Saturday afternoon arrived way too quickly. I stood in my room staring at the black swimsuit laid out on my bed.
In my previous life, this party had been a nightmare. Madison and her friends pushing me into the pool while
I was still in my regular clothes. Everyone laughing while I struggled in the deep end.
But this time I’d be wearing my swimsuit. This time I’d be prepared.
“Avery! Time to go!” Mom called from downstairs.
I pulled on the plain black one–piece and covered it with jean shorts and a t–shirt. I also remembered to grab a towel from the bathroom.
Ava was waiting by the front door in her coral two–piece with the cute cover–up dress over it. Her hair was styled in beachy waves. She looked perfect as always.
“Ready?” she asked with a bright smile.
“Yeah.”
Mom drove us to Sarah’s house. The neighborhood was nice, with large homes and manicured lawns. Sarah’s house was the biggest on the block. Classic rich kid.
“Have fun, girls,” Mom said as we got out of the car. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
Sarah’s mom answered the door and led us through the house to the backyard. The pool was huge, just like Ava had described. Crystal blue water, a diving board at the deep end, and a hot tub in the corner.
Music played from outdoor speakers. About fifteen kids from our grade were already there, some swimming, others sitting around eating snacks.
“Ava! Avery!” Sarah ran over in a bright pink bikini. “You made it!”
“Happy birthday!” Ava hugged her. “Your pool is amazing.”
“Thanks! The changing rooms are in the pool house if you need them.”
We went to change. Well, I just took off my shorts and t–shirt. Ava spent ten minutes adjusting her swimsuit and reapplying her lip gloss.
When we emerged, Madison and Jessica waved us over to the shallow end where they were sitting on the pool
steps.
“Love your suit, Ava,” Madison said.
“Thanks! My mom got it for me yesterday.”
“It’s so cute. Where’s it from?”
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:>))
While they chatted about swimsuit brands, I waded into the water. It was cool and refreshing. I swam a few laps, staying away from the group.
Everything was going fine. Nobody had tried to push me. Nobody was laughing at me.
Maybe this time would be different.
I was floating on my back near the deep end when I heard Ava’s voice.
“Avie! Come join us!”
34
I swam over to where the group was gathered. They were playing some kind of pool volleyball game with an inflatable ball.
“We need even teams,” Sarah said. “Avery, you’re on that side.”
We played for a while. The game was actually fun. I was managing to keep up, hitting the ball when it came
my way.
Then Madison served the ball hard toward me. I reached up to hit it back, but someone pushed me from behind.
I went under, swallowing a mouthful of chlorinated water. When I surfaced, sputtering, everyone was laughing.
Except it wasn’t Madison who’d pushed me.
It was Ava.
“Sorry!” she said with a giggle. “I was trying to get the ball and bumped into you.”
But I’d seen her face right before the push. She had definitely done it on purpose.
“It’s fine,” I said, swimming to the edge to catch my breath.
“It’s fine,” I said, swimming to the
The
game continued without me. I sa
on the side of the pool, legs dangling in the water.
That’s when I felt it. The familiar cramping in my lower abdomen. The uncomfortable warmth between my legs. I remember this feeling from my past
life.
No. Not now.
1
I looked down at the water around me. A small dark cloud was forming.
My period had started.
I quickly got out of the pool and wrapped my towel around my waist. Tried to walk calmly toward the pool house.
But Ava noticed.
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“Avery? Where are you going?”
“Just need the bathroom.”
“Why are you walking weird?”
Everyone was looking at me now. My face burned.
“I’m not walking weird.”
:.
But I could feel the blood running down my leg. Could see the small red drops on the concrete.
“Oh my god,” Jessica said quietly.
I rushed into the pool house and locked the door. Sat on the toilet with my head in my hands.
This was worse than being pushed into the pool. So much worse.
I heard voices outside. Whispers and giggles.
After a few minutes, someone knocked on the door.
“Avery? It’s Sarah’s mom. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sarah said you might need some supplies. I’m leaving a bag by the door.”
“Thank you.”
I waited until I heard her footsteps walk away, then opened the door a crack. A plastic bag sat on the ground with pads and fresh clothes inside.
At least Sarah’s mom was kind about it.
I cleaned myself up and changed into the spare clothes. Stuffed my stained swimsuit into the plastic bag.
I spent more time in the bathroom hoping this doesn’t cause any drama afterward. The betrayal of Ava also slipped at some point before the thought of my friends weighed in.
I need to get my computer back one way or another before mom discovers my cliptalk and things take a
worse turn.
I have to be on my best behavior for now.
When I finally emerged from the pool house, the party had gone quiet. Everyone was sitting around eating pizza.
Ava jumped up when she saw me.
“Are you okay?” Her voice was full of fake concern. “We were so worried.”
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Chapter 24
“I’m fine.”
:
“You must be so embarrassed. It’s okay though. These things happen.”
She was making it worse. Drawing more attention to what had happened.
“It’s not a big deal,” I said quietly.
“Of course it’s not! Nobody will even remember by Monday.”
But everyone would remember. And that was exactly what she wanted.
34
Sarah came over with a slice of pizza. “My mom said we should probably drain the pool later. Just to be safe.”
My stomach dropped. “I’m sorry.”
“Meh. It’s fine” she said dismissively.
But I could see the other kids whispering. Pointing at me.
I sat in a chair away from everyone else and ate my pizza in silence. Counted down the minutes until six o’clock.
When Mom’s car finally pulled up, I practically ran to it.
“How was the party?” she asked as I climbed into the back seat.
“Fine.”
Ava got in the front seat with a dramatic sigh.
“Well, it was interesting.”
“Interesting how?” Mom asked.
“Nothing major. Just some drama.”
“What kind of drama?”
“Avery had an accident at the pool.”
My blood ran cold.
“What kind of accident?” Mom’s voice was sharp.
“She got her period. In the pool. In front of everyone.”
“Avery!” Mom turned around to glare at me. “Why didn’t you tell me you thought your period was coming?”
“I didn’t know–❞
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“You’re old enough to keep track of these things. Do you know how embarrassing this is?”
“I didn’t mean to-
“You ruined Sarah’s party! Now her mother will have to drain the entire pool!”
“It was an accident.”
“An accident that could have been prevented if you’d been paying attention to your body.”
I stared out the window, my eyes burning with unshed tears.
34
“It’s fine mom. She was calm after and took the initiative to stay in the bathroom for a while,” I heard Ava say as my eyes shut tighter, fighting the tears threatening to fall.
But mom wasn’t having it as Ava’s word made the intended and planned effect. Her head whipped in my direction.
“And you dared to make a scene about it?,” Mom continued. “Locking yourself in the bathroom for twenty minutes. Everyone was worried.”
“I didn’t make a scene. I just cleaned myself up.”
“Ava said you were upset.”
I looked at my sister in the front seat. She was watching me in the side mirror with a small smile.
“I wasn’t upset. I was just dealing with it.”
“Well, you dealt with it poorly. Now the whole school is going to be talking about this.”
We pulled into our driveway. Dad’s car was already there.
“Get inside,” Mom said. “Your father needs to hear about this.”
In the living room, Dad was watching TV. Mom immediately launched into the story.
“Avery had an incident at Sarah’s party. Got her period in the pool in front of everyone.”
Dad’s face darkened. “Jesus, Avery.”
“It was an accident.”
“An embarrassing accident that could have been avoided.”
“I didn’t know it was going to start today.”
“That’s the problem. You should be tracking these things.”
“Don’t scold her dad. She was scared,” Ava added quietly. “So scared she locked herself away when everybody tried to help. It took her some time to calm down,dad”
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She said it so innocently that I would have believed she was really trying to help if I didn’t know her true
nature.
34
“You made a fuss too?” I heard father ask.
“I wasn’t making a fuss. I was trying to handle it privately.” I said, biting my lower lip.
“By making everyone worry about you?” Mom said. “That’s not handling it privately.”
I wanted to scream. I hadn’t made a fuss. I hadn’t drawn attention to myself. Had tried to deal with everything as quickly and quietly as possible.
But somehow Ava had twisted it into me being dramatic and oversensitive.
“Go to your room,” Dad said. “We’ll discuss the consequences later.”
“Consequences for what?”
“For embarrassing this family. For ruining someone’s party. For being careless.”
I climbed the stairs to my room. Closed the door and finally let the tears fall.
I hadn’t done anything wrong. Getting your period wasn’t something you could control or predict perfectly.
But they’d found a way to make it my fault anyway.
Just like everything else.
I collapsed into my bed as I let the tears fall freely. I had planned it all so well. Avoided being pushed in regular clothes but ended up getting pushed instead and by my own sister.
And fate had to be against me, getting my period today of all days was cruel.
I cried harder as I bit into my pillow.
This was unfair to me but coupled with this is accepting that my computer might be gone for good.
田
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
