She looks like the girl in a porno who shows up in a Velcro nurse costume. You know there’s a bunch of bad under the white button-down shirt. Way under, in Mandi’s case.
But I decided to skip it. I knew I could have fun with the new girls. My arrangement with Mandi was more important than sex. Being with her made me look good. And looking good kept me safe.
Maybe this is a stupid decision. Mandi kept me safe. But will Nia mean danger? Hasn’t she already?
Truth is, I stopped being smart when she pulled me into the pool that night.
Tommy’s right. Mandi should be with someone different. Someone who’s pickled in the Messages, just like her.
Part of me will miss all the trying. Hold my hand, Mandi. Come kiss my cheek. Let me touch your hair. I always wondered if maybe she’d give in one day. It was an interesting experiment. Even if the results were always the same.
It’ll be different with Nia. It already is.
Mandi spots me. “Oscar. We need to talk, but … I’m really busy.”
“I’m the alpha customer,” I tell her.
She looks up at the corner and I can tell Tommy’s in trouble. I pull a twenty out of my pocket. “I told Tommy I wanted to donate to the cause.”
Mandi’s face relaxes. She sticks the money in her pocket. “We need more scrubbers. Come with me.”
“Can’t we just talk—?” But she’s already ten feet ahead of me, like there’s rocket fuel in the heels of her white sneakers. I rush to catch up.
Mandi leads me to a white car the size of a small elephant and hands me a hose. “I promised we’d get them all off.”
The front of the beast is covered in smashed black bugs. “Not lovebugs,” I groan. If you don’t get them off right away, you’re screwed.
“I know.” Mandi shakes her head. “I should have charged extra.”
Twice a year, the lovebugs appear. They float over the roads, and the grass, and the sidewalks. Always linked together. In bliss, until a semi smacks into them.
“At least they died happy,” I say.
“They should have stayed in the bushes.” Mandi looks over her shoulder. “What is Curtis doing? Doesn’t he know—?” She sighs.
“Don’t go yet. We have to talk. I’ll be quick,” I say. I hate that I’m begging. Especially her. But it’s not for me, I remind myself. It’s for Nia. It’s for us .
“You’re right. But I have to address this situation immediately.” She bustles away. A skinny kid sees her coming and scrubs a hubcap double fast.
I aim my hose at the car. A few bug carcasses flake off. But mostly they stay on. A bead of sweat rolls under my Candor-crested polo. The sun is burning my scalp. If I’d known I was going to be outside, sweating like a gardener, I would have figured something else out. Like a letter. Or just telling Nia we broke up.
Never lie . The Message pops in, like I need to be reminded.
“You don’t have to tell me,” I mutter. Nia’s worth more than that.
Mandi is back. She stands next to me with her hands on her hips. Inspects the car. “This still looks horrible. Or—um—perhaps you should work more on this.”
“They’re stuck. And I didn’t come here to clean,” I say.
“I have something difficult to say,” she says. Glances over at the line of cars.
She can’t fire me. I’d be her best worker, if I wanted to be. “Maybe if I had a different nozzle or a scrubby brush,” I say. “I’m not saying I can’t do it. It’s just hard.”
Mandi looks back at me. Her ponytail sways a little with the motion. “Sometimes …” She sighs and presses her lips together, staring at me. “Sometimes, Oscar, people’s paths diverge. It’s nobody’s fault when a romance dissolves.”
Is she talking about us? I know we don’t belong together. But since when does she think that?
Maybe she really was avoiding me.
“Who’s—um—dissolving?” I ask.
“Am I being kind? It’s important to end relationships gently.” She stares, waiting for me to reply.
Messages, ones I
But I decided to skip it. I knew I could have fun with the new girls. My arrangement with Mandi was more important than sex. Being with her made me look good. And looking good kept me safe.
Maybe this is a stupid decision. Mandi kept me safe. But will Nia mean danger? Hasn’t she already?
Truth is, I stopped being smart when she pulled me into the pool that night.
Tommy’s right. Mandi should be with someone different. Someone who’s pickled in the Messages, just like her.
Part of me will miss all the trying. Hold my hand, Mandi. Come kiss my cheek. Let me touch your hair. I always wondered if maybe she’d give in one day. It was an interesting experiment. Even if the results were always the same.
It’ll be different with Nia. It already is.
Mandi spots me. “Oscar. We need to talk, but … I’m really busy.”
“I’m the alpha customer,” I tell her.
She looks up at the corner and I can tell Tommy’s in trouble. I pull a twenty out of my pocket. “I told Tommy I wanted to donate to the cause.”
Mandi’s face relaxes. She sticks the money in her pocket. “We need more scrubbers. Come with me.”
“Can’t we just talk—?” But she’s already ten feet ahead of me, like there’s rocket fuel in the heels of her white sneakers. I rush to catch up.
Mandi leads me to a white car the size of a small elephant and hands me a hose. “I promised we’d get them all off.”
The front of the beast is covered in smashed black bugs. “Not lovebugs,” I groan. If you don’t get them off right away, you’re screwed.
“I know.” Mandi shakes her head. “I should have charged extra.”
Twice a year, the lovebugs appear. They float over the roads, and the grass, and the sidewalks. Always linked together. In bliss, until a semi smacks into them.
“At least they died happy,” I say.
“They should have stayed in the bushes.” Mandi looks over her shoulder. “What is Curtis doing? Doesn’t he know—?” She sighs.
“Don’t go yet. We have to talk. I’ll be quick,” I say. I hate that I’m begging. Especially her. But it’s not for me, I remind myself. It’s for Nia. It’s for us .
“You’re right. But I have to address this situation immediately.” She bustles away. A skinny kid sees her coming and scrubs a hubcap double fast.
I aim my hose at the car. A few bug carcasses flake off. But mostly they stay on. A bead of sweat rolls under my Candor-crested polo. The sun is burning my scalp. If I’d known I was going to be outside, sweating like a gardener, I would have figured something else out. Like a letter. Or just telling Nia we broke up.
Never lie . The Message pops in, like I need to be reminded.
“You don’t have to tell me,” I mutter. Nia’s worth more than that.
Mandi is back. She stands next to me with her hands on her hips. Inspects the car. “This still looks horrible. Or—um—perhaps you should work more on this.”
“They’re stuck. And I didn’t come here to clean,” I say.
“I have something difficult to say,” she says. Glances over at the line of cars.
She can’t fire me. I’d be her best worker, if I wanted to be. “Maybe if I had a different nozzle or a scrubby brush,” I say. “I’m not saying I can’t do it. It’s just hard.”
Mandi looks back at me. Her ponytail sways a little with the motion. “Sometimes …” She sighs and presses her lips together, staring at me. “Sometimes, Oscar, people’s paths diverge. It’s nobody’s fault when a romance dissolves.”
Is she talking about us? I know we don’t belong together. But since when does she think that?
Maybe she really was avoiding me.
“Who’s—um—dissolving?” I ask.
“Am I being kind? It’s important to end relationships gently.” She stares, waiting for me to reply.
Messages, ones I
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