time. 30 seconds now and she could put her mom’s worries to rest. 15 seconds. Her heart started pumping faster. 5 seconds. How? She only just blinked, and 10 seconds were gone. The timer beeped. She sat like a statue, her hand holding the test immobilized by the rust of fear. Why was she afraid? It would be negative. She took a breath with closed eyes, the paralysis fading. She turned her wrist and looked down. A plus sign greeted her.