The floor tasted gross. I bet you’re wondering why I licked it to begin with. Well, one minute, I’m swapping jokes about gym class, and the next I’m staring at hundreds of crumbs scattered across the floor, and a lot of kindergarteners untied shoes. Instead of asking how I fell, I wondered what those crumbs tasted like, and the minute my tongue grazed them, nosey Sherry Finch glanced down. Instead of keeping it to herself, she screams as if she’d…
It started that lonely, dark night when Eunice showed up with a deck of Uno cards, shuffling them like a professional. We were all transfixed by the movement as she dealt everyone a hand. Later, drunk with happiness and stuffed with popcorn, Margret won. We demanded a rematch, and that’s why, years later, we still meet, hoping to beat her. Paula came close once, Eunice, too. This time, it’s between myself and Margret. I slap a yellow four down. She…
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…