Chapter 3: Valentine’s Day Peddler

The hall explodes in noise and students. Lockers bang as students rush to make the most of the ten minutes between classes.

Our school is moderate-sized with 600 kids, grades nine to twelve, four times larger than my previous school. The size still scares me. While I knew everyone at our last school, I don’t know everyone in my grade here.

A long line forms at the table. Mostly boys but a few girls. They all talk with excitement, discussing what they are going to get.

My first boy, a grade ten with messy potato brown hair, square glasses, faded black hoodie and ripped black jeans, waves a fifty dollar bill.

“A kiss, please.”

Does he want me to kiss him? No stupid, it’s for a kiss delivery from an older girl.

“Thank you. Ten dollars.”

I mumble, very embarrassed to be sitting in only my training bra. Worse, in front of this older boy.

He re-waves the bill, thankfully ignoring me. He is captivated by Annabella behind me.

I take his bill and slip it into the money slot.

“What about my change?”

He demands, considering me for the first time.

I wilt under his older stare and frown.

“Do you want to get...”

I tremble to explain Annabella’s policy to this angry older boy.

“No!”

He leans close. I smell salty bacon on his breath and wilt from the fire behind his eyes.

“I gave you fifty for a ten-dollar kiss. I want my forty dollars.”

I lean away from him, trying to get as far away as possible.

Annabella places a comforting hand on my shoulder and bends lower to his level.

“THANK YOU! For your donation.”

His eyes snap to Annabella, annoyed anger turning to fear.

“You’re welcome.”

He stammers before rushing off into a crowd of students.

“Did he give you a form?”

Annabella breathes into my ear, sending shivers up and down my spine.

“Oh, No, he forgot.”

I choke out, only now able to speak because of her protective influence. I grab a blank sheet, searching for the boy’s faded black hoodie among many.

“I guess his donation was larger than expected. Fuck him, he can’t speak like that to my workers.”

Annabella’s laugh stops me from running after him.

I take a deep breath and sit back down.

My next boy is much older, with a scraggly tawny beard. He reeks of something dead, like a dog, after rolling in something horrible.

“Singing gram for Jonathan Guild.”

He snickers while handing me a creased sheet.

I check his math, take his sticky money, sliding the exact amount into our little pussy shaped hole. I grin at pushing the money into the pretend pussy hole. I scribble paid on the sheet and throw it with other orders.

My first official sale fills me with pride.

My next customer is an older girl in a power red strapless dress with caramel hair cascading across pale pink bare shoulders.

“Can I request a certain person to perform?”

She flashes perfectly straight silver teeth towards Annabella.