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When Kaylee walked into fifth period that day, she had to conceal her grin. It was pregnancy week in her health class, which was a graduation requirement for everyone in the school and taken by juniors. While everyone around her seemed either indifferent or disgruntled, Kaylee was secretly thrilled.

She would never tell anyone, but for as long as Kaylee could remember she had been fascinated and, yes, attracted to pregnant people. Women in the street with heavy bellies made arousal flood through her, as did comedy films about men carrying, and just the thought of being pregnant with her own could sometimes bring her over the edge.

And that was exactly what was about to happen.

"Listen up, listen up," her health teacher, Mrs. Arleen, drawled sounding rather bored. "Today, as you all know, marks the beginning of our reproduction unit here. And to show you what it’s gonna be like, so maybe you’ll actually stop and slap a rubber on, your all gonna be goin’ through a simulated pregnancy."

Though this was standard procedure and happened every year, the whole class groaned and started complaining. Mrs. Arleen ignores it until she’d gone to the cabinet and pulled out two large ziplock bags. Standing back in front of the class of high schoolers, she whistled to make them quiet.

"Now, as I was saying. You’ll be drawing a slip of paper out of this bag—" she held up the ziplock clearly full of small slips of paper "—that will tell you whether you’re responsible for a single baby, twins, or triplets." A few more moans and grumbles circulated, but Kaylee’s heart felt like it was in her throat. Triplets, she could get lucky enough to have triplets!

"I’ll come around with the slips to make sure no one cheating their way out of the assignment. Hang on to it, because you need to attach it to your final report. After, you’ll come up and grab the assignment packet and however many of these you need—one, two, or three, as I’m sure you can all figure out," the teacher said while shaking the other ziplock. This one was clearly heavier and full of small, multicolored capsules.

"Obviously, each of these will simulate being pregnant with one baby, which will last the next ten days—who can tell me why?" No one makes to answer. Mrs. Arleen didn’t look bothered. "Right, because what we usually refer to as nine months of pregnancy is really closer to ten. Good job, I can see those minds working," she said sarcastically.

"Once you get your capsules, take them no later than this evening. Remember—I’ll be able to tell if you don’t, and that’s an automatic zero on a project worth 40% of your grade." A few more protests erupted, but the teacher ignored them in favor of going around the room and making students pull their slips of paper.

The excitement was already building to bursting in Kaylee when the teacher reached her. She stuck her hand in, fishing around as if somehow she could tell which paper would hold the best fate for her, and then pulled it out. She unfolded the little slip, heart racing.

One.

Kaylee’s heart caught in her throat and she had to reign herself in. One was still good, she reminded herself. She still got to seem pregnant, to feel the movement and experience the growth. It was… it was still good.

All of a sudden, the boy sitting next to her, Phil, started protesting loudly.

"I can’t do this, it’s torture!” he exclaimed to his friend’s snickers and the teacher’s ignorance. From her place next to him, Kaylee could see just what his said: triplets.

She swallowed thickly. She wanted to ask him to trade, but of course that would lead to too many questions. But maybe…

She fiddled with her piece of paper, then laid it on the edge of the desk closest to Phil. He saw it immediately and grinned, though it was anything by friendly.

"Hey loser," he said with a real hint of malice, "whatcha got there?"

"Hmmm?" Kaylee replied, doodling on her hand with a pen as if she was paying no attention. Out of the corner of her eye she could still see him, his pudgy nose and rude smile focused on her slip of paper. Then, with a surprisingly fast movement, Phil swapped their papers.

"I was just saying, looks like you’re gonna get even uglier." Around him, Phil’s friends laughed—typical high school boys, rude to girls in general but especially ones who they seemed too nerdy and not pretty enough. Kaylee, pretending she hadn’t wanted this, looked at the new slip of paper on her desk and tried to look upset.

"But that’s not fair, you—" she started to say, when Mrs. Arleen interrupted.

"Don’t forget to grab your assignment," she said, gesturing to the table at the front of the room, and then settled behind her desk for the last few minutes of class. There was a surge of movement throughout the room and Kaylee got up and joined it, pushing through the crowd to grab her packet and the three capsules she was allowed. Phil was still laughing with his friends, snickering at what a fool she was, but Kaylee tuned them out.

By the time fifth period ended, she could think of nothing but what the three capsules in her pocket would do to her.