Mamma always had a love for other people's possessions. One of my earliest memories is walking to the park, my hand firmly tucked into hers. I was an impulsive child, and likely would have darted into ... [+]
Zoe Marie Bel is a writer of fiction and poetry, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Los Angeles Review, Australian Book Review, Mystery Tribune, and more. Her debut novel is forthcoming; her poetry slimbook 'Foothills' is in bookstores now. Read online pieces and follow news at zoemariebel.com. "Boy Misses Girl When She Leaves This Little Town" is in Short Circuit #14, Short Édition's quarterly review.
Miranda and Joe met at middle school in Perkins, Oklahoma. Joe was a lumpy kid, not fat so much as unevenly proportioned. If his father hadn't been Deputy Chief of Police, Joe likely would have been made to eat the gym-hall hand soap—the diet imposed on both wusses and fat pusses by the school bully. As for Miranda, the schoolyard name for her was Bookmark. That was because, to know what page you're meant to be reading in class, you only had to look at her.
Miranda's father was the town's head librarian, and she'd inherited his love of order and classification—plus his quietly judging eyes