Carly felt tired all day long.
She was thinking it's because she was staying up late the night before working on a school project for Ms. Briggs' class.
And she was bored without Sam. She looked at her empty school desktop. Carly knew she was missing on purpose because she didn't even started her project.
But something wasn't right. Even after she got an A for her project, she felt so bummed but couldn't tell why.
...
As she got home she saw a note from Spencer saying he's at the junkyard.
Carly went up to her room, laid down on her bed and fell asleep.
She woke up an hour later because of a mild stomach ache. She tried not to care about it but as some minutes passed she felt the ache was getting stronger.
She sat up and went to the bathroom, thinking about indigestion.
But then she saw it...
it was so shockingly intensely red.
Carly just sat there for minutes trying to realize what was happening.
Yeah, sure in theory she was counting on this. She was fourteen and mostly all of her friends have been through this already. That's why she was kinda waiting for it. But now that it actually happened her mind became blank.
She went back to her room and got her phone out of her backpack.
She called Sam.
"Hey Carly! What's up?" Sam picked up.
"Sam... you won't believe what happened!" Carly started with her voice shaking.
"Ms. Briggs didn't notice I wasn't there? Oh yeah!" Sam was cheerful.
"No! Of course she noticed. And by the way you have to see Principal Franklin tomorrow."
"Ahh, it's okay. Ted's gonna understand." Sam didn't bother.
"Sam... it happened..."
"What?" Sam was clueless.
"My... my first period..." Carly said quietly.
"ALRIGHT! Join the club!" Sam laughed loudly.
"Ohh Sam, what should I do?" Carly asked.
"You know what to do! Use some pads, take some painkillers... do I really have to tell you this young lady?"
"Stop mocking me!" Carly scolded.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry! Listen! I'm gonna come over tonight okay? And we're gonna talk about it."
"Uh-huh..." Carly agreed but in her mind she was million miles away.
...
Carly went down to the kitchen and started looking for some medicine but she couldn't find any strong enough to kill her intensifying pain.
She noticed Spencer came home while she was asleep as she saw his shoes in front of his room. Maybe he could help her.
Carly took a deep breath and knocked on his door.
"Come in Carls!" Spencer answered.
"Hey!" Carly greeted him.
"Hey! What's up?"
"Uhm... Spencer, do we have any stronger painkillers?"
"Yeah, I guess... what's wrong? Your head hurts? I've told you not to stay up so late!" Spencer said as he stood up and went to one of his cabinets.
"I had to finish that school project!" Carly defended herself "Anyway... it's not for my head..." she added quietly.
"Than for what?" Spencer asked but Carly didn't wanted to answer and stayed in silence. "Come on Carly! What hurts? I have to know so I can give you the right meds." he said with a little box of medicines in his hand.
"... my stomach." she said carefully.
"Oh no! What did you eat? Did Sam gave you something? I can't believe that girl can eat anything without getting sick...!" Spencer laughed.
"No, it's not that... it's not any like that..." Carly said with a worried face. She was still in a little shock.
Spencer was busy searching in the box for a while then a few moments later he stopped moving.
He looked at Carly with raised eyebrows and messed up thoughts. "Is it...?"
Carly just closed her eyes and nodded.
Spencer nervously cleared his throat "Are you alright?"
"Sure... I'll be fine... I guess..." Carly said embarrassed.
Spencer took out a blister pack of pills "Listen! That's what I used to take for my shoulder when I fell down from the ceiling remember?" he said as he handed it to her "If you take one you can only take another after at least six hours okay?"
"Okay... uhm, thanks..." she said and quickly went back to her room.
Spencer looked at her going away then he put his face in his palms for a few seconds.
He reached for his phone and started a call.
"Hey Dad! Do you have a minute?... I just wanted to tell you, our little Carly became a young woman today... well she's a bit shocked I can tell... yeah, I acted like a jerk..."
...
Spencer and Carly saw each other again in that evening when he was ready with the dinner and called her down to eat.
"So... how are you?" he asked carefully.
"Fine. I'm fine." she said quickly looking away.
"You wanna talk about it?" Spencer asked but didn't know what to do if Carly says yes.
"... I'm not sure..."
They sat down and started to eat in total silence.
A few quiet minutes later Sam just rumbled in through the front door.
"Hey what's up people? How's the period flowing?" she shouted.
Spencer just spat out some food as he burst into laughter.
"SAM!" Carly screamed offended and desperate.
"Ohh, seems like I arrived just in time to end your embarrassed silence... and for dinner" she laughed.
"When are you gonna realize you're overreacting," Carly asked patiently "There's nothing bad about a girl who's almost fifteen kissing a guy she really likes."
"Carly look! In some ways I do get what you're saying. But no matter how old you are, you're always gonna be my baby sister."
"Ahh, you know I'm not a baby anymore! Two weeks ago I sent you to the drugstore, to pick up-"
"I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT, YOU SWORE YOU'LL NEVER BRING IT UP AGAIN!"
"Oh, and I'm the baby?"
About a year later Carly got used to the unpleasant side effect of being a young woman.
She wasn't embarrassed to talk about it anymore but (as every girl in her age) didn't wanted to say anything about it to anyone either. She exchanged thoughts with Sam but just because they were best friends.
Otherwise a girl in her period is just... uncool right?
Even if Carly got used to it, she couldn't get used to it's irregularity.
One of these days Carly was in school early in the morning getting ready to meet Mr. Henning and the other unfortunate kids to go together to the root and berry retreat, when the familiar cramps just arrived.
She couldn't believe it. She was expecting it next week, and of course it started just before leaving into the woods. Carly almost started to cry about her misfortune.
Sam wasn't there to help her and she was far away from school at home. She couldn't arrive with some help in time.
And there was Freddie, and Gibby... so no hope.
Carly tried not to panic and started to think it through.
And then she got an idea, the last hope: Spencer!
Carly just ran out of the school's hallway for the phone call.
"Yeah?" Spencer picked up with a sleepy voice.
"Spencer, it's me!"
"What is it kiddo?" he yawned.
"Listen to me! You got to help me, it's an emergency!" Carly whispered loudly.
"What?" Spencer sounded like he starts to wake up.
"Spencer listen carefully and don't freak out!" she started "You need to go to the drugstore, buy a pack of..." she lowered her voice even more "... menstrual pads!"
Seconds of silence.
"Spencer, are you there?" Carly asked.
"Is this a dream?" he asked.
"No, Spencer, I'm serious! Please help me!"
"Alright, alright!" he said still sleepy "Tell me what to do again!?"
"Hop on to your motorcycle, go to the drugstore in the end of the street. Buy a pack of pads... the largest one! Then come quickly to the school because we leave in a half an hour and I just wouldn't survive this." Carly got sad.
"Oh god... okay! I'll hurry... but don't you need pills for your cramps?"
"No thanks... stupidly enough I got those in my bag." Carly said "Hurry okay?"
"Okay!"
They hung up.
...
For the next twenty minutes Carly was in total stress.
She had faith in Spencer but she couldn't bear her excitement.
Freddie asked why she's so nervous but she gave some vague answers. She couldn't tell the truth.
It felt like an eternity when Spencer arrived. He ringed Carly and she went out to the school's entrance.
Spencer just got off from his motorcycle seemed still sleepy and very much embarrassed.
He handed a paper bag to Carly.
"Thank you so much!" she hugged him but Spencer stayed stiff.
"Just promise me we'll never talk about this again!" he said silently.
"What? Why not?"
"It's just..." Spencer gasped "You have no idea how embarrassing it was for me to buy this!"
Carly laughed with relief "Ahh, come on! You know it's a natural thing." she said with sarcasm.
"Just... stop it!" Spencer whispered loudly.
"Thank you anyway! You saved my life!" Carly said and Spencer finally smiled.