Everything Changes

Chapter 2

Sighing, I hung my jacket on the coat hook and took off my shoes, which I then put on the shelf. Somehow our family trip to the swimming pool had made me pretty tired, so I couldn't wait to come to the bathroom and take a refreshing shower.

I was really reluctant to use the group showers in the public outdoor swimming pools and preferred to take my time to take the shower at home, which cleaned from chlorine. I just felt much more comfortable. It has always been that way, which is why I never really looked forward to swimming lessons at school. I was also younger then and, like most girls at this delicate age, I didn't really feel comfortable in my new body.

I quickly wiped the thought away and went up the stairs without paying any attention to the others, who started chatting loudly to unpack the things we had had with us that day. But I couldn't complain about that because they did a little work for me.

I carried my bag of wet things up with me and then purposefully walked towards the bathroom, which I entered without hesitation. I placed the bag on the floor in a corner and then kneeled down to hang the colorful towels that dripped before me over the edge of the bathtub. Unfortunately I had made the mistake of keeping my wet clothes on, so I froze a little now. But they usually learned from mistakes and next time I would certainly remember to take my underwear with me if I was already wearing my swimsuits under my clothes on arrival to be faster. Anyway, I hoped that next time I would think about it.

To warm myself up a little again, I took off my socks and shorts, and then I took off my T-shirt over my head. The swimwear had left wet stains on the fabric, but I paid little attention to it. Instead, I simply threw the clothes into the tub and then let my swimsuits follow.

Then I jumped into the shower and turned up the water. In the beginning it was quite cold, but with time the temperature increased and I sighed comfortably. Although the sun had burned down almost the whole afternoon long on the city, but meanwhile it had become cooler again and the dripping clothes had not improved this condition particularly. I also loved to take a hot shower. I had never been a cold shower girl before. The warmth just helped me to relax.

The water ran over my body and I drove myself through the blonde, moistened hair. Having a moment for myself before becoming part of the family bustle again felt surprisingly good.

I reached for a shampoo bottle and squeezed out a small green puddle and into the palm of my hand. Then I briefly stepped out of the shower for a moment and massaged the liquid into my hair before standing right underneath again. It immediately began to foam and white foam formed in my hair, which was slowly washed away by the water.

I used this time to reflect on the events of the day. Immediately the situation came to my mind again at the snack bar. What had suddenly happened to me? Normally I never felt so suddenly sick and when I did, I never threw up. Only a bad feeling I had once, but there was mostly sick. But at the moment I wasn't sick or I just hadn't noticed any signs of it yet.

And then I noticed something on the way home, which somehow didn't seem to be right. My breasts felt unusually heavy and tightened strangely. I didn't know this feeling, so it was hard for me to distract myself from it. It just felt pretty strange and I hoped the tension would ease soon.

For about ten minutes I turned off the water and opened the shower door to stretch and grab one of the fluffy towels. With this I dried my long hair a little, but then simply made a turban out of it, hoping it would just dry on its own. I wrapped a second cloth around my body and enjoyed the soft fabric on my skin for a moment before slipping out of the shower.

I left a few wet footprints on the floor as I walked through the tiled room, unlocked the door and made my way to my own room. Fortunately, I was not punished for having to share one with my sisters. Because although I loved both of them, I could never imagine having to live with one of them permanently in the same room. We all just needed our space now and then and a retreat that belonged only to us.

I pushed my door open and then closed it behind me again when I entered. Then I purposefully walked towards my closet and opened it. For a moment I looked with my eyes for something suitable and then pulled out a white T-shirt and shorts as I didn't expect to leave the house again that day.

At least a quick look at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to my bed made me think so. Because it was already nine and I knew that my mother did not like it necessarily, if I stayed away in the middle of the school week in the evening still for a long time. That's why I didn't even think about it, because I wasn't quite so keen on getting into trouble with her today. Not today!

Besides, I felt a little tired anyway and couldn't wait to finally just go to bed and listen to music for the rest of the evening or watch some series on Netflix.

So I slipped into my shorts, threw on the shirt, which was a little too long for me, and then fetched a pair of socks from a drawer. Then I hung the now damp towels over my heater because I was just too lazy to take them back to the bathroom even though it wasn't really far away.

So instead I went looking for my cell phone - sometimes I somehow forgot where I left it last. My eyes were caught by my calendar and a red circle caught my eye. Immediately I knew what it stood for, but still came a little closer to read the exact day of the week.

Almost four days left! Then my days would be up again. Immediately I sighed. That was probably one of the things that was less pleasing about being a girl. At least when you haven't had any holidays and can't stay in bed all day, hold a hot-water bottle on your stomach, drink tea and watch Netflix or write with Leiden's sisters.

But this time it was a bit strange. Normally I always noticed signs of it, which really warned me in advance. But these signs had failed to appear so far, which made me a little nervous. But maybe it only showed that they would come a little later this month. At least that was the only imaginable explanation, since my days came quite often irregularly. Then I didn't have to worry about it, did I?