“Really. And tampons take practice. A lot of practice, so I bet Olivia used pads for her first period too.” Alice kept an arm around Holly. “And I promise, as long as you change your pad every two to three hours, the blood won’t smell. Today’s pads are pretty amazing. They trap the blood in little cells and they have wings so you don’t leak. They’re nothing like the pads my mom had to use. She said they were like wearing a canoe between her legs and she had to wear a special belt to tie hold them on.”

“Gross.”

“Exactly. We’re lucky.”

“But what if Olivia and the other girls at school see I’m using pads?”

“How are they going to see? Think about all the women you see every day who are over fourteen and under fifty-five. They all get periods. Have you ever noticed any of them wearing a pad?”

Holly considered the question. “No.”

Alice thought about the brown sludge that had greeted her this morning, staining her pajamas and taunting her with the fact that even though her eggs were pretty much dead, she was still forced to wear a pad. She bit her lip and honored Holly’s painful disclosure with one of her own. “Can you tell I’m wearing one?”

“Are you?” Holly asked breathlessly.

“Sort of. It’s called a panty liner. It’s like a mini pad. I’ve got a spare in my bag I can give you.”

“Thank you.” Holly gave a giant sniff of relief and wiped her face on her sleeve.

“Gross!” Alice fished out a tissue from her pocket along with a dog treat.

“That’s more gross.”

“This from the girl who lets Brutus lick her face. It’s clean and it comes with the added scent of chicken. Brutus will adore it.”

Holly laughed and accepted the tissue.

“You and your dad need to go on a shopping trip for supplies.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “He won’t know what to buy.”

“What won’t I know what to buy?” Harry appeared in the open doorway, obviously drawn in by the sound of laughter.

“Dad! Go away. I’m talking to Alice.”

“Holly’s got some news, Harry.”

“Alice!”

“It’s all good. Holly. Your dad knows all about periods and pads, don’t you Harry?”

Harry threw Alice a look that combined “kill me now” with “how dumb am I?” A dart of sympathy hit her. Harry was a loving and caring parent who was working really hard at being both father and mother to his kids, but he didn’t seem to recognize the great job he was doing. Without thinking, she gave his arm a quick squeeze.