esme glanced at her reflection in the window of maggie’s as she walked by and tried not to be disappointed by what she saw: fashion sneakers, designer joggers, and a neon sweatshirt that was supposed to be very in this season. she knew she had to keep up appearances, but she couldn’t bring herself to dress up just to go into town for lunch. this was her alternative.
she stepped inside, propped her sunglasses on her head, and ignored the stares of other customers. it always surprised her how many people she didn’t know, having lived here her whole life. but there was always a familiar face—and there they were. “oh, hey! haven’t seen you in a while. how’s things?”













