It had been over a week since Raymond had joined Rosie's high school, and he still hadn't texted or called her.
"Was he making fun of me? Did he forget?" Rosie wondered, feeling disappointed.
Their seats in class were located near each other, but they rarely talked. They only exchanged quick morning greetings, and Raymond seemed to interact with most of the girls in the class except Rosie.
Rosie woke up with a slight stomach ache. As she got ready for school, the discomfort in her stomach increased, but she brushed it off.
Her mom didn't notice, as she was busy that morning. As Rosie entered the classroom, Mirabel accidentally bumped into her.
"I'm so sorry. It was a mistake. I didn't mean to," Mirabel apologized.
Rosie was rubbing her stomach when Miracle asked if she was okay.
"Yeah, it's just one of my usual stomach aches. It'll pass. Thanks for your concern," Rosie replied, trying to hide her discomfort.
However, the pain only grew worse and began to spread to her waist as the day went on.
"Are you okay?" Desmond asked Rosie during lunch.
"I'm good. Thanks," Rosie replied, though she wasn't feeling well.
During music class, Rosie couldn't take the pain any longer and excused herself to visit the nurse.
As she got up and walked, someone hugged her from behind. The embrace was warm and sent chills down her spine.
"Who is this?" Rosie wondered, puzzled by the unexpected embrace.
Rosie turned her neck to see who was hugging her from behind and couldn't believe it was Raymond.
"Why the sudden hug?" she asked herself, feeling surprised.
Raymond quickly took off his jacket and tied it around Rosie's waist, whispering to her ear, "Your shorts are stained. Let's talk later."
"Thanks," Rosie said and left, feeling both grateful and embarrassed.
As she walked down the hallway, she forgot about the stain on her shorts and didn't notice the curious stares she was getting from other students.
"Oh, my shorts!" Rosie exclaimed suddenly, remembering the embarrassing stain.
"What stained it?" she asked herself as she walked into the restroom.
"Oh, no!" Rosie realized with shock. "Blood? My period? I can't believe he saw me this way," she thought to herself, feeling mortified.
"Well, that explains the stomach and waist pains," Rosie concluded as she cleaned herself up and headed to the nurse's office.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. Please, I need medication for menstrual cramps - preferably painkillers. And can I get some pads too?" Rosie asked, trying to hide her discomfort.
"Okay. Give me a second," the nurse replied, quickly fetching the medication and pads for Rosie.
"Take these now and rest on the bed for about thirty minutes before returning to class," the nurse advised, giving Rosie a glass of water to take the medication.
"Return to class? Me? Hell no!" Rosie thought to herself, as she lay on the bed, trying to sleep.
"I can't face anyone right now. Who knows how many guys saw my bloody shorts," she sighed.
She eventually dozed off and woke up an hour after school was over.
Few people were around, so she wasn't too self-conscious about walking out of school.
At around 7 pm, she got a call from an unknown number, and she immediately knew that it was Raymond.
"Hi," Raymond said when Rosie picked up the phone.
"Finally," Rosie said under her breath, feeling relieved to hear from him.
"Finally what?" Raymond asked, curious.
"Oh, sorry. Not you. I didn't know I said it out loud," Rosie apologized.
"Okay. How are you doing?" Raymond asked.
"I'm fine, thanks. How about you?" Rosie asked in return.
"I'm okay. How's your-" Raymond began to ask, but Rosie quickly interrupted him.
"Please don't say it. It's so embarrassing," she pleaded.
"I was going to say 'stomach,' not 'period,'" Raymond clarified.
"Ugh. Why did you say 'period?' I'm so embarrassed right now," Rosie groaned.
"I'm sorry. Let's forget about that. So...my jacket," Raymond said, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, yeah. Thank you for the jacket. I've washed it, and I'll return it to you at school tomorrow," Rosie said.
"No. Not at school. I want you to bring it to my house tomorrow," Raymond said.
"My house? Why?" Rosie asked, feeling surprised.
"Because I want you to visit me," Raymond replied.
Rosie was taken aback. "Visit you? Like, hang out with you?" she asked, feeling unsure.
"I'd rather not come to your house. I'll return it in sch-" Rosie started to say, but Raymond interrupted her.
"That jacket was the last thing my mom gave me before she died, and tomorrow is her death anniversary. I want to avoid being alone tomorrow. Please?" Raymond's voice was sincere, and Rosie couldn't help but feel sympathetic.
"Fine then. Send me your address. But what about your dad? Will he be cool with me coming over tomorrow?" Rosie asked, feeling a bit nervous.
"Yeah, don't worry about him," Raymond assured her.
"Why?" Rosie asked.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Raymond said before ending the call.
Rosie was left feeling uncertain about visiting Raymond's house but decided to give it a chance. She couldn't imagine how he was feeling on the anniversary of his mom's death, and she wanted to be supportive.
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[A/N] Sorry for the late updates.
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