Page 35 of Pieces

Sniffling, I stand and toss the salad container into the trash with more force than necessary. My phone buzzes in my pocket, and Liv’s name flashes on the screen.

“Girl,” she says the moment I answer, her voice high-pitched and dramatic. “I am dyinggggggg.”

“Oh no,” I say, wincing at the thought. “Are you sick again?”

“No, not sick, not after that exorcism at your house. My period is kicking my butt,” she groans.

I exhale, relieved. “Thank god. I can’t handle any more food poisoning stories after that.” Truly, it’s been a week, and I’m still not feeling back to my normal self yet, but I put it down to being insanely busy at school.

“You know what I did today?” she whines. “I cried in my history class. Like full-on sobbing. Snot, sniffling, everything. They were showing pictures of old people, and now I feel like I’m about to cry again. What is wrong with me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you,” I say, sitting back down under my favorite oak tree, the earth cools beneath my jeans. “You know how emotional we get when we’re on our periods. It’s just hormones.”

There’s a muffled honk as she blows her nose. “How are you holding up?” she asks. “You usually finish yours before me. You’re probably all cried out by now, right?”

I open my mouth to answer, but a strange thought cuts me off. “Oh, uh…mine wasn’t…” I trail off, the words sticking in my throat, and suddenly that chill from the ground travels all over my body.

Liv sniffs again. “Wasn’t what?”

“Nothing,” I say quickly, but my mind is already spiraling. When was the last time I had my period? My stomach tightens as I start flipping through the mental calendar in my head. I remember using a light pad this month because I used the last one and bought more from the drugstore. And I feel insanely bloated, so maybe my dates are mixed up.

“Wait,” Liv’s tone sharpens despite her groggy, emotional state. “What do you mean ‘wasn’t’? You better not be telling me your period didn’t kill you this month. I’ll hate you forever.”

Her attempt at humor barely registers. I’m too busy trying to remember. Did I have one last month? All I can remember is how many late nights I’m pulling to make sure I keep ahead on my classes and keep up with my schedule, but…did it come? A faint knot of panic starts forming in my chest.

“Daph? Hello? Earth to Daphne,” Liv presses.

“Huh? Oh, sorry.” I shake my head. “I don’t know, Liv. I think maybe I’m stressed.”

There’s a pause on the line, long enough for me to focus on the chatter of other students milling around the quad around me.

“Stressed, as in tired and exhausted and missed your period stressed?”

I swallow the thorns wedging into my throat. “Yeah, maybe I’ve taken on too much.”

“But…you had a period, right?”

Biting my lip, I say, “I think so, maybe like a light one-day thing? See, I’m stressed, aren’t I?”

“Are you sure that’s what this is?” she asks, concern lacing her words.

“I think so?” God, I know I don’t sound convincing.

“Daph, you hardly ever miss periods. I know, because we sync and suffer together.”

My palms feel sweaty as I rub my legs over my jeans. I drop my voice, lowering my head. “I’ve just been skipping my eight hours of sleep, and the whole school thing is a lot to figure out. I mean, you know, you’re doing it too.”

“Yeah, but my period still graced me with its presence, sadly,” she says with a huff.

Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I hum to myself, feeling unsettled.

Liv sucks in a sharp breath. “I don’t wanna say it, babe, but Daphne. Are you…?”

“No,” I rush out, almost pleading this time. “I’m not. I just… I don’t know right now.”

She’s quiet for a moment, and I can practically feel her squinting at me through the phone. “Daph,” she says finally, her voice careful. “You remember everything like a lion.”

“It’s an elephant.”

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