The temptation of my brother-in-law-Chapter 138 - One Hundred and Thirty-Eight

Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-Eight

Sophie’s POV

I was halfway through second period when I that familiar cramping low in my stomach, that wetness that made my heart drop because I knew exactly what it meant.

No. Not now. Not at school.

I shifted in my seat, trying to assess the damage without being obvious. The cramps were getting worse, sharp and insistent. I definitely needed to get to the bathroom.

I raised my hand. "Mrs. Anderson? Can I use the restroom?"

"Make it quick. We’re in the middle of discussion."

I grabbed my bag and walked as normally as possible, hyper-aware of every step, terrified that everyone could somehow tell what was happening. The bathroom was mercifully empty. I locked myself in a stall and confirmed what I already knew.

Great. Perfect. And of course I didn’t have any tampons because I’d run out last month and kept forgetting to ask Alicia to buy more.

I used toilet paper as a temporary solution and tried to think. The school nurse might have supplies but going there meant explaining the situation to an adult which sounded mortifying. I could call the mansion driver and have him bring me home but that would take at least thirty minutes and I’d miss classes.

Or I could ask Charlotte.

That made the most sense. Girls helped each other with this stuff all the time. It was normal. Except Charlotte wasn’t in this class and I wasn’t sure where she was right now.

My phone buzzed. Text from Cameron in our group chat.

Where’d you go? Anderson looks annoyed.

I stared at the message. Cameron was there. In class. Close by.

But asking a guy for tampons felt impossible. Even if he was my friend. Even if he probably wouldn’t care.

Another text, this time from Charlotte.

Period emergency? I have supplies in my locker. Want me to bring them?

I almost cried with relief. Charlotte somehow just knew. Like she had some kind of psychic girl radar.

Yes please. I’m in the second floor bathroom near Anderson’s room.

On my way. Two minutes.

I waited, dealing with the cramps that were getting progressively worse. This was going to be a bad one. I could tell. The kind where I’d want to curl up in bed with a heating pad and not move for hours.

True to her word, Charlotte appeared two minutes later. I heard her voice. "Sophie? You in here?"

"Yeah. Last stall."

Her hand appeared under the door holding a tampon and some ibuprofen. "Take the pills now. They work better if you don’t wait."

"Thank you. Seriously. You’re a lifesaver."

"Been there. It sucks. You need anything else?"

"Maybe chocolate later?"

"Obviously. Cameron has a stash in his locker. I’ll make him share."

I took care of everything and emerged from the stall feeling slightly more human. Charlotte was leaning against the sink, completely unbothered by the fact that we were having this conversation in a school bathroom.

"You okay?" she asked. "You look pale."

"Cramps. They’re bad today."

"Do you want to go home? I can drive you."

"We’re not supposed to leave campus."

"Sophie. You’re in pain. Who cares about rules?" She pulled out her phone. "I’m texting Cameron to cover for us in class. We’re leaving."

"Charlotte—"

"Non-negotiable. Come on."

Ten minutes later we were in her Mercedes heading toward the mansion. She’d somehow talked the attendance office into excusing both of us, claiming I was sick and she was taking me home. I didn’t ask how she’d managed it.

"You didn’t have to do this," I said.

"Yeah, I did. You’re my friend. Friends don’t let friends suffer through period cramps in uncomfortable plastic chairs."

"Won’t you get in trouble?"

"Please. My parents don’t care what I do as long as I maintain good grades. Which I do. So I could probably skip an entire week and they wouldn’t notice." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

She said it casually but there was something underneath. Something that sounded lonely.

"Do they ever visit?" I asked. "Your parents?"

"Twice a year. Christmas and summer. Otherwise they’re in New York or London or wherever rich people go to avoid their children."

"That sucks."

"It’s fine. Cameron and I have each other. And we’re good at taking care of ourselves."

We pulled up to the mansion gates. The security guard recognized me and let us through without question.

"This place is insane," Charlotte said, staring at the building. "Like actually insane. How many people live here?"

"Too many. It’s basically a hotel with family drama."

She parked near the entrance and helped me inside. We ran into Alicia in the foyer. She looked surprised to see me home early and even more surprised to see I’d brought a friend.

"Sophie? Are you okay? The school called and said you were sick."

"Period cramps. Charlotte drove me home."

"Oh." Alicia’s expression softened. "Do you need anything? I can make you tea, get you a heating pad—"

"I’ve got it," Charlotte said. "If you just point me toward her room, I’ll take care of her."

Alicia looked between us, clearly trying to assess this new friend situation. "Up the stairs, third door on the right. Sophie, there’s chocolate in the kitchen pantry if you need it. And I bought more tampons last week. They’re under your bathroom sink."

"Thanks, Alicia."

Charlotte helped me upstairs even though I could walk fine. Found my room and immediately made herself at home, pulling back my covers and arranging pillows.

"Get comfortable. I’ll find that heating pad your sister mentioned."

She disappeared into my bathroom and emerged with the heating pad and the box of tampons. "See? All set. Now get changed into something comfortable and get in bed."

I changed into sweatpants and an old t-shirt while she plugged in the heating pad. When I climbed into bed, she arranged everything perfectly, heating pad on my stomach, pillows supporting my back.

"You’re really good at this," I said.

"I have bad periods too. I’ve perfected the survival routine." She pulled out her phone. "I’m texting Cameron to bring food later. What do you want? Pizza? Chinese? Burgers?"

"Pizza sounds good."

"Done. He’ll bring it after school."

She settled into the chair near my window, pulling out a book from her bag. Just planning to sit there and read while I dealt with cramps.

"You don’t have to stay," I said. "You’re missing class."

"So? I’d rather be here." She looked up from her book. "That’s what friends do, Sophie. They show up when you need them."

My throat got tight. I’d never had this before. Never had someone just show up and take care of me without making it a big deal. Alicia tried, but she was always stressed about something else. And in Dark City, there’d been no one.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"Stop thanking me. It’s weird." But she smiled when she said it.

I closed my eyes, letting the heating pad work its magic, listening to Charlotte turn pages in her book. The cramps were still there but somehow less terrible knowing I wasn’t dealing with them alone.

My phone buzzed. Text from Cameron.

Charlotte said you’re dying. Should I bring flowers to your funeral or just pizza?

I smiled and typed back.

Pizza. Extra cheese.

His response was immediate.

On it. Feel better, Sophie. Period cramps are brutal. My mom gets them and basically becomes a dragon.

I showed Charlotte the message. She laughed. "See? He gets it. Growing up with me means he learned early about periods and tampons and all the stuff guys usually pretend doesn’t exist."

"I almost asked him," I admitted. "In class. But I got too embarrassed."

"He wouldn’t have cared. But I’m glad you didn’t have to. First period emergency at a new school is stressful enough without having to explain it to a guy."

We sat in comfortable silence for a while. I drifted in and out of sleep, the combination of ibuprofen and heating pad making me drowsy. When I woke up, Charlotte was still there, still reading, like she’d appointed herself my personal guardian.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Three thirty. Cameron just texted. He’s on his way with food."

"You’ve been here for hours."

"Yep. And I’ll stay until you kick me out or until my brother drags me home. Whichever comes first."

Cameron arrived twenty minutes later with pizza and chocolate and some kind of fancy tea his housekeeper recommended for cramps. Alicia let him in and he found his way to my room without issue.

"Delivery service," he announced, setting everything on my desk. "One extra cheese pizza, various chocolate items, and something called red raspberry leaf tea which sounds disgusting but apparently helps."

"You’re the best," I said.

"I know. It’s a burden." He flopped into the other chair. "So this is where you live. Nice room. Very... expensive looking."

"Everything here is expensive looking."

"Fair point."

We ate pizza and watched movies on my laptop, Cameron and Charlotte arguing about which movie to watch next, me just happy to have them there making me laugh despite the cramps.

Around six, Alicia knocked and poked her head in. "Sophie, do your friends want to stay for dinner?"

"Can we?" Charlotte asked. "I’m curious about what fancy rich people eat."

"It’s just pasta tonight," Alicia said. "Nothing fancy."

"Perfect. We love pasta."

Dinner was weird. The twins fitting seamlessly into the chaos of Blackwood family meals, charming Pa Wood with questions about his business, making Layla actually laugh at one of Cameron’s stories, treating the whole thing like an adventure instead of the tense obligation it usually felt like.

Watching them navigate my weird family with such ease made me realize how good they were at this. How they’d probably spent their whole lives learning to handle complicated family dynamics and difficult personalities.

After dinner, they finally left, Charlotte hugging me goodbye and making me promise to text if I needed anything.

"Feel better," she said. "And Sophie? You’re not alone anymore. Remember that."

I watched them drive away and felt that same warmth in my chest. That feeling of belonging somewhere. Of mattering to people who weren’t obligated to care about me.

I went back to my room and found a note on my desk in Charlotte’s handwriting.

Friends show up. That’s the rule. Get used to it.

I smiled and tucked the note into my drawer, next to the guitar pick Malachi had given me and the bracelet Alicia had bought me for my birthday last year.

Small things. Small reminders that maybe, finally, I was building something that felt like home.