The Plus Size Luna

CHAPTER 8

Maxine sat at the cornermost part of the bleachers in the gym, her heart racing from observing the other girls warm up. She was tugging fidgety at her P.E. uniform, which seemed to be too tight, hence very uncomfortable. Sports had never been her thing, nor was volleyball. She'd been dreading this class all week, especially since Sarah wasn't here. She had a friend in PE, Sarah, the only person who hated it as much as her. Today, though, Sarah was home sick, and Maxine had to face the class alone.

Across the gym, the boys couldn't help but stare at Coreen as she demanded attention without effort. You couldn't deny the athleticism of Coreen—her toned body moved with confidence that Maxine only dreamed to have. Everything seemed to fit her, from her fitted uniform down to the admiration she got from everybody else. Except, of course, her attitude—a constant reminder between what a great divide lay between them.

Maxine listened as the coach told her what he wanted her to do, but her attention wandered. The apprehension of playing a game that she knew she would not be very good at was combined with the discomfort gnawing away at her abdomen, making it hard to concentrate. She had the familiar ache in her lower stomach—a dull pain getting stronger by the minute. As she began to realize what it meant—her period was starting—she started to feel panicky.

Not now… please, not now, she thought, pressing a hand into her stomach. She glanced across at the clock, willing the class to end, but it dragged on as if in slow motion.

The game began, and Maxine prodded herself onto the court to stand there as innocuously as possible. The other girls were right at home, swooping in after the ball, yelling instructions to one another. Coreen, of course, was the star of the show, hitting that ball with precision and power. Maxine tried to keep out of the way, hoping no one would notice how out of place she felt.

But Coreen noticed. She always did.

Maxine could feel the weight of her gaze, sharp and calculating, as she watched her from across the court. It was like Coreen could smell her unease, her weakness. And in that moment, Maxine knew she was in trouble.

A whistling ball cut through the air to her face, leaving just barely enough time to react. She jerked her hands up in a feeble attempt to block it, but Coreen had aimed too well. Square on the face, the ball struck, sending her stumbling back with pain exploding in her nose and warm liquid starting to flow.

The world spun as she crumpled to the floor, clutching her face. Laughter from Coreen's friends was sharp in her ears—the cruel laughter of people watching her humiliation. She heard the whistle blow, then the coach's voice, cutting through the noise.

"Coreen! What the hell was that? Now, she's bleeding—take her to the clinic, now!" The coach sounded wholly unconvinced with Coreen's action, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Alright, relax, I have this," Coreen said with a pretended concern. She turned around and yanked Maxine's arm hard for someone who was already at full height. "Let's go, Maxine."

Maxine protested, mumbling something about needing to use the bathroom instead, but Coreen didn't listen. She was dragged out of the gym—her head spinning from the pain and the embarrassment.

They went into the bathroom, where Maxine stumbled to her feet just inside the door. She braced herself with her hands on the edge of the washbasin, trying to catch her breath. The flow of blood from her nose had slowed to a trickle, but it still pulsed at each heartbeat. She dabbed at her face with a paper towel, not quite daring to look in the mirror above.

Coreen sauntered in behind her, leaning against the doorframe with a smirk. "Oh, you have your period too? Talk about bad timing."

Maxine flushed red at the embarrassment, nodding weakly. "I… I forgot to bring a pad."

Coreen chuckled and shook her head. "A pad? Really, who does that anymore? Tampons are a million times better." She reached into her bag and pulled out a small, neatly wrapped tampon. "Here." She handed Maxine the tampon, along with a pair of white pants, looking at her with a raised brow. "And take these. You can't walk around in those bloody jeans. It's disgusting."

Maxine stared at the tampon, her hands shaking just a little. She had never seen one before, much less known how to use it. She didn't want to admit this to Coreen. "Thanks," she mumbled, moving into one of the stalls to change.

She fumbled with the tampon, trying to understand the foreign instructions, and becoming more infuriated by the second. The pressure in her stomach was growing, and the small space of the bathroom stall made her feel claustrophobic. She rushed and dropped the tampon into the toilet.

"C-Coreen?" she called out, her voice shakes. "You have another one? I… I dropped it."

There was a moment of silence, then Coreen spoke, her voice dripping with young condescension. "Ugh, really? Open the door."

Maxine hesitated, then unlocked the stall, but when the door was open, Coreen took her arm, tugging her out of the stall, past her protest.

"Forget that," Coreen said, her eyes flashing with something that did not register on Maxine's radar. "We're going back to gym."

"But I—" Maxine tried to protest, feeling panic rise in her chest. The thought of facing out there, encased in these too-tight white pants and with no protection, was horrifying.

Coreen cut her off. "You're fine. You're not going to bleed to death, are you? Now let's go."

Maxine wanted to turn down her invitation, turn and run back into the bathroom, but she didn't have the strength to fight Coreen. She was dragged into the gym, feeling utterly humiliated and helpless.

As they entered, Coreen held up Maxine's arm as if showing off some kind of prize. "Look! Doesn't she look great in these pants?" Coreen announced to the room, a wicked smile on her face.

The boys on the bench snickered, and some of the girls turned to head their way—some of their faces were amused and others full of pity. Maxine's face burned with shame. She tugged at her captured arm, but Coreen was as tight as iron.

"W-wait, Coreen, I really got to go back to the bathr—" Maxine stammered again, but Coreen wouldn't let her finish.

"Nah, you won't. Because I said so." Coreen's voice was very low and threatening, with no room for debate or discussion.

Maxine's heart was in her chest as she stood there, exposed and vulnerable. Her breath was catching, and she was about to cry, but she forced back the tears since she knew it would please Coreen even more.

The game went on, but she didn't really pay much attention to it. Her mind was on the white pants and how it seemed like every move was going to reveal her secret to the world. She had sat as still as possible, trying to make herself invisible, but every laugh, every whispered joke, felt like it was aimed directly at her.

Coreen lagged behind and to the side, a wicked grin just starting to spread across her face. Sure, it was getting intense out there on court, with players diving and lunging for the ball, but her eyes remained glued to Maxine. She could feel it: something was about to go down, something that would bring her even greater satisfaction.

And then it happened. One of the girls on Maxine's team suddenly pointed at her and screamed, "Blood!"

Everyone turned their attention to Maxine, and the gym fell into a hushed murmur. The boys on the bench bent their necks for a good view of the spectacle, and in no time, laughter erupted from Coreen's side of the gym.

"Oh my God," Coreen said, loud enough to carry. "She didn't even tell me she had her period!"

Her eyes went down to the dark stain on her seat. A wave of panic swept through her as she realized what was happening. She was right in the middle of the gym, with all peers around her, and now everybody knew. She felt naked, humiliated, quite helpless.

As laughter and whispers suddenly erupted, a group of boys across the gym became interested in the ruckus. Among them was Alph, just off his own practice session with his team. His friend Marco, the first to notice the stain on Maxine's pants, nudged Alph and smirked. "Oh, bro, looks like fatty Maxine got her first period."

Another boy snickered, but Alph's reaction was different. His face twisted in an awkward mix of discomfort and anger. He couldn't understand why he was feeling this way so protectively. He pushed his way through his friends and strode across the gym to meet them, ignoring the curious stares of his teammates.

The look in the eyes of girls from Maxine's team became ecstatic at the approach of Alph; some started to giggle as he came near Maxine. But Alph didn't pay a single attention to them. As soon as his eyes locked on the jacket one of the sideline girls was wearing, he strode towards her.

"Can I borrow that?" His voice was firm yet gentle.

The startled and flustered girl handed over the jacket to him without hesitation, blushing furiously.

Alph finally made it over to Maxine, still nailed to the spot, her eyes wide with fear and embarrassment. He held out his jacket to her; his expression softened at the welling of tears in her eyes.

"Take this," he said, low, "and cover yourself, then get out of here, okay?"

Maxine's eyes had flown from Alph to the jacket as if she couldn't know what was happening. At last, she took it in her hands and shook while wrapping herself up in it, waist-high. She didn't say anything but nodded and turned to leave the gym as fast as she could.

But as Maxine broke into a run, Coreen's eyes flashed with anger. This scene before her was not what she had anticipated. Alph—of all people—to come to Maxine's rescue was more of a slap on her face.

Coreen's voice sliced through the murmurs, sharp with accusation. "Really, Alph? There's something going on with you! Something that isn't okay!”

Everyone else turned toward her, shifting their attention from Maxine's retreating figure to Coreen's outburst. Coreen's face twisted in anger, blazing daggers with her eyes at Alph. The gym fell into thick silence as the air thickened with anticipation.

"Are you… are you dating?" Coreen managed to spit out finally, shaking with rage and disbelief.

Alph stood at the middle of the court, his face expressionless while he stared back. For what felt like a lifetime, it seemed that the gym had held its collective breath as all eyes awaited his reaction. But Alph kept mum; he refused to justify her accusation by answering.

Coreen balled her fists at her sides as her mind went haywire—jealousy, confusion, all at once. This definitely wasn't over, not by a long shot.