Chapter 257

• Plus she was actually wearing real shoes – like sneakers – instead of whatever crappy trash shoes her mom had made her wear last year. As a funny side note, Kim later told me (and was quite embarrassed telling me and I’m not quite sure why she told me) that when she was out buying clothes, she discovered that she had never worn a bra that actually fit her before. She had never actually been sized, she just always wore what her mother gave her. Well, when she was shopping she got sized. Being a guy, I’m not sure how this whole thing works, but apparently she was a 36D but for the past year had been wearing her mom’s 38Cs. She said, which I imagine is quite true, that she didn’t know that wearing a bra could actually be comfortable, that she always thought they were supposed to be uncomfortable, as that had been her experience.
• Anyhow, it seems Kim still worked at the grocery store during the school year, a couple nights a week and weekends. And she seemed happy. Like, honestly happy. Which I never saw the year before. She would fake being happy, and there were some days that were better than others, but never was she genuinely happy. And so, I was happy for her.
• Kim became a regular to the program. She was there every single day. Usually she would have a friend or two with her, but sometimes she’d come alone. Sometimes she spent the whole time doing her work, but most days she just sat and talked with either her friends or with me. In fact, a lot of people started coming to the program and not doing work. I never complained. As long as they didn’t cause problems for me, they could hang out and do nothing in my room all they wanted. For some of them, they were probably better off there than at their homes or on the streets.