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Sure she does She always does Her part-ti down a job, ith her crappy track record When she bailed on us, she’d been une a lot of ti at his place or their favorite bar That had been over four years ago

Now here she is Like she’s never left Though somehow the tables have turned and I’ she never really took care of me or Fable "How , but it’s all a lie She has no proble me for cash She thinks I’m an endless money train, thanks to Drew the stud football player Callahan And that’s a direct quote, spit out with so much venom and bitterness I recoiled when she said it

Yeah Mo Hell, they don’t even talk Drew’s never h she knows Autumn exists

My family is fked up in every which way you could think of

"I don’t have that kind of cash," I say

Her eyes go wide Dull and green Her overdyed hair is yellow and fried at the ends She looks like hell Fable would flip the fk out if she knew I’ve been talking to her, giving her money for months "What do you oddamn football player for the NFL! He’s loaded!"

I press h she knows Fable doesn’t knoe’re in contact "Drew doesn’t give ht your brand-new car Paid for your education"

"I earned a scholarship fair and square This house is a shithole, but I wouldn’t let Drew pay for soave hteen" I crossthat I have to defend what I have She looks at Fable and ns

"I need it" She’s whining "You’re telling me you really don’t have two hundred to spare?"

"Not till I get paid," I say, which is the fking truth I live onmoney is what I make at the restaurant It doesn’t cootta lances down at the sidewalk and kicks at it with her beat-up Nikes that have seen way better days Like five-years-ago-plus better days "Toet it to so you beer if I don’t have any e of anger, that thin mouth set in a firm line She’s the unhappiest person I’ve ever met Mean for mean’s sake Selfish and dumb, she makes the worst choices I’ve ever witnessed

I’m scared as hell that I’ll turn out exactly like her The choices Iit

Like ive you extra so you can go grab soo out to the bars I’ll stay home and drink a feith Wade and invite Des over Maybe call one of the few hookups I have saved in et nad for an hour with a willing female, then slap her on the ass and send her away

Fuck I’

"Only if you score riallon Ziploc bag of joints if I ask him for it "Whatever If that’s what you want"

"Smoke it with me? We could talk Like we used to" She sounds hopeful, and I want to be sick This is her idea of bonding with her baby boy The two of us passing a joint back and forth, getting high

We did it a few times when I was thirteen Before she ditched us That’s our little secret I never told Fable

She’d die Worse, she’d want to kill Moo even diet ready for class"

"Class" She sneers "Have fun"

"Will do" I watch her walk away, staying onafter she disappears

Our relationship is ame up inside I want to tell Fable, but she’ll be furious I’d love to confide in Drew, but he’d tell her He’d have to She’s his wife And he’s so loyal to Fable, he’d freaking die for her if that’s what it took to keep her safe To protect their relationship

So I can’t do that to him Can’t expect him to keep a secret like that It’s toolike a noxious weed, its long, grabby tendrils s and gut and heart and brain, clutching rip untildistraction, and quick

Chelsea

I dressed for hiheverything with harsh words I utter out loud Easy to do since I’m alone, as usual, and no one is around to ask ly Cheap Bad color Frumpy Makes me look fat Makes me look sickly Makes me look like a slut

The last one I pull out is the slut shirt I wore it on hteenth birthday Kari dared me to buy it and I did Back when I believed I could still afford frivolous purchases, though the financial ax fell less than a month after

It’s black A halter top that dips low in the front, with a drapey neck and coht at the restaurant Kari took rown up We ate a bunch of food, then went back to soot drunk on cheap beer and wine That’s where I had my second kiss A truewith a boy whose tongue wasn’t as disgusting as Cody’s, but who really didn’t kno to use it

At least, I don’t think he did Not that I havepainful

I shove the slut shirt back intotoo hard Like I’d wear a halter top to school on a Thursday afternoon I , considering it’s

I settled on a cute pale yellow shirt I got last suan over it My favorite pair of faded jeans Gray Converses I snagged at Target, which h I skip through classes with a restless energy that hunize it as anticipation

If he knew, he’d laugh atsession before Owen’s is a nighty isn’t in it and my student, a senior nalish since his freshives h ti touire for twenty-fivehow late he was yesterday, rader told to take a nap, I crossht, so I’m super tired I doubt I’ll sleep now, I rarely take naps or anything, but what else a to do to pass the time? Pace the room? Wait out front for him to finally show?

Sounds like torture

I let my mind float I think of Mom and how she wants me to come home She misses me I’m her only child and she’s super lonely Her friends don’t come around ot no one She likes to tell me that every tio visit her whenever she wants , when I have a week off That makes more sense So to get a week off fro comes to a stop because it’s school break, but it will still be busy at the diner I haven’t even dared ask my boss for any time off yet, which is du such a chicken …