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Ever since she'd shown up to the first day in a long hippie skirt, platform sandals, cropped peasant blouse, and carrying a faded tie-dye satchel, Maysie knew she stood out in the suburban, cookie-cutter upper middle class Bates High school. For one, she looked weird, like a praire girl was whore-ified into a sleazy, yet granola teenage girl. Second (and worse) of all, she did not want to join in on the relentless bullying of Carrie White. Sure, Carrie was weird, a bit off-putting, and horribly dressed, but that didn't warrant what could probably be considered a series of crimes against her.
"It's Miss Goody Hippie again," snarled Chris as she passed by Maysie getting ready in the locker room. "Here to preach on love and acceptance again?"
"It's clear you didn't get enough as a kid and that's why you're a tremendous bitch nobody actually really likes now," Maysie shot back, pulling on her long prairie like skirt.
The girl behind her (Maysie remembered her name as Sue), snickered. Chris glared at her, and she stopped, before continuing again once Chris turned around.
"I'm warning you, dyke. Shut up before I make you."
Maysie rolled her eyes as Chris stormed away. She'd been here for two weeks and she'd already made an enemy of Miss Mythic Bitch Hargensen.
Suddenly, a scream was heard from the showers, and out limped Carrie White, her hands filled with blood as it ran down her thighs. Period blood.
"Ew, what the fuck!" screamed Sue as Carrie ran towards her.
"Plug it up, you goddamn toad!" cried Chris, flinging a tampon at her.
In an instant, all the girls in the locker room were throwing things at her, screaming and yelling. Maysie fought through the crowd, eventually getting in front and grabbing Chris Hargensen's arm.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" Maysie screamed, grabbing the tampon from Chris' hand. She then directed her anger at the rest of the girls, her face filled with anger and disgust. "What the fuck is wrong with all of you! How could you do something like this! Carrie was scared and you all decided to be the nastiest bitches I've ever met!"
Maysie flung herself around, running and kneeling beside Carrie, who stared her with large eyes, her mouth gaping.
"It hurts," she whimpered. "I'm dying."
"No, no, it's okay," Maysie said, stroking Carrie's wet hair. "It's normal, it's called a period."
"A....period?"
Maysie's mouth gaped.
"Do you...do you not know what a period is?"
Carrie shook her head. Miss Collins' voice was suddenly heard, and Maysie looked up.
"What is going on in here?" she asked. Her eyes noticed the tampons on the floor, Carrie on the shower floor, Maysie with her arms around her.
"They were throwing things at her," Maysie said sternly. "Chris started it."
Miss Collins face seemed to go from completely white to completely red. The girls began to nervously look around. No one had ever stood up for Carrie before, and with a witness who finally was willing to tell the whole story, they all knew they were fucked.
"Every one of you girls needs to be here tomorrow after school for a detention," Miss Collins ordered. "Get yourselves dressed and get out."
Miss Collins turned towards Maysie and Carrie.
"Carrie, honey, what's wrong?"
"She got her period, Miss Collins, but she didn't know what it was," Maysie said.
"It hurts," Carrie whimpered again. Maysie grabbed her hand and held her close, not even caring Carrie was naked and that her own skirt was damp.
"How did...?"
"Mama never told me."
"Maysie, will you show her what to do? I need to go wrangle those girls."
"Yes, Miss Collins."
Miss Collins ran out of the locker room, leaving Carrie and Maysie alone. Maysie helped Carrie to stand, grabbing a yellow towel from a pile and wrapping it around her shoulders.
"So, take this pad, stick it to your underwear, and it stops the blood flow. You have to change it every few hours, and it gives you cramps. Heated water bottles and pain medication helps," Maysie explained, handing Carrie the underwear. "It sucks, but it's just life, I guess."
Carrie took the underwear from Maysie. Carrie looked uncomfortable, and Maysie nodded and turned around, grabbing black cropped tank top blouse and pulling it on over her bra. She pulled on her shoes and brushed her hair, before turning back as Carrie finished her dressing.
"Thank you for helping me, no one ever helps me," Carrie said, sitting down on one of the locker room benches.
"I couldn't stand back and let that happen. Those girls are bitches who don't care about anyone's feelings but their own," Maysie replied. "Are you okay?"
"Sure, I'm used to it. They hate me for no reason, why would this be any different?"
Maysie felt her heart sink as Carrie looked defeated at her. Maysie had noticed how pretty Carrie was. Strawberry blonde hair, cute freckles, big blue doe eyes.
"I get it. At my old school I was bullied too," Maysie said, sitting next to Carrie. "I was outed for being a lesbian and the bullying got so bad I had to move."
"What's a lesbian?"
Maysie gaped at Carrie. She didn't know what a period was, and now this?
"Well, it means I like girls in the way girls are expected to like boys. It's not accepted in a lot of places, and there were times my life was threatened because of it."
"Mama says love is sinful, even with boys."
"No offense, but your mom seems like the worst."
"She just wants me to be a good Christian, that's all."
"Doesn't seem that way."
Carrie sighed.
"I can't go home," she began to whimper. "She'll hit me again."
Maysie nodded. This was deeper than just strict religious mother ; this was flat out child abuse. She wasn't going to let Carrie go home.
"Then don't. Come stay with me."
"I couldn't."
"You can. I know you've only known me for about fifteen minutes, but seriously. My mother will love you."
"Is she a lesbian?"
Maysie laughed.
"No, I meant like in a daughterly way. Like a bake cookies, give you hugs, tell you she loves you unconditionally kinda way."
"Mama never did those things for me."
"I can tell. But I promise you, me and my mom will do our best to keep you away from her."
"Really?"
"Really. Now, come on, let's get to the office so we can call my mom."
Maysie grabbed Carrie's hand, and Carrie let out a small smile. They each picked up their bags and walked together to the front office.