Broken Inside

30 - The Girl Talk

Alex was sitting on her couch, reading Pride and Prejudice, with a steaming mug of coffee in her hand. Her phone rang and she glanced at the screen. Andy was calling.

She put her mug down and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hi. It's, um... It's Andy."

Alex couldn't help but smile. Did he think she wouldn't save his number? "Hi, Andy. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

There was a short pause. Alex could hear him exhaling heavily. There's something troubling him, Alex thought, frowning and waiting for him to speak. 

"I, um, I need your help." There was a desperate plea in his voice that she noticed, even through the phone.

"Of course," she replied kindly, "Anything."

"I wouldn't be asking you if... If, um, if I had anyone else to... to..."

"Andy," she cut him off, sitting upright to ensure her voice sounds clear. "I'll help. What do you need?"

He breathed a sigh of relieve into the receiver. "Could you come down to the bookstore?"

"I'll be there in half an hour."

She was there in twenty seven minutes. 

Andy was pacing back and forth in front of the counter, a worried look on his face. When Alex walked in, he looked up and the worried look went away, replaced by relieve. He walked towards her with long strides.

"Thank you for coming," he said, pulling her aside, "I'm out of my bounds here." Alex noticed that he was agitated. He talked with a low voice and he kept looking behind him at the back office.

"How can I help?" she asked.

Andy looked at her and blinked hard. He pressed his lips together and glanced behind him once more. He opened his mouth but no words came out. He was breathing hard. Alex was getting anxious from watching him.

Andy shut his eyes tight and blurted out, "Ashley is bleeding!"

"What?!" Alex exclaimed, gaping. She tried to move past Andy to go to Ashley but Andy caught her arm and pulled her back. She looked at him questioningly.

"What I... Meant to say is, um, she started bleeding," Andy tried to explain. He gestured towards his groin, and circling his hands around. "You know, women bleeding?" He looked at her desperately, hoping that she understood.

Alex looked at him quizzically and then realisation dawned on her. "You mean she got her period?"

Andy exhaled and nodded. "Yes."

Alex burst out laughing unexpectedly and she quickly covered her mouth. She bit her lips together and tried to remain serious because Andy looked like he was about to lose it. "Okey, so she got her period. That's great. What do you need my help for?"

"I need you to talk to her, explain it to her. I can't do it, I don't know... I'm her father, she doesn't want me to talk to her about this," he explained his reasons. He glanced at the back office and wrung his hands worriedly. 

Alex followed his gaze. The office door was slightly ajar. She could see Ashley at the desk, scribbling furiously on a piece of paper. She turned back to Andy. "Shouldn't Allison be the one to talk to her about this? She is her mother."

Andy sighed deeply and crossed his arms. "I tried calling, but I only got her voicemail." His tone was dripping with disappointment. He looked at her and started saying, "You don't have to-"

"No," she quickly cut him off, "I'll talk to her." She smiled at him reassuringly.

He smiled back. "Thank you."