Less Than Nothing Read Online Free PDF

the tattoo on my shoulder I got as a sophomore in high school, a stylized sun with a yin/yang symbol incorporated into it, and then wipe water from the two lines of script I had inked on the side of my ribcage by a guy who worked in a tat shop. He was totally hitting on me my third week on the street, and did it for next to nothing. It’s still there, and I haven’t seen him since.
    I’ve sung the words from my favorite song a thousand times since going out on my own, but they still resonate more than any others I’ve heard – Janis knew what she was talking about when she sang about freedom being another word for nothing to lose.
    Truest words on the planet. And fitting, given my predicament.
    I sniff my top before putting it on and cringe. Definitely time to hit the Laundromat. I pull my last clean shirt from my backpack, a ridiculously old-school black T-shirt with the words Sock It To Me emblazoned on the front, and slip it on. Clean panties follow, and then a pair of sweat pants Melody loaned me a month ago. “Take them,” she’d urged. “I haven’t been able to fit into them since I was twelve.”
    When I make it back out to the living room, Melody’s parked in front of the tube, watching a reality show where contestants compete for a fashion design deal. I sit down next to her, my ebony hair still gleaming from the shower, and she mutes the sound, eyes still glued to the screen as she offers me an open bag of Ruffles. I take a handful, and we chomp on them in silence, and then she turns to me.
    “So? What’s up?”
    “I had a shit day. I just couldn’t do it anymore today, so I took off early.”
    “Some days are like that. It’ll be better tomorrow. How bad was it?”
    “Twenty and change.”
    “Ouch.”
    “I know.”
    She eyes me. “Anything else?”
    “Yeah. Some dude showed up and tried to snake my spot on the street.”
    “No way! How? What did you do?”
    “He set up down the block. Also a guitar player. He’s total trouble.”
    Melody cocks her head. “You gave him the boot, right?”
    “Kind of.”
    “What does that mean?”
    I tell her about the coffee and the offer. Something in my tone tips her off, and her eyes widen. “How old is he?”
    “I don’t know. About my age, I think.”
    “Derek, huh? What’s he look like?”
    I debate how to describe him. ‘Total babe’ doesn’t really cut it. I do my best. When I’m done, she’s grinning.
    “Wait, so I’m sitting around watching reruns, and you’ve got some man candy buying you drinks?”
    “It was coffee.”
    “That’s where it starts. Next thing you’re pregnant.”
    “Yes, Mom.”
    “Seriously. What’s his story?”
    “Well, he’s from Seattle.”
    “And?”
    “And he’s on the street, too. Seems like he has been for a while.”
    “What’s a while?”
    “I don’t know. Years?”
    “Huh. What else?”
    “He’s got Elvis tattooed on his arm. Retro.”
    She regards me for a long beat. “Is he totally hot? Are you leaving that part out?”
    I shrug, but I can feel myself blushing. “He’s okay.”
    “You little slut. I can’t believe you. I’m here locked in my ivory tower, and you’re playing spank me at the stud farm.”
    “It’s not like that. He’s kinda cute, I suppose, but he’s also competition.”
    Melody won’t be denied now that she’s got the bit between her teeth. “You suppose? Scale of one to ten, how cute?”
    I’m starting to get flustered. I should have known she’d home in on Derek. I have no reason to feel suddenly protective of him, but I do. “I don’t know. Probably an eight. Or a nine.”
    “Oh. My. God. Listen to you. Were you twerking him by the point he bought you a latte?”
    I stand up, feeling claustrophobic. “Mel, come on. This is me we’re talking about.”
    “Dude, I’d be so all over that in a heartbeat.” She would, too. Mel likes boys. She’s like the anti-Sage. Not that I don’t like the male of the species; I just haven’t met any I felt