The parking lot was empty when I arrived, its single light flickering in the inky darkness. Windshield fogging, I wipe it clean with the cuff of my hoodie, and kept driving to row 10. The instructions were explicit, and I followed them. Desperate, I ignored everyone’s warnings and now, here I am, in the middle of a deserted parking lot in the dead of night, freezing while I wait. Headlights blind me as they drive up. Windows down, breath ballooning…
I was eighteen when I learned the truth, and not because anyone had the courage to tell me. No, instead I stumbled upon the truth in the middle of aisle seven at Publix. While choosing between cola or lemonade, I ran into her. I stood in shock, drink bottles crashing to the ground, their sickly sweet syrup spreading everywhere as the plastic shattered. She never blinked, and the smile plastered on her face seemed genuine. All I could do was…