Wendy as her period

Wendy was excited to see that her period had started today. She was so relieved that she wasn’t pregnant after being so careless the night that her and Joe had sex for the first time losing their virginity’s.

Wendy tells her mother that she had started her period today. Her mother was so relieved and Wendy talk and she would set a doctor’s appointment to see about putting her on birth control. Wendy asked her mother if she could see Joe tonight and she reluctantly gave in and said yes. “ Oh thank you mama thank you “ said Wendy.

Wendy grabbed her phone with trembling fingers, her heart pounding as she dialed Joe’s number. The phone rang twice before his familiar voice answered, slightly breathless. "Hey, Wendy—"

"Joe!" she blurted out before he could finish, her voice shaking with relief. "It came! My period—it started today!" A long silence stretched between them, and she could practically hear his stunned exhale.

"Oh my God," Joe finally whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Are you—are you sure?"

"Yes!" Wendy laughed, pressing the phone tighter to her ear as she paced her bedroom floor. "I checked like three times. I’m not pregnant, Joe.

On the other end, Joe let out a shaky breath, his grease-streaked fingers tightening around the phone. He was crouched beside his father in the dim light of their old barn, the scent of motor oil thick in the air as they worked on the busted tractor engine. His dad wiped his hands on a rag, glancing over at Joe’s flushed face.

"Everything alright, son?" his father asked, raising an eyebrow.

Joe swallowed hard, his pulse still racing from Wendy’s news. "

Yes, Daddy, everything’s good," he said, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans. "Can I leave to go see Wendy?" His voice cracked slightly, betraying the nerves still humming under his skin.

His father studied him for a long moment, the dim barn light casting shadows across his weathered face. The scent of oil and hay hung heavy in the air between them. Finally, he sighed and tossed the rag onto the tractor’s dented fender. "Alright," he grunted. "But be back by ten. And Joe—" He fixed him with a hard look. "Don’t make me regret this."

Joe’s breath hitched as he shoved his phone into his pocket, the cracked screen catching on his work jeans. "I’m on my way—I’ll pick you up in twenty," he’d told Wendy, the words tumbling out before he could think. Now his boots kicked up dust as he sprinted across the barnyard, the late afternoon sun painting everything in golden streaks. His father’s warning—don’t make me regret this—echoed in his ears as he wrenched open the door of his rusted pickup.

Inside, the cab smelled like stale fries and pine air freshener.

Joe’s truck rumbled to a stop in front of Wendy’s house, the engine ticking as it cooled. Through the bug-splattered windshield, he saw the front door swing open. Wendy stepped out wearing an oversized sweatshirt that swallowed her frame, the sleeves flopping past her fingertips. Her sweatpants were just as baggy, the fabric pooling around her ankles as she shuffled down the porch steps in fuzzy socks and battered sneakers.

She tugged the sweatshirt sleeves over her palms, her fingers twisting nervously in the fabric as she reached for the passenger door. The hinges groaned when she pulled it open, the scent of her strawberry shampoo mixing with the truck’s stale air.

Joe’s fingers drummed against the steering wheel as Wendy climbed into the truck, the seat creaking under her weight. The late afternoon sun slanted through the windshield, catching the dust motes swirling between them.

"Where do you wanna go?" Joe asked, his voice rough with leftover nerves. His thumb traced a crack in the steering wheel’s vinyl, the rough edge catching on his calloused skin.

Wendy tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers trembling slightly. "How about our spot down by the river on your farm?" she murmured, pulling her knees up onto the seat and hugging them to her chest.

Joe shifted the truck into gear, the old engine growling as they bumped down the dirt road toward the river. The setting sun painted the fields in streaks of orange and gold, long shadows stretching across the path. Wendy slid across the cracked vinyl seat, her socked feet brushing against an empty fast-food bag crumpled on the floorboards. The heat of Joe’s thigh pressed against hers through their layers of clothing, his calloused fingers still gripping the wheel like he was afraid to let go.

She rested her head against his shoulder, the worn flannel of his shirt smelling like motor oil and the spearmint gum he always chewed.

The truck rolled to a stop beneath the gnarled oak tree by the riverbank, its branches casting long shadows across the hood. Joe killed the engine, and for a moment, the only sound was their shaky breaths and the distant rush of water over rocks. Wendy turned to face him, her knee bumping the gearshift as she shifted on the cracked seat.

Joe’s throat worked as he swallowed, his gaze dropping to her mouth before flicking back up. "We really dodged a bullet, huh?" he murmured, his voice rough.

Yes we did Joe we are going to have to be more careful from now on. As Wendy laid her head on his shoulder as the watched the sunset in front seat of Joe’s pickup.