A fresh coating of blood contrasted starkly with the white paper it was smeared upon. I felt sick as hot tears stung my eyes.
This can't be happening. I mentally cried. Not today. Not now.
But it was happening. Right there, right then. Trapped in a tiny bathroom on an equally tiny boat, without so much as a paper towel to help clean up the mess.
I just got my period. And my tampons were in my suitcase below deck.
"Hey, are you almost done?"
A girl asked from the other side of the door, giving it a light peck.
What could I do? There wasn't any storage space to speak of in the bathroom; in fact, the only thing in it besides the toilet was an empty wall mounted hand sanitizer dispenser next to the door.
I glanced over my shoulder, hoping for a spare roll of TP I may have missed, but there was nothing on top of the toilet.
I put my face in my palms. This wasn't how I pictured my first day of college going.
"Are you okay?"
The girl from before knocked again, this time a bit louder.
"Not really."
I finally croaked.
The girl was quiet for a moment. "Are you sick?"
Knowing she couldn't see me, I shook my head anyway. "No, I just...listen, I hate ask, but do you have a tampon?"
I really hated to ask. It wasn't anything against the girl--I didn't even know her. I just didn't like the idea of asking anyone for anything. The very thought of being labeled a bum, or being indebted to someone, didn't sit well with me.
I liked earning my keep...like I had with the scholarship that got me on this godforsaken boat to begin with.
"Sure, give me a sec." she replied quietly. "I'll slide it under the door for you."
Seconds later, a neat little package wrapped in purple came skitting across the floor, stopping short of hitting my sneaker.
"Thanks," relief and genuine gratitude echoed in my voice as I retrieved the tampon. "You're a lifesaver."
"No problem. I'm Jo, by the way."
"Audrey,"
I replied, having done my business.
Thankfully, my period hadn't started out too bad; there wasn't any blood on my panties, but it did stain the last bit of toilet paper I had used to wipe. Which reminded me...
"There's no more toilet paper in here."
Without waiting for her reply, I unlocked the door and opened it to see a tall girl waiting on the other side.
"Good thing I brought my own." She smiled, holding up a roll of two-ply. "I also brought soap and water if you want to wash your hands."
Man, this chick was better than a Boy Scout--she was prepared for anything.
"That would be great." I smiled. "Thanks,"
She placed her role of toilet paper under her arm, then pulled a tiny bottle of handsoap and a bottle of water from her purse.
I took the items, placing the handsoap on the back of the toilet so I could wet my hands. I held one hand over the toilet to catch the water, and used the other hand to pour it.
"Guess I owe ya one, huh?" I asked, switching hands.
Jo waved it off. "Don't sweat it. I went through the same thing last semester."
I squirted soap into my palms and lathered them up. "Really?"
"Sure did." She paused, coming in to help me rinse off the soap. "Luckily a senior girl came by and helped me out."
"Now you're paying it forward?"
She shrugged. "Pretty much,"
After we got my hands rinsed, Jo gave me some toilet paper to dry them with.
"Thanks again," I smiled, having tossed the wet paper into the toilet. "I'm gonna go back on deck."
"No problem," Jo gave me a wave. "See ya!"
Secretly thankful we were both small, I easily scooted past Jo to step out onto the deck. The door clicked shut behind me, and I made my way to a clearing towards the front of the boat.
Before today, I had never even seen the ocean; not in person, anyway. But now, seeing it churn against the ship's rusty hull, smelling the briny sea air, didn't really fill me with awe like I had expected. If anything it made me a bit nauseous. It was also louder than I thought it would be. The sloshing of the waves, the vibrating hum of the boat's engine, even the low chatter of the other passengers was beginning to be too much.
I closed my eyes, and inhaled deeply.
Almost there.
But was I really?
It felt like I had been traveling for ages, but in reality it had only been about seven hours. A four and a half hour flight, one hour ferry ride and a nearly two hour boat trip was really starting to take its toll.
Exhaling sharply, I opened my eyes to see a mountainous island looming in the distance.
"Lachlan University students," a gruff male voice suddenly called over a loudspeaker. "We will be arriving at Lachlan Island in ten minutes."
"Looks creepy, huh?"
I turned to see a black haired guy standing next to me, staring at the island wistfully.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "Looks kind of peaceful to me."
Although, the fog floating on the water up ahead did seem a bit spooky.
"I'm Connor," he turned to face me, offering his hand.
"Audrey," I smiled, taking his hand to give it a quick shake.
Our hands dropped and Connor casually propped his arm upon the boat's railing.
"So, you a freshman too?" He asked.
I nodded with a chuckle. "Is it that obvious?"
"A little," he smiled sheepishly. "You look almost as nervous as I feel."
I looked nervous? Funny, I didn't really feel all that nervous. Seasick, maybe, but not nervous.
"Hey, Audrey,"
Connor and I were suddenly joined by Jo, who came to stand between us, forming a triangle.
"Hey, Jo," I smiled.
She glanced from me to Connor, but only for a second. "Who's your friend?"
"Connor," he answered before I could, extending his hand to Jo.
"Nice to meet you, Connor." She shook his hand briefly. "I'm Jo,"
Their hands dropped, and Connor shoved his into his hoodie.
"Hope you guys are ready," Jo brushed a red strand of hair behind her ear. "We're here."
A deep thump jarred the boat as it was docked. Soon after, the engine was silenced, leaving my ears ringing in response to the abrupt silence.
"Students," the gruff voice from earlier sounded once again. "Depart the boat one at a time, and mind your step."
Connor was closest to the dock, so he got off first.
"Your luggage will be waiting for you in your dorms," the voice continued over an unseen loudspeaker.
I glanced down at my feet, then at the dock. Getting off the boat seemed easy enough; the dock and the boat's deck were practically level with each other.
But that knowledge did little to relieve my sudden apprehension.
Connor must have noticed my hesitation, because he held out his hand. "Here, let me help."
A bit embarrassed, I took it and gingerly crossed over to where Connor stood.
I felt wobbly as our hands fell, and slowly turned to watch Jo effortlessly join us.
"Give it a second before you try to walk." She told me and Connor. "Sea legs are a real bitch."
Sea legs? So that's why my legs felt like jello.
There were only twenty of us on board, and when half were on the dock, Jo gave us the okay to head towards land.
"So what's it like?" I asked Jo. "Do you like it here at the university?"
Before she could answer, we were halted by a man who seemed to come from nowhere. He stood in front of us, his blue eyes bright as they skimmed over Jo briefly.
"Miss Pritchard," he smiled, though the action didn't quite reach his gaze. "Did you enjoy your summer break?"
She nodded casually, but she was strangly fidgety, fumbling with a button on her jacket. "I did, Sir. Thanks for asking."
He gave her another smile before turning his sights on Connor and me. He regarded Connor in a friendly, albeit indifferent way, then his eyes locked with mine. He almost seemed surprised to see me, his eyes briefly growing wide. Then, he gave me a warm smirk.
"Miss Ridley, I've been waiting a long time for you."