Part III: What Happens a Cappella? (Chapter 55)


I
think I’m going to kill myself, I’m so embarrassed I could die. It’s just too grotty for words.

See, I go out with this boy, right? That is, Deb, my girlfriend from Elk Point, and me go out with these two guys we meet on The Loop. Kevin and Gordon. See, Deb has this red pickup truck ‒ her dad’s a farmer ‒ but she don’t like to advertise any of that hick stuff, so we just tell any boys we meet that Deb’s so cool that she drives a stick pickup truck so we can haul some foxy guys like them in the back. Anyways, I’m feeling foxy myself, in my new V-neck sweater ‒ Prussian Blue, of course‒and my new white cords.

Anyways, we’re riding around, just keeping things cool, when these greasy guys from Central pull up alongside of us. Ugh, they’re so ugly my skin crawls, and when the driver rolls down his window, you can smell stale beer and sweat.

The driver says, “Hey! You girls fuck?”

Well! We’re not that kind of girls, so I says to Deb, “Let’s ditch ‘em.” And we ride around town, them following behind us, honking and flashing their lights. I’m kinda scared, actually, ‘cause there’s something creepy about the way those guys won’t leave us be.

But Deb and me, we laugh and pretend it’s all okay.

And then these other guys, these real cute boys from Sloan, pull up next to us. Kevin ‒ that’s the one I’ll be with ‒ says, “You girls need help?”

I’m so relieved and I can tell Deb is, too. So we pull into the Red Owl parking lot and listen to “Happy Together” by the Turtles on Kevin’s radio, and then we go to Tele-Food down on 5th Street for fries and pop. Slow night, not a whole lot to do in Sioux City. Still, Tele-Food’s kinda neat, the way you pick up the phone at your table to order and a waitress brings your food. Just like that.

We sit around the table, making straw snakes and dropping pennies into our 7-Ups, until they throw us out.


And then we go to Grandview Park for, well, you know, a little necking.

It’s at the park where life as I know it comes to an abrupt and complete halt.

Kevin and me start kissing, and all, and, and ‒

And, then, I sense it coming, but I says to myself, “No, it’s not time, it can’t be time,” and so I ignore it, and go back to kissing ‒

Then something awful gurgles between my legs, and, without having to look, I know immediately I’ve bled all over my cords and all over Kevin’s car seat.

I honestly can’t remember what happened after that, only that it’s gotta be too awful for words.

All I know is, Kevin’s history.

Who wants to go out with a chick who bleeds all over the place?

I just wanna die.

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