Six 12-Year Olds Who Are Convinced They Have Toxic Shock Syndrome Right Now

Zoey just got her period for the first time and is too shy to ask her mom to buy her tampons, even though intellectually she realizes that this is something her mom knew would happen and went through herself. Instead, she’s been using the giant pads that have been at the back of the medicine cabinet since before her mom went through menopause and wrapping them in so much toilet paper it looks like someone tried to mummify a grapefruit. Despite the fact that she’s not even using tampons, Zoey is still sure that she has toxic shock syndrome. She feels kind of dizzy, she thinks!