Page 101 of Driftwood Daffodil 2

Curse the day I told her where I worked.

She squeezed me tighter squishing my face into her abundant chest. “I missed you.”

I missed the second grade, when I was taller than her and not at risk of smothering to death between her breasts. Gio’s strangulations suddenly didn’t seem so bad. At least I didn’t gag on the overpowering stench of perfume. What the hell was that scent anyway. Au de slut?

It surrounded me like a noxious cloud of gas that stuck around even when she let go to sit down on one of the stools.

“It’s so good to see you.”

Why was she being nice? I didn’t trust that smile on her face.

“Cindy, we’re not friends. We have never been friends and we never will be friends.”

“You’re so funny.” She giggled and waved her hand. “Things just haven’t been the same at school without you.”

Did she run out of other girl’s boyfriends to steal? Oh wait… she only went for my boyfriends. And snacks, seat in class, position in the choir. Pretty much anything that was mine. She even hit on Kato once.

“How have you been?”

Like she cared. “Well–”

“They must be working you so hard.” Her long fingers reached out and cupped my face. “You look absolutely exhausted.”

I smacked my lips and sighed. “What do you want, Cindy?”

She wasn’t here to catch up, that much I knew.

“Ugh, don’t tell me you’re still mad about that Simon thing.” she sat back and waved her hand through the air. “It was just a blow job. No big deal.”

Just a blow job?

She reached out and placed her hand on mine. “You’re welcome by the way.”

“For what?”

“Satisfying your boyfriend when you couldn’t.” She said like it that was an obvious fact.

“Wow, Cindy,” Memphis rolled his eyes. “Classy as ever I see.”

Her pointed chin twisted towards Memphis. “What would you know about class?”

“Well, I didn’t have Simon Fisher’s dick in my mouth, so I’ve obviously got one up on you.”

Hey now, I dated Simon.

“You would be so lucky.” She shot back.

Memphis sighed and shook his head. “Clearly you and I have very different definitions for the word lucky.”

“Ugh,” she scoffed. “Nova understands, don’t you Nova?”

“That you have no class? Yeah.” I figured that out by third grade.

She rolled her eyes. “Memphis is a bad influence on you.”

“At least I won’t give her syphilis.” Memphis sang while flipping the page of a newspaper on the counter.

As amusing as this was – and it was always amusing when these two were in the same room – I didn’t want to spend any more time with Fires than I had to. So I interrupted before their verbal conflict could continue.

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