She told the hostess, “I see my friend,” and breezed past, sliding into the empty side of the booth with a smile. “Someone’s in a good mood,” Jade said, adding two sugars to her cup and stirred briskly. She tapped the spoon against the rim before setting it down on the sau...
A feeling came over me—the same mix of disbelief and panic I’d once felt when I spotted my uncle at a bar I frequented as an underage drinker. “Excuse me?” Brother Jasper cleared his throat. “There’s a problem with your friend Hubert. He needs you.” “Hubert? Is he hurt?” A thousand injury possibi...
Rita expressed a preference for the chain, though, because she had some kind of rewards card thing. Funny how one person could dominate a group. Well, it was hard to be irritated with her. Rita was a true lady, one of those women who set a lovely table, did volunteer work, and talked about their ...
Our bus was more like a large van, or a small school bus. Nothing fancy. No cup holders or bathroom in the back. Just a large vehicle on wheels, with not much in the way of shock absorbers judging by the way we bounced every time the bus went over a bump. Our driver was a solid-looking Peruvian m...
I knew it was a terrible idea, but I still did it, spurred on by peer pressure and stupidity. Afterward, it bothered me so much that I didn’t even enjoy the gum; it felt like dirt in my mouth. That night, knowing the rest of the pack was in my dresser, I couldn’t sleep at all because of the guilt...