“Dad was a Marine. He got these for me.”
“Okay, that’s pretty dope,” he said, eyeing my boots through the mirror. “Any particular reason you’re here or do you just enjoy making strangers uncomfortable?”
“Who doesn’t enjoy making strangers uncomfortable? Watching them struggle for words is hilarious.”
Charlie shook off the excess water from his hands and reached for a paper towel. “Who’d you piss off?”
I snorted. “Some chick named Randi. I didn’t know I needed to be initiated into her gang before I could smoke with them. I’m always down for a brawl, but my odds ain’t good four against one, ya know?”
“I gotta tell you, the guys’ bathroom isn’t much safer.”
“I’m just stalling.” After opening the door a crack, I dared to peek out.
One of the security guards was talking to Randi and her posse.
“Shit.” I hurried away from the door, messenger bag slapping the backs of my thighs.
Charlie watched me with mild curiosity. “What’re you doing?”
“I ain’t here!” I walked into a stall, locked the door, and stood on the toilet seat.
The security guard came in several moments later. “You there.”
“Sir?”
“Have you seen a girl come in here? She’s about five ten, has short, orange-red hair and a nose piercing?”
“No, sir. It’s just me in here.”
The security guard must’ve believed him because he left.
I unlocked the stall and came out. “Thanks.”
Charlie walked out with a smirk. “Welcome to Green Bay.” Then the door swung shut behind him and I was alone.
I glanced at my reflection and ran a hand through my fiery red hair. Heavy ink and dark glitter made my green eyes pop. Yeah, he totally wanted me.
Another guy walked in and froze when he saw me. “Um…This is the boys’ restroom.”
I frowned. “I am a boy.”
The stranger blinked several times before slowly backing out. I chuckled to myself and followed.
◆◆◆
I ate lunch outside the library.
The fact that I was eating my cheeseburger like a caveman discouraged anyone from joining me on the bench. Or maybe it was the giant copy of War and Peace sitting in my lap. Either way, no one gave me a second glance.
In a small, obscure community college, I’d assumed I’d attract attention. It was actually kind of a bummer to be proven wrong. I had yet to find a group of Goths or wannabe gangsters who might be tolerable enough to hang out with. So far Randi and her gang, and a group of skaters who got together behind the cafe were my only options.
How was a girl to survive in this unvaried purgatory?
The sound of skateboard wheels along the sidewalk made me perk up. What were the chances it was Charlie? So far, my pit stop to the guys’ bathroom had been the most fun I’d had all day. Maybe he could rescue me from this boring-ass book I was pretending to read. Unfortunately for me, it was just one of the guys from the skateboard clique trying to impress a group of giggling girls huddled together in the courtyard. I slumped back against the bench and frowned down at the book.
The school was small enough. I was bound to have at least one class with the only guy worth talking to at this place…
◆◆◆
And I did. Art class.
Charlie rushed in five minutes late and had a brief conversation with the teacher. He looked irritated and a little worried. The teacher’s brow furrowed, but she nodded and assured him he wouldn’t lose his place in the class. Charlie thanked her before bolting.
I watched the exchange with rapt attention. Getting permission to skip out of class on the first day of school? This guy had just gotten more interesting.
Now that he was gone, the teacher proceeded to go over the projects we’d be doing this year. What a snore fest.
Fifty minutes later, the bell rang and I was free. Well, not really.
Great Aunt Dinah’s graying Cadillac was waiting for me down the street from the school's main entrance, in front of an old Baptist church.
“Not that I give a damn, but how was your first day of community college?” she barked once I’d opened the door.
Aunt Dinah was the crotchety cat lady who darkened her neighborhood. She didn’t just frown; she scowled. She was too proud to wear glasses. Her squinting made her look like she disapproved of everything and everyone, which wasn’t far from the truth. She always wore her white hair in a bun. I doubted she even let her hair down to sleep. Oh, and she never left the house without her fluffy pink slippers. I’d never even met the lady until a week ago and now she was my warden. For how long? Nobody had bothered to tell me.
I slammed the door closed and dropped my book bag by my feet.
“Sorry to hear that,” Aunt Dinah said as we pulled away from the school. She didn’t sound sorry at all. “There are plenty of chores waiting for you at the house to take your mind off of things.”
I glared out the window at the cars and buildings we passed. “I have a lot of homework to do.”
“Which you can do after your chores. You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you’ll manage your time wisely.”
I slouched in my seat because I knew it would bother her. “I ain’t that smart. I was banished to live with you after all.”
“You might have made poor decisions in your personal life, but it doesn’t mean you’re incapable of balancing two projects. Sit up straight.” She struggled with her turn signal. “Oh, I almost forgot. Your mother called this morning just after I dropped you off.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah? What’d she want?”
“To wish you a good first day and to send her love.”
Despite the ache building around my throat, I forced a snort. “She’s just feeling guilty.”
“Your mother made the right choice,” Aunt Dinah said with confidence. “There is nothing for her to be guilty about.”
“She gave her husband permission to
