Finding Mayhem

by Layla Frost

Money gave people the balls to be who they truly were.

“Just ’cause you can do something doesn’t mean you gotta.”

Take a long walk off a short cliff.

Play in traffic. Run with scissors.

Squish. He said Squish.

“If you think I want anyone but you, you haven’t been paying a fuckin’ lick of attention.”

“The baby’s not mine.” I thought about the tiny face on the ultrasound. “But the baby is mine.”

“Hold her like your edibles just kicked in, and she’s the last burrito in the world.”

As far as I’m concerned, she,” I put my hand on her stomach, “is my baby. And I’ve felt that way for longer than you’re gonna wanna hear.”