Photo Story: Milkshake

The afternoon sun and Lloyd Lovell’s bull-eyed stare were hot on Mandy’s back as she waited for the bus. She drank her milkshake and pretended not to notice until he asked her for a sip. She remembered the disgusting details Renee had told her about the time she let a boy put his tongue in her mouth, but before Mandy could say no way, the straw was in his teeth, braces glinting, his upper lip fuzz bejeweled with sweat. All the ride home, the idea that she might taste him on her straw sent her skin prickling and heart leaping.

Photographer: alexxis