Chapter 1: Red, White, and Brand New

The day I was sworn in as president, I got my first period.

The sharp tang of hand sanitizer mixed with the waxy scent of the podium still clung to the air in the Oval Office when it hit me. It was almost cinematic—new red shoes, new red tie, and then, well, new red.

My mom smacked her flour-dusted forehead. "Oh, Jamie, sometimes I forget you’re not just my kid, you’re a girl too."

She said it with that familiar mix of disbelief and exasperated love, her hands still caked in flour from the pies she’d baked for the staff. The irony wasn’t lost on either of us. She raked her hand through her hair, muttering, "Just when you think you’ve planned for everything, life throws in the bonus round."

In that moment, everything snapped into focus.

No wonder I’d always felt something was a little off all these years—

All the recent jealousy, gossip, and even the weird tension between my closest advisors—turns out it wasn’t because I’d let discipline slip.

It was just that they’d all been born the wrong gender.

For a second, I wondered if anyone else had ever bled through their first day as president. Then I caught my reflection—chin up, shoulders squared—and felt that weird, shaky pride you get when you survive something alone.

A slow smile crept across my lips as I caught sight of my reflection in the hallway mirror—shoulders back, chin up, bloodstain tucked away like a secret superpower. I was ready to handle whatever else the day would throw at me.