Rage.
That's all I could see as I saw my reflection in the mirror. It was as if my frustration and anger were compiling in the rings of my irises, waiting to explode. I watched, eyes fully open, cheeks red, and posture hunched over.
"Scarlett," I muttered through clenched teeth. "I have great news," I said with a smile, knowing fully well she couldn't see me from her room. I was hoping the smile on my face could project its soft properties so my voice didn't sound as harsh. If my voice was remotely off, Scarlett will definitely be suspicious.
"Yeah?" she called back.
"Um... I think some girl in your major just posted on Facebook saying that your Pathophysiology test on Wednesday is cancelled."
I smirked when I heard the sound of a door being ripped open. '
Three. Thump.
Two. Thump.
One.
Scarlett appeared, her head just peeking through the entrance doorway. Her hand held the doorknob, while a smile stretched across her face. It took all my willpower to not tackle her then and there. Especially since she was still smiling after announcing that to Aaiden! What kind of a friend was she?
"Really?" she asked, taking a step forward. "Why was it cancelled—"
"—because I'm going to fucking kill you before then!"
Her eyes widened as I ran forward. My hand nearly touched her shoulder before the door slammed shut. I reached for the knob, only to find it stuck. No matter how much I pushed against the door, it wasn't budging.
"Scarlett." I hit the door with all my strength. I heard a gasp when the wooden frame shook. "Open this door right now."
"Aaiden, help! There's a psycho killer in the house."
I rolled my eyes. It wasn't like I was going to kill her. I just wanted to talk to her in a rational but violent matter from my end. Was that really too much to ask for?
"Just open the stupid door."
I waited a second, but heard nothing. It wasn't until I tried twisting the handle again, that the door opened. But, instead of Scarlett, I saw Aaiden. He stood there with heavy awkwardness. As I take in his dark eyes, he held my gaze and gave me a shy smile.
My body froze when he reached his hand out, and laid a hand on my shoulder. My cheeks reddened knowing how much he knew.
"Um...I may not know much about this ah—" His eyes shifted towards the ground, "—girl stuff, but I'll buy your stuff—" He paused again, the hand on my shoulder no longer there, "—ah...I mean products, so don't be mad at Scarlett for doing that. You know how she is."
I took a deep breath, silently staring into his eyes. It was soft and warm, urging me to forgive Scarlett. Almost instantly, the anger was wiped clean from my body just as fast as it started.
"You're actually going to buy them for me?"
His cheeks tinted pink as he nodded. "You need them, don't you?"
I stood there at a loss for words. For the past five years, I never actually had someone else buy me feminine products. It was always me getting them. While most girls had their mothers buy them pads or tampons, I didn't. My mom was away when it happened, and I was too embarrassed to tell my dad about it. So, for someone else to buy me tampons, even if it was Aaiden made the smile on my face even more prominent. The fact that he was willing to go at all made it even more special.
"Um...y-yeah," I finally managed to say. "Do you um...know where to get them?"
"Walmart?" He waited for my confirmation. A grin soon crept onto his face when I nodded. "Then I'll go there, and look for ah...tampons, right?" he guessed with a hot blush.
"Right. Look for Tampax Pearl Triple pack." I could feel the heat growing in my cheeks as well. By now they must be scorching red. I couldn't believe I was talking to Aaiden about this.
His brows scrunched together. "Wait, there's different kinds?"
"And brand," I explained, as I tried to keep my voice steady. God. This was so embarrassing. "If they don't have the triple pack, get me the Compak Pearl. It should have the number twenty-four on the lower left corner."
"Sure...Complex, twenty-four pack."
I cringed when he didn't even pronounce the name of the product correctly. "No. Compak."
His face washed blank with confusion—the only color on his cheeks. "As in c-o-m-p-a-c-t?"
"Not exactly..." I told him, scratching the side of my cheek. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all...Even if he got the name of the product right, there's still a slight chance he'll bring back the wrong item. "Here." I held my hand out. "Just give me your phone."
"My phone?" he questioned, but took it out nonetheless.
I nodded, when he placed his phone in my hand. "I'm going to screenshot the ones I usually get," I said as I opened up Safari, and searched up Tampax Pearl. "If you forget, just refer back to your phone."
"Okay."
The phone almost slipped from my hands when I felt his breath on my cheeks. I looked up to see his face right in front of me, his eyes locked on the screen in my hands.
From this angle, I could see the true length of his eyelashes. They were long and thick—the envy of most girls. Fine and silky as they fluttered up and down. Up close they were fascinating—almost ebony like as they framed those captivating brown eyes of his.
"Aubrey?"
I ducked my head down the moment his eyes met mine and quickly searched up Compak Pearl on the internet. As I was doing this, I could see in the corner of my eyes that he was still staring at me. I swallowed, trying to slow down my racing heartbeat.
Focus, Bree, focus.
I bought the phone closer towards my face and went back to the task at hand. When I had a screenshot of the product I wanted, I made sure both pictures were in his camera roll before I gave him his phone back.
"Thanks." I gulped, when his smile alone made my heart thump. For a second, we were both back at the hospital. Him as the little kid, and me staring at him—just like now. "I'll try to be back within an hour," he spoke.
I shook my head, and came back to reality, the memory disappearing. By the time I found my voice he was already by the front door. He paused when I called out his name.
He turned around. "Yeah?"
"Thanks, for um...everything."
"Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do since you're helping me with this," he said, while lifting the bag of candy in his hands.
I laughed. "Are you going to practice the technique on the ride over there?"
The corners of his lips curved up in a slight smile as his eyes dropped to the floor. "Maybe."
As he left, I couldn't help but smiled widely. Maybe Scarlett didn't ruin my life after all.
I was dying.
Everything hurts.
I winched as I hunched over, clutching my stomach. My eyes squeezed closed letting the magnitude of the pain passed over. I sat still, breathing slowly. Soon, the radiating pain became a dull, numbing feeling with every breath I took.
Crossing my legs, I sat, staring at the bathroom floor tiles.
Why wasn't he here yet? Why is it taking so long? It's been nearly two hours since he left, and he still wasn't back yet.
I sighed. Maybe he got lost. Or maybe he couldn't find the right tampon and had to go to a different store.
Either way, I should call him. Just to make sure he's okay. I was about ready to dial his number when I heard the front door opening.
"Aubrey?" Aaiden asked. "Where are you?"
Finally. "I'm in the bathroom!"
"Sorry it took so long..." he said, as I heard his footsteps getting louder and louder with every step he took. "I had to get a few other things along the way."
"A few other things?" I asked. What other things did he need to get?
"Ah yeah...I kind of asked my mother for some advice."
I raised a brow. "Advice on what?"
"Advice on girls when they're on their—" The end of his sentence broke off, probably blushing, "—periods... and um, I wanted to know what I could do to lessen your pain..."
My mouth hung ajar. When I tried to speak, my voice faltered into unintelligible croaks. "I—you, actually did that?" I choked out, "For me?"
"Of course," he said softly. "You're—I mean ah...I'm going to leave the stuff by the door. I'll be in the living room when you're done."
I glanced at the door in confusion. What was he going to say? You're what? A good friend?
Nah.
He probably meant, you're Scarlett's good friend.
Yeah, that's probably it.
Listening to his retreating footsteps, I only opened the door when I knew for sure he was gone. I smiled when I saw the four packs of Tampax Pearl neatly stacked on top of one another.
Taking one, I shut the door.
Well, at least he got the right ones.
Ice cream.
Medicine.
Heating pad.
And more ice cream.
If it wasn't for the stuffed animal in Aaiden's hand, I would've been stuffing my face with the ice cream right now. But, none of those items mattered anymore. The chipmunk did. It was almost an exact replica of the stuffed animal I got him when he was little. The only difference was the chipmunk in his hands had a tiny red bow on one of its ears.
"I know this is a bit strange...but just trust me on this, okay? This little guy has helped me through some tough times over the years, and I thought that maybe he could lend you some of his comfort as well."
I lost it.
It was too much. I struggled to breathe and choked back the tears that threatened to spill. I looked past my own dreary eyes and stared at him. For a fleeting moment, his face shone back with perfection.
"But isn't that the one you got from Areum?" I asked, glancing at the chipmunk clutched close to his chest.
He nodded. "I trust you enough to take care of it."
I gulped. "I-I don't know what to say..."
"You don't have to say anything. Just take it."
I shook my head. "Aaiden, I—"
Knock. Knock.
We both turned our heads and looked towards the entrance, his expression matching mine: confusion.
Who could that be?
"You stay here, I'll go see who it is."
"Okay," he said as he lowered the chipmunk. It was now placed next to the Advil box—its head leaning against the medicine. I took one last look at it, and then headed straight for the door.
I paused in front of it, and shut my eyes. I took in a large gulp of air, and felt my body automatically relaxing. When the door opened, the feeling evaporated.
"Kai?"
He leaned his body against the doorframe and flashed me a smirk. "The one and only."
I narrowed my eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"To help prep, Aaiden, of course."
"Aaiden?"
He grinned. "Yup. With this."
I looked down. Heat flushed my cheeks when I saw the provocative DVD case in his hands. "You want Aaiden to watch porn?" I whispered, my face hot with anger. "Are you fucking crazy?"
He only smiled.
"Duh."
Big news, Wrongly Labeled reached #6 on the What's Hot List! <3 So, thank you so much for that <3 <3
On a totally different note, I just saw Zootopia today, and it was the cutest movie ever. If you haven't seen it, I totally recommend it! <3
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