from Chase, told Mom I was going with Sarah.
It was the first time in a long time I’d out and out
lied and it bothered me. For about five minutes.
I walked down to the 7-Eleven to wait for Chase,
anticipation rumbling in my empty gullet.
The sight of his red Toyota pickup brought
a smile to my lips—and more, inside.
We shared a seat, we shared a smoke,
we shared a kiss or several.
At school, Chase waited with me in some long
lines. Yearbook. Class schedule. Student body card.
I even smiled for the camera. I had to, with Chase
checking out my student body, grinning like a toad.
Back in the truck, more kisses and a cigarette of my
own (pilfered from his pack, pilfered from his mom).
He dropped me off around the corner from my house,
gave me a stick of gum and a big, wet good-bye kiss.
It might have been the perfect day except just
as I closed the door, Scott happened
to drive by.
I learned a valuable lesson about lie construction
and Mom gave me plenty of time to consider
how to do it better.
GUFN Again
I
sat on my bed, absentmindedly
tracing the lopsided
heart-shaped scar,
didn’t
read, didn’t write. All I did