Never Been Kissed

VWkingston: The kind that has me bailing him out.

I cringe telling her this. She’ll think I’m a deadbeat or a loser. I’m going to kill him once he sobers up.

FlowerGirl23: I can’t talk long but maybe we could face time since we missed our date?

Shit.

She wants to face time. At first, we both avoided it because it was too soon, and then she got skittish and once I realized it was Laurel, I got chickenshit because then she’d know it was me.

VWkingston: Sure. If that’s what you want.

I don’t want. At least not yet. Shit. Shit. Shit.

FlowerGirl23: You don’t sound like you want to. Forget it.

VWkingston: No! That’s not it. I was hoping we could have met in person that’s all.

FlowerGirl23: There’s always two weeks from now…

Yeah, if the order is lifted and if not, then who knows when.

VWkingston: I get it, you’re mad. Let’s do it. I’m just afraid I won’t meet your expectations that’s all.

FlowerGirl23: I guess we’ll find out.

VWkingston: I’ll ping you at 7pm.

And that’s when my world will truly end.

5

Laurel

Ma is busy cooking something in one pan. Whatever it is, it smells like burnt sauce and pasta. My stomach rolls. Ma hasn’t cared much for cooking and Lavender is whirling between the kitchen and her bedroom. She’s dressed up suspiciously in date clothes.

“Where are you going?” I pop a cherry tomato into my mouth from the salad. Ma slaps my hand smiling and I grab a second one. The salad is safer than whatever is in her one pan dish, but I’ll eat it anyway.

“Date.” She fluffs her hair in the mirror.

“No?”

Lavender pop out her compact and ignores me applying another layer of bright lipstick that will stain anything it touches.

“Lav, there’s a stay at home order in place. You can’t go out.”

“Laurel, I’m meeting Jimmy at his place. It’s no big deal.”

I corner her in the hall away from little ears. I’m mad. She’s the reason why whatever is happening out there is getting worse plus endangering all of us.

“You can’t go.” I argue.

“Oh come on. He ordered take out and he’s lonely.”

“Yeah, and Ma has early stage COPD, are you crazy?”

“You’re jealous.” She snaps her lips at me and I scowl back. I’m not jealous, I’m pissed and she’s ignorant. Arguing won’t help, but I don’t know what to do.

“Are you sure he hasn’t been out?” I don’t know how worried to get about this situation, but the news has been on non-stop.