Total pages in book: 156
Estimated words: 142833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
7
Kenzi
Kenzi ~ age twelve
Toren ~ age twenty-seven
"What's wrong?" He's towering over my bed, his faded leather jacket dusty from the ride he just came back from.
I roll over onto my side, away from his stare, and pull my blanket up higher, almost covering my head.
"It's just my stomach."
The weight of his body sinks the side of the bed as he sits beside me and his hand lightly touches my shoulder.
"Kenzi? Are you sick?"
Another cramp tears through my stomach. I'm pretty sure I'm dying. I want my mom. The last thing I want to do is talk about this with him.
Grinding my teeth, I force myself to answer him. "I'm fine. My stomach just hurts."
"Did you eat something bad? Have you been throwing up?"
"No, Uncle Tor. Go away."
A frustrated sigh comes from behind me. "I'm the only one here, remember? I can't go away. Stop being like this and tell me what's wrong. Do you want me to take you to a doctor? I could call your Grandmother..."
"Tor, no. Just leave me alone." I want to cry from the pain in my stomach and the unexplained sorrow and irritability that's taking over my life.
"I'm not leaving. Your parents are gone for two more days, so you're stuck with me unless you want me to call your Grandmother."
"Please don't. I don't want to bother her."
Another cramp rips through my uterus and I scrunch myself up further into the fetal position.
He clears his throat. "Do you have your period?" His voice is soft, tentative and caring, and I want to kick him.
"Oh my God...did you seriously just ask me that? Get out of my room."
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Kenz. Do you need anything? Have you had this before or...?" His voice fades off awkwardly.
"Just leave me alone!" God. Could my life be any more embarrassing?
The sound of his boots thudding along my carpet and down the hall is a relief. Good. Now I can suffer in peace. I'm furious with my parents right now for being gone all the time and not being here when I'm having some kind of crisis. It's not fair.
A few minutes later he's back in my room and throws a small pink bag on the bed. I peer into it to see a bunch of tampons and napkins. I rally between throwing up and crawling under the bed for the rest of my life. My dad's best friend just touched period stuff. There must be some kind of law against this.
"I got those from your mom’s bathroom. Since you won't answer me, I hope you know how to use them because that goes way beyond my realm of responsibility."
I think I grow fangs when I glare up at him. "I hate you right now. I want to die." I pull the blanket over my head.
He tugs the blanket back down off my head. "Hate me all you want, I don't fucking care. I got you all this too. Be glad I know where your parents keep everything in this place." A pile of stuff lands on my bed. A bottle of Midol, a heating pad, and a chocolate bar.
I start to cry. "Please go away. You're not supposed to know this stuff!"
He rubs his forehead and shoves his hand through his long hair. "I've lived with women, Kenzi. I know about this stuff, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's part of life and being an adult."
I try to burrow into my pillow. "I don't want to be an adult. It hurts."
He laughs. "No shit."
"Fuck all this."
"It doesn't get any easier, Angel."
"I hate you."
He leans down and kisses my messy head. "No, you don't. And I love you no matter how evil you try to act." He straightens up. "I'll be downstairs if you need me or want to rifle more obscenities at me. I kinda like it."
I smile behind the blanket as he walks towards my door.
"Uncle Tor?"
Halting, he turns back. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He winks at me and finally leaves me alone to wallow in my feelings of yuck.
I decide right there that even though I yelled at him like a raging bitch, he's pretty much the coolest guy in the world.
Kenzi
After a shitty week at school and sitting in my bedroom every night immersing myself in a book trying to forget the outside world exists, I'm glad tonight is bonfire night at our house. I need to be around some humans who aren't high school asshole bitches.
"Kenzi!" Rayne yells as soon as she sees me come out of the house and onto the back deck.
Grabbing a soda first, I make my way across the yard, past small groups of chatting people to where she's standing with a guy I've never met but looks vaguely familiar. Rayne is gorgeous as ever, her long hair recently dyed black with purple and blonde highlights and the start of a light golden tan touching her skin. Her winged eyeliner is perfect and on point, enhancing her feline green eyes.