Page 32 of The Dare

HER:Have plans with friends at the diner. Talk later?

Well, shit. Been a while since anyone turned down a date with me, and even that was only so she could get me into bed faster. Taylor’s rejection hurts more than I know what to do with, but I’m very good at pretending not to care about stuff. Fake it till you make it, right?

ME:Sure thing.

10

TAYLOR

I’M NECK DEEP IN CONSTRUCTION PAPER BUTTERFLIES ANDpipe cleaner caterpillars when the end-of-day bell rings. The kids drop their scissors and glue sticks to run for their cubbies where their backpacks and coats are kept.

“Not so fast,” I remind them. “Come put your supplies away and hang up your projects to dry.”

“Miss Marsh?” One of the girls taps me on the arm. “I can’t find my shoe.”

She stands forlorn in one purple waterproof boot and one cartoon character sock.

“When’s the last time you had your shoe, Katy?”

She shrugs.

“Did you and Tamara trade shoes again?”

Another shrug. This one with some bottom lip protruding and eyes cast down at her mismatched feet.

I swallow a sigh. “Go find Tamara and see where she left your shoe.”

Katy scurries off. I watch her progress while picking up scraps of paper and pushing desks back into their properarrangement. With Tamara’s guidance, who herself isn’t wearing any shoes, they find the missing footwear in the reading corner with the costumes Mrs. Gardner uses to have the kids act out characters while they read aloud.

The thing about first graders, they lie as easy as breathing. They’re just not very good at it yet. That, and it’s damn near impossible to keep all their clothes on them. Half my job is just making sure we send them home wearing only what they arrived in. Yup. It is a thankless and unending battle against the Lost & Found box.

“If there was such a thing as foot lice,” Mrs. Gardner says as we see the last stragglers off, “this classroom would be quarantined by the CDC.”

I grin. “At least it’s still cold enough outside that they’re wearing socks. I hate to see what happens when it gets warmer.”

She heaves a defeated breath. “That’s why I keep antifungal spray in my desk.”

There’s a lovely thought.

Hastings Elementary is just a ten-minute walk from my three-story apartment building. There aren’t any high-rises in Hastings, only little buildings and shops, and residential streets lined with townhouses or rambling old Victorians. It’s a cute town and everything is in walking distance, which I appreciate because I don’t own a car.

I let myself into my tiny studio and grab a granola bar from the cupboard. As I munch on it, I text Sasha with my free hand.

ME:I don’t need to dress up for dinner or anything, right??

I’ve never actually gone out with Lisa and those girls, so I have no idea what to expect. But we’re only meeting at the diner, so, really, how fancy can it be?

SASHA:Dress up?? I’m not. Jeans + tank + leather jacket + boots = me.

ME:Ok, good. I’m keeping it cas too.

HER:You bringing C? :P

ME:Why would I be bringing C??

HER:Lisa said bf’s were welcome…

ME:Haha.

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