How My World Changed Forever...Again

Awkward.

A/N Didn't edit this for anything in the slightest because...I may or may not have an one hundred and twenty point book test tomorrow with two essay questions on a book I haven't finished yet, but I really wanted to post this today.  I may go back and edit later and publish again, but let's be real probably not.  I apologize in advance for the horrible spelling and grammar.

Annie's POV
I'm sitting on Colleen's couch with my arms around Hayley. She's asleep. My stomach really hurts and I don't know why. I don't want anyone to worry about me or feel bad for me so I think I'm just going to try to take a nap.
I wake up half an hour later and have to go to the bathroom. I go in the bathroom down the hall from the living room. I think Colleen is upstairs editing a video. I pull my black, lulu lemon leggings and underwear down around my knees and there is totally blood in my underwear. First I think that I like pooped my pants or something. Then I quickly realize that it is definitely blood. I totally just started my period. I have no idea what to do. My mom isn't here. I barely know Colleen. Hayley is young. In sitting in the bathroom literally crying hysterically. I grab my phone off the sink counter and text my mom. I don't even know what to say.
"Mom! I just started my period!"
Delete.
"Hey, I was feeling sick earlier. I finally took a nap. I just woke up and went to the bathroom. I just started my period and I don't know what to do. I'm in the bathroom crying and scared. Please help me!"
Delete.
After several minutes of trying to figure out what to say, I just call my mom so I have to say it.
She answers and I'm just sniffling and crying into the phone. "Annie!" She yells, "What's wrong?!"
"Mommy, I didn't feel good earlier. Then I took a nap. When I woke up, just a few minutes ago, I went to go to the bathroom and there...there was blood in my underwear. I started my period and you're not here! What do I do!"
"Oh my gosh Annie! I'm so sorry I'm not there to help you! Calm down, baby. It's okay. Honey, Daddy and I aren't going to be back for several days and you don't have anything to take care of it with you."
"I know! That's why I'm freaking out!"
"Annie, you're going to just have to tell Colleen"
"I don't wanna! I'm too scared. I barely even know her!"
"How about this, I'll call her and talk to her and tell her what happened. Where is she and where are you?"
"Colleen's upstairs in her office, I'm downstairs."
"Where's Hayley?"
"Asleep in the living room on the couch."
"Okay, I'll call Colleen and tell her what happened and that you're gonna come up and talk to her. You have to do that though then. I don't want her to come looking for you and Hayley to think something's wrong."
"O..o..okay," I say softly, through tears.
"I'll text you when I'm off the phone with her. I promise it'll be okay."
"Thanks mommy, I love you."
"I love you too Annie babannie."
She hangs the phone and I stand nervously in the bathroom. Just a few minutes later, I get a text from my mom that says, "Okay Annie. Go now."
I carefully open the bathroom door and make sure Hayley's still asleep. Then I sneak upstairs.
I walk into Colleen's office. Her hair is straightened with big curls and she's wearing jeans and a long sleeve, purple shirt.
She gets up out of her chair and hugs me in her arms.

Colleen's POV
Katie called me and told me that Annie started her period and she didn't know what to do and was scared to tell anyone. I feel so bad. She comes into my office and stands, crying, in the door way. I stand up and say, "Aww! Honey come here!"
I pull her into my arms and she cries on my chest. I say, "Annie, it's okay."
She says, through sobs, "I know, I just want my mom though."
I rub her back and say, "I know, I know."
I let go of her and say, "There's just one problem, I don't have anything for you to use."
     I go into panic mode and start digging through the bathroom off of the Miranda room.  I find some liners and call Annie into the bathroom.
     "Here, use this for now. I need to get Rachel."
     She's obviously shook and just nods.
     I close the door behind me and call Rachel in my office even though she's just downstairs I think. "Can you go to the store and buy some, like, teen pads or whatever. Annie started her period and I only have tampons," I say into the phone, not even bothering to say hello.
"Yeah, I'm leaving now. Hayley's on the couch asleep."
"Okay, thanks Rach. Wait! Can you get ibuprofen too and some chocolate."
"Yes Colleen. Is that for you or Annie?"
"Shut up! Of course it's for Annie!"
"Okay, I will. Love you."
"Thanks, love you too."
Annie comes out of the bathroom as I hang up my phone. "Okay, Rachel just left for the store, she'll be back in a few minutes. I'm so sorry Annie. It sucks! Like seriously, your life will be ruined for a week of every month for the next 40 ish years. It's awful! Absolutely horrible, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" I say laughing, "sorry, I guess I should be trying to make you feel better. But you are, what, like 14 and a half? That's pretty lucky!"
"Yeah, because I did gymnastics for nine years!" Annie says, laughing a little.
She walks over to me and I hug her again. "I'm sorry your mom isn't here, hun."
"It's okay, I'm glad you are though."
"Oh my god! My little heart!"
I stay with Annie until Rachel gets back. She comes running into my office about 15 minutes after I called her.  She starts pulling stuff out of her Target bag and setting it on the couch.  "I'm so sorry Annie.  It sucks!  So anyway, I didn't really know what to buy, because, you know, I'm 27 years old and the first and last time I used a pad was the same time, but this is what I got.  Here, hun"
     Annie looks disgusted.  I feel so bad, this must be so awkward for her.  Rachel pulls some chocolate out of the bag and says, "I got you this too."
     "Thanks Rachel."
     I say, "here Annie," I say, opening the box of brightly colored pads, "take this and go clean up.  We'll be right out here."
     Annie reluctantly takes the pad from my hand and goes in the bathroom.  Rachel whispers to me, "Colleen!  You're so good at this."
     "No I'm not.  I'm freaking out Rach!  I don't know how to do this!"
     "It'll be fine."
     After another minute, Annie walks out.  I say, "you okay?"
     "Yeah."
     "Okay, good.  Listen, I don't want to leave your sister too long downstairs alone.  How about you go back down with Rachel.  I'm going to go put this stuff under your bathroom sink and some under the downstairs bathroom sink.  It's just us, nobody else will see it.  I'll be right down after that.  Tonight, after Hayley goes to bed, we'll sit and talk with you if you want, and if you just want to go to bed and never speak of this again, that's good too. Okay?"
     Annie nods.  She and Rachel leave the room.  I collect all the stuff from the couch.  I take half of the pads to her bathroom and leave the chocolate in her suitcase so Hayley won't find it.  I take the other pads and ibuprofen downstairs.  I leave them in the bathroom and leave the ibuprofen on the kitchen counter so Rachel or I can give it to her when she needs it.
     Downstairs, Hayley is no longer asleep, but laying on the couch playing on her phone.  It's 6 PM now. Both girls are done with school for the day and I'm going to get something ready for us to eat.  I end up making grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.  We all eat around the island and then we play part of the game of life.  Even Matt joins us.  It's around 9:30 when Hayley starts to get tired.  We all go upstairs.  Annie goes to get in the shower and I put Hayley to bed. By the time Annie's done in the shower, she'll be asleep and won't notice if Annie isn't next to her.  Matt goes in his and Rachel's room and Rachel is in the girls' room with me.  When Hayley is safe and soundly in bed, we go back over to my room.  We both put sweatpants and t shirts on.
When Annie's done, she comes over.  She's wearing gray sweatpants, a white tank top and her hair is wrapped in a towel.  She runs from the doorway to the bed and jumps up next to us.  "I wish I could do that when I'm on my period!" I say, laughing. 
     That makes Annie smile.  "How do you feel?" Rachel asks.
     "Horrible!  No, I'm okay," she says, "It's just so...awkward."
I say, "it's seems that way now, but when you and you're sister get older, this'll be all you talk about. At least that's how it was for Rachel and me. I was the first girl too, I mean, my parents had two boys before me. In my house, we pretty much had no filter when it came to this stuff. But even with that, I remember when I started, I didn't wanna tell anyone. I definitely didn't want to tell my mom. I wanted an older sister but I didn't have that."
Rachel says, "Yeah, and then pretty much exactly five years later when I started, I told Colleen first," laughing.
"That's true," I say.
"You know, someday, Annie," Rachel says, "you're gonna be glad that this happened now because when you're a 25 year old woman and sustaining your life on your own YouTube channel, and all your viewers want to see is a story time, you're gonna have a really freaking good story to tell!"
Annie laughs at this. It feels good to see a little girl smile.

Annie's POV
It's 10 PM and I'm laying in Colleen's bed with her and Rachel. At first, it was really awkward. I barely know these two! But very quickly, I warm up to this. I actually like it because it feels more comfortable and relaxed with people who are real with me and have no filter because they don't have kids. It's like when I would sit and have these discussions with Paige. And it's really makes no sense because Colleen could literally be my mother. She's like 33 years old, so why is this so relaxed? I don't know, but I'm having a really good time with them. At some point, we're just start talking about other things and having fun.
Around 11 o'clock, Colleen and I notice Rachel starting to fall asleep. She rubs her arm and says, "Rach? Rach?"
Rachel opens her and eyes and stretches. Colleen says, "Well, I guess it's bedtime then!"
Secretly, I just want to stay in this bed and sleep next to Colleen. However, I know I can't leave my little sister to wake up by herself. Rachel gets up, hugs us both and goes across the hall. Before I leave, Colleen hugs me for longer than normal and says, "You okay?"
I look up at her and say, "Yeah."
"Okay, good."
"Thanks for staying up with me. I had fun talking to you two."
"I'm glad, goodnight Annie."
"Night."
I quietly go into our room and try to get into bed without waking Hayley up.
     I am so glad to have Colleen and Rachel to talk to now.  When Colleen hugged me that last time, every fear I had derived from the fact that she got divorced and fell out with people were friends with, all of it was gone. That hug humanized her and made me realize, my mom was right, she most definitely felt pain of her divorce.  The hug, it wasn't for me, she needed that.

A/N I would love to hear what you guys think is going to be why Katie and Billy are in Maryland!  I already know, so I probably won't use any comments, but if you give me ideas aside from that, I may include them.  Thanks for reading!