GLOW

CHAPTER 9

It's ten thirty. I'm in the bathroom stall and still thinking about the concert. They had played six songs (yes, I counted, don't judge) and four are on my Top Ten list - Steal My Girl, Best Song Ever, Kiss You, and Magic. I think, This is the best day of my life.

I finish up and look down. What I see comes as a shock, even though it shouldn't. Any sophomore should already have started their period. Right?

Wrong. There's blood on my underwear. I just started my period. Crap.

"Holy - Vivia!" I hiss. "Do you have...uh..."

"What?" she whispers back. "What do you mean?"

"My period, Vivia. I've got my period."

"Oh! Congrats!" She pauses, and then adds, "Well, not really. Periods suck." Vivia passes me a quarter. "Here. Get a pad, not a tampon. They're too hard to use if you don't know how."

"Okay?" I grab a pad, take care of business, and walk with Vivia back to where the rest of our family waits for us.

"Finally!" Lyra cries.

"What took you so long?" Mom demands.

"Oh, no reason." I cough and shoot dagger eyes at Mom.

Mom looks suspicious, but can obviously see how uncomfortable I look and eventually lets the issue go. "Well, let's get back to the car. It's two hours past Lyra's bedtime."

"Bedtime schmedtime," Lyra grumbles, but quickly perks up and asks, "Can Esme put me to bed tonight?"

Mom's eyes narrow. "Why? Don't you think maybe Vivia should put you to bed? She is older, after all."

I roll my eyes and say, "I can put her to bed, Mom. It's fine," at the same time Vivia pipes up with, "Just because I'm older doesn't mean I want to be another mom and put her to bed. I'm tired."

Lyra chimes in. "She's never put me to bed before! I think it would be fun to have Esme put me to bed just once Mom please?"

She sighs, over it. "Fine."

I share a glance and a grin with Lyra. I can tell she doesn't want anyone to find out about Porklet yet, and I'm happy to help.

The next night, I start to put on my wrap shirt when Lyra pokes her head in the doorway. I squeak, grabbing the shirt around my body. Lyra doesn't seem to notice and whispers, "Esme! I need help with Porklet. He's not moving!"

I hastily tie the shirt, still embarrassed, and follow Lyra down the hall to her room. She closes the door and flings open her closet. "See? He's not moving. He hasn't been moving for the last half hour, even!"

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Lyra. I'm sure we can take care of this. He's not dead, I promise."

She folds her arms. "You don't know that." She starts to sniffle. "I don't want him to die." Lyra throws herself into my arms and starts to shake with silent sobs.

I pry her loose. "It'll be okay. I know it will. But right now, I need...." I think for a minute. "Get me a mirror."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Okay." She comes back two minutes later with a handheld mirror. I hold it in front of Porklet's mouth for a few minutes and take it away. I can see fog on the mirror. Just to check, I hold my hand in front of his snout. I feel his warm breath on my hand.

"Well, I can say with certainty that this is not a dead pig."

Lyra narrows her eyes.

"Seriously! Look." I show her the foggy mirror. "There would be no fog on the mirror unless he was breathing on it. I even held my hand in front of his snout, and I could feel his breath. He's not dead, and he's not going to die anytime soon. He's just asleep, Lyra. And, come to think of it, probably really hungry."

"If you say so, Esme."

"I'm going to go downstairs really quick and get, um..."

"You could try corn, probably. Oh, and a bowl of water."

I scoff. "How do you know that?"

Lyra frowns. "Just because I'm younger than you doesn't mean I'm stupid, Esme. I read about it online. The easiest thing for someone without a barn to feed a pig is corn and water."

I leave and return a few minutes later with a bag of corn seed and a bowl of water. I try shaking Porklet's shoulder, and he doesn't wake up. I try pulling on his ears, slapping his side, and flicking his snout. Apparently, a pig's nose is sensitive. He wakes with a loud SNORT!

"Shhhhh!" Lyra hisses, covering his mouth with her hand.

"Girls? What's going on up there?" Dad yells from the living room.

"We just dropped something! Sorry, Dad!" Lyra shouts back.

He grunts in response.

Porklet's nose is buried in the water bowl when we turn back. It's almost empty already. When he sucks every last drop of water out of it, he starts in on the corn, which I'd already ripped open for him. I go refill his water dish.

"We need to go get him a dish of his own." Lyra comments.

"We really do. Is there anything up there that could hold corn?"

With a snuffle, Porklet falls asleep again. Lyra surveys him and tilts her head. "He must be super tired."

I chuckle. "I'll say. Hey, I can go get something from downstairs. How much is left in that bag of corn seed?"

"It's about three-quarters of the way full," Lyra reports.

"We're certainly going to need more corn," I mumble and trip back down the stairs to fetch yet another bowl.

Once I'm back in Lyra's room, I glance at the clock. "Holy crap!"

"Esmerelda!" Lyra scolds, sounding exactly like Mom.

I'm laughing so hard, I double over and eventually fall to the floor. Lyra watches me all the while like I grew an extra arm. Finally, I'm able to sit back up and I wipe at my eyes. "Oh, oh my. I've gotta leave soon, for my party."

"Like a birthday party?" Lyra inquires.

"No. Like a just-for-fun party."

"Oh. Have fun, then!" She jumps up and hugs me.

I chuckle. "Will do." I hand her the bowl and walk back down the hall.

Once I'm back in my room, I pop in my contacts, swipe on some mascara, and pull on my favorite jean skirt. I hop down the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Bye, Dad! I'll be back by midnight!"

"Have a lot of fun, honey."

"Oh, I will!" I grab my phone and five bucks (just in case) from the table, then skip out the door and to Oakland's house.