School could be hectic. Stressful. Mind-numbing. You had to find ways to cope with it so you could make it to the next day. Healthy ways; smoking or drinking tended to make a bad problem a worse one.
Thankfully, I had my own way of dealing with things. And it involved my childhood friend. We'd grown up together all our lives. We even lucked out on having the same birthday, spending our eighteenth on a day trip into the city.
Today found us in the gym after school, long after people had cleared out, giving us rare and much-needed privacy.
I gripped her ankles and looked into her eyes. "Are you sure?"
She nodded, then bit her lip. "Are
you
sure? I had P.E. today and the coach made us run track."
I smiled, excited at the prospect and tittered that she thought that was a deterrent. And mentally thanked the school board that phys ed was still mandatory even in senior year. "Yep."
"Remember, only five minutes." From her pocket, she pulled out a small timer and set it.
I pressed my face against her soles and instantly let out a sigh. They were so soft, and warm, like freshly-baked bread. And they were stinky, deliciously so, cheddar popcorn mixed with weeks-old corn chips. "This is so good."
She covered her face, letting out a soft whimper. "How can you
like
this? People have said the smell of my feet could strip paint!"
"And that's a
bad
