Paper Route 1: Beth

        I slow down a little bit as I pass a run-down house with a barking dog in the yard so I can reach into my bag and throw a newspaper into the yard. I don't understand why these folks haven't canceled yet, since it's pointless for them to get a paper; the dog just tears it all up. I'm not complaining or anything, because I do get paid per house, but it just seems like the logical thing to do.
        I look ahead at the bumpy sidewalk with crops of crabgrass crawling through the cracks, and steer my bike off the curb and into the narrow street. Ten- to twenty-year-old cars line the curbs, making the street only wide enough for one car to drive down at a time, and maybe a cyclist if they feel brave. I like to think that I'm brave, but if I see a car coming down my way, I'm hopping back onto the sidewalk. The street is a much smoother ride, and oddly enough has less debris that could damage my wheels, so I'm staying here for now.
        As I ride the buildings get taller and go from individual houses (though many of them are either abandoned or have two or three families living inside) to apartments. The smooth straight road starts to turn into a hill, so I have to pedal a bit harder. I toss a few papers, and by the time I reach the top I heave a sigh of relief, because I know that my third to last delivery is at the bottom. I start down the hill, gently squeezing the handlebar breaks to keep myself from going too fast. I feel bold and just barely tap them. I want to see how fast I can go. It takes mere moments to get to a pretty impressive speed, but then I try to hop the curb.
        My front tire clips the curb and I get tossed off.
        I hit the sidewalk with a thud and even slide a little, but thankfully it's just fraction of a centimeter. My bike flips but by some miracle it looks okay, and only one paper fell out. My whole body hurts down to the bone and my skin is burning from the nice layer I just shaved off. I'm wearing a plaid button-down with the sleeves rolled up just above the elbow and a pair of cut-off jean shorts, so needless to say in about thirty seconds, I'm going to be red and bleeding all over. Luckily I'm wearing thick socks and good sneakers so my feet should be fine. But damn, I'm gonna feel sore for a bit.
        "Oh my God, are you okay?"
        I look up and see a girl in men's shorts and a black tank top rushing from behind the three-foot chain-link fence of the apartments behind her. She offers her hand, with lime-green nails. I look up at her and see nothing but a halo cast by the rising sun behind her, but I can make out beautiful brown tresses and bottle-green eyes.
        Bashfully, I reach up and take her hand. I try to pull but it seems to put her off balance, so instead I do most of the work getting up. My bleach blond bangs fall into my face, and I reach up to find the hat keeping my stick-straight hair back is gone. "I-I'm fine," I inadvertently groan. "It's just pain."
        She stoops down and picks up my blue ball cap. "Here," she offers, "you dropped this."
        I take it from her and pull my hair back, then put it back on my head to keep my boring locks restricted. "Thanks."
        Now that I can see her, she looks emaciated. Like, she is impossibly skinny. Well, maybe not impossibly, but her arms and legs are thin and she has no curves, and she barely has breasts. Not that I was looking or anything! But still, like, does she eat? Ever?
        "Can I get you anything?"
        I shake my head. "Don't worry, I'm good."
        "That was quite a fall," she sighs as she starts an attempt to flip my bike.
        I quickly get down and flip the bike right-side up, then put the kickstand down so I don't have to worry about dropping it again. Then I get back down and recover the lost paper. "Is someone here getting a paper?"
        She nods and smiles. "That's ours." She extends her hand and asks, "Mind if I give it a try?"
        I pass it to her. "Go ahead!"
        She grins even broader and tosses the paper at the first apartment door with a thunk.
        "That's a good arm," I stammer awkwardly. I really want to keep talking to her.
        She puts her head down and almost tries to hide her smile. "Thank you."
        Suddenly it feels really hot. I unbutton my shirt a few buttons. I really hope my white undershirt hasn't turned translucent with my nervous sweat. "Ack, that summer heat is starting to hit. I thought it wasn't supposed to get hot until like 10:00."
        She looks a little red and is doing that thing you do when you're shy, you know? Not making eye contact, playing with your hands, maybe twisting your toe in the ground. She's doing all of that. If she's not careful she's going to wear out her flip-flops early. She opens her mouth, as if she's going to say something, but then a man's voice cuts through the air, "BETH YOU BETTER GET IN HERE THIS INSTANT!"
        "Sorry about that," she says quickly. "Step-dad's calling. I better get in there."
        I want to get on my scraped-up knees and beg her not to go, but instead I just say, "Okay." Then I offer my hand. "Taylor."
        She smiles and puts her thin, delicate hand in mine. "Beth."
        I smile and pull my hand away in defeat, then put the kickstand up. "I should be getting back to my route. See you later?"
        She nods. "See you later."
        I hop on my bike and start peddling away. After a yard I look back at her, and she's still there, waving. I hear his voice again and she breaks out into a brisk jog back inside. I feel my heart sink a bit watching her run away. I look forward and pedal briskly to my next house.
I turn the shower on, putting the hot all the way so the water can warm up. I undress and look at myself in the mirror. I'm not skinny like her. I'm a C-cup, I have enormous thighs, and I have a tiny belly bulge. I want to flatten it, but after seeing Beth, I'm starting to appreciate my bigger build. It's not all fat, I actually do have a lot of muscle. I turn around and look at my damage from today. It could be worse but it still looks bad. Soap is gonna burn like a bitch.