Allison W. • Illinois • 35
It was a Sunday and my mom and I had just returned home from Catholic Mass. I was a scrawny, late-blooming 12-year-old who was closer to Barbies than bras. I had a stomach ache so I went into the bathroom and there it was. Blood.
I burst into uncontrollable sobs. My poor mom, who was baffled by my reaction, tried to comfort me, gently offering me pads and tampons, but I was devastated. I wasn't ready and the fact that it clearly started during Mass felt like an extra little "fuck you."
Anyway, my period is still a total asshat that I hate but at least I'm not Catholic anymore.
