As the Minutes Go By

Get Set

The next morning brought a sense of both relief and dread. Louise had managed to fall asleep, though her dreams- much to her dismay -were filled to the brim with hormone driven displays. Everything written in Louise's journal had been turned up times ten, maybe even more.

"My stomach is doing weird flips." Louise whimpered, blushing heavily and wrapping herself in her blanket. "And it's going lower!"

"Oh, boy. You've got it worse than I thought." Tina muttered. "Then again, it is your first period. Puberty and periods do that to your brain."

"Well tell them to stop doing it!" Louise ordered, whining at the foreign feeling. "I don't like it! It's too weird!"

Tina frowned in sympathy, placing a hand on Louise's shoulder. "Do you want to stay home today?"

Louise nods, groaning as another mixture of pain and… whatever other feeling it was… hit her.

"Alright, I'll tell mom and dad." Tina assured, leaving the loft bed with a sympathetic frown. She genuinely felt bad for her little sister, knowing how much pain, frustration, and even fear these sensations were causing.

—

Breakfast without Louise at the table was a little odd. It had been agreed that the youngest Belcher deserved to have as much time to herself as she wished, even if it meant that she insisted on eating alone. Linda and Tina understood the notion completely, seeing as how Dakota would likely only cause Louise's bodily reactions to become worse. Unintentionally and unknowingly, of course, but it would still happen.

"My poor baby, in pain and eatin' all alone." Linda sighed.

"All because of you." Gene grumbled, pointing his fork at Dakota.

"How is this my fault? I didn't do anything to hurt Louise! I would never!" Dakota exclaimed, offended by the very accusation.

"Which we believe entirely." Bob huffed. "Gene, you need to leave Dakota alone. He's just trying to be friends with Louise. He isn't trying to do anything sneaky or inappropriate."

"You don't know that!" Gene shouted, leaving the table and storming towards Louise's room. He entered the room and gently closed her door, calming down instantly and humming at the sight of her frantically writing in her journal. "Hey, Louise. What're you writing?"

Louise squeaks, slamming her journal shut and clearing her throat. "N-nothing exciting! Just a… short story!"

"A short story?" Gene repeated, raising a suspicious brow when Louise rapidly nodded. "Like the ones Tina writes?"

"Well… kind of?" Louise replied.

"Louise, it's a 'yes' or 'no' question." Gene sighed, sitting on the beanbag chair behind Louise's wooden chair.

"Fine. Yes, it's an erotic friend-fiction." Louise admitted.

"Hmm. Can, uh… can I hear some of it?" Gene requested, slowly reaching out to grab the journal. He yelped when Louise slapped his hand away.

"No! No one but me and Tina are allowed to look at the contents of this journal!" Louise yelled. "Now get out! No dumb big brothers allowed!"

"Since when is that a rule?!"

"Since now! So go! Get out!"

"But-

"MOOOOOOM!"

—

The walk to school between Tina, Gene, and Dakota was nothing short of tense. It was agreed that Louise would be allowed to stay home due to her growing pains, and that Tina was to walk between the boys to keep a fight from ensuing. Yes, there were probably going to be verbal threats, but that was likely the most that Tina needed to worry about.