Then I would know No knew it too by what he said next.
“God! Why do you have to be such a pain in the ass when you’re on the rag?” he very unwisely asked and everyone in the room went still.
Then, her face aflame and showing clearly she was very near tears, Rees avoided everyone’s eyes and ran from the room, shoving both Mike and me aside to do it.
“No, dude, that was not cool,” Fin growled, his eyes on the door Rees disappeared through, his face a hard mask of anger.
“Fin’s right,” Mike clipped, his eyes locked on his son, “It absolutely was not.”
For his part, No had already come to the realization that he’d taken it too far and he looked like he wanted to kick himself. This was good because I loved that kid but I also, at that moment, wanted to kick him.
Instead, I muttered, “I’ll go talk to her.”
Then my eyes skidded through Mike’s angry ones, though his were locked on his son, and I followed Rees.
Her door was closed but I could hear the muffled sobs coming from inside.
I knocked to no answer. So I knocked again and again got no answer.
Then I opened the door a smidge, shoved my head in and saw she was curled on her bed with her back to the door.
“Hey, Reesee honey, can we talk?” I asked quietly.
“No,” she whimpered.
I thought about this then I made my decision and went for it.
I opened the door further, walked in then closed it behind me. Then I walked to her bed, sat on the opposite side of it and listened to her quiet weeping.
God, she even wept pretty. Yeesh.
I gave her a minute then said softly, “What No said was uncool and everyone down there knew it, even, after he said it in the heat of the moment, No.”
She didn’t reply.
I gave her another moment then went on, “It was written all over his face after he said it that he was sorry.”
That got me an, “I don’t care.”
If I were her at her age with my boyfriend there and what No said, I wouldn’t either.
So I told her gently, “I get that.”
Suddenly she turned, the pillow she was hugging went flying, she knifed up and her wet eyes came to me.
Yep, she wept pretty.
“God! That…that…it was humiliating,” she whispered. “I can’t…Fin…” she covered her face with her hands and through more tears kept whispering, this time dramatically, “I’ll never be able to look at him again.”
“I think that would upset Fin greatly considering he thinks the world of you and the second you ran out of the kitchen, he threw down with No on your behalf.”
Her hands slid from her face and her eyes came to me. Now they were not only wet, they were wide.
“He did?” She was still whispering.
I nodded. “He kept his seat but his meaning was clear when he told No what he said was not cool and your Dad concurred.”
Her eyes slid to the door and went unfocused.
I twisted on the bed until I was facing her and sitting cross-legged. Then I leaned my forearms into my legs and smiled at her.
“We get the pain, the cramps, the moods and the bother and we have to learn to live with that.” Her eyes came back to me. “Those guys down there also have to learn to live with stuff around that too. Including No and Fin. You have a period. That happens seeing as you’re a girl. It’s natural. It happens to every girl. It isn’t humiliating, embarrassing or anything to hide.”
“It is,” she said in her soft voice.
I shook my head and smiled again. “It isn’t and when I say that it absolutely isn’t. What it is is beautiful. What it is means your body is changing because you’re maturing. What it is means you can make babies. What it is means you’re a woman now. And there is absolutely nothing embarrassing about that. And, as for you, the woman you’re becoming is stunning.”
Her face got soft and her hand came up to rub across both her cheeks to take the tears away.
I took in a breath.
Then I continued, “What happened down there, No should be embarrassed about and he is. Not only that, everyone in that room agrees. Fin is seventeen but he isn’t stupid and he knows this happens and he knows it happens to you. I haven’t talked to him about it but my nephew has a lot of common sense so I figure he doesn’t think it’s embarrassing, he doesn’t think it’s gross, he just thinks it’s life.”
Rees tucked her knees to her chest and rounded them with her arms, quiet, still bashful but biting her lip, thinking.
I studied her wondering if I should go for it.
Then I went for it.
“He gets that and what you have to get is that for all intents and purposes, you’re a woman now. Has anyone talked to you about that?”
Her eyes slid away.
“Reesee, honey, this is important. Can you look at me?” I asked and her eyes slid back. “Has anyone talked to you about that?” I repeated.
She bit her lip some more then kind of shook her head.
“Not…I’ve…my…” she started then finished, “No.”
“You’ve gabbed with your girls about it,” I surmised.
She bit her lip again and that meant yes.
“Do they still have sex ed in schools?” I asked and she nodded.
But she added, “It’s kinda lame.”
It was kinda lame back in my day too.
“Right,” I nodded back. “The gig now is, if you have any questions, you’re free to talk to me. I’ve been getting my period for a while now so I’m pretty much an expert.”
Her lips quirked into her cute mini-smile.
“Do you get cramps?” I asked.
She nodded again.
“Do you take anything for them?” I asked.
“My, uh…one of my girls bought me some Midol,” she told me.
“Does that work?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Ibuprofen works for me,” I told her. “That doesn’t work for you, try Aleve. That doesn’t work, try one ibuprofen, one Aleve. That doesn’t work, switch it up with one or the other and a Midol. What works isn’t the same for everyone and you’ll find what works for you. But also a hot bath is awesome and we’ll get you a heating pad.”
Her head tipped to the side. “A heating pad?”
I grinned. “You put it on your belly and it feels great. Loosens the muscles. Awesome.”
She gave me another mini-smile.
I kept going. “I’ll give you some St. John’s Wort. It’s an herb but in pill form. It helps with moods. You take one in the morning, one at night. It won’t make you yourself but, if it works for you, it’ll make you less irritable or weepy. Yeah?”