Ella's New Sound

“Mom!” I screamed, looking down at the giant blood stain on my sheets. I knew what it was, I’m not stupid. But it’s still scary to wake up and half of your sheets are covered in blood.
Mom ran into the room with half of her make-up applied.
“Oh Honey!” She said, putting her hands to her mouth. She grabbed my arm and pulled me out of bed. I looked down at my PJ pants on my way to the bathroom. Yup, I thought. I’m going to have to throw these away.
Mom handed me some clean jeans from the washer and clean underwear. I sat on the toilet, waiting for her to return from her own bathroom.
“Here you go,” she said, handing me a pad. I looked at it blankly. They only explain so much in sex ed. “I’ll show you.” She said with a bit of anxiety in her voice.
She tore off the rapping and unfolded it.
“Now, there are many kinds of pads, some are big, medium, and small. Some also have wings.”
“What are wings?” I asked as she tore off the peeling on the back and stuck it to my underwear.
“These are wings.” She said, taking the peel off of two flappy looking things on the side of the pad. “They help keep the pad on.”
I nodded, taking all the information in.
“Thanks Mom.” I said, smiling. “What am I going to do about my sheets?”
“We can go sheet shopping after school. Now go get dressed and be ready in twenty minutes.” She said, standing up.
I pulled up my pants and walked back into my room. I heard the front door open and shut.
“Guess who’s here?” Said a deep voice from the living room.
“Uncle Gerard!” I screamed, running down the stairs towards him. “You came to see us!”
“Of course I did El.” He said, laughing. He cut his hair short, maybe about two inches long.
“How was Japan?”
“Very… sushi-like.” He said, laughing even more.
“Gee!” Mom said, coming into the room. This time she had her make-up all the way on and she looked good.
“Mary Jane Toro, you haven’t changed since I left.” He said, pulling her into a hug. “Still beautiful and full of secrets.”
“Keep your mouth shut.” She said, slapping his shoulder.
“Where’s Daddy?” I asked, brushing my hair back behind my ears.
“He had to stop at the mall to pick something up.” He said casually.
I walked back up the stairs because now I only have ten minutes to get ready for school. I pulled on a purple tee shirt and a light blue tank top. Beautiful, just like my mom, I thought. I tied my green chucks and grabbed my bag. When I was about to head out of my room, I noticed my hair was a mess.
“Shit,” I whispered under my breath. I ran to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and hair. There, now I’m ready.