a hand on my shoulder. “Travis did real well in the turn-out drill the other week, but the record he set didn’t count, because he wasn’t a Discoverer yet. So we’re going to give him a chance to do it officially.”
Garret handed a stopwatch to one of the guys. “Now time it real careful, ‘cuz this is his one chance to break my record for real, of lowest time on a first turn-around drill for a Discoverer.”
I stepped out of my sneakers, thinking I was so not ready for this. I knew guys like him. You had to stand up to them. You couldn’t let them know you had a serious case of hero worship, and you certainly couldn’t show fear.
Plus, something was up. Garret smirked and exchanged a glance with Jason.
I nodded to him, steeling myself for whatever surprises he had for me. “Ready.”
“Go!”
I pulled the hood on, then stepped into the pants and shoes, yanking the suspenders over my shoulders with one quick motion. The second I did it, I knew something was wrong. There was something in the pants. And it was alive. It was warm and wiggling in the pocket.
Prickles ran down my neck and spine as the thing squirmed next to my crotch. From the corner of my eye, I saw Garret crack up. Jason, beside him, smiled, but his brow wrinkled anxiously. I was sure they expected me to lose it right then. I’d show them.
I ignored the wiggling creature, yanking on the breathing mask and pulling the hood up over my head and mask. As I slid my arms into the jacket, I felt the thing against my leg. They’d cut a hole in the pocket, and it was slowly sliding out.
Hoping it wasn’t fanged, clawed, or poisonous, I kept going. As I zipped the jacket, I felt the little animal fall into the crotch of my pants, where it twisted and turned. I jumped like a jackrabbit, praying it wouldn’t bite me in any sensitive places.
I was almost done. As the animal started to slide down a pants leg, I whipped the tank onto my back. The thing kept sliding as I put on my helmet and gloves.
I raised my hand.
“Sixty one seconds!”
“Aw, too bad,” Garret said. “The old record stands!”
A small thump as something furry slid from my pant leg and to the floor. It was a hamster. Garret and Jason fell over laughing, while the Discoverers ranged from laughter to horror.
I bent down, picked up the hamster, and checked him out. He seemed unhurt by his journey down my pants leg. As everyone watched, I walked over and held it out to Garret, who automatically reached for it.
“You lost this,” I said and placed the hamster in his hand.
Garret gave me a little salute as I left, thinking I might not have won this one, but I had held my own.
##
I’d managed to calm down Mrs. M with another payment, but then Mom needed eyeglasses. She’d been doing without for two years, but her near vision had become so bad she couldn’t see to write me a note or read the mail. It didn’t help that she sat every day in a darkened apartment.
Although I hadn’t noticed any change in her behavior, she said the antidepressants were making her feel better. When I took her to the Free Clinic, she said as much to Nurse Bridgette, who acted like Great, case closed , although I didn’t believe it .
We got a bargain rate on the glasses, but even that set us back. Having gotten the glasses, we were now on the verge of losing our phone service.
You’d expect I’d be too concerned about Mom and our state of total poverty to think about a girl, but no. As a break from worrying, I thought about Zoey. A lot. I would think about taking that silky ponytail into my hand and gently pulling her head to the right to kiss the beauty mark on the left side of her neck. I was thinking about the curves of her breasts and waist as I walked into the community center.
The first person I saw was Kat.
I stopped short. I’d forgotten about those lips. Today she wore shorts that clung and proved that my previous hopeful guesses about the exact shape of her ass had
Garret handed a stopwatch to one of the guys. “Now time it real careful, ‘cuz this is his one chance to break my record for real, of lowest time on a first turn-around drill for a Discoverer.”
I stepped out of my sneakers, thinking I was so not ready for this. I knew guys like him. You had to stand up to them. You couldn’t let them know you had a serious case of hero worship, and you certainly couldn’t show fear.
Plus, something was up. Garret smirked and exchanged a glance with Jason.
I nodded to him, steeling myself for whatever surprises he had for me. “Ready.”
“Go!”
I pulled the hood on, then stepped into the pants and shoes, yanking the suspenders over my shoulders with one quick motion. The second I did it, I knew something was wrong. There was something in the pants. And it was alive. It was warm and wiggling in the pocket.
Prickles ran down my neck and spine as the thing squirmed next to my crotch. From the corner of my eye, I saw Garret crack up. Jason, beside him, smiled, but his brow wrinkled anxiously. I was sure they expected me to lose it right then. I’d show them.
I ignored the wiggling creature, yanking on the breathing mask and pulling the hood up over my head and mask. As I slid my arms into the jacket, I felt the thing against my leg. They’d cut a hole in the pocket, and it was slowly sliding out.
Hoping it wasn’t fanged, clawed, or poisonous, I kept going. As I zipped the jacket, I felt the little animal fall into the crotch of my pants, where it twisted and turned. I jumped like a jackrabbit, praying it wouldn’t bite me in any sensitive places.
I was almost done. As the animal started to slide down a pants leg, I whipped the tank onto my back. The thing kept sliding as I put on my helmet and gloves.
I raised my hand.
“Sixty one seconds!”
“Aw, too bad,” Garret said. “The old record stands!”
A small thump as something furry slid from my pant leg and to the floor. It was a hamster. Garret and Jason fell over laughing, while the Discoverers ranged from laughter to horror.
I bent down, picked up the hamster, and checked him out. He seemed unhurt by his journey down my pants leg. As everyone watched, I walked over and held it out to Garret, who automatically reached for it.
“You lost this,” I said and placed the hamster in his hand.
Garret gave me a little salute as I left, thinking I might not have won this one, but I had held my own.
##
I’d managed to calm down Mrs. M with another payment, but then Mom needed eyeglasses. She’d been doing without for two years, but her near vision had become so bad she couldn’t see to write me a note or read the mail. It didn’t help that she sat every day in a darkened apartment.
Although I hadn’t noticed any change in her behavior, she said the antidepressants were making her feel better. When I took her to the Free Clinic, she said as much to Nurse Bridgette, who acted like Great, case closed , although I didn’t believe it .
We got a bargain rate on the glasses, but even that set us back. Having gotten the glasses, we were now on the verge of losing our phone service.
You’d expect I’d be too concerned about Mom and our state of total poverty to think about a girl, but no. As a break from worrying, I thought about Zoey. A lot. I would think about taking that silky ponytail into my hand and gently pulling her head to the right to kiss the beauty mark on the left side of her neck. I was thinking about the curves of her breasts and waist as I walked into the community center.
The first person I saw was Kat.
I stopped short. I’d forgotten about those lips. Today she wore shorts that clung and proved that my previous hopeful guesses about the exact shape of her ass had
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