Chapter 24
CHAPTER 24
THEN, 1999
I t started like every other day—she waited for Rafferty outside the brownstone and walked with him most of the way to school. Once there, she would hurry ahead while he got distracted by his friends. Even classes were going normal. Until recess ended and she heard people laughing around her. At first, Daisy thought it was because of something she’d missed in the cafeteria. But when eyes and laughter turned her way, she started to panic.
“I guess ugly girls don’t have mothers who teach them about their period,” Vivian Chambers said as she and her posse surrounded Daisy.
“You’re bleeding, Ditzy,” another girl added.
“It’s Daisy .”
“Whatever your name is, you’re making a mess of this pristine hallway,” someone else said, pointing at Daisy’s legs.
Looking down, she saw blood on her khaki pants. She didn’t know what was happening and tried to get some help, but Vivian and her girl gang were blocking the way, laughing and pointing like she was an animal in the zoo. Of course she knew everything about menstruating, but she had no clue how to handle it. Or why these girls were being so mean.
“Help me, please,” she whispered, but the laughter only got louder. Using her bag, she covered her front and turned in a slow circle as tears streamed down her face. “ Please .”
“Figure it out yourself, Ditzy,” Vivian replied, flicking her auburn hair over her shoulder. “And while you’re at it, keep your grubby paws off my boyfriend.”
Her vision was blurred because of how much she was crying and for a moment she hated being friends with Rafferty. She’d been so good at keeping their connection a secret, but everyone found out anyway. And because of him, she was being picked on. She wondered if they singled her out right from the beginning because of their friendship or if that was a new development.
“What is going on here?” an authoritative voice said and everyone dispersed quickly.
Daisy’s knees buckled and before she fell, someone grabbed her. She sniffled, feeling the snot leak down her face, but didn’t lift her head. Nothing good would come from looking at who was helping her or watching her. She was already so distressed, seeing the faces of her classmates would make it worse.
She heard a door close as she was guided to sit down, but refused because she knew that the blood could stain something else.
“It’s okay, Daisy. You can sit down.”
Hesitating, she blinked through her tears and saw that it was the bed in the nurses’ office. Swallowing hard, she lowered herself carefully, her bag still clutched against her chest.
“Is this your first period?”
She nodded, eyes fixed on the footwear of the person talking to her. They were simple black covered shoes that gave nothing away, but it was better than looking at their face.
“How about I get you a change of clothes and a pack of sanitary napkins so you can clean up?”
“Yes, please. Thank you,” she forced out, surprised at how hoarse she sounded.
“Do you want to tell me what was happening in the hallway?”
Daisy shook her head, knowing that if she named names or said anything, the bullying would only intensify. They’d already picked apart her skin color and her fat body. Now they had her period as arsenal. If she gave them anything else, they would break her. And she didn’t want that.
“All right, here’s some water. Why don’t you use the bathroom to wash up and I’ll be back, okay?”
She nodded again and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the tears slide down her cheeks. Footsteps and a door opening and closing signaled that she was alone, so she stood up and shuffled to the bathroom. She peeled off her pants and wet toilet paper to wipe the inside of her thighs. Her panties were covered in blood as well and everything felt sticky. Thankfully the tears had stopped, so she could focus on the task at hand.
“Daisy?” A knock echoed through the bathroom. “I’ve left the clothes outside the door. Take your time.”
She breathed out slowly and opened the door a smidge, enough to grab the pile of things left for her. She locked the door once she had everything and went back to cleaning up. A pair of jeans, a plain T-shirt and underwear were in the pile, along with a sanitary napkin and a card with instructions on how to use it.
Once she’d cleaned herself as well as she could, Daisy changed into the new clothes and rolled up her soiled ones. It took her a few minutes to make sure the sanitary napkin was properly stuck on the inside of her underwear. And it wasn’t comfortable once she put it on, but at least she knew that she wouldn’t stain these clothes. I don’t even know where these clothes came from . Looking at herself in the mirror above the sink, she pulled her thick hair back into a half-hearted braid. Inhaling and exhaling loudly, she nodded once and closed her eyes.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she finally made eye contact with the person who was taking care of her—Mrs. Travers, the guidance counselor, who was standing with Nurse Kelly.
“How do you feel?”
“I’m okay,” she said softly, nervously shifting her bag which now held her dirty clothes. “May I go home?”
Mrs. Travers watched her for a long moment. “Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
Daisy shook her head. “I’m embarrassed and tired.”
“All right. How are you getting home?”
“Bus. Or I can walk. It’s only a few blocks.” They didn’t look convinced, but there wasn’t a lot they could do to stop Daisy from leaving. “I promise I’ll be okay, Mrs. Travers.”
The two women exchanged a look and Mrs. Travers opened the door. “Come, I’ll walk you out.”
There was no point arguing with her, so she fell into step beside the guidance counselor and walked to the main doors. She kept her head down in case kids were still hanging around in the hallway. Even though she couldn’t see or hear them, she could feel Vivian and gang watching her and preparing the worst kind of rumors to spread about her for tomorrow’s torture. At the exit, she thanked Mrs. Travers and hurried out and away from the school.
“Daisy, is that you?” Nonna called out from the kitchen as she let herself into the Ames house. She stood in the foyer and listened for other sounds, wanting to make sure that Rafferty wasn’t at home. She couldn’t face him yet, not when she was still feeling the aftereffects of being his friend.
“What’s wrong?”
Blinking out of her thoughts, she realized that she was crying again. Sniffling, she shook her head and forced a smile. “Nothing. I’m okay.”
“Whose clothes are those?”
“Mine?”
“Oh, stellina, what happened?” From the first day she met Nonna Ames, she’d been using the cutest Italian terms of endearment for the people she loved. Daisy had always been little star while Rafferty got the weirdest ones, including little potato .
Twisting her lips to the side, she tried to stop the tears, but it was pointless. “I started my period and stained my clothes.”
“Oh no, my darling. Come here.”
Collapsing into Nonna’s arms, she sobbed into her shoulder. This woman was the heart of the Ames family and the only reason Daisy felt any kind of joy in her life. They weren’t related by blood, but she called her Nonna anyway.
“I’m sorry. I should have prepared you better for this moment.”
Sniffling, Daisy shook her head. “It’s not your fault. There were these girls who made fun of me. It just made everything worse.”
“Who are these girls?”
“They’re not important. Did I disturb you?”
“Never,” Nonna said with a soft smile. “I just finished making a pie for dinner. But why don’t we go for a walk?”
“It’s okay. I’m going to read for a bit.”
Nonna pouted playfully. “Come, I want to show you something.”
Even though her bed and books were calling to her, Daisy didn’t argue further. She waited for Nonna to grab her things and the two of them set off down the street. The whole way, she talked about growing up in a big Italian family and what it was like to find the one thing she was passionate about. It was only once they reached a gorgeous flower shop that Daisy knew where Rafferty got his love from.
“Wow, this place is beautiful.”
“Mrs. Ames, it’s so good to see you!” A brightly dressed woman stepped out of the shop and held her hands out to Nonna. “What brings you by?”
“I wanted to show my little girl my old haunt.”
My little girl . Her heart warmed at the effect of those three simple words. Smiling at the woman, she followed them into the shop. At first the scents were overwhelming, but as she walked around the space, it calmed her down.
“I opened this flower shop after I got married,” Nonna said, looping her arm through Daisy’s. “Poppy was my only investor, but I ran it for a few years then handed it over to someone who had more time.”
“I love this. Is this where Rafferty gets his flowers from?”
Nonna laughed. “Of course. He works here sometimes after school, insisting that the flower shop should stay in the family. We both know he’ll forget about it once he starts working with his father.”
“I think he might surprise you.”
The older woman offered her a smile and hummed as she showed her around the shop. She pointed out and named all the flowers, telling her about her favorites. Just like Rafferty did on the mornings after his shift at the shop. By the time they left, Daisy was feeling lighter. Other than flowers she saw at the park, she’d never been around so many types or colors before. And on their walk back, she could still smell and feel every single one that she’d come in contact with.
When they got home, Rafferty was sitting on the front steps, fingers tugging at his hair. He jumped to his feet when he saw them, mouth open to speak, but caught himself. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Nonna gesturing for him to calm down.
“Where have you been?” he asked softly.
“Nonna took me to her flower shop. What’s wrong?”
“I heard about what happened today. I hurried home and you weren’t here.”
Nonna patted her arm and kissed Rafferty’s cheek before going up the stairs and into the house. Daisy shrugged at the look Rafferty shot her and she sighed heavily when it was clear that he wasn’t going to let it go.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
She scoffed. “Thanks.”
“No, shit. I mean…you’re wearing someone else’s clothes and your eyes are red. What happened?”
“It was a bad day, nothing else.”
“Hero,” he said, searching her eyes. “Don’t lie to me.”
Blowing out a frustrated breath, she shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to say, Raff. I started my period and stained my clothes and everyone made fun of me until Mrs. Travers helped me? Sounds really pathetic.”
“Not pathetic. I’m glad Mrs. Travers was there.”
She sighed and played with the ends of her braid. “I’m fine, okay? Seriously. It was just a rough day.”
“Who made fun of you?”
I should tell him it was his stupid girlfriend and her friends. Tell him that they’re horrible people. “I don’t know,” she said instead. “I was so embarrassed I didn’t look at their faces.”
He nodded and tugged at his hair. “You know that I will protect you, right?”
“I know, Raff. I appreciate you being there for me.”
“Always, Hero.”
She stared at him, the words feeling like a promise, and forced a smile. “I’m really tired, so I’m going to nap before Dad gets home. I’ll see you for dinner?”
“Yeah, okay.”
She moved past him to get her bag from the Ames house and hopped over the railing onto her side of the brownstone. With one more look at him, she waved and hurried through the front door, ignoring the way her heart raced at the look in his eyes.