Period Stories

No More Teacher's Dirty Looks

In middle school I had the. worst. periods. They were often so heavy that I bleed through both a super tampon and super pad (was wearing the two simultaneously) in an hour in a half on more than one occasion. Between the hemorraging and the cramp-induced vomiting, I missed several days of school per semester. Now, when I was in middle school I was also drastically underweight and as a result had very irregular periods that started with no warning.

One day I was sitting in homeroom when I suddenly felt incredibly nauseated and dizzy. I was too dizzy and disoriented to make it to the bathroom and so I threw up in my backpack. That's when the horror dawned on me: there was more to come because I was starting my period. My homeroom teacher was an epic douche who seemed to get off on punishing me in particular so my desk was crowded in a corner that obscured me from the view both she and my classmates. I deliberated with myself for about 10 minutes (while the vomit dried in my backpack) and decided the only thing I could do was call my mom. As I mentioned, this teacher was a total douche and so I then wasted 10 more precious minutes steeling myself to ask to use the phone. Let's take stock: at this point I'm now cowering in the hidden corner, bleeding profusely through my sundress, clutching a backpack full of vomit and running a fever (the fever part happened often with my period as well). I HAD to get home.

Me: Ms. Blake, um, I'm not feeling well. May I please call my mom?

Ms. Blake: You may only make phone calls with a note from the office.

Me: So um, Ms. Blake, may I please go to the office?

Ms. Blake: Not unless you have a note from the office.

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Normally I would just go along with the game and loudly protest how stupid she was being, but I was in no position to do so because I was too dizzy and too embarrassed to make a scene in front of the class. I pleaded with her again and again to either let me call my mom from her classroom or else let me go to the office. Each plea was met with a resounding "you need to go to the office." It had been about 30 minute since I vomited at this point, and I was shivering with blood beginning to drip down my leg. I suddenly snapped.

I shot up suddenly from my desk and got in her face. I was 7 or 8 inches taller than her so I must have been pretty imposing. Even if my sheer height wasn't intimidating, the long trail of blood down the back of my dress must have been. I yelled directly into her face.

Me: Ms. Blake, as you can see I got my period unexpectedly and now I'm kind of sick. See, I puked in my backpack (I showed her the mess). I can't make it to the office and I need to go home, so may I PLEASE call my mother?!

The sheer look of horror on her face made the entire spectacle worth it. She quickly assented and unlocked the closet where she kept the phone and let me talk as long as I wanted. I was so scary though, no one dared laugh, not even the 13 year old middle school boys who lived for that kind of thing. In fact, the whole scene was never mentioned by any of my classmates or teachers ever again as far as I can tell.

-Anonymous