Page 52 of Sugar Coated Secrets

“Do they want to come inside?” the woman offers suggestively.

I would rather eat my own shit.

“That’s okay. Maybe some other time,” I reply, staring directly at Chris. “I just came to see how Chris was doing.”

“He’s doing fine, ain’tcha baby,” she says, cupping his junk over his dirty blue jeans.

With a gleam in his eyes, he smiles. “Yep. I’m mighty fine, Ford.” Chris nudges his head. “You and Trent should come hang out with us. I don’t mind sharing.”

“We’re good,” Trent says in a muffled voice.

When I get in my car and Trent shuts the door, Trent asks, “Now what?”

“I come back. Alone.”

16

DULCE

Katie's car pulls up in front of my house, near the mailbox, and she rolls down her window. “Your Uber is here.”

“We don’t have Uber,” I remind her.

“That’s because this fucking town sucks.”

“You’re catching on. This town does suck.” I open the passenger door to her white Toyota Camry and get in, placing my bag between my feet. “Thank you for picking me up and taking me to work.”

She waves her hand, places the car in drive, and makes a U-turn. “I don’t mind. It’s not like we aren’t going to the same place, and you are a cool boss.”

“I’m not that great.”

“You’re better than my last one working at the gas station back home.”

"You're not a bad employee yourself."

“I’m your only employee.”

“You have a point, but you could still be a bad one, and that’s not the case.”

“How come?” she asks curiously.

“You still have a job.”

“What happened to the van?”

“I have no idea. It’s at the mechanic shop. It was late and…” I don’t want to tell her that Ford took me home.

I’ll never hear the end of it. She thinks Ford and I are close because we went to high school together. Katie doesn’t know I was the outcast.

“How did you get home?”

“Um… Ford gave me a ride.”

“Ford Keller?”

I sigh. “That’s the one.”

“So you do know him.”

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