I was warming up and practicing just before a big musical performance. It was a regional competition, so all the participants were from other colleges in our region and were there. Our teacher told us that it was the last call to visit the toilets before our performance so I decided to go while I could. I headed to the woman's bathroom and once inside the stall I realized that I had unexpectedly started my period. Totally unprepared for it, I shouted out from my cubicle into the void "does anyone have a pad?!" And thankfully another girl said "I do! It's in my bag outside, just wait!" She then ran out to the auditorium and a few minutes later came back and found me.
I don't know who she was and I didn't recognize her school uniform. In that moment we weren't competitors. She was just a girl helping out another girl because she could.
Anonymous aged 14