*Before….

She went to her car and opened the door and she looked at me and I looked at her and she said loud enough for me to hear her from over there.

“Chris?”

“Yeah…?”

“Thanks…”

She got in the car and she drove off and I just sort of stood there with this sort of kind of ache going on because that thanks…it just sounded on the edge of stuff grateful.

God that feeling when you think you have a crush on someone maybe and they’re kind of maybe hurting and you don’t know them well enough that it just sucks.

*And Now… and in the present from now on….

Hopscotch…A Jump in Life 18

*Before…

And now…now I have what happens after a girl is done crying.

I’m hurt.

I’m hurt and I’m angry.

I get out of the shower and I dry off and glare at myself a few moments in the mirror before going and getting my things, dry underwear and change and dry there…eyes hard…jaw clenched through that.

Then I get my tablet and start playing tunes…Pink…angry stuff girl power kind of stuff and I start looking at myself in the mirror and take out my make-up and with a breath and leaning on the sink gripping it in a sort of eff-you to all of them I start doing my face.

“Fuck you…fuck you all (Angry sniffle.) I’m going to be who I am…and you’ll have to just deal with it.”

I’m going to do this, and keep doing this until I’m good at it, better than good at it.

*And Now…

Masks Chapter 12

*Before…

We hug and right after that is our stop and her mom’s home because Aunt Elsbeth’s jeep is in the driveway and we head inside and it smells like laundry inside and there’s rock music playing. *Shoot to Thrill.* By AC/DC and Aunt Elsbeth is setting up stuff in the kitchen like it’s for like a salon or something and she looks at me and grins.

“Hey girls.”

Yay… (Smiles.)

“Hey!” We both carouse.

“M.J. can you lend your cousin some clothes and stuff to wear after she has a shower?”

“Sure!”

“Steph?” Aunt Els says/asks as she holds up two weaves…not wigs but weaves…. “Which one do you want to try first?”

*And Now...