"I'm in the bathroom!" she yelled.
So I tapped at the door. "Can I come in?"
The moment she said yes, I waved Luke out of the room and then slipped through the smallest gap possible. Sure enough, the girl stood at the sink with a towel around her waist and a pair of bloody jeans on the floor before her. Her eyes were big and glassy, making it clear that she was horrified, but I knew how to handle this.
"Ok," I said, picking up her jeans and tossing them into the sink. "Need some clean panties?"
"Everything's a mess. I didn't know there'd be so much."
"It happens differently for all of us," I assured her. "Which drawer am I going to?"
"Tall dresser, at the top," she told me.
I held up a finger, making it clear I'd be back, and then hurried to get her a few things. Of course, Luke was hovering at her still-open bedroom door. I tossed him a smile and then began to hunt down a pair of panties that looked comfortable, a bit bulky, and maybe older. I found one set, then a few extra options for her to choose from, and moved to the next drawer down.
"Luke, where does she keep her baggy pants? Sweats, pajamas, I don't care."
He pointed. "Bottom. What can I do?"
"You," I told him, "can run to my bathroom, look in the medicine cabinet, and find the Midol. Or, you can have Ash do that and go to the gas station to buy a shit-ton of chocolate."
"Chocolate?" He sounded completely confused.
"Magnesium helps with the cramps," I explained. "It also helps with our moods. Just trust me, ok?"
He nodded once. "Buy all the chocolate. I can do that." And he walked away like a man on a mission.
"Not all of it!" I called after him. "Ugh, men!"
But I had a pair of pants for her to change into and plenty of panty options. Cess had loaded me up with period supplies, so I was good there as well, and all of it was hidden under Faith's sink. Still, just to give the kid a little more privacy, I closed and locked her bedroom door, then headed back to the bathroom.
Once again, I knocked before I entered. "Ok, I got clean clothes." Stepping in, I put those on the counter, then went rummaging for a pad. "Has anyone told you how to use these?"
"Kinda," she admitted. "I mean, we had a class about it, and Mom said to just stick it in my panties."
So I gestured to the panties. "Which ones? Because I have no problem showing you exactly how it works, and I've never learned how to be embarrassed. This is completely normal, Faith. I promise you that we've all been exactly in your place."
Something about that made her relax. "Um, the flower ones. Does everyone know, Violet?"
"Not yet, but they will," I assured her. "And that's ok, Faith. They know when I have my period too. Ash is the best at picking up tampons or pads in an emergency, and he's changed my sheets when I had a bleed through and stained them. It's normal, it's fine, and it's nothing at all to be embarrassed about."
"It's gross," she insisted.
I scoffed at that. "Bull. Everyone poops. Everyone farts. Every woman with a vagina goes through this, in one form or another. Some men with a vagina do too." I paused, shaking that off. "Not important right now." Then I unwrapped a pad and lined it up with the center of her panties, making sure she could see what I was doing. "So, aligning this front to back may take a little work, and it's a bit bulky. It's going to feel weird wearing it, but I promise that no one can see."
"You sure?" She was eyeing the panties and pad like it might bite her.
"Promise." I gestured to the sink. "Get a wash cloth and wipe up anything. There might be blood on your thighs. When you're all clean, just put these on, then the pants over it, and I'll come help with the rest, ok?"
"Ok. What if I stained my new jeans?"
"I have tricks for that too," I assured her, and then stepped out of the bathroom to give her a little privacy.
I heard the water running, so I sat down on the bed and waited. She took a while, and I was pretty sure that half of that was calming herself down, but it was ok. Eventually, Faith stepped out of the bathroom in her pink sweats, walking just a little funny. I gave her a reassuring smile.
"Ok, you're safe now," I said, patting the bed beside me. "How do you feel, hun?"
She scrunched up her face. "Mortified."
