Page 7 of Scribe

Hell, I read enough about it and even studied anatomy in college, but once a bookworm, always a bookworm.

A geek to the core, not one man from the male species ever gave me the time of day. At first, I thought it was because I was too shy, but when I tried to put myself out there, all I got was looks of shock and dismay as men mumbled and stuttered before they ran away.

Eventually, I just chalked it up to the fact I was a dog.

Not the cute puppy from the pound, but someone who looked hideous.

It was the only thing that made sense.

I didn’t dress like other women, preferring long, flowy skirts and button-up tops. I never did my hair, always throwing it in a ponytail or winding it up in a bun. Hated make-up. Made me feel like that time when my sister Devlyn smeared mud all over me. Didn’t believe in jewelry, only because I could never remember where I left it when I took it off.

But my biggest male repellent... my glasses.

From the moment I started kindergarten, and my parents learned I was blind as a bat, they retrofitted me with glasses, and not the cute girly kind.

The thick, black-framed ones.

I couldn’t see shit without them.

My optometrist, Dr. Powell, told me on more than one occasion I was the perfect candidate for LASIK eye surgery, but the thought of him using a laser on my eyes sent my anxiety into overdrive.

Nope.

Not gonna happen.

Instead, I got a new pair of glasses every year.

Each thicker than before.

Eventually, I resigned myself to the fact that I would be the old cat lady everyone avoided.

Too bad I was allergic to cats.

Maybe I could be a dog lady?

I loved dogs.

No, I couldn’t do a dog. Not with my pet rat Apollo. Little bastard was jealous of the fish I brought home last year. Refused to come out of his cage for a week until I got rid of it.

Whoever said rats weren’t smart, never owned one.

I got Apollo by accident.

Well, technically, he came with the house.

But he was mine, and as long as I didn’t bring any other animals into the house, he was the best pet/non-pet I ever had.

Reaching for my glasses, I looked at my kindle. Thank goodness for the large font, or I wouldn’t be able to do what I do.

Look, I knew reading erotica romance online to a bunch of lonely, horny men and women wasn’t the norm, but it paid my bills and allowed me to live as I chose. Unlike my sister, who was comfortable in the world today, I preferred my solitude.

Getting up from my comfy bed, I donned my fluffy pink robe before walking into my small kitchen, needing a cup of coffee. Well, it was more like a cup of cream and sugar with a slash of java.

Hey, I like sweet things.

Nothing wrong with that.

I still had all my teeth. Not one cavity.

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