Chapter 4

As I was about to get a glass of water, my phone started buzzing like crazy.

Dozens of messages came in one after another.

Rye sent a string of question marks. [Holy shit!

[Sophia, have you lost your damn mind?

[What the hell did you send me? Take it down, now.

[Fuck. My eyes. I'm blind!

[Are you crazy? Are you some kind of pervert?]

Staring at the screen full of exclamation marks and swear words, I was stunned.

That was not how Rye usually reacts.

Why was she freaking out so much?

After thinking it over for a bit, I got it.

It was that automatic shame from years of living as a guy. Rye had spent so long pretending to be one of the boys that the moment she saw something so feminine, her gut reaction was to freak out and push it away.

I let out a soft sigh, feeling a little sorry for her, and started typing back, taking my time. [Honey, don't be embarrassed.

[We're both girls here. Nothing you've got is anything I haven't seen, so what's the big deal?

[Relax, seriously. We'll be hitting the hot springs together and probably sharing baths soon anyway.

[Trust me, okay? When the clothes show up, promise me you'll try them on.]

After I hit send, the chat went dead silent.

Even the "typing" indicator vanished.

After a full half hour, Rye finally replied with a short, clipped message that sounded like she was gritting her teeth. [Sophia, behave yourself.

[Wait till I get back to the Lane Family. You're in for it.]

I stared at the message and couldn't help but grin like an idiot.

Seeing that tough talk on my screen, I didn't get angry at all. My heart went all soft and mushy.

Rye'd got her guard up way too high.

She'd so used to playing the tough guy, always covering up her soft side with those rough words.

I got it. I really did.

Helping her get her confidence back as a girl wasn't something a few cute sets of underwear could fix. I had to step in and meddle in every corner of her life.

I immediately opened up my shopping app and started tapping away like crazy.

With all those rough guys at the garage, there was no way she ever felt comfortable picking up women's products at the supermarket.

So I went ahead and ordered three whole boxes of day and night combo packs.

And I didn't stop there. I also got her some Advil and heating pads.

I even threw in two books: "A Guide to the Physical Development of Adolescent Girls" and "How to Embrace Your Feminine Power."

I placed orders, made payment, boom, like that.

I felt like I was the most caring, gentle sister in the whole world.

On the third day after the package was shipped, my WhatsApp blew up again.

Rye sent an image.

I opened it up. It was a photo.

Three giant pink boxes were sitting awkwardly among the greasy old tires and oil drums at the garage, with the pad brand logo screaming across the front.

Then, messages started coming in like a machine gun.

Rye texted. [Sophia, seriously, I wish I could crack open your head and see what the hell is going on in there.

[You sent all this crap over, and now my crew thinks I'm having a hemorrhoid crisis.

[Are you freaking insane? Do you have a death wish or something?]

I stared at the screen, my heart aching so much that tears started rolling down my cheeks.

She really got it tough.

She had to cover up her period by saying it was a hemorrhoid emergency to hide who she really was. That had to be exhausting for her.

I sniffled and quickly typed out a message to comfort her. [Honey, I know you're having a rough time.

[I totally get it, don't be scared. If you run out, your big sis will send you more, okay.

[If your tummy hurts, stick on a heating pad and promise me, no cold water.]

I hit send.

The chat went dead silent.

She didn't reply for the whole day.

I thought she'd finally felt my kindness and decided to give in.

I had already been happily planning to go to the garage myself next weekend, take her out shopping, and pick out some cute dresses for her.

But before I could even make my move, she showed up at my door herself.