Page 44 of Driftwood Daffodil

At least I thought I could.

I looked through the windshield at the people walking around.

Not nearly as many people ducked for cover this morning when I parked, but I was getting quite a few angry glares. Huh, either my confrontation with Gio Mancini made me popular, or my nemesis had some serious competition.

Grabbing my bag off the passenger seat, I hopped out and headed for the school.

There were a few whispers and a couple of finger points as I passed people, but nothing too bad. I know I didn’t have a sock stuck to my ass, and I took the time to put on some make-up and do something with my hair. Maybe it was my normalcy that was throwing them off.

It threw me off, but I needed to look half decent when I saw Gio in the halls. Telling me not to come back, as if I had a choice in the matter.

Maw Maw would kick my ass and I was more afraid of her than I was him. Plus, I’d been practicing my‘awe did the baby lose his bottle’look all night. It was a hard expression to pull off. There had to be the right amount of condescending with just a touch of fuck all the way off. And let me just say, I had that look down pat.

No one was going to rattle me.

Or so I thought until I saw Memphis waiting at my locker, which had the same word written across it as my truck. Misspelled and everything. Well at least my hater was consistent.

“Hey,” Memphis grimaced as I sighed and stuck my hand in my bag. “I tried to wash it off…”

“Don’t wash it off,” I said while walking up to add the w. “They need to see their mistake.”

There was someone wandering around this school who thought that hore was the proper spelling. Didn’t say much about the educational abilities of this institution. A fact that someone needed to point out. I had better things to do than waste my time correcting shit. I didn’t know what those better things were yet, but something would come up.

“I don’t know who did it…”

I waved Memphis off dismissively, “It doesn’t matter.”

I was just going to assume it was my nemesis. She came in here all mad because I made her dive in a bush and took it outon my locker. God I hoped she had an evil laugh, that would be awesome. I should probably find out her name. Bush girl didn’t sound quite right.

Memphis crossed his arms and leaned against the locker next to mine. “You’re oddly put together this morning.”

I shrugged, “I found my brush.” And curling iron.

His eyes narrowed, “What are you up to?”

“Why would I be…” My words were cut off when I opened my locker and a bunch of boxes fell out, clinking off the floor.

Memphis immediately started scolding the people laughing around us while I picked up one of the boxes still in my locker.Miss. Suzie’s edible panties. Well, every whore needed their tools I guess. And it was cherry flavor. Couldn’t ignore the irony in that one, though… “Some condoms would’ve been nice!”

Whores needed to practice safe sex too. What the hell was I supposed to do with a bunch of edible underwear?

My brow rose.They are edible…

Quickly stuffing the box in my bag, I grabbed my books and closed my locker.

When I turned around Memphis cocked a brow. “What are you doing?”

Did I have to explain everything?

“Since fire swallower isn’t a good career choice,” Still mad at Maw Maw about that one. Way to crush an eight-year-old’s dreams. “I’m going to school. And one needs books for school.”

“Books yes,” he agreed. “Edible underwear no.”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, I can’t let them go to waste, that would just be rude.”

“They aren’t a snack that you carry around Nova.”

No sooner had those words left his mouth than someone nearby coughed out, “Eat your breakfast whore.”

---