Rowen’s right – the menstrual club initiation sucks – even
when you’re a Magi Master.
The good news is that I was prepared, but that doesn’t make
it any less strange to experience – especially when it started about half-way
through my Geography exam this morning.
That was definitely a challenge I’ve never faced before. Rowen was so glad to find out that I’d
crossed that milestone too already that she had a tough time commiserating with
me. Since I actually like the schedule
she’s going to be on; I’m going to make a little adjustment of my own to make
sure we’re on the same page in four weeks – I definitely don’t want to be
feeling like this going into every fourth weekend for the next forty or fifty
years.
I can now assure you that having your first period start
during exam week is not great timing, and neither is dealing with it on a
baseball practice night. I knew through
my empathic abilities when my teammates were having an off night because of
their periods; but experiencing that for myself changed my perspective on the
issue quite a bit. That’s getting ahead
of the recap, though, so let’s back up a bit before getting to that.
Let’s start with the obvious. My crankiness yesterday and today wasn’t a
bi-product of my little Healing session with Rowen on Tuesday. I’ll work on that, and hopefully be better
prepared to deal with it next time; though Rowen assured me tonight that it’s
been barely noticeable – apparently I’ve just been looking normal-happy instead
of hyper-happy. Hopefully she’s right
about that, because it didn’t take long today for my annoyance level to start
kicking up a notch – and continue rising as the day went on. I’m definitely glad that we’re done with the
study group sessions now – though I guess there’s a good chance I’ll get
grilled about Spanish between exams tomorrow.
So what set me off this morning? Vanessa and Nora talking about their dinner
and a study date night with Michael and Tim before our Geography exam. I could honestly care less about the details,
or the fact that they made it sound like they were two happy couples – it was
the smirks and glances that Vanessa directed my way; usually when she thought
Michael couldn’t see or wouldn’t notice.
She was wrong about that, but that’s her problem; not mine.
My problem is that I’m apparently fed up with being the
perceived rival again in a competition I haven’t entered. What’s really dumb is that none of this is
going to change anything between Michael and me anyway. We’re both busy with exams, but he doesn’t
really need my help – or Rowen’s – to study for them. When we’re done the work; we’ll get back to
biking and hanging out just like we were before this little, necessary work
break.
That little chat wasn’t the end of the tweeird, so let’s
keep going. We had a two-tiered study
group again at lunchtime, and Nora and Vanessa played the ‘picnic lunch’ card
again for Tim and Michael. Let’s give
them credit for getting all of the attention they were shooting for; and though
both girls probably didn’t understand why Michael played along with the plan;
they did get the romantic picnic for four that they’d wanted too. There were more glances and smirks for me the
entire time the rest of us were mostly studying; and I quietly took it out on
my poor, unsuspecting Social Studies and Art exams. Though both of those exams were shorter than
the ones for our core subjects; having two of them was at least a small
blessing in that we had a shorter lunch break.
Oh, and by ‘taking it out on them’, I mean that I blasted through them
in record time; and then had to pretend that I was going back through them
again so nobody noticed that I’d finished them in the first twenty minutes or
so.
Our study session was at my house, and we were in the lounge
again. Our last two exams tomorrow are a
combined Phys-Ed and Health written in the morning; and Spanish in the
afternoon. I didn’t set an early time
limit for our entire session tonight, but Rowen and I did need to have a break
for dinner and our ball practice; so we studied Spanish until five-thirty
before stopping to have dinner. Everyone
stayed to eat, but then half of our friends opted not to come back for the
evening study session. Rowen and I were
probably already playing baseball before dinner was over, but there wasn’t
anyone still there when we got back; and I got to put up with some more smirks,
glances, and absurd little comments and actions from Vanessa and Nora when they
did finally show up with Michael and Tim at seven-thirty.
The two girls assured us that we didn’t need to study Health
together because they’d done that while we were at our practice. Let’s not go there, but I will add that
Vanessa and Nora were both very pleased to see Rowen and me dirty and sweaty
from our time at the park while they were impeccably neat and as dressed to
show off their best attributes as always.
I’m sure there’s an irrational – I mean rational – reason for why I had
the urge to change into a bikini and go for a swim.
it even crossed my mind to have Mom do that for a ‘what I’ll
look like in a few years’ moment, but if she’d done that, Dad would’ve lost all
interest in the work he needed to get done tonight; and I really don’t ever
want to have a ‘Stacey’s Mom’ experience in my life. Let’s just forget that I even thought it.
Stop laughing. Yes,
you.
Since we didn’t get back to studying until seven-thirty; we
only had another hour and a half to work before Nora and Vanessa needed to take
Michael and Tim in tow and leave me with some last, heartfelt parting smirks
and those annoying glances that basically shouted ‘I win, you lose’. Rowen stayed to help me clean up; have a
little post-study girl chat; and do the bedtime snack with us before going home
too.
Mom let me skip our Magi lesson; and I’ve spent the last hour
in my Jacuzzi. That’s managed to do what
Rowen’s best friend jokes and advice and Olde Bakery bedtime snacks didn’t; and
I’m just about ready to get some sleep and forget about all things tweeird and
menstrual.
One more day of exams, and then maybe I’ll get a break from
the tweeird zone – if only for the weekend.
Until next time, this is Magi Master Cassie Proctor; logging
out!
