“Yes.” I didn’t give him time to backpedal.
Jason: “You serious?”
“You call yourself the ‘Human Tofu.‘ Let’s see
what you’re made of.”
Ten minutes later: Jason: “Don’t move. Be right
there.”
<
“2”
‘Still out of town. Gotta drive back!”
I hadn’t expected him to be so…enthusiastic.
By that evening, he was at my door.
I grabbed my bag. “Going out,” I announced.
“Go ahead. No need to announce it,” Mom said,
her eyes glued to the TV. “Like I’d stop you.”
Ever since the fight with her friends. Mom had
been ostracized. Not only had she been kicked
out of their chat group, but she’d also lost her
position as vice–captain of her synchronized
swimming team.
She’d finally worked up the courage to go back
to practice, only to be placed in the very last
row. She’d stormed out, declaring she quit, and
then grabbed the batteries out of the team’s
sound system claiming she’d bought them
More drama.
“Need to frisk me?” I asked, baiting her. She
still hadn’t apologized, hadn’t admitted the truth.
about the gold..
Mom shifted uncomfortably, but her pride
wouldn’t let her back down. “Touch you? I’d
rather not catch whatever disease you have.”
For a moment, I was back in middle school..
Back when I still had friends.
I’d skipped class, pretending to have a stomach
ache, and went to the bathroom. Like a creep, I
dug through the trash cans until I found a
discarded sanitary pad. It was half–stained, but
still had plenty of clean space left. Relief
washed over me. I picked off the lint and
quickly put it on. Then I looked up and saw my
best friend staring at me, horrified.
“I…” I stammered, not knowing what to say.
<
i
Should I tell ner I only nad 32.20 a week Tor
i
allowance and couldn’t afford pads?
Should I tell her that the woman who picked up
Brittany from school every day was my mother?
Should I tell her that Brittany, who lived at home, had taken my room, the one my parents had originally meant for me?
Should I tell her that I was an orphan with two
living parents who didn’t want me?
“You’re disgusting,” she’d said.
Her words haunted me for years. I never told her that I was even dirtier than she imagined.
- 9.
My best friend in high school was Jason. A rich, athletic jock who was terrible at academics. He was also my neighbor in that tiny apartment.
<
He used to grin at me, all bright white teeth.
“Ashley, how are you so good at everything?”
“Born on February 29th? You’re like a chosen
one.”
“Give us regular folks a break, will ya? Stop
being so perfect!”
He was a charming liar. He fumbled with the
condom wrapper, his face flushed. I told him.
not to bother.
He was thrilled, his breathing ragged, his eyes
sparkling. He told me I was cool, braver than
him. When he kissed me, my wig slipped. He didn’t seem to mind. “You’re so edgy, Ashley.”
he said, grinning.
We slept together. When he found out I wasn’t a virgin, he got rough, demanding more.
Afterwards, he was sulky. “When did you even
<
have time for a boyfriend?”
“You said you weren’t interested in dating until
you were 27. You lied to me?” His arms
tightened around me, almost suffocating me. “You’re something else, Ashley.”
“Jason!” I dug my nails into his side. He yelped, and I let go. He was still angry. “I’m too nice. I should’ve never stayed here. You played me like a fiddle!” I caught my breath, laughing. “You seemed to be having fun back home.” From what I knew, he’d never been short of girlfriends.
Jason pouted. “Not the same kind of fun.”
“What a waste. Such a waste!”
- 10.
I didn’t go home that night. The painkillers
made me drowsy. When I woke up, Jason was
<
still asleep, his chin resting on my shoulder, his
warm breath on my face.
His embrace was strangely comforting. I hadn’t
slept that well in years. I reached for my phone,
aimed the camera at us, and snapped a few
pictures.
Suddenly, a large hand snatched the phone.
away. My head was pulled back, my lips.
captured in a hungry kiss.
“Click.” The phone captured the moment. He
grinned, a streak of red lipstick gleaming on his
lips. “If you wanna take a picture, just ask. I’m
not shy.”
“Merry Christmas, Ashley.”
- 11.
Jason was a liar. He said it was just a fling, but
he broke up with Brittany.
