Chapter 4

Part 1

I woke up the next morning to the sound of Xela snoring on the opposite side of the couch. I looked across from me to see her still sleeping with one arm hanging on the side of the couch, and the other to her side. She was lying down straight with her head slightly tilted to the side and a few strings of her hair were stuck in her mouth. She looked as if it were her first time sleeping on anything but the floor, like a hobo, but a cute hobo nevertheless.

“Good morning gorgeous,” I whisper into her ear to wake her up. It took a few seconds, but eventually, her eyes opened and she responded.

“Don’t call me gorgeous until we’re dating.”

“What do you mean by until…..” I said jokingly. Realizing what she said, her face grew red.

“I-I meant to say UNLESS. When I just wake up, I tend to mix up my words sometimes,” she defended.

“No… I think you were implying that we will date one day, which by the way I’m not completely against,” I said while grinning even more.

Her face grew even redder and she was now completely flushed in embarrassment. “Fuck you,” she said while giving me the finger. “How do you not get embarrassed by saying these things?”

“Relax, it’s just a joke.”

“And you calling me cute at Filip’s Cafe wasn’t? You were blushing as much I was back then.”

After reminding me, my face instantly flushed in red. “What the fuck? I thought we both agreed never to speak of that again!”

“Sorry,” she said while having a small smile on her face.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it”

Still embarrassed, I look away and change the subject. “Do you… want breakfast? I can cook something really quick.”

“What are you asking if I want breakfast for? Don't act like we had sex last night.”

“Okay, I guess that’s a no then.”

“I’ll have some toast”

“I don’t have bread.”

“How the fuck do you not have bread? What about cereal?”

“Ran out last week.”

“What do you have then?” she asked

“Eggs.”

“I’ll have one those then. Boiled.”

“Coming right up, ma'am!”

Part 2

Not long after I started boiling the egg, Xela had a sudden outburst.

“FUCK!” she yelled. “I’M BLEEDING!”

“Why?” I asked.

“I’M ON MY PERIOD, WHY ELSE DUMBASS?”

“Ohhhh, right, girl issues. Just do me a favour and stop screaming. It’s hurting my ears.”

“Fine asshole, just get me.... you know what," she ordered.

“Do you not bring your own kit with you at all times or anything???” I asked.

“NO girl does that. Ugh I forgot, you have no experience with girls.”

“And you’re any better with the guys?”

“Just get me something!”

“Go look in the bathroom. If there’s none there, go in my little sister’s room. It’s the first door on the left up the stairs.”

“You get it! By the way, where is your sister and the rest of your family anyway?" she asked curiously

“My little sis is gone on an overnight trip for a few weeks with her class and my parents are out on a getaway trip as usual, so I have the whole house to myself for now. Also, I’m boiling the egg, you go get it!”

“Ugh, fine," she agreed reluctantly.

Xela got off the couch and headed upstairs. She began to search the washroom and after 5 minutes of trashing the whole place, she yelled from upstairs again.

“IT’S NOT THERE JOHNNY!”

“YOUR EGG’S DONE BOILING XELA,” I yelled back

“I DON’T GIVE A FUCK. COME UPSTAIRS NOW AND HELP ME FIND SOMETHING."

“DO YOU WANT ME TO BRING YOUR EGG TOO?”

“I DON’T CARE. JUST COME.”

“HOLD ON! I’LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

After cracking the shell of the egg and placing it in a little bowl, I made my way upstairs to help Xela search for something that will stop her bleeding.

After 20 good minutes of searching, we decided that we couldn’t find any and that I would have to buy some from the pharmacy.

Moments later, Xela slowly fell to the floor. “Cramps. The cramps are starting to kick in now.”

“Hold on.”

I helped her get up and put one of her arms over my shoulder for support. As we were walking back down the stairs, I couldn’t help but notice her scent. Since when did she smell so….. nice? Not the time Johnny!

We got to the sofa again, and she lay back down with her hands on her stomach.

“You didn’t have to do that for me, you know,” Xela said, all embarrassed and looking at the floor.

“I was scared you’d start hitting or kicking me later if I didn’t,” I said. “Do you need anything like hot water or blankets or whatever girls need during their periods?”

“I’m not dying, you know? It’s just cramps. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, I’ll make my trip to the pharmacy now. I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Anything else you need before I go?” I asked while getting my shoes on.

“One more thing! Thank you, Johnny. I know how much of a pain in the ass it can be taking care of a girl on her period. You don’t have to do this.”

“No, it’s fine really. After all, I am glad I could get the chance to see a cute girl such as yourself dying in pain while on her cycle.” I said while giving yet another stupid smirk.

“Get out my of sight in 5… 4….,” she began to count.

“Alright, alright,” I say as I grab my jacket with the money in it and lock the house from the outside.

Part 3

After getting weird looks by the cashiers at the pharmacy and having to explain to them it was for a friend, I got back into the car and began to drive again.

Not even a minute into my drive, I get a call from an unknown number. I quickly pressed the ‘pick up’ button and leave the phone on my side.

“Johnny come back already, I’m bored,” I hear a familiar voice say.

“Xela is that you? How’d you even get my number?”

“You have a list of your family's phone numbers on it.”

“That’s for emergency only!” I exclaimed. “Anyway, I’m coming back soon. Just wait for a little while more. Bye-”

“Wait! I want something to eat. Like….. Like…..”

“Ice cream?” I suggested.

“YOU INTERRUPTED MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT!!” she yelled angrily at me.

“What the fuck? What are you getting so angry for?” I asked her, completely confused as to what I said that ticked her off.

“Sorry, it’s the mood swings and everything. I am on my period, after all.”

“Oh, I get it.”

“I want ice cream! Ice cream! Ice cream!” Xela whined.

“Oh so NOW you want ice cream?.”

“Shut up and just get me some fucking ice cream!”

“Hold on, I’ll make a quick stop at the supermarket and grab some there.”

“No, no, no! The ice cream there tastes like garbage! I need the ice cream from DeVante’s Parlour.”

“There’s no fucking way I’m going there,” I told her bluntly.

DeVante’s Parlour is on the south side of town, which happens to be the “Ghetto” or however people call it these days. I’ve only been there once in my life when I was 6 years old, and the one time I did go, I got jumped by a gang of teenagers and got my 20 dollar running shoes stolen when my parents were both in the restroom. There is no fucking way I’m going back to that part of the town. Outside the parlour, you have these sketchy dealers selling all kinds of drugs, with knives in their pockets. I am not making it out alive if I enter that parlour.

“Pleassseeeee?” she begged. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

“Do you want me to die getting your fucking ice cream?”

“Of course not, who’s going to give me my ice cream if you die?”

“Fuck you. I’m coming back.”

“Fine, Don’t get my ice cream!”

“What do you mean ‘fine, don’t get my ice cream’”.

“As in, it’s okay. If you don’t want to get me ice cream, don’t.”

“FINE, I’LL GET YOUR ICE CREAM!” I yell suddenly.

Wait what?! Why did I just agree to it?

“....... I said it was okay, you know? I didn’t actually expect you to say yes.” she said, just as confused as I was.

“Neither did I until you pulled some reverse-psychology shit on me.”

“I wasn't trying to reverse-psychology you. If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.”

“Actually, you’re right. Fuck it, what’s the worst that can happen?” I said with confidence.

“Are you hearing me right? I said you didn’t have to go.”

“I’ll try to be back as soon as I can,” I said as I hung up the phone.

On second thought, I can do this. I just have to go in, order her damn ice cream, leave, and drive away. Don’t disturb anyone or make eye contact with anyone and I should be fine. Times have changed. I was 6 back then. I’m 17 now. What’s the worst that can happen, right?

Part 4- After the trip

I inserted my house key to the keyhole while holding a big bucket of strawberry ice cream in the other hand and still trying to catch my breath after running what felt like a 10-hour marathon. As I twisted the door handle, I slowly walk in and see Xela who was sitting on the couch and watching the hockey game quickly get up and run over to me.

“Are you okay? I texted you like a million times, why didn’t you answer? I thought you really did die!” she said worryingly.

“I’ll explain everything, just help me to the couch and pour me glasses of water until we run out of cups in this house,” I demanded as I slowly collapsed to the ground.

She put my arm around her shoulder like how I did before and supported me all the way over to the couch. Xela then walked over to the kitchen and poured water from the tap into the first cup she saw.

“Explain,” she said while walking over to the couch again and handing me the glass of water.

“Let’s begin with when I first entered the store, I said while still panting. “Everything was going great at first. I managed to get past the dealer gang hanging outside the parlour and enter the shop, no problem. The parlour guy was pretty nice and handed over this huge bucket when I told him I needed to bring it home for a girl who was on her period. I left the money on the counter and was just about to leave, but…. then I got curious about the sounds coming from the washroom and my dumbass self JUST HAD TO walk in. What do I see? Some old hag, who happened to be a psychopath by the way, giving head to some big bald guy. You’d expect the big bald guy to beat the shit out of me right, nope. Something much worse happened. The old hag picked up an empty bottle of rum and chased me around the whole fucking district wearing nothing and screaming her lungs out ‘Come back here you cocksucking pervert!’. Pretty ironic actually, because she was the actually sucking the cock. Nevermind that. I eventually made it back to the car after a whole hour of running for my life, but the damage had already been done. I will forever have PTSD now because of that time a psychopath chased me for a whole hour with a beer bottle while wearing nothing.”

Xela was completely speechless and the whole time just stared at me in disbelief. She then went over to the kitchen again with the big bucket of ice cream and scooped some for both me and her.

“Here, have some ice cream,” she said while handing me the bowl.

“Thank you.”

For a few minutes, we just sat silently, eating our ice cream as I still tried to catch my breath.

“You had to go through all that just for a bucket of ice cream?” Xela finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.”

“Seriously, you really didn’t have to go that far just for me.”

“You practically forced me though.”

“Did you not hear me say ‘it’s okay if you don’t get it.’?”

“When did you say that?” I asked while smirking.

“Fuck you.”

“I know you want to, but don’t you think we should be taking things a bit slower?,” I asked, not even able to control my smirk anymore.

“Remind me to never thank you again.”

“Will do. Also, why are you still in my house again?” I asked, completely forgetting how she even ended up in my house in the first place.

“Do you have short term memory loss or something?” she asked rudely.

“Sorry, running away from a psychopath chasing you for an hour straight makes does things to your brain.”

“Let’s backtrack to how I got here and why I’m still here then,” she began. “If you drove me home last night, you would’ve slept on the wheel, killing both of us, so I decided to stay at your place for the night. The next morning you had the great idea of making breakfast, delaying me going home even more. Then, of course, the uterus gods were not on my side today, and had to start bleeding at the worst time possible. Finally, you took hours getting the ice cream, explaining why it’s already the afternoon and I’m still at your place.”

“You want me to drive you home now?”

“After. Let’s just eat our ice cream now.”