Lipstick

Chapter 10: Whisper White

The teacher goes into a rant about catching us having sex and I have to think fast if I want to save our asses. So, I say the only thing that I think of.

"Tampon!"

The room goes silent.

"You didn't see what you think you saw." I quickly add.

"I know exactly what I saw." She says sure of herself.

"Tampon," I say again.

I glance at Josie and she looks at me. We share a silent best friend's look and she knows to go with it. No matter how ridiculous or funny it sounds. She's prepared to put on an act.

"Can you elaborate Ms. Hanson?" The principal asks.

I burst into tears on cue. Something I mastered when I was five.

"This is so embarrassing," I say between sobs.

"I was helping her with her tampon," Josie adds.

"Come again?" The principal says, he shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

The female teacher raises an eyebrow at us.

"I was cramping in class and got a pass to the nurse but I ran out of tampons so Josie said she would spot me. But when I went to change my tampon, I couldn't find it!" I cry out louder.

The principal looks extremely uncomfortable now.

"I couldn't really get in there in the bathroom so we went somewhere more private where we thought no one would see us. That's what you saw." Josie says.

"So... you weren't having sex?" the teacher is now completely confused.

"No! Now everyone is going to think I'm gay when it was just a tampon. This is the most humiliating thing of my life!" I sob.

To put the nail in the coffin Josie says,

"Can I go wash my hands?"

"Yeah okay, we'll let it slide for now ladies." The principal says.

"I'm sorry!" I cry.

"Just... go home," he says.

So Josie and I walk out and to the bathroom.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" I smack her repeatedly in the shoulder, once we are alone.

She burst into laughter.

"Shut up! It was all I could think of! Ugh! I hate you!"

She laughs so hard she tears up.

My face has never been so red.

I quickly wash off the traces of lipstick on my skin and drag Josie out of the bathroom so we can head home. To be honest I have no idea what's worse. Getting caught almost having sex at school. Or lying about it and saying you were actually digging for a lost tampon. I will never live this down. Ever.

This is almost as bad as finding out my parents wanted us to be called the KKK family.

I just want to scream from how embarrassed I am.

"You suck! Ugh! I'll never live this down! Ever! Even when I'm 30 I'll think back on this and still feel the secondhand embarrassment!" I say to Josie as we arrive at my house and go up to my room.

"You have to admit that was funny as hell."

"Josie!"

"It worked, didn't it? Don't overreact. You saved our asses from expulsion." She grabs me and pulls me into her.