The Best Day (Tayvis family one-shots)

Surprise? Pt.1/Ch.3

** A week after holiday house (I know that this is posted before I finished Holiday House so just so you don't get confused this is after) **

(1393 Words)

Gracie's POV

Back home after what felt like a whirlwind of a vacation, I was almost relieved to return to normal life. The craziness of Holiday House was fun, but it was also exhausting, and I was glad to be back in my own bed, with my own things, and the familiar routine of school.

But something felt different today. As I sat in my second-period class, a strange cramp twisted in my stomach. At first, I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just nerves or maybe I was still recovering from the bug I had caught at the beach house. But the cramps got worse, sharper, and before I knew it, I was squirming in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position.

When the bell rang for lunch, I felt a dampness between my legs. A cold wave of panic washed over me as I rushed to the bathroom, praying it was nothing. But as soon as I locked the stall door and looked down, my heart sank. Blood. I was bleeding.

Oh my God. No, no, no. Not here. Not now.

I felt tears prickling in my eyes as I tried to figure out what to do. I knew what this was—I'd learned about it in health class, and Mom had talked to me about it a few times. But now that it was actually happening, I felt completely unprepared.

I didn't have anything with me—no pads, no tampons, nothing. And I didn't want to go back to class like this, not with everyone staring at me. My mind raced as I tried to think of a plan, but all I could feel was the dread of having to tell someone.

My hands were trembling as I pulled out my phone and texted Mom. Mom, please call me. It's important. I waited, staring at the screen, willing it to buzz with her reply. But nothing came. I remembered she mentioned something about being in the studio all day, and my heart sank further. I was alone in this.

I took a deep breath and walked out of the stall, trying to keep myself together. I went straight to the nurse's office, praying she could help me. When I got there, I barely managed to explain what was happening before the tears started falling. The nurse was kind, giving me a pad and helping me clean up a little, but I still felt a knot of fear in my chest.

"You're going to be okay, sweetheart," she said gently. "It's your first time, right?"

I nodded, wiping my eyes. "Yeah... I just didn't expect it to happen like this."

"Do you want to go home?" she asked, and I nodded again, too overwhelmed to do anything else.

"I'll call your mom," she said, picking up the phone. But after a few minutes, she hung up and turned back to me. "It looks like she's not answering. Is there someone else I can call?"

I hesitated. Travis was the only other person she could call. I didn't want him to come. It wasn't that I didn't like him—I knew he was trying, and he was always nice to me. But we just weren't... close. Not like I was with Mom.

But I didn't have a choice.

"You can call Travis," I mumbled, feeling a fresh wave of embarrassment.

The nurse nodded and dialed his number. I listened as she explained the situation to him, feeling like I wanted to disappear into the floor. When she hung up, she smiled at me. "He'll be here in about fifteen minutes, okay? You can wait here."

I nodded and sat down in one of the chairs, trying to ignore the awkwardness of it all. I couldn't believe this was happening. Of all the people, why did it have to be Travis?

Travis's POV

When the school nurse called, my first thought was that Gracie was sick again, like she had been at the beach house. I grabbed my keys and headed out the door, worry gnawing at me. Taylor was in the studio, so it was up to me to take care of Gracie, but I could already feel the awkwardness creeping in. No matter how much I tried, there was always this wall between us. I loved her like my own, but she kept me at arm's length, and I respected that. I just wanted her to be okay.

When I arrived at the school, I checked in at the office and headed to the nurse's room. Gracie was sitting in a chair, her head down, looking smaller than I'd ever seen her. My heart ached for her, knowing that something must have really upset her for the nurse to call.

"Hey, Gracie," I said softly, trying to keep my voice gentle. "You ready to go home?"

She looked up at me, and I could see her eyes were red from crying. She nodded but didn't say anything. I noticed her hesitation, her discomfort, and I knew this wasn't just about being sick.

"Okay, let's get you home," I said, keeping my tone light as I took her backpack from her. We walked out to the car in silence, and I could feel the tension between us, thick and heavy. I wanted to ask if she was okay, but I didn't want to push her. She would tell me when she was ready—if she wanted to.

The drive home was quiet. Gracie stared out the window, her face unreadable, and I kept glancing over at her, wondering what I could say to make this easier for her. But nothing came to mind, so I just focused on getting her home.

When we pulled into the driveway, I turned off the engine and finally broke the silence. "Do you want to talk about it, Gracie? You don't have to, but I'm here if you need anything."

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she took a deep breath and finally looked at me. "I got my period," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

The words hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course, that's what it was. I felt a pang of guilt for not realizing sooner. I remembered how Taylor had been so excited to be there for this moment in Gracie's life, but now she was stuck at the studio, and it was just me. The last person Gracie probably wanted to deal with this.

"Hey, that's okay," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, even though I could see how embarrassed she was. "It happens to everyone, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Do you need anything? We can stop at the store if you want."

She shook her head, biting her lip. "The nurse gave me stuff. I just... I don't know what to do."

I nodded, feeling a little out of my depth but determined to help her in any way I could. "How about we go inside, and I can call your mom? She might be able to give you some advice, and if you want, I can leave you two alone to talk."

Gracie's eyes softened a little, and she nodded. "Okay."

We went inside, and I handed her the phone after dialing Taylor's number. Gracie took it and walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch. I gave her some space, going to the kitchen to make her some tea—something comforting, even if it was a small gesture.

A few minutes later, I peeked into the living room. Gracie was sitting there with the phone pressed to her ear, talking quietly. I didn't want to intrude, so I set the tea down on the coffee table and started to leave.

"Travis," she called after me, her voice hesitant.

I turned back, surprised. "Yeah?"

"Thanks," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

I smiled, a warmth spreading in my chest. "Anytime, Gracie."

As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a little closer to her, hoping that maybe, just maybe, we were starting to break down that wall between us.

A/N This was a request, so I decided to post this before Holiday House pt.2, which will be posted later today. This will also have multiple parts :) If you want a pt.2 to Surprise? get my votes to 50 :))))

Also, I used ChatGPT to help make this chapter :) so yeah.