Exchanging Life

Chapter 8

"Why that weird look on your face? Has your period began?"

"I don't think so.", I say. First of all, I need to sport today. And her period is coming up. I'm not sure where I'm most afraid of, hockey or periods. There is a reason why I don't participate in gym class. There are so many things that could go wrong. I could break my neck, break a leg and not be able to run away when I'm being attacked what will lead to my death. But periods are also deathly. I could literally bleed to death. Her mum gave me tampons those cotton things could lead to my death also. When using tampons you are at risks of getting TSS. Someone had to amputate her leg because of TSS.

Luckily I have already changed into her practice clothes that will prevent awkwardness in the locker room. For the period problem, I pick up the box with tampons, open the package and I take a look inside. How many tampons does a girl need? I just dumped the whole package into the bag, better safe than sorry. I throw the empty box on the bed and I go downstairs.

"Amelia are you ready?", her mother says. "Yes, we may go.", I say and we are off to the car. I've never been a real sports fan and I genuinely don't enjoy physical exercise. It involves difficult movement my body just can't produce. There are two things that could happen when I'm "physical". I don't even know a thing about hockey. Does it involve running? A stupid question almost every sport involves running. Hockey involves a wooden stick and a thing called puck, right? Hockey is one of the least problems for now. Her bloody period is coming up and I don't even know how a tampon works. I've had biology, the only thing we did at sex ed was blowing up the free condoms. But tampons were not included in my education. I've never used such a thing and I shouldn't be using those things. I can just ask her mum for advice, that's normal, right? "Miss...I mean mum, how do you use a tampon?

At first, she thought I was joking with her she kept driving and laughing for two minutes until she stopped looking at the road, turned her face towards me and looked at my face. She must have thought I'm crazy, a teenage girl asked for tampons and doesn't know how to use them. She kept looking at the road, my face, the road, my face, road, face. That's when she noticed I wasn't joking. "Are you serious?", she asked. I nod with the embarrassment displayed all over my face. 

When we arrived I went to the bathroom as fast as my short woman legs could move. I went sitting on the toilet, too scared to take the pants off.  " Should I be doing this?" No, I can't I don't have the rights to be doing this. But if I don't I will bleed to death. Maybe I should just stay on the toilet until this body is done with bleeding.

"Sorry, but are you okay in there?", a girl's voice says to me while gently knocking on the door. Oh no, I must have been mumbling to myself for quite some time. She must have heard me, know she thinks I'm crazy. "I'm okay, I'm... just starting my period." 

"Owh...I know how you feel, do you need some pads?" 

Pads!! What are pads again? Think Noah think, you know this. Pads are those things girls stick in their underwear, right? Wait a minute if I use pads then I don't have to actually stick something up in there. 

"Pads are those things you stick in your underwear, right..?" 

"Yes..., if you would rather use tampons I've got those too."

"Nooo! Pads are fine, they are perfect."

"Okay, here you are." she slides the pads underneath the door of the toilet.

"Thank you very much." I pick up the pads from the ground. 

"No problem," she says and she closes the door behind her.

It's wrapped in some blue foil, I take the blue foil off, it exposes a white kind of cloth. But how do I stick it on the underwear? Do I need glue for this? Is there a special kind of clue for menstrual pads?  The stupid wrapping doesn't even give instructions.  I turn the pad around and see a piece of paper on the back, it says: "peel off". I peel the piece off and find this sticky area on the backside of the pad. I instantly feel like my mind is blown. I stick it on and go to the locker room. I feel like a grown ass woman because I know how to stick on a menstrual pad. 

Practice went horrible, turns out I'm not supposed to score on my own side. While I was cheering I finally hit the ball, my team was yelling at me because I scored on the wrong side of the field. 

I see her mother has arrived to pick me up. I called her to pick me up because I'm not feeling that well. I get into the car and she starts driving home.

"So how are you feeling sweety?" she asks.

"Could be better," I answer. My belly hurts, my back hurts, everything hurts and I'm feeling like a tear can start coming down any second. When we get some I will go straight to bed.

"Sweety, you're looking a little pale, are you really okay?" 

"I'm just going through womanhood," I say.

"I've got some chocolate at home if you'd like."

"Okay..." Why would I want chocolate when I just said I'm not feeling so well. Women are just strange creatures who have to wear bras for these stupid organic milk bags and pads for their monthly subscription of lucifer's waterfall. I just want to go back to being a boy.

"Are you okay, why are you crying?" without noticing a little tear has escaped from my eye and made a little dot on my lap.

"I just miss my life..." it slipped out of my mouth.

"Sweetheart, I know it's not the ideal situation but we had to move, he would've found us."