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Avery Hollander-Rozanov had never called one of her parents to pick her up from school before.
Not once.
She had texted them plenty of times over the years. Complaints about homework, memes she thought were funny, dramatic declarations that middle school was ruining her life. But she had never actually called.
So when Shane’s phone started ringing in the middle of the morning and Avery’s name appeared on the screen, his stomach immediately dropped.
Across the kitchen, Ilya looked up from his laptop the moment he saw Shane’s expression change.
Shane answered immediately. “Hey, Ave?”
There was a pause on the other end.
“Dad?”
Something about her voice made him sit up straighter.
“What’s wrong?”
Another pause.
“Can you come get me?”
Shane’s heart instantly started racing. Avery sounded upset. Not crying exactly, but definitely upset.
“What happened?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Are you sick?”
“No.”
“Did somebody do something?”
“No, Dad.”
She sounded frustrated now.
“Then what’s wrong?”
Avery let out a long sigh.
“I just wanna go home.”
The quiet plea in her voice was enough.
“Okay,” Shane said immediately. “I’m coming.”
When he hung up, Ilya was already standing.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know.”
That answer clearly didn’t sit well with either of them.
Ilya shut his laptop without another word and grabbed his keys from the counter.
“Avery call?”
Shane nodded.
“Wants to come home. Wouldn’t tell me why.”
Now Ilya looked concerned too.
Avery was many things. Stubborn, dramatic, competitive, loud when she wanted to be. But she wasn’t the type to ask to leave school early for no reason.
The drive to the school was filled with nervous speculation. Shane worried someone had bullied her. Ilya wondered if she’d gotten hurt during gym class. Neither of them voiced the worst possibilities, but they were both thinking them.
By the time they pulled into the pickup area, both fathers were tense.
Then they saw her.
Avery was sitting alone outside the administration building, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her backpack sat beside her feet. Even from a distance, she looked miserable.
The second she spotted their car, she stood and started walking toward them.
Not running.
Not crying.
Just walking with the defeated posture of someone who wanted to disappear.
Shane unlocked the doors.
Avery climbed into the backseat and immediately dropped her forehead against the window.
Neither father spoke for a moment.
Finally Shane glanced at her through the mirror.
“Avery.”
A groan.
“Baby, what happened?”
Another groan.
Ilya twisted around in his seat.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Did somebody hurt you?”
“No.”
“Fight with friend?”
“No.”
“Bad grade?”
“No.”
Shane exchanged a look with Ilya.
“Avery.”
She covered her face with both hands.
“Can you just drive?”
“No,” Shane said gently. “Not until you tell us what’s wrong.”
For several long seconds there was silence.
Then Avery muttered something into her hands.
Neither of them heard her.
“What?”
Avery somehow turned even redder.
“I got my period.”
The car instantly became very quiet.
“Oh.”
“Oh.”
Avery groaned loudly.
“I bled through my jeans.”
Everything suddenly made sense.
The embarrassment. The desperation to leave. The refusal to explain over the phone.
“Oh, sweetheart,” Shane said softly.
Avery sank lower in her seat.
“I know.”
“I can see why you wanted to come home.”
“I literally wanted to die.”
“You did not.”
“I absolutely did.”
Ilya snorted.
“No. You dramatic.”
Avery pointed at him accusingly.
“See? This is why Alyssa is your favorite.”
Immediately Ilya looked offended.
“Alyssa not favorite.”
“Then it’s Max.”
“Also not favorite.”
“Then who’s favorite?”
He pretended to think about it.
“The dog.”
Avery gasped.
“The dog?”
“The dog never accuse me of favorites.”
Despite herself, a tiny smile appeared.
By the time they reached home, Shane was already mentally making a list of things Avery might need. Clean clothes. Heating pad. Pain medication if she wanted it. Chocolate. Honestly, he wasn’t above bribing his children with snacks when they were having terrible days.
The front door opened before they even reached it.
Alyssa stood there, taking one look at Avery’s face.
“Oh.”
Avery immediately groaned.
“No.”
“Oh my God.”
“Alyssa.”
“You had a period disaster, didn’t you?”
“Alyssa!”
The seventeen-year-old burst out laughing.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“You are not sorry.”
“No, I’m really not.”
Avery looked genuinely betrayed.
Max appeared beside his sister, Noah following behind him.
“What happened?”
“Avery bled through her jeans at school.”
“Alyssa!”
Max immediately winced.
“Ouch.”
Noah looked horrified on Avery’s behalf.
“Oh no.”
“Thank you,” Avery said dramatically. “At least Noah has empathy.”
Alyssa rolled her eyes.
“I have empathy.”
“No, you have entertainment.”
“That’s also true.”
Within half an hour Avery had changed into sweatpants and one of Shane’s old hoodies. She was curled up on the couch beneath a blanket with a heating pad across her stomach.
The problem was that now both of her fathers were hovering.
Constantly.
Every few minutes one of them appeared.
“Need water?”
“No.”
“Tea?”
“No.”
“Juice?”
“No.”
“Snack?”
“No.”
Five minutes later Ilya appeared.
“You hungry?”
“No.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
“Want chocolate?”
“…Maybe.”
Ilya immediately handed her chocolate.
Avery narrowed her eyes.
“You knew that would work.”
“Da.”
By the time Declan arrived after soccer practice, Avery was feeling significantly less miserable.
Unfortunately, Alyssa greeted him at the door.
“Avery had a period emergency.”
A pillow immediately flew across the room.
Declan caught it without looking.
“Nice throw.”
Avery groaned.
“Why does everybody know?”
“Because we’re a family,” Alyssa replied.
“That’s not how privacy works.”
Dinner that evening turned into one of those family meals where everyone ended up lingering around the table long after they finished eating.
Noah quietly listened while Max talked about hockey practice. Declan argued with Alyssa about something completely ridiculous. Shane kept trying to steer the conversation toward normal topics.
Meanwhile Avery sat between her fathers, feeling considerably better than she had that morning.
Still embarrassed.
Still annoyed.
But better.
After dinner, she ended up back on the couch while the rest of the house slowly settled for the evening.
At some point, Ilya sat down beside her.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Eventually Avery leaned against him.
She pretended she was too old for that now, but moments like this always proved otherwise.
Immediately, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
“My poor girl.”
She groaned.
“Papa.”
“What?”
“Don’t.”
“You have bad day.”
“I know.”
“You call us from school.”
“One time.”
“You scared us.”
Avery looked down at her hands.
The embarrassment she’d felt all day suddenly seemed less important.
“Sorry.”
Immediately his expression softened.
“No sorry.”
“I did.”
“No.”
He squeezed her shoulder gently.
“You needed us.”
The simple certainty in his voice made something warm settle in her chest.
She’d never doubted that her fathers loved her.
Not once.
But sometimes it still surprised her how quickly they showed up.
No questions asked.
No complaints.
Just there.
After a moment she admitted quietly, “I was really embarrassed.”
“Da.”
“I thought everybody noticed.”
“Maybe some did.”
Avery groaned.
“Papa.”
“What?”
“You’re supposed to make me feel better.”
He smiled.
“I try.”
“You’re failing.”
“No. Listen.”
She glanced up at him.
“When I first come to America, I accidentally order twenty cheeseburgers.”
Avery blinked.
“What?”
“Language problem.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Everybody laugh.”
She stared at him.
“Twenty?”
“Twenty.”
“How?”
He shrugged.
“I thought I order two.”
Avery laughed despite herself.
“That’s actually insane.”
“Da.”
“And your advice is what? If you can survive twenty cheeseburgers, I can survive bleeding through my pants?”
“Exactly.”
She rolled her eyes so hard they almost hurt.
But she was smiling now.
Ilya smiled too.
“Embarrassing things happen, solnyshko.”
Avery rested her head against his shoulder again.
For a few moments they sat quietly together.
Then she sighed.
“Love you, Papa.”
Without hesitation he kissed the top of her head.
“Love you too.”
From the doorway, Shane watched the two of them for a moment before walking over and sitting on Avery’s other side.
Immediately she rolled her eyes.
“Oh great. Now there are two of you.”
“Correct,” Shane said.
“We’re not leaving.”
Avery groaned dramatically but shifted so she was leaning against both of them.
Because honestly?
Maybe her day had been awful.
Maybe she’d wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole at school.
But she was home now.
Safe, comfortable, and surrounded by people who loved her more than anything.
And if there was one thing Avery Hollander-Rozanov knew for certain, it was that no matter how embarrassing life got, her dads would always come get her when she called. Every single time.