Gearing Up

I stumble to a stop as my heart threatens to beat out of my chest. The Void!? I kinda always thought it was a possibility but I NEVER thought it would be this soon! Thane calls out "Hurry up" causing me to quickly catch up.

Wait, why am I even going!??? I'm a freshman! Confusion continues to eat away at me as Thane says "We're gonna run to the store real quick and grab a few things we may need while we're out there. We don't know how long we're going to be out so it's best to be prepared."

Conner suddenly throws his arm around my shoulders from behind as he says "That includes candy! You better stock up while you can!" I let Conner drag me out behind Thane as everyone continues to leave. After dropping off our bags, we take a cab to the nearest store and hop out.

Conner, Thane, and I all walk into the store just as a light rain begins. Nervously, I lean over and ask Conner "How long could we be out there?" Conner thinks for a bit and says "The longest I've been out there is a month."

I come to a slow stop as Conner and Thane quickly get to work grabbing things. Shit... I grab a basket and start grabbing a few snacks but quickly sneak down the feminine isle when the other two aren't looking. My parents purchased a period blocker so I will only get my period every three months but I quickly grab a small bag just in case.

I shove it underneath the bags of candy and quickly finish. I walk over to the checkout and say "If you ring up everything super fast and don't say anything, I'll give you fifty bucks." The guy behind the counter looks at me in surprise before quickly nodding and ringing up everything.

As soon as he pulls out the small pack and rings it up, I quickly snatch it and shove it down the front of my pants. I can't risk them seeing it in my stuff. The cashier pauses and looks at me oddly before I snap my fingers.

He shrugs and goes back to scanning everything without a word. I pay for the stuff then slip him the fifty as Conner and Thane walk up. I give the cashier a knowing look and nod before walking away.

The guy keeps his mouth shut and doesn't say a word as he rings them up, finally allowing me to relax. The rain was now coming down hard so when a cab finally pulls up, we all run over to get in but a girl runs over and tries to get in as well.

We all awkwardly pause before I say "We're heading back to the Academy. Are you going that way?" The girl's eyes light up as she nods her head and says "Can we share the cab?" Conner quickly says "Of course! You ride in the front, we can all sit in the back."

She quickly thanks us and suddenly hugs me! I freeze and allow her to hug me before she jumps into the front of the cab. Conner pouts but still gives me a knowing grin as he slides into the back. Thane waves to me so I crawl in behind Conner and sit in the middle.

Thane slides in behind me and shuts the door before we're off. A few words are exchanged before everything becomes awkwardly quiet. I then notice Conner snickering beside me but he tries to cover it up with his hand as he turns and looks out the window.

I frown at him and look over to Thane but he awkwardly clears his throat and looks out the other window making my frown grow even more. What the hell? I look between the two, completely lost but when I see Conner looking at my lap smirking, I look down.

The small bag is making me look like... like I have a boner!! I look at it in complete shock and disbelief as I suddenly realize why they're acting like that. I quickly snatch my bag of snacks up and slam it over my lap with a super red face.

I sink as far as I possibly can into the seat as Conner's laugh takes over the entire car. I lean my head back and close my eyes as I try to mentally disappear. Conner nudges me and whispers "Was the hug that good?"

I reach over and backhand him as hard as I can, causing his laughter to grow. Thane looks over and says "Enough" Conner's laugh dies down a little but he continues to giggle the whole way back. When we finally reach the Academy, I quickly crawl out of the car.

On the way out, the small bag shifts, making it hard to walk straight without it making a lot of noise. I'm left with no choice but to slightly waddle back to the room in all my glorious shame. As I'm waddling away, I hear Conner's laughter growing.

Without turning around, I throw my hand up and flip Conner off. Earning another round of laughter! When I turn around to glare at him, I see Thane struggling not to laugh as Conner gasps for air. I grit my teeth and say "Screw both of you!" before waddling away at max speed.

Conner's laughter follows behind me until I finally make it to the building. Once inside, I quickly waddle back to our room, ignoring all the strange looks and glances I get as I go. Once inside, I quickly reach down and pull the bag out and slam it down into my luggage before Thane gets back.

I pour my candy over it, a little harder than necessary, and start packing. I'm never gonna live this down...