Finding the Way Back by Jill Bisker Read Free Book Online Page B

for
being watchful of Connie and I.
    “Ladies,” he responded with a cocked eyebrow.
“Is there something I can help you with?”
    Here was another reason I moved away from the
town I grew up in. I hadn’t even done anything, yet I felt guilty
as Mr. Cooper’s eyes followed us through the store. As kids, it was
true, Connie and I could be a bit mischievous. I talked her into
shoplifting a pack of gum with me when we were in grade school, and
Mr. Cooper has never trusted us since.
    He scowled as he peered at us from around the
pharmacy counter and yelled out, “You two young ladies better
behave yourselves.”
    “Apparently he hasn’t forgiven us,” Connie
whispered, blinking at me with wide innocent eyes. “Perhaps, we
ought to split up so we can get out of here quicker. You pick out
your hair color, I’ll get the fingernail polish.”
    “I don’t know if I need fingernail polish,” I
said looking down at my hands. The nails were uneven and ragged.
“Scratch that. I suppose I probably do.”
    My cousin looked at my hands and rolled her
eyes. “Yes, you do.”
    Connie stopped to peruse the nail colors as I
went in search of hair supplies. I saw a cardboard display full of
brushes and assorted hair binders sticking out of an aisle two rows
down and I headed that direction. I turned down the aisle, stepping
around the display, when I spied my arch-nemesis from high school. Shit! Melanie Thomas, the girl who would single-handedly
ruin my senior year. I had tried to be friends with her when she
had first moved to town, but instead she got to know me just well
enough to make up stories about me and spread them around. I
couldn’t believe my so-called friends believed the venom she’d
spewed, but they did. I’d ended up quitting every club and activity
I was in just to avoid her and to get away from the pain. Now here
she was again. I looked down at my jeans and remembered just how
unkempt I must appear. I quickly turned to go before she could see
me but it was too late. She looked up and recognized me. Not
wanting to look like I was running from her but really not wanting
to talk to her, I halted midstream and stepped to the side thinking
I would try to act nonchalant. Instead, my foot caught in the
display throwing me off-balance. I flung out an arm and grabbed the
side of the display and a cascade of barrettes, headbands and bobby
pins flew to the floor.
    Humiliated, I bent over to try to pick up the
mess I’d made only to look over and see a pair of black loafers
appear before me. Looking up I saw Mr. Cooper standing over me with
another disapproving scowl. “You girls are always a problem when
you come in here. You need to pick that up, on the double, and
don’t put anything in your pockets.”
    “Yes, Mr. Cooper,” I answered sheepishly.
“No, Mr. Cooper, absolutely not.” He walked away in disgust as I
watched him go back to his counter. I glanced back to the mess I
made and there was Melanie, watching.
    “Hey, Laney,” she said, looking down at me.
“Nice outfit, nice to see you are still shopping at the local
thrift shops.”
    “Melanie,” I answered, nodding at her as I
reached down to pick up more items. I noticed the box of hair
coloring she held in her hand.
    She looked down at the box and realized I was
checking out her purchase. “Nice to see you again, Laney. So what
have you been up to?” I didn’t know it was possible to be phony and
condescending at the same time.
    “I came home to help my mother remodel and
redecorate my grandfather’s old house,” I said, standing up. I
looked pointedly at the box she held. She’d always claimed her coal
black hair was a natural product of her genes.
    Anticipating a snide comment, she answered
smoothly, “I’m just picking up some color for my mother to hide her
gray. Would you like me to help you pick some out too?”
    I sucked in my breath at the jab as Connie
came up behind me, laughing, with a bottle of pink hair color.
“Let’s put