DREA (GxG)

6. {Morning coffee}

The very day after I got here, my period started.

Now I know why I opted to eat more slices of that pizza the night before. I was a bottomless pit then. Now, not so much. Everything that went down the pit was now coming back up. The pain woke me first. At first, it was just a nagging ache that made me wish I wasn't a woman, then the nausea set in and together, I felt like death. To make matters worse, I had my arm and leg in casts.

Uncomfortable didn't describe well enough how I was feeling.

While my head was in the toilet, I heard light taps against the door. Then I heard her voice. "Julia?"

Grabbing for tissue, I wiped my mouth, flushed the toilet, and sat on it swiftly. Too swiftly for somebody who could barely stand on my own. I was borderline folding over in pain but I still heard myself say, "Come."

The door opened slowly to reveal her in the doorway. I kept staring at the wall before me, hardly sparing her a glance but her silhouette kept pulling my attention. She didn't move since she opened the door and that made me look at her. She was leaning against the door frame watching me, her gaze unwavering.

"Do you have any?" She asked, already knowing.

My face reddened, my lips turning down with a frown. "I completely forgot that periods were a thing."

She simply nodded, pushed herself to her feet and turned back to leave. "I'll be back."

As soon as she disappeared, I toppled over to the ground, clutching my stomach and suddenly, I could no longer remember life before the pain. I embraced the coolness of the tiles against my skin and allowed my eyes to close under the weight of my tiredness. Long arms pulled me from the floor into a sitting position much like I am a child. I didn't have the energy to complain about it, leaning against her for support. "Well, you look like shit." She muttered, but her statement lacked humour and was filled with concern. I whined and lay against her more, feeling absolutely miserable. "Hey, don't fall asleep. Pick."

I peered my eyes open to look at the sanitary napkins and tampons she had somehow gone and found. My eyes scanned over them all. "None. They're all too big."

"What?" She picked one pad out and a tampon, too. "These are literally size one and regular."

"They're too big. I need an ultra-thin or a light."

She sighed. "Okay... well, uh... can you just put this on for now? I'll go get you some ultra-thins/light ones and painkillers and whatnot. Do you want...need anything else?" I shook my head. "Do you want help in the shower?"

I hesitated, thinking about it, but who was I kidding? I couldn't help myself. I caved. "Yes, please."

"Stay here," She told me as she pulled away. "And don't fall asleep, please."

I watched her get to her feet, start the bath, and then leave the bathroom. My eyes followed her until she disappeared into my closet and returned with fresh underwear. She moved quickly to stick a pad to it before she came over to me again. "Do I need to undress you?" I shook my head as I leaned against the wall, still, I couldn't muster the strength to move to do it. She sighed, sat on the floor beside me and twisted to face me. "Let me undress you?"

I nodded.

An oversized shirt is all I wore, not leaving much to take off. It was one of Adrian's favourites and it had his scent all over it. While I had it on, I felt close to him. Drea neatly folded it and rested it aside as if she could tell how much it meant to me at that moment. A second later, her eyes found me again and the concern in her eyes only grew. "You look paler by the second. Don't die on me, please." She said in a half-whisper as she came to help me up and I could hear the desperation in her voice. "I wouldn't know what to do."