First day of 7th Grade
by Jody Rae
Another new school. My teacher pronounces “Catholic” like Cat Lick. Did I tell you I wear a cat lick school uniform now? Sister Mary said I need new shoes. At Mass I bypassed the holy water, neglected to genuflect before sitting down, and fake mumbled the prayers. At Communion, I plucked the host out of Father Don’s hand, scandalizing the witnesses. He announced my faux paux over the PA system later. Years from now Father Don will go to prison for You Know What, talk about scandal. I’m not going to make a very good cat lick, I don’t think.
Jody Rae’s work appears in MASKS Literary Magazine, Sledgehammer Lit, The Good Life Review, and Red Fez. Her short story “Beautiful Mother” was a finalist in the Phoebe Journal 2021 Spring Fiction Contest. She has pieces forthcoming in Rejection Letters, RESURRECTION magazine, and XRAY. Find her work at criminysakesalive.com