Full Body Inflation

The sun had set outside of the corner café, and I knew I was fucked.

With the rate Austen was reading through his poems, there wouldn’t be any daylight to walk home. To the dozen or so other young adults in here with us, he read with no rush whatsoever. This particular poem was an extended metaphor about how the smoke of apartment fires choked the city like the host of other community issues. My friend was quite the subtle activist. I had to commend him for making his writing amount to more public visibility than my work ever could.

My name is Kaylee. I'm 26 years old with long auburn hair and brown eyes. I have a slim frame and stand at 5ft 3in. I just got off my break at the bakery I work at and am currently finishing off my coffee on my way back. The bakery is located in a supermarket, so I do have to walk around some patrons on my way back to my post. Today is my last day here before I move on to another job, so I don't really care that people see me drinking coffee while on the clock. I look over and see Ryan talking to another coworker. They seem to be passing some glances at me. I sigh.

Sonia was always a strange one, but we didn't know how strange until the five of us were together one day and the topic of secret talents came up. Cherry stems were tied with a tongue, fortunes were told with Tarot decks, and then she piped up, asking us if we wanted to see "something cool." We said yes, not knowing what were getting into, and she grinned and left the room, coming back with a bike pump connected to a long, trailing hose.