driver's license // r.h.

Chapter 24

"Cause I never want this night to end," Jonah sang. Me and Ryan bopped our heads along with the crowd. The boys were performing their last song of the night while me and Ryan stood off to the side of the stage so we could watch. Ryan's performance was outstanding and he was a natural at performing in front of people.

"Thank you Phoenix for having us," Jonah said as they walked off the stage.
"Have a great night everyone," Corbyn said right before they came over to us. They were all smiling so wide it looked like it hurt and were drenched in sweat.
"Dang, you guys go hard," Ryan said, shooting his brother a look like "go shower please".
"Yeah we do," Daniel laughed.
"Boys, go shower! You smell awful," Jon said, pinching his nose. We all laughed as they jogged off to the showers. Me and Ryan missed the first part of their concert because we had to shower, so we followed Eric back to the bus to wait for the boys.

"Next stop, Denver," Eric said as the now clean and showered boys hopped onto the bus.
"Does anyone need to stop anywhere for anything? Toothpaste? Snacks? Advil?" Jon asked us. We all mumbled "no" as we walked over to the back room to play some games.

"Zach you suck," Jack said frustratedly as he and Zach lost to me and Ryan.
"Losers," I joked as me and Ryan high fived. I put down my controller to go to the bathroom. It had just passed midnight and we were in the middle of nowhere. I slid the door closed and sat down on the toilet, only to find a too familiar red substance soaking my pants. Holy crap! How did I not notice I was bleeding? I put my head in my hands and tried to remember what day it was. I'm not supposed to start for another week! I started to panic once I realized when I was packing for tour, I didn't pack any pads or tampons because I didn't have room for them and I could buy them when we stopped at stores so I had them closer to my period date. I scolded myself for not being prepared and tried to think of a solution. I was the only girl on the bus, so I couldn't ask anyone to borrow a pad or tampon. We were in the middle of nowhere so I don't know how long it will be until we can stop at a store. Silent tears started sliding down my cheeks and I groaned out loud. Great, now I'm crying because of my stupid hormones! A knock at the door startled me and I jumped.
"Hey Lexi, are you okay? You've been in there for almost 10 minutes," Jonah's voice came from behind the door.
"Um..." I sniffed while whipping my tears as quickly as I could. No! Why did I sniffle? Jonah must have heard me because his voice grew more concerned.
"Lexi? What's wrong? Is it okay for me to...um," he awkwardly asked to come in.
"I'll be out in a minute," I said, folding a lot toilet paper and using it as a makeshift pad for now. I washed my hands quickly and opened the door to find Jonah looking at me worried. He instantly gave me a hug and rubbed my back. I fought hard to keep my tears from falling, but I accidentally let one or two slip.
"What's wrong?" He asked me, not letting go of the hug.
"I...uh, got my period a week early...and I'm not exactly prepared," I answered as best as I could without being awkward, but my face still turned bright red.
"Oh Lexi...I grew up with my mom and sisters, so I can only imagine how you feel. Do you want me to ask Jon and Eric to find the nearest store?" He asked.
"It's okay, I can do it," I said. He pulled away from the hug and walked behind me over to Jon and Eric.
"Hey Jon, can we please stop at the nearest store?" I asked.
"Why? What do you need?" He asked.
"I got my period a week early...and I'm not prepared for it," I mumbled, turning red. This was so embarrassing!
"Oh!" Jon turned slightly red and then chuckled nervously. "Of course, I think there is a Walmart in 10 minutes," he said. I nodded my thanks and stiffly walked with Jonah back to the boys room.

We walked back into the boys room and they all looked up at us confused. "Hey Lex, you good?" Jack asked.
"Yeah," I nodded and stood off to the side.
"We are stopping in about 10 minutes at a Walmart if you guys need anything," Jonah said, taking a seat next to Corbyn.
"Lexi come sit," Zach called, patting a seat next to him with a goofy smile on his face. I shook my head and replied,
"I'm good," with a forced smile
"Come on," he said, standing up to drag me over.
"I can't," I said, starting to turn red with all of them looking at me.
"But why not?" Zach asked.
"Zach drop it," Jonah said in a warning voice.
"I just want to make sure she's okay," Zach replied.
"Did Max do anything, because I swear if he did..." Ryan started.
"No one hurt me guys, I'm just on my period," I explained, my face beat red. They all turned slightly red and made an "o" with their mouths.
"Wait...so you can't sit down when you're on your period?" Zach asked, shocked. "How do you guys sleep?"
"You can if you're wearing something," Corbyn said, looking me in the eyes with a sympathetic look.
"Oh...OH! IS THAT WHY WE ARE STOPPING?" Zach asked, excited he figured it out.
"Yes Zach," Jonah sighed as I turned even more red.
"This is embarrassing," I muttered.
"Do you want us to get anything for you while we are there?" Ryan asked.
"No it's okay, thanks though," I said. The bus stopped so we grabbed our wallets. I grabbed a pair of running shorts and underwear to change into once I got my pads and a bag to put everything in.
"Ma'am," Ryan said as I walked down the bus steps and held out his hand for me to take. I took it with a giggle and stepped out of the bus. We held hands longer than we had to and I blushed when we let go.