Part 24 – That Time of the Month

I peeled the hoodie and shirt away from my skin and slipped both over my head. When I glanced around, I frowned. There wasn’t any place where I could drape or hang them. Though I hadn’t been in direct rain since before I’d fallen asleep on the doorstep, both had been soaked through. I dropped them in a corner and stared at my reflection in the mirror. God, I looked like shit.

The dark circles under my eyes had their own dark circles, and my face was smudged with dirt. My arms ached and though the blue tone of my skin hid them well, when I looked close enough I could see the outline of bruises. I even felt a little queasy and my gut cramped up, but I’d long had a sensitive stomach. Given that I’d eaten nothing but junk food for the last several days, was it any wonder I should be a little sick?

I peered back at the door, Liz was gone. She stuck around long enough to draw a bath and departed promising to return with a change of clothes. I bit my lip and returned my attention to the mirror.

I had morphed the bra I wore onto my body. There were no hooks or clasps, instead a solid band of fabric held them in place. I closed my eyes, concentrating on the article of clothing, and the strap squirmed along my back. When they opened again, I peeled the water-logged bra free and stared at my bare breasts in the mirror before averting my eyes and turning my attention to the rest of my wardrobe. My pants, already tight and form fitting to begin with proved quite challenging to remove and I shivered as I peeled the panties away from my vagina, but they didn’t give me much trouble.

I piled everything in the same heap as the hoodie and t-shirt and stepped up to the tub and slipped my toe into the bath water, gasped and pulled it back out. To someone who’d just spent hours wearing the same water-soaked clothes, the water was unbearably hot. Though far from cold outside, it had been nighttime and my water-logged cloths chilled me.

I made another stab at it, this time, easing my foot in. I let it sit a few moments, adjusting to the heat, before stepping inside. A few seconds later edged my other foot in before submerging the rest of my body in the water. I wasn’t one for baths, but I had to admit it felt damned good.

I dunked my head under the water, slicking back my hair and wiped the water away from my face as I rose to the surface. my lips emitted a long sigh, and I leaned my head against the back wall. My breasts were a little more buoyant than I expected, which was distracting, but as the heat permeated my bones, I soon forgot all about it. All the aches and sores melted away, and I closed my eyes, letting myself drift off.

There came a knock and my eyes snapped open. I glanced at the door and heard Liz’s muffled voice calling my name through the door. It was a good thing she’d snapped me out of it before I’d fallen asleep.

I cleared my throat, pulled the shower curtain closed so that she could only see my head and called back. “Yeah, come in!”

The door popped open and Liz slipped inside, carrying a towel, a stack of clean clothes and one of those mesh bath sponges. She set them down on the counter. “I called Harry,” she paused emphasizing the name before turning back to me. “He only lives a few blocks away. He should be here soon. Until then, take your time. There’s no rush. Even if it turns out Harry isn’t your father, you’re welcome to stay the night.”

I nodded, glancing back toward the door. “Thank you.”

“Here.” She picked up the pink bath sponge and turned it over in her hands before setting it down along the outside edge of the tub. “I take it, you were a boy before your twist? I know it’s not the manliest color, but, I’m afraid, this is all I have. David is down to his last bar of soap, but you’re welcome to use my shampoo and body wash. I guess it’s fortunate I keep a spare bath pouf.”

I thanked her again, and Liz moved toward the door. When she reached the doorway, she glanced back at me, opened her mouth then clamped it shut again. She bit her lip before she disappeared through the door.

I pushed the shower curtain away and sat there staring at the wall. Such a strange situation I’d found myself in. There were so many thoughts coursing through my head, and so many emotions tied to them I was having a hard time giving voice to them. Liz must have been in a similar predicament. I mean how often did a potential illegitimate grandchild turn up on your doorstep?

I grabbed the bath pouf, holding it in front of my face and pursed my lips. Like most guys I used the cheapest and easiest option available when it came pretty much to anything. My cleaning and hygiene practices had been no exception. I picked up her body wash in the other hand and sighed. I suppose I could handle smelling like raspberry sorbet. It beat lavender fields. I’d never realized how much I hated the smell of lavender until I’d gone around smelling like them.

As much as I would have liked to sit there and let all that warmth infuse my muscles, I’d fall asleep again. I was dying to meet Harry and find out once and for all if he really was my father. He seemed to be the only candidate. In a town like Clearville, the twisted were about as scarce as water in the Sahara. Counting Harry, I only knew of two others. One had been a woman, and both were much older than my mother. To my knowledge neither had ever associated with my mother. Mom had pretty much confirmed my suspicions. So after coming all this way, why was I so riddled with doubts?

Deep in thought I scrubbed myself more or less on auto pilot, but when I got to my vagina, I stopped. Since my twist, cleansing my nether regions weirded me out, but this time it was so much worse. I stopped, my heart pounding as I looked down. There was a cloud of pink water around my girly parts almost as if…

I stopped, a cold shiver trickling down my spine. I had paid little attention in that part of sex-education class, but I knew damn well what it meant when girls bled between their legs. Even if I hadn’t had Allison’s little lecture when she’d cornered me in the bathroom I would have more than made up for it. I was menstruating.