Part 2The Crimson Redemption

As I reached for the second one, Zach acted exactly as the floating comments predicted. He snatched the pad off Sarah’s desk.

He tore open the packaging with exaggerated excitement, shouting, "Sarah Jenkins! You need a mattress this big? Is it a crime scene down there? No wonder your chest looks bigger this week."

"Whoa, Zach, how do you know her chest got bigger?" one of his lackeys jeered.

"Sarah is Zach's childhood neighbor, how do you think he knows? Hahaha!"

The boys in the class roared with laughter. Sarah clamped her legs together tight, burying her head low.

"It... it's not mine. It's Lily's. She's on her period. If you don't believe me, look at the back of her pants..."

Just as the comments warned, Sarah stabbed me in the back.

I felt a pang of sadness.

We’d been desk mates since seventh grade. We promised to go to the same high school. I never thought she’d do this to me.

"Sarah, every girl gets a period. It's normal..."

"Lily, leave me out of it! I don't want to talk about that stuff publicly like you. It's humiliating."

Sarah didn't wait for me to finish. She scooted her desk an inch away, drawing a clear line between us.

[I'm so mad! Sarah has no conscience. Lily tried to help her!]

[Is the system glitching? Can Lily not see us? Why did she lend it to her?!]

[Lily, you'll regret this. Zach is about to give you a nickname. Everyone's going to call you 'Period Girl'!]

Period Girl?

That’s a terrible nickname. Zero creativity.

I looked away from Sarah and lifted my eyelids. Zach was dangling the open pad in front of my face with two fingers, waving it back and forth.

"Stand up, Period Girl. Let everyone see how dirty your monkey butt is."