AN: I have a Christmas story that isn't a Christmas story yet. If you have ideas for Christmas oneshots go comment on that story!
The next two weeks after Bianca's death were like quiet healing for the others around me. I spent my time reading the many books stacked on Annabeth's side of the room. But reading has never been my thing, so I'll skip that.
What's been interesting...
Uh...
"Pipes?" I look up from the book I'd been trying to read, that had lost me with it's complicated words and confusing plot. Reyna's standing at my door.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Come to my room?"
"Sure." I practically fling the book onto Annabeth's bed and follow Reyna out the door. When we get to her and Hazel's room she closes the door. I sit on her bed, I presume it's her bed at least. The two beds look identical.
"Chiron said I should talk to you." She tells me laying out on the opposite bed, perching her head in her palm.
"Why?"
She gives me a small smile, "Because he told me your dad's overseas."
"Oh." I deflate a bit, "Not like your mom is overseas. He's just in London."
"Still, he sounds like he's all you have." I shrug, "My dad killed himself you know."
My eyes widen, "No, I didn't actually."
Reyna smirks at her hand, "Hung himself when he came back from the war. Saw too much, I guess."
"Damn."
She nods, "I have my sister and my mom. And my mom is pretty much out of the picture. My sister's trying to move on, and I feel like I'm only holding her back." I can't speak. How could I? I'm a stranger to this kind of thing, "I feel pretty guilty sometimes. Because she should move on with her life and not worry about me... It sucks."
I nod halfheartedly.
"So, no siblings? No mom?"
"No siblings. No mom." I answer.
"When'd she die?"
"Who?"
"Your mom?"
Let me tell you a secret, okay? I wish my mom was dead, because then I wouldn't believe she just abandoned me. I could believe that she'd loved me enough but couldn't be with me because she'd died. It's stupid, but it'd be easier if I knew my mother was dead.
"She's... She's not dead."
"What happened to her?"
"Nothing. She just... left." Reyna looks confused, so I clarify, "She walked out on us, my dad and I. She left before I could remember."
"Did she leave you anything? A number? An address?"
"Nope. She didn't leave anything." I tell her.
"That's so sad." She says. I want to scream at her. How on earth is it sad that I never knew someone then the fact that your father killed himself!? Perspective please!
"Let's not talk about that." I say.
"Oh... okay."
"You don't know what else to say... Do you?"
"Not really."
I nod, "I like it here." I start looking around her room, "It's nice, not too quiet. Everyone's nice."
"Yeah." Reyna nods.
"So... What do girls talk about?" I chuckle.
"Uh... Other girls?" Reyna laughs, "Gossip, celebrities, boys."
"Gross." I laugh.
"Yeah, whatever, every girl is a hopeless romantic."
"Not this girl." I say.
"Come on, you can't tell me that The Fault in Our Stars doesn't melt your heart."
I fake a gag, "Don't ever say that again. The Fault in Our Stars is the worst representation of romance ever."
"You're not a real girl." Reyna says, "Did you at least cry during that Notebook?"
"No."
"Okay, neither did I. What about A Walk to Remember?"
"Yuck."
"Atonement?"
"Good story, bad romance."
"P.S. I love you?"
"Shudders." I start smiling at her attempt to make me sappy.
"Water For Elephants?"
"I wanted to punch her in the face."
"Dear John?"
"Don't even lie, that movie was about the father son not the romance."
"Wow you really do hate romantic movies."
"I hate romantic anything."
"Bummer." Reyna chuckles, "I thought I had you pegged."
"As what?"
"The quiet cutie." She informs me.
"I prefer to define it's always the quiet ones." I tell her.
"Oh?" I nod, "What does that mean?"
"That means, I'm a rebel."
"Really. You?"
"Uh huh."
"Interesting." Reyna nods, "But does that mean we can't gossip about boys then?"
"You can, I'll listen, I guess." Oh no, I take it back. I don't want to talk about this!
"Okay then, so the other day, Jason and I were talking and he totally hinted that he has a crush on me."
"Really." I attempt to sound interested.
"Yeah, he said, that I'm the kind of girl boys dream of." She tells me, "Uhg, and he's just so... You know? And he's so thoughtful and sweet, and god I just want to kiss him."
I nod as she talks about him, laughing and adding in a comment or two as she talks.
To be quiet honest with you, I don't spend much time actually listening to anything she says about Jason. I don't care if she thinks he's the one.
The truth is, I would love to believe in true love. That love at first sight is real. That my soul mate is walking around this earth somewhere.
But I don't.
Why?
Because, even if I do have someone perfect for me out there in the world. I'm still sick. I'm still steps away from shaking death's hand. And if I believed in love like she does... Well, I wouldn't want anyone to suffer with me gone from the world.
So, I listen, quietly hoping for a change of subject. Finding relief when Leo grabs us for dinner.
The next morning I wake up to a feeling of wetness. In shock I get up and scurry off to the bathroom, leaving Annabeth in her askew sleeping position.
I see the blood stains on my pants first. After cursing under my breath I search the bathroom for any kind of tampon/pad. No such luck.
I take a deep breath, and look at my reflection. This is just my luck. I get my period and have no way to clean myself up. Just great.
I hurry back to my room, grab the first thing I find, and sprit back to the bathroom. Once a wad of toilet paper is shoved into my underwear, I walk to Dr. D's 'exam' room. Really it's just his office, but it has a bed in it and the cabinets are filled with medical supplies instead of paper's like Chiron's is.
I knock on the door, hoping that no one is with him.
Chiron open's the door, "Piper, are you alright?" He asks, spotting the crumpled mess of clothes in my arms.
"I... Uh... I... Got my period." I mumble under my breath.
"You what?" He asks opening the door a bit wider, to reveal Dr. D lounging in his office chair.
"I got my period." I say a tiny bit louder.
"You're going to have to speak a little louder." He says letting me into the room.
"Uh... You know that... And uh..." Why couldn't one of them be a girl?
"Is there blood on those clothes?" Dr. D asks having observed the mound in my arms.
"Uh... Yeah." I admit.
Chiron grows concerned as Dr. D almost sighs. Dr. D scribbles something down onto a note pad sitting in front of him as Chiron asks questions, "What happened? Where are you hurt?"
"Chiron." Dr. D says putting his pen down and standing up, "She's on her period."
I grip my clothes a bit tighter.
Chiron looks at me, "You get one of those?"
I look up at him with a face of, you're kidding me right?
"Alright, let's see here." Dr. D grabs a binder with my name on it. Probably my medication log, "You haven't taken your medications for this morning?"
"No sir."
He bites his lip, "But you took your Anticoagulants and your Corticosteroids last night so they're still in your system." He puts the binder up, "I don't think I can give you anything for the symptoms, I can give you an iron supplement but you're on blood thinners and we don't want them to react."
"Honestly, I just need tampons." I speak up, finding myself irritated.
"Chiron, go get her some tampons." Dr. D says grabbing my binder again and marking something in it, "Piper, sit on the bed please."
Chiron leaves without any other questions.
Dr. D begins to examine me.
"Why did Chiron ask me that?" I ask as he takes my blood pressure before checking my pacemaker.
"Because, none of the other girls here get periods." Dr. D says.
"Really?"
"Really." He responds.
After the silence of me taking deep rattling breaths I ask, "Why don't they?"
He writes something down, "Hazel and Reyna are on medication's that don't allow their bodies to produce the hormones necessary to menstruate, and Annabeth had her ovaries frozen when her family thought she had cancer."
What luck.
"Any symptoms?" He asks rolling back over to his desk.
"Cramps." I realize suddenly, "Nauseous."
"Try not to throw up." He says, "Lay down." After he prods me for a few moments he says, "You can go."
"I can?"
"Just don't do anything stupid. You may be sick, but you're still a teenage girl."
"... What do I do with my clothes?" I ask.
"Oh... Right." He takes me to the laundry room, helping me to pretreat them. Then he lets me on my way.
The first thing I do is wake up Annabeth.
"Hey, get up." I poke her.
"Go away."
"Come on." I fake a whine that turns into laughter, "Get up you lazy!"
"Uhg!" Annabeth laughs rolling to face me, "You're the little sister I thought I wanted until I got her."
"Let's get up Princess. I'm already up for the day, you might as well too."
"God, fine." She laughs sitting up.
"What's on today's schedule?" I ask walking back to my bed. I throw my blankets over the spot I think I may have stained.
"Game day."
"A bunch of sick kids are going to play football together." I dead pan.
"No, we're going to play board games." Annabeth rolls her eyes at me.
"Oh!"
She laughs at me, "You're adorable."
We get to breakfast where Jason, Reyna, Leo, and Percy are sitting. I opt for cereal this morning as a cramp makes my stomach feel like it's shrinking.
"Hey baby." Annabeth kisses Percy as she takes her seat.
"Hey."
"Piper I demand a kiss." Leo decides.
"Why?" I ask.
"Because Percy and Frank sicken me in the mornings." He says making everyone chuckle.
"Come here." I smile.
He plops down beside me and I give him a sisterly kiss on the cheek, that turns into me licking him.
"What are you!? A dog!"
"You asked for it. Literally."
Frank and Hazel walk into the dinning room as Leo takes his seat.
"What's up?" Hazel asks.
"Piper gave me rabies!" Leo complains.
"I didn't bite you." I say.
"True." Reyna agrees, "And you did deserve it."
"Who's side are you on!?"
"Hers obviously."
"You suck."
"Again," Annabeth speaks up, "she didn't bite you."
After breakfast Annabeth announces that it's game day to everyone else. Annabeth gets the game set up while the rest of us linger at the breakfast table. Annabeth calls us into the living room five minutes later.
I take a seat on the floor in front of the obnoxiously colorful board. The Game Of Life. How ironic.
Jason sits beside me. I look toward the undecorated Christmas tree where Nico stares up at the plastic bristles. For one thing it's the middle of November and the tree is set up. But another thing is Nico. He looks so lost, "Nico, you coming?" I invite him holding out a hand. He nods and crawls over to sit beside me.
"Everyone knows the rules." Percy decides, "I'll spin first." He reaches around Annabeth to spin the spinner. I let my hand reach up to my stomach. Stupid period cramps are stupid.
Jason looks at me with a twinge of concern before forcing himself to watch the game again. Annabeth goes first, then Reyna, Nico, Percy, Me, Leo, Frank, Jason, and Hazel last.
Annabeth and the others all go to college, I do not.
"Little rebel are we?" Frank teases as Percy shuffles the salary cards.
"Let's be real here, in the actual world college is not a choice. So when given the option I'm not gonna go for it." I draw a career card. How much irony can be fit into this stupid game?
"An Actress." Hazel smirks at me.
"Salary card." I gesture for Percy to stop shuffling as a cramp stabs my gut. I press my lips together as I draw a card.
"That's not fair." Percy decides when I've draw the eighty thousand salary card.
I shrug, rubbing my arms as if it'll help quell the pain.
"You okay?" Jason asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I look at him easily.
"Leo, college?" Annabeth asks.
"Hell yeah I'm going to college, cause I'm not getting that opportunity in real life!" Leo says causing us all to laugh.
We get through another go around. With Frank missing a turn for his term papers, Percy in more debt because of his Spring Break in Florida, and me currently leading with one life tile and no debt.
I feel the pang of another cramp, forcing my eyes shut, as Nico graduates. Periods are painful, when did evolution decide this was a good idea?
"Did you take your meds?" Jason asks me.
The irrational rage, that I know is irrational burns inside of me. Or maybe that's my uterus throwing a temper tantrum because I'm not pregnant.
"Yes, Jason, I did." I tell him simply. In fact I would have taken more meds if I could have, thanks very much.
I hear the front door open and feel myself relax a bit more.
"Seriously, though. You okay?" Jason asks again.
"Piper, could you come here?" Chiron calls for the front hall. I get up, swiftly walking out to him, "Sorry, I took so long." He holds out the grocery bag to me.
"Thanks." I sigh but offer a small smile, before I rush off to the bathroom. Much to my dismay I find that I've stained my clothes, again. I toss my jeans and underwear to the corner before I notice my blood stained thighs. This is ridiculous. Normal, but ridiculous. It's completely unfair that this is the only function my body is capable of. I mean really. I can't breathe, I can't pump my own blood but I can sure get pregnant if the circumstances arise.
I spend a good ten minutes cleaning myself up, changing, and getting my clothes pretreated before getting back to the living room.
"Welcome back." Frank greets.
"You had like eight babies." Percy tells me.
"How the-"
"Don't ask." Annabeth advises, "Did you change?"
"Yup." I push away my self consciousness as another cramp fills my body.
"Why?" Reyna asks, "You hate dresses."
"Whose turn is it?" I ask changing the subject.
"Mine!" Leo announces spinning an eight on the spinner. I feel a hand creep onto my lower back, smoothing out the fabric and warm the skin beneath it. The gesture is soothing and even though it's odd that Nico of all people would be that intuitive I still feel a bit touched.
Maybe I'll cry, you never know with period moods.
Just as I land on the adopt twins space Reyna walks off unannounced.
"Where's she going?" I ask when I've collected my ninth and tenth children and their accompanying life tiles.
"She probably has to throw up." Hazel says, "Don't ask her, though. She's very proud and a bit sensitive about it."
"Okay." I nod, "Leo taking his turn. By the time we get back to Hazel's turn, Reyna's back. She has a sheen of sweat that forces the wisps of hair not in her braid to stick to her forehead, post-crying eyes, and yet she has a small smile.
"Why are there tampons on the bathroom counter?" She asks sitting on the couch.
I let out a gasp before smacking a hand over my mouth.
I look down at my lap so I won't have to look at everyone's eyes resting on me.
"Sweetie, you're on your period?" Annabeth asks.
"Uh... Well... Uh... Yeah." I say down to the floor.
"You poor unfortunate soul." Reyna chuckles.
"Did you at least take something?" Hazel asks.
"No..." I bite my upper lip.
"Why not?" Percy asks.
"Dr. D... He doesn't want me to OD."
"Why are you embarrassed?" Jason asks.
"Because, this is humiliating." I tell him, feeling my cheeks burn.
"It's normal." Frank says, "Look, Pipes, each and everyone of us has bled somewhere. It's okay."
"Yeah but-"
"But nothing." Leo says, "Bro, you're bleeding because you didn't get pregnant. That's a good thing. You are literally the only here who has bled for a good reason."
"Yeah." Frank says, "When I bleed it's a problem. But when you bleed it's because you were smart enough to not make a baby this month."
"You don't have to be uncomfortable with yourself." Percy says, "I mean, shit, my lungs are filled with puss but you don't see me being all embarrassed."
"Or me," Leo says, "I am perpetually fever ridden but I'm not self conscious."
"Point is." Annabeth looks at me, "You don't have to be embarrassed because of what your body does."
I nod as Hazel takes her turn.
Alright one more thing happens during this game.
As Annabeth gets to retirement, Jason literally collapses onto my lap. I scream, and everyone else stops.
Nico chuckles beside me, "Great timing Grace."
"What the-!?"
"Piper it's okay, he just forgot to breathe." Annabeth tells me.
"He what!?"
"He does this sometimes. His body forgets to tell some of his bodily functions to work. He just forgot to breathe, turn him on his back okay?" I flip him over just as she says, "Now smack him."
"What?"
"Smack his chest."
"Why!?"
"Just do it."
So with the heel of my wrist I smack his chest, I'm surprised to find it works. His chest fills with air and after a moment his eyes open.
"Wha happen?"
"You did it again Sparky! God, learn to breathe dude." Percy chuckles.
"Fuck you, first of all." Jason rubs his face, "Can I lay here a second?" He asks me.
"Uh... Sure."
"Thanks." He breathes heavily.
Yeah, I think that's when I learned to let go, even just a little bit.