Tori D • California • 26
I remember the first time I got my period. I was in 6th grade, it was the first hour of school, and thank god I was wearing black jeans. I bled through my pants in the first class I was in and didn't notice. Moved to my second class in a different room and bled on another chair and again, didn't notice.
It wasn't until I was transferring to my third class where I heard people laughing in the hallway saying someone was bleeding on the classroom seats. At first, I laughed with them, oblivious to the fact that it could have been me. Then, I began to feel slightly uncomfortable, and began to feel a warm sensation that made me insecure.
I ran to the bathroom, pulled down my pants, and saw the bloody culprit. I was the girl everyone was laughing about. Mortified, I ran to the nurse for help. I was advised to put on my gym shorts and wear them for the rest of the day. I was also given an incredibly uncomfortable large pad and had no more underwear, so my mind was so far gone from education it wasn't even funny.
The rest of the day I walked around in shame with gym shorts on and a hoodie tied around my waist. No one said anything cruel to my face, but behind my back people made all the jokes they could.
