I see you sitting here with your nose in this very book every day and you have a dollar.”
“You spying on me or something?” Who is this boy?
“No, just noticed you is all. We just moved down the street from you.”
He noticed me? Weird. The kids at school never notice me, and they all think that I am strange. I don’t like the normal stuff girls my age are into. All the girls at school like making friendship bracelets and playing with tablets or cellphones. I have what some would call a morbid obsession with dying. Not my death particularly but just the strange ways some experience death.
“Cool,” I mutter, sounding so lame.
Moments later, the three of us are sitting on the park bench. I am enjoying my popsicle when this rude boy reaches over holding my hand in place and takes a lick from my popsicle.
“Rude!” I jerk my hand from his tight grasp.
“You said we had to share.” He shrugs as if it is no big deal. “What's your name, Fancy?”
“Fancy!” I shriek annoyed.
“Yeah, you look all fancy like. Figured we’re sharing spit, might as well know your name.”
I start to say something smart, but he is grinning at me, and he has a smile that makes me want to give him anything he wants. “My name is Peyton.”
“Jameson.” He grins at me again and I give him another lick of the melting sugar.
We share the rest of my popsicle; his little sister whom I learn is named Ruby Jane gets her treat all to herself, but it is her birthday. She is really shy. The little girl won’t hardly look at me, and when I speak to her, she looks away.
“Wanna go swing or something?” Jameson asks his sister and she smiles wide showing her tiny red stained teeth. They get up and get halfway across the grass before he calls back to me. “You coming or not, Fancy?”
I smile, shoving my book in my backpack. If anyone else called me that, I would probably get super mad, but I like the way it sounds when he says it. He gives me shooting stars bursting in my tummy. Feels like I swallowed Pop Rocks candy before it has popped.
Jameson takes turns pushing Ruby Jane and me. I feel like I could fly right off the seat and soar like a bird, I am going so high.
“Jump,” Jameson shouts to me.
“No way!” I yell back at him.
“Are you chicken?” He starts clucking and flapping his arms, mocking me.
I hate being called a chicken, so I jump and hit the ground, hard. My shirt is all rumpled with dirt clinging to it, and I scuffed my new tennis shoes. I’ve scraped my palms too, but not bad enough to cry.
“You okay?” He sticks his hand out to help me up. His sister is staring with wide eyes.
“Yep.” I pop the P.
“You sure?” He doesn’t look convinced. He is biting his bottom lip, chewing it between his teeth.
“I’m cool.” I hold out my scraped palms. They sting but I’ll be okay.
He relaxes and glances at the watch on his wrist. “We gotta go, see ya around, Fancy.” Jameson smiles at me and I feel brighter than the sun. I wave bye to his sister and she kinda waves back, I think.
When I get home, my daddy is waiting for me. I can’t wait to get him all to myself. Lately I have been having to share him with his girlfriend Barb. Ugh. I haven’t even met her, and I already don’t like her. What kind of name is Barb and why do I have to share my daddy with her? He has always said the only man a girl can depend on is her daddy and if she don't have him then she is s-h-i-t out of luck. I told him that Barb should get her own daddy then I wouldn't have to share him. He just laughed at me and started tickling my armpits.
My daddy takes me in his arms and swings me around. I love the weekends when he comes to visit. I live with my grandparents—my momma’s mommy and daddy, in a suburb in Hermitage Tennessee, near Percy Priest Lake. My mom died giving birth to me, and my dad couldn’t take care of me while going to college, but now he works at a law firm in the city. He is still too busy for me. My dad has an apartment in downtown Nashville. I rarely stay there though.
“What happened to your clothes?” He looks down at my rumpled shirt and scuffed shoes.
“I made two new friends today.” I tell him excitedly about meeting Jameson and Ruby Jane at the park.
“A boy, did you tell him you have a big mean daddy that will squash him like a bug under his shoe?” He jokes after I tell him Jameson dared me to jump from the swing and that’s how my clothes got messy.