Page 268 of Tell Me I'm Enough

Bash jogs up to her, grinning.

“See?” he says.

She’s breathless and smiling. “I did it.”

“You did.”

She throws her arms around him without thinking, and he catches her, lifting her off the ground.

Erik slaps a hand on Bash’s shoulder, looking at them. “Maybe I can teach her how to ride a motorcycle next.”

There’s a flicker in Lani’s expression. It’s subtle and quick, but I see it. It’s like the joke landed wrong for her, like it hurt almost.

Before I can read too much into it, Bash speaks again. “Back off. You arenothaving your arms wrapped around my girl on that death trap of a speed bike you got.”

Erik smirks. “Can I put my arms around you then?”

“Shut up,” Bash says, shoving him lightly. “Let’s go grab some lunch. I’m starving.”

Walking back to the car, I pull out my phone and hover my finger over Mason’s name before typing out a quick text, hating myself for having to be worried about him at three o’clock in the afternoon on a Sunday.

Simone: How are you feeling today? Want me to come over?

54

Simone

I wake up in so much pain I can barely breathe. It’s so sharp I have to pull my knees to my chest, trying to ease it. I can’t move or take in a breath without feeling like my stomach is ripping open. It takes everything in me not to cry from how bad it is.

The room is still dark, and the sheets are sticking to me from the sweat breaking out on my body.

Ihatesweating.

I reach around for my phone, and when I find it, I turn it on, the light almost blinding me from how bright it is.

The phone falls from my hands when another cramp starts, making me gasp.

“Shit,” I whisper. “Fuck, ow.”

I slowly try to move to my other side, hoping it will give me some relief, but nothing is helping.

I’m a girl; I’ve had plenty of cramps in my lifetime, but this…this is different. This isn’t the kind of cramps that make youpull out the heating pad, turning it all the way up, and popping a Midol, swearing you’re never having kids, because who is voluntarily signing up for this kind of pain birthing a child?

This is so much worse than any normal cramps I’ve had before. This feels like something is wrong…really wrong.

More cramping starts before I can even recover from the last one, making me wince and grit my teeth. I press down on my lower stomach, praying for it to stop. I can’t even move an inch, let alone get up from the bed.

I turn my head and see that only Lani is here. The sun is just now coming up, and Lydia had group this morning before her classes, so she’s already gone for the day.

I’m trying to breathe through the pain, but I just want to scream at how insane this feels.

Okay.

Okay.

It’s my period.

It’s just my period.